The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2018 is the 24th Electronic Entertainment Expo, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry
Bethesda has a lot to prove in this showcase, especially with the last two years being rather lackluster, especially with the constant mocking of its many renditions of Skyrim and nothing particularly new to look forward. Going into E3 2018, some of new titles showcased were already hinted at with a few cryptic tweets and random streams a month ago. Rage 2 brought delivered an awesome trailer while the teaser for Fallout 76 had many wondering about its direction, that is, until the Xbox Briefing earlier in the afternoon that gave us some more details.
Bethesda exec Pete Hines certainly has been hyping up their showcase for the last few weeks talking about the excitement in their offices and possibly this one being the longest one yet. But with two big anticipated titles already deep in their, the question is, what else is left to reveal after all we got burned by last year’s impressive concept of Bethesdaland? Still here’s how the Bethesda Showcase went down.
Rage 2
With the Mad Max-esque world that Rage 2 delivers in the teaser trailer, it makes sense that this sequel is the starting act, particularly with a performance by Andrew W.K. hitting the stage to turn up the excitement. Avalanche Studios collaborates with ID Software to create this massive open world, with the game set after the world has been destroyed by an asteroid. All that is left is hate and a blistering need for survival. You play as Walker, the last ranger of this wasteland that is devoid of humanity.
This extended look reveals not only more of the scenario but also some gameplay. The trailer boasting a seamless open world for this intense first person shooter which for anyone who played Mad Max will be able to see how the vehicle combat sections are being handled the same which certainly makes us feel very positive about this title, especially when combined with the meaty first person shooter mechanics making this one to look out for next year.
The Elder Scrolls Legends
What Bethesda conference would be complete without a talk about Elder Scrolls? At this point, we can only be thankful it isn’t about Skyrim. Elder Scrolls Legends is a free digital card game available on various platforms and will be heading to Nintendo Switch.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset
With over 11 million players now on The Elder Scrolls Online, Zenimax drops by to talk about the past upgrades as well as the recent release of Summerset. The next announcement is for the upcoming DLC called Wolf Hunters based on werewolves. On top of that, the lore expands with another DLC Murkmire. For those immersed into the world of Tamriel, the constant updates with DLC and chapters, it sure is something to look forward to. As with any online community, these news are really only meaningful to those involved.
Doom Eternal
Following the 2016 success of Doom, it is a fine time to announce a sequel. Doom Eternal is going to be a bigger game with a more powerful doom slayer, twice as many demons and a setting which will see hell being unleashed on Earth. While we might not have seen any actual gameplay footage we did certainly get a lot of new features promised however, this was simply a teaser trailer and instead Bethesda have opted to debut at Quakecon.
Quake Champions
Quake Champions was teased two years ago and finally is expected to release this year. Quake has been around for a long time and this upcoming title has added new features to make it easier for new players to join in and improve. While it is still in early access, Quake Champions will have a free to play trial between June 10th and 17th. If downloaded this week, it will be free to play forever. That sounds like a pretty sweet deal.
Prey DLC: Mooncrash & Typhon Hunter
https://youtu.be/ySVBHI2OeAg
Prey has been released for one year and received fairly decent reviews. This first person sci-fi horror action game announces three new modes: Story, New Game Plus and Survival. On top of that, Arkane Studios shares their DLC called Mooncrash. All of the above is available now. On top of that, their next addition to Moonbase is Typhon Hunter, which is an intense multiplayer Hide and Seek mode, jump scares included. In this mode, you play with 5 friends where the other players are mimics and can transform into anything.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood
Before we get onto the new Wolfenstein announcement, Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus will be arriving on Nintendo Switch on June 29th though how this will be affected by the reduced power of the switch remains to be seen. Continuing the Wolfenstein legacy, Machine Games next game will focus on BJ Blazkowicz’s twin daughters with the sequel moving the action to 1980s Paris and due to its double main characters, it will also be a coop experience. We are of course big fans of female protagonists here at Game Warp and certainly coop experiences so needless to say this game ticks a lot of boxes for us.
Bethesda VR
With all the other studios staying dedicated to their VR route, Bethesda VR is still in the works. With that said, the previously mentioned upcoming Prey DLC, Typhon Hunter will be released on VR. At the same time, Wolfenstein is receiving a VR game called Cyberpilot which takes on cyberhacking.
Fallout 76
Already talked about in Xbox Briefing, Fallout 76 is set in West Virginia as a prequel and will be the biggest game so far at four times of Fallout 4. The story this time seeing you playing an occupant of Vault 76 released on Reclamation Day when the vault opens as this time the game is about rebuilding America. The most important aspect of Fallout 76 is that it will be entirely online with players sharing the map with dozens of other players which of course brings with it the potential for so many problems especially when the online community is notorious for those who don’t play well with others and thankfully the game will still be playable for solo players who don’t wish to mingle with their fellow gamers.
The open world game will be with few rules where the choices you make will change. At the same time, death will not result in loss of progression. The same goes for building wherever the player desires and it can also be moved freely. However we are yet to see how the world will function especially in terms of building your settlement and more so how they will stop trolls trashing it on a whim and generally hindering your progress which has frequently been a complaint for GTA Online more so when players can access nuclear launch sites if they can find the right keys which hopefully will be enough to deter the trolls from abusing this feature.
On the design side Fallout 76 will have all new rendering and lighting technology. It will have 16 times the details from previous games. Set in West Virginia its a much greener and lush world than we are used to for the game as the footage we saw certainly playing on its natural wonders and secrets including the nuclear bits featuring six distinct regions and Fallout creatures based on the region’s folklore.
You can now sign up for the BETA. The game will release on November 14, 2018.
Fallout: Shelter – Update
This year’s E3 signifies the three year anniversary of Fallout: Shelter. This free game has gathered over 120 million people resulting in their most successful game to date , beating out all the other games combined together and looks set to only add to this number further with this free game experience now landing on Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
The Elder Scrolls: Blades
With the encouraging success of Fallout: Shelter, The Elder Scrolls also has a mobile game coming up called The Elder Scrolls: Blades. This is a massive first person RPG with console quality graphics. It can be played in both landscape and portrait and the controls are in tap or dual stick movements. The combat will follow specific movements and timing. The environment itself is handcrafted and procedurally generated.
The Elder Scroll: Blades will feature three modes. The Abyss is a rogue-like experience. The Arena is a 1 versus 1 battle experience. The main mode is The Town which is a story and quest mode which tells the story of a member of the Blade forced into exile and return home to find the town destroyed and need to rebuild it. The town will level up and you can also visit your friend’s towns. This upcoming mobile game will be coming in Fall 2018 for free. Currently, you can pre-order it on Apple Store and Google Play Store. You can also head to playblades.com to register for Early Access.
New IP: Starfield
Starfield has been speculated for a little while but never actually confirmed. The first original IP from Bethesda in 25 years is Starfield, a next gen adventure. This is just a quick teaser trailer that shows nothing in what to expect but at least, the excitement is there to finally see a new IP from Bethesda. It’s something to look forward to for next year’s E3 hopefully.
The Elder Scrolls VI
It’s been years that fans of The Elder Scrolls VI have been waiting and it’s finally, officially, announced. It is currently in pre-development as the game arriving after Starfield. For fans of The Elder Scrolls, this is surely a happy moment.
Overall, Bethesda stepped up their game but at the same time this was certainly a mixed show not to mention a long one which relied on its centerpieces which it kept for the end, which did as a result leave us slightly concerned in the build up that we were going to end with a repeat of last year this fear starting early when faced with a fun Andrew W.K. performance that the crowd were clearly not into. However they ended strongly by essentially giving their fans everything they’ve been asking for the last few months. Free games and DLCs and already released content. There are upcoming games to look forward to that is in development in the long term. Plus, games to look forward to this year as well. A big turn around from previous year showcases to say the least.
Which games caught your eye? Share them in the comments below, and don’t forget to check out our other E3 conference recaps and remember to check back for the other conference recaps: EA Play Microsoft