Sunday, June 10th began what looks to be a very good year for developers at E3. Whether you are excited for a new Halo Game, Fallout 76 or Elder Scrolls reveals, Sunday's press conference was filled with both awkward moments and standing ovations. Here are your highlights from Sunday's E3.
Rage 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9fWKslhPvQ
At every E3, there are three different scenarios that can happen. The creators are more pumped than the fans, the fans are more pumped than the creators, or they are both equally hyped. In Rage 2's case, the 15-minute rock concert intro was strange considering the game is a post-apocalyptic open-world RPG and not the next installment of Guitar Hero. While the gameplay footage and trailer are impressive I can only hope that the game gives players more than just being Borderlands clone with ATV's as was the case with its predecessor.
The Elder Scrolls: Blades
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9gGPR6wOQo
The Elder Scrolls is by far the most popular franchise Bethesda has ever created. From Dagger fall to Morrowind, to Oblivion to Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls has a huge following. Tod Howard revealed Bethesda's Ambitious venture into mobile gaming with the elder scrolls blades. Players will get a free to play console-like experience on their tablets and phones with all of the lore and dungeon crawling that fans love. While Tod Howard Mentioned that this was Bethesda's first Attempt at mobile Gaming for the elder scrolls, this is not entirely true. The Elder Scrolls: Shadow Key was released on the Nokia N-Gage in 2004. The game and more importantly the console didn't sell very well, as the N-Gage was competing with the Gameboy Advance at the time, and the later was a more moderately priced and user-friendly console. Mobile Gaming has Changed a lot since 2004 and with the success of Bethesda's mobile game, "Fallout Shelter" it was only a matter of time before the company would once again try their hand at bringing The Elder Scrolls and Mobile gaming together. In this instalment characters will play as a former member of 'Ther Blades' the most elite of Tamriel's Imperial guards. Sent into exile you must bring order back to your home that was destroyed in your time away.
Fallout 76
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV63b6empgM&t=549s
Fallout 76 takes place in West Virginia 25 years after the great war turned the US into a Nuclear Wasteland. Based on the trailer it is up to survivors of Vault 76 to rebuild the world that was scorched by nuclear hellfire. This was the Game I was most excited to see at E3. After playing 3, New Vegas, and then 4, I was hooked. However, like many other members of the Fallout gaming community, I was concerned when I heard that It would be fully online. Tod Howard, pacified most concerns during Fallout 76's reveal. While the game is fully online, he does say that one can play single player if the so choose adhering to the overwhelming amount of #savesingleplayer hashtags appearing on Bethesda's twitter page. The fact that multiplayer is reserved for 4 or five friends isn't bad at all. Many were concerned that this would turn Fallout into an Elder Scrolls online based game. This reveal proves these concerns are unfounded. Fallout 76 is no more an MMO than Left for Dead as the setup is similar in that you can collaborate with friends and complete missions. While the game isn't a battle royal as previous rumors stated ( Thanks a lot Kotaku) there is one PUBG esque element to the game. Players that emerge from the Vault will be able to find and launch nukes at each other. This is similar to the bomb zones in PUBG that effectively shrink the area of play. While I don't think Bethesda has any intention of shrinking the map (You know, the one that glows in the F***ing dark) I do think players will use this as a way of keeping more unruly rival settlements at bay.
Elder Scrolls 6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6NX1PWo2LM
This was the title people wanted to see most at E3. While there were many rumors that the elder scrolls 6 would be set in the wood elf capital of Valenwood, the teaser trailer leaves a lot to the imagination. Valenwood is supposed to be a heavily forested region. We were shown an area with many trees but also mountains and a beautiful coastline. In short, this could be literally anywhere in Tamriel. I am worried about the elder scrolls 6 for multiple reasons. The primary reason is that with the number of areas being explored in the Elder Scrolls Online, how much is left to be explored? Additionally, Bethesda openly stated they intend to release the Elder Scrolls 6 when console technology advances to the point at which it will run smoothly on most platforms. This seems odd as showing a trailer at all means that a reveal and release date aren't far away. Their statement about better technology begs the question, "Do they know something we don't in the area of console development?"
Starfield
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6NX1PWo2LM
Rumors have been circulating about Bethesda working on a space opera single player game for months. Now we finally have a name. Skybound is a brand new wholly original franchise being worked on by Bethesda. Not much is know about the up and coming title and no gameplay footage was shown, however, I can only hope that this bold move won't backfire into being a Mass Effect clone. With any luck, Starfield will be as successful as Bethesda giants Fallout and The Elderscrolls.
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