During Bethesda’s E3 2019 press conference last Sunday, June 9th, most fans got excited over many of the announcements made; from significant changes to the game Fallout 76 to new exciting titles like Ghostwire: Tokyo. Honey's Anime team went to E3 this year to see what else this acclaimed video game publisher offered its fans on the show floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center throughout the course of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).
Fallout 76
The new update for Fallout 76, titled "Wastelanders", will fundamentally change the current version of the game by adding some old aspects that made previous Fallout games fun to play.
They will be introducing human NPCs to Appalachia, like the ones we all love from the Fallout console games. Wastelanders will also add a new main scenario quest the game, introducing two new factions to the world. This new update in Fallout 76 will bring back the choice and consequence system we enjoy from the franchise, more in-depth dialogue options as well as new weapons and gear. Wastelanders will be available free to download starting this fall.
Bethesda is really invested in the success of their online Fallout game, adding not only free updates but a whole new way to experience the game with the addition of a new 52-player PvP mode. This new battle royale style match will be titled "Nuclear Winter" and in it, every player will face each other to win the title of Overseer. Just like other Battle Royale genre games,Nuclear Winter’s PvP arena will warp you to a spot of your choosing in the map. Once inside,the battle for the title of Overseer of Vault 51 begins.
Nuclear Winter
Honey’s Anime got to experience the taste of a ‘Nuclear Winter’ at the Bethesda booth during E3 2019, and we can assure you it will be a pretty interesting experience once you get your hands on the update. The PvP mode of Fallout 76 was entertaining and challenging at the beginning, but it lacks the hook other Battle Royale genre games have. At least it's something different to do in Fallout 76 if you consider it a competitive mini-game, and, at the very least it's completely free to download.
The Elder Scrolls
Other updates announced by Bethesda were for their free-to-play game, The Elder Scrolls: Blades. This game is a first-person action RPG launched for all the gaming platforms. The update for Blades gives players a new dragon questline, a solo arena mode, and a customizable jewelry system. Bethesda also announced the release of The Elder Scrolls: Blades for the Nintendo Switch this fall, and yes, it's free to download.
The Elder Scrolls Online is also getting two new DLC later in August of this year. The DLC will be titled "Dragonhold" and "Scalebreaker", these will bring an end to the "Season Of The Dragon", the ongoing storyline of the game. The DLC will feature new quests, bosses, dragon hunt events and a new zone to explore in Southern Elsweyr called Pellitine.
Bethesda’s booth had three sections featuring The Elders Scrolls series; The Elder Scrolls: Blades, The Elder Scrolls Online, and The Elder Scrolls Legends. Compared to Fallout 76’s presentation, TES section was pretty plain looking, with barely any promotional content aside from the barely-recognizable The Elder Scrolls Legends photo booth. Unfortunately, no further information about The Elder Scrolls 6 was provided at the E3 showroom.
Rage 2
Bethesda is adding downloadable content left and right, also offering an entire expansion for their first-person shooter game, Rage 2. The expansion termed "Rise of the Ghosts" promises to enrich the game experience by adding a ton of content to the game, like the enemies ‘The Ghosts’ from Rage 1, amongst other characters. The expansion will also bring with it new mech suits that respawn at your garage, at least three new vehicles were confirmed as well as some new game modes and new cheats. All the content from the expansion will be available for free
and will be implemented gradually throughout the coming weeks.
Doom Eternal
Doom Eternal was a joy to watch during the Bethesda conference at E3, this upcoming first-person shooter showed real promise for the genre. If you like the Doom franchise, prepare to get a triple dose of demon killing goodness. Doom Eternal was made using the new engine id Tech 7, the successor of the id Tech 6 engine used on previous Doom games. The id Tech 7 engine gives 10x higher geometry detail and displays a better texture fidelity than its predecessor.
The two main differences between Doom and Doom Eternal are movement and abilities, as Doom Eternal will feature dynamic movements never before seen in the Doom franchise. From swinging from poles to running on walls, Doom Eternal will implement a variety of new movements that will thoroughly enhance your demon killing experience. Bethesda confirmed a neat ability called“Hook”, using it will make it easier for you to reach flying or otherwise hard to reach demons by throwing a hook at them and pulling yourself towards them. Doom Eternal will also offer a "battle mode" in which players can make up matches of two demons v.s one slayer.
The battle mode can be played while in single player, online with friends or randomized matches against other players.
The story of Doom Eternal is probably the most mysterious part of the game, mainly because no one at E3 wanted to talk about it and no further information from other sources has been revealed yet. One thing they did mention, however, is that the story will be taking place in hell, heaven, and a demon-infested Earth. That sounds pretty exciting, doesn’t it?
Doom Eternal will be released on November 22 of this year for every platform. The collector's edition will come with a full-size wearable slayer helmet, a lithograph, a book of Doom’s lore, a soundtrack, a demonic slayer skin, and a steel case, all for $200. The collector’s edition is already available for preorder. Will you be trying out the new Doom Eternal?
Booth goodies
Putting games aside, Bethesda’s booth at E3 had other things to see and do, like displaying two giant statues of Vault Boy; one of their most famous mascots, and a life-sized replica of a T-51 full power armor. Like many other booths present at E3, Bethesda also included their very own picture booth; for Fallout 76 they displayed a small room containing what looked like mysterious radioactive suitcases that you could use to nuke the competition.
Something Bethesda did right was the merch. The Bethesda booth at E3’s showroom had affordable deals on collectible figurines, gaming apparel, posters, and even E3 exclusive loot boxes.
Final Thoughts
Bethesda's presentation was one of the most successful in E3 2019, they really focused on giving their fan base what they wanted: new exciting content that will help players create memorable experiences together. We’re personally excited for Fallout 76, because after the Wastelanders DLC, Fallout 76 will feel like a completely different game, inciting old players to return and motivating new players to join the online community.
Despite the fact that Wolfenstein: Youngblood and Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot were presented at Bethesda’s booth during E3, they only had two VR headsets available for playing the demo, forcing the queue to be booked at all times; a grave mistake in our opinion.
Although Bethesda’s conference hyped us with two new titles; Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo, they only had the looped video trailers for both games playing at their booth, not revealing any further info at the showroom in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, Honey’s Anime team was unable to meet Ghostwire: Tokyo's Creative Director, Ikumi Nakamura this year, but maybe next year during E3 2020. We’re hoping she will be present at the booth bringing us the latest on Ghostwire: Tokyo. One can only dream, right?