So, it’s E3 and once again Bethesda are back, and it’s fair to say that yet again they’ve pretty much smashed it out of the park with some fantastic announcements across the PC, mobile, and console platform experiences. With this year proving to be their longest show yet, with a run time of almost an hour and a half, Bethesda have continued to up the ante, and besides a somewhat cringey opening introduction in which a rock band took to the stage for three minutes to introduce Rage 2, the rest of the show went down well.
Here are 5 of the best bits from Bethesda’s E3 2018 briefing.
5) Future Projects – Elder Scrolls VI & Starfield
Well it’s confirmed, when Todd Howard gets to the stage there are two things that are guaranteed. First of all, you can forget that pillow you’ve been hiding behind from all the cringey behaviour as he is a games industry veteran who generally rules the stage, but most importantly, when he’s about, it’s usually because there are about to be some big announcements you’ll want to sink your teeth into.
That was definitely the case this year, but whilst many of the games shown are set to arrive in the hands of players very soon, there were a couple touted for a next-gen release that raised the roof with cheers – the announcement of space adventure Starfield (a visually impressive, albeit brief, announcement), and the gargantuan title we’ve all been asking for, Elder Scrolls VI.
Both of these titles were said to still be some way away, but the fact that we now have confirmation of the existence of a new Elder Scrolls adventure, is certainly something that brought in the cheers. If only because we can finally scratch that itch we’ve been unable to shift since Skyrim.
4) Prey: Mooncrash
It had been rumoured in recent weeks that a return to Prey was likely, but after an exciting trailer that promises a different experience every time you play, there were certainly some deserved cheers that came out of the announcement.
The Mooncrash DLC pits players against the challenge of escaping a secret TranStar base on the moon, where the enemies you encounter, the hazards you face, the goals you complete and the loot you collect are different each and every time.
With infinite amounts of replayability, an all-new location and more classic Prey gameplay to get stuck into once more, it’s fair to say that the Mooncrash reveal went down well, and what’s more, it’s available right now (£13.19 from the Xbox Store!). Now that’s what I call an announcement.
Oh, and let’s not forget to mention a free update with New Game+ and Survival Mode are also available for the base game right now, whilst the new multiplayer mode Typhon Hunter will be available later this year.
3) DOOM Eternal
It may have died down on the multiplayer front but the 2016 reboot of DOOM was a fantastic experience, and with DOOM VFR failing to capture the true magic, many have been left wondering where the series will go from here.
Well the good news is Bethesda have ensured we’re all clued up on just what to expect from the future of the exciting FPS series – DOOM Eternal. Twice as many “badass demons” and an even stronger doomslayer will be present, and it’s fair to say Bethesda are taking the ‘go big or go home’ approach with the future of DOOM.
We’ll have to wait until QuakeCon in August to see the game demoed, but the return of the fastest FPS on console is certainly one that’s got our hype train going – Welcome back DOOM guy!
2) RAGE 2
Okay so having a poor performing band welcome your game to the stage isn’t exactly going to go down as the best PR move in history, but if there is something we like from a briefing it’s raw gameplay, and there was plenty of rawness on show during the RAGE 2 segment of Bethesda’s briefing.
It’s been a long time coming, but RAGE 2 is a thing, and from what we saw during the official gameplay trailer, it looks like it’s going to be a good thing.
With tons of enemies, huge monsters, a new wasteland to roam and what looks to be some super smooth and fluid gunplay, RAGE 2 is set to bring all the things we loved about the original, before whacking an all-new level of insanity on top. Enemies being fired out of cannons? Check. Cars jumping over unimaginable drops? Check. Tribes and Alliances taking over the remainder of humanity? Check. An all new shooter from the cracking team over at ID Software? Check.
What’s not to love about a new game in the RAGE universe!?
1) Fallout 76
An exciting new adventure in the vast world of Fallout was always going to be something that caught the attention of players, even if it was announced before E3.
But a game four times bigger than the expansive world of Fallout 4? That’s not quite the level of hype we were all prepared for.
What’s more, Fallout 76 is going to be an online experience that will allow players to team up and take on the wasteland in co-op for the first time ever, whilst those wanting to go it alone in solo can do just that.
To clear things up though, Fallout 76 is a prequel to all previous Fallout titles with the game pitting you as one of the first characters to emerge from a vault in West Virginia after the nuclear disaster. And with real-world players able to come and go from your wasteland experience, Fallout 76 will definitely be like no other game we’ve seen in the series yet. Complete with six unique regions, a ton of new creatures and classic folklore inspired by West Virginia, there will plenty to see and do when the game arrives on November 14th.
So, there we have it, 5 of the best bits from Bethesda’s E3 briefing… and there are still plenty more that didn’t quite make it in. A new Wolfenstein anyone?
Did you enjoy Bethesda’s announcements? What are you looking forward to most? Let us know in the comments below.
