Introduction
I have to admit that I was not looking forward to this press conference because of the games. I wanted to see how Bethesda would bounce back from a disastrous year. The issues mainly were from the botched release of Fallout 76. Unlike previous games this was an online only game with no NPC's (Non-Playable Character).
Can Bathesda bring back the fans that criticized them so much this year. Let us check.
Announcements
Fallout 76
So they started with addressing the elephant in the room. During his speech Todd Howard joked a little about the troubles with 76 and made his usual charismatic speech. Basically what comes out of this are 2 DLC's that will "...drastically change the way the game is played."
Fallout 76 - Wastelanders Update
This update will change the way the game was intended to be played. This will bring NPC's back to the mix and have a linear type story mode. What was unclear about the announcement was if this would be played offline or not. May be I missed that part. There was no firm release date but they did mention this fall. I expect it to be in around November.
This update will also feature another mode called Battle Royale. This will pin 52 players for the position of Overseer. I am not a big fan of these types of games, but I find it odd for a Fallout game. Fallout is normally not a fast paced game, so I am not sure how this will feel. If this was part of Doom: Eternal, I would say that it was a great fit. It just feels off.
The good news is that, anyone that owns the game will get this update absolutely free. This is good news and it is a kind of way of saying, "We screwed up!". Not sure this will bring people back but it is a step in the right direction.
Fallout 76 - Wastelanders Trailer
Ghostwire: Tokyo
This game caught me completely by surprise. This seems to be a paranormal/action/thriller FPS kind of game. I must admit that I wanted to play it right then and there. It looked really good and I am big fan of paranormal games. The best example that I can think of playing recently is Murdered: Soul Suspect. However this looks a lot better.
No date seems to have been announced for this title.
Ghostwire: Tokyo Trailer
Elder Scrolls Online
I will be honest, I have 0 interest in Elder Scrolls Online. Not that it is not fun and I know that there are many fans, but it is just not my jam. They announced a few new DLC's such as Elsweyr and new characters. I must admit I barely listened to this art.
Elder Scrolls Online Trailers
Commander Keen
For this announcement I was excited for a whole 20 seconds. I remember playing the original when I was a kid. I played the series until Commander Keen 4. This was a game I had not heard the name in years. So they announce this game and it is only for mobile. It will be released on iOS and Android.
The 12 year old me was disappointed but it is what it is.
Commander Keen Trailer
Rage 2 Expansion
They announced a new single-player campaign. It is called Rise of the Ghosts. I have not played the game personally but from what I saw, it looks pretty good. This just seems to be a good move. I know many players said that the campaign was mediocre so I hope this rectifies that.
Personally I am not playing this game unless it is dirt cheap or free. With all the other great games, I do not have time to play this one.
Rage 2 - Rise of the Ghosts Trailer
Wolfenstein: Youngblood
I have been waiting for some more Wolfenstein and this game looks just as good as Wolfenstein II. In Youngblood you are playing as the twin daughters of the legendary BJ Blazkowicz. He has been captured and it is up to his offspring to save him. The game takes place in the 1980's. The setting seems really nice and I liked the trailer that was shown.
The thing that I was the most surprised was that the game will be released on every major console, XBOX One, Switch, Playstation 4 and PC. I was surprised that the Switch is getting a day 1 release for this title.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood Trailer
Wolfenstein: Cyber Pilot
In addition to the main console game, there will be a different VR game called Wolfenstein: Cyber Pilot. I do not own a VR system but I must admit that it did look good. I think that VR has really moved forward in the last few years. Before "games" that were released were only mere shells of their console counterpart. However, recently the games seem to be more fleshed out and are actual games. It is nice to see.
Wolfenstein: Cyber Pilot Trailer
Deathloop
This was a game that I was not expecting. This looks like an action type game with what seems to be 2 assassin's with 2 different goals but at the same time very similar. From the trailer it seems that the woman is trying to protect what she calls home (Black Reef). However, the male, sees this as a problem area and he needs to clean it up. The trailer ends with them saying that in order to reach their goal, they need to kill the other.
It was really good and the scenes looked really awesome. I wonder if you can play the story of both characters depending on who you pick at the beginning. This has a lot of promise.
Deathloop Trailer
Orion
This is not a game but Bathesda's patented streaming technology. I will admit as being a long time player of their game, I do not trust Bathesda with this. I really hope that they prove me wrong, but if they were so good at streaming stuff from a server, how come Fallout 76 was so buggy?
I do not have any real opinions on this yet. I will see how it plays out.
Doom: Eternal
This was what everyone was expecting. People wanted to see some gameplay for the new Doom: Eternal game. I was a big fan of the Doom (2016). This just seems to be a a continuation of the previous game. I honestly, do not care about the story, I just want to kick some ass.
This game is the equivalent of watching an action movie in the 1980's. The story is not great but the action just keeps you entertained for hours.
Doom: Eternal Trailer
Bottomline
Did Bathesda do enough to bring back fans to Fallout 76 or back to Bathesda for that matter?
I think that they did the best that they could. I think Fallout 76 is a lost cause. But I do admire that they acknowledged that they screwed up and are trying to make it better. I own Fallout 76 and I will give the update a try, but honestly, I am not sure how much that I will play. The game itself did not interest me at all. The story was meh at best and with the tech issues, it was unbearable.
I know that many of the bugs were fixed but I still feel like the game is in a funk that it cannot get out of.
I really enjoyed the trailers for Ghostwire: Tokyo and Deathloop. I was really not expecting that and the games looked ridiculously awesome. These games really fit in my types of games and I cannot wait to see more one day.
I was really looking forward to Wolfenstein: Youngblood and Doom: Eternal. I came in with high expectations and my feelings are still the same. These look like very good games and I am looking forward to playing these later this year.
All in all it was not a bad conference. Once you get passed Fallout 76 stuff , the rest of the games look pretty decent other than Commander Keen which is only on mobile. Not that it will be bad, just that they should create a platformer on consoles.
What do you think about the conference. Let us know.
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