The Bethesda Showcase Was Bonkers

Hey, guys, Bethesda might be losing it, and that’s a good thing (and, honestly, kind of a bad thing). Whether or not you were into the games, they really made a good showing of actually presenting them. And some of the games were also mega dope! It’s great when that’s just a nice cherry on top of the murder sundae, but they also indulged in some less savory notions.

It’s still kind of weird, though, that Bethesda has their own show. They may have acquired their way into a lot of titles (otherwise this would just be 15 minutes of Skyrim and Fallout 4 re-releases), but it’s not like they have a bunch of annual franchises to fill the gaps between exploratory IPs. Maybe that’s why the made the outside of their show a huge spectacle with a Ferris wheel, faux Nuka-Cola (via Jones Cola), and balloon boys.

Anyway, allow me to now explain why Bethesda went insane.

Double Down on VR with Doom VFR and Fallout 4 VR

I have a lot of questions about how Doom, possibly one of the best shooters made in the modern era, will work in VR. On one hand, it makes sense since Glory Kills kind of operate like the teleporting mechanic in most VR games and killing demons in VR seems eye-bleedingly awesome. On the other hand, no.

It also can’t be ignored that they opened with a VR segment when their parent company ZeniMax just won half a billion dollars over the Oculus lawsuit. This feels a bit like a power play, even if it isn’t one. (It really doesn’t help when Vice President of PR Pete Hines says, “Virtual Reality, something we’ve been at the forefront of for a while now,” before announcing their titles for not the Rift.) Anyway, Fallout 4 VR is coming out in October 2017 and Doom VFR, I dunno, eventually.

Do People Still Care About The Elder Scrolls Online?

If Bethesda has anything to say about it, the answer is a resounding yes. In fact, allow them to prove it to you with a montage of people doing reaction videos to the exact same trailer you’re watching now. Do you believe them now?

I definitely believe them. You’d be crazy not to believe them, really, especially since their numbers have skyrocketed after they dropped the subscription fee. Earlier this year, game director Matt Firor let slip the 8.5 million copies sold figure. It’s just unappetizing when game trailers rely on superfans making faces to sell their points. But I guess the point here is that Morrowind is now in ESO, so get some?

The Creation Club Wants Your Money Again

Here’s one of those questionable calls. Undoubtedly, the modding scene surrounding Bethesda’s open world games is almost as big as the worlds themselves, so building some sort of systemic framework for users to find and use mods in Fallout 4 and Skyrim: Special Edition is only logical. But then there’s Bethesda’s history with paid mods.

First there’s the case of the obvious and legendary Horse Armor in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. That goes without saying. And then there’s problematic foundation laid by Valve with paid mods in Skyrim Workshop via Steam and the aftermath when it was unceremoniously taken down. The Creation Club website does, however, say a lot of promising things about free mods and internal dev cycles. So we’ll see if enough folks buy into it to make it happen when it launches this summer.

You Got Nintendo in my Skyrim

The immediate needle drop in this trailer makes me laugh every time. The upbeat vibe is definitely on-brand for Nintendo and the Switch, but it 100% does not match the world of Tamriel. It’s borderline Murder on the Orient Express-level inappropriate, which is super fun in its own zany way.

But also the proposition of playing through Skyrim again is an interesting one. For one, that’s one hell of a game and if you haven’t played it but do own a Switch, then this is perfect. And then there’s the idea that just busting around an open world rife with opportunities for shenanigans can be done in short bursts, which is delectable. But also I’m not entirely convinced I need another go-round with Skyrim, even if you can dress up as the Hero of Time and fight with motion controls.

Destroy the World of Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

The basis of the world of Dishonored is pretty much that you get your powers from an ethereal, godlike being called The Outsider. So the idea that this standalone adventure brings back fan favorite Billie Lurk from the original game’s DLC The Knife of Dunwall to rescue her mentor Daud to go kill the source of Corvo’s, Emily’s, and his powers is categorically bonkers.

That’s not to mention that as good as the main games are, Dishonored DLC has thus far been better than their foundational counterparts. (Shoutout to Ricardo Bare.) Making consequential choices in tight, compact narratives that connect with one another somehow made everything Dishonored do even more potent across The Knife of Dunwall and The Brigmore Witches. So you should definitely be looking forward to Death of the Outsider when it comes out on September 15, 2017, for $29.99.

Quake Champions Has a New Champion

Yeah, that’s ridiculous but awesome. That’s all I have to say about that.

There’s also going to be a $1 million tournament at QuakeCon this year, so be sure to come out for that. Maybe Fatal1ty will find time between throwing mouse pads and Bawlz into crowds to play a round or two. Quake Champions is currently in open beta for PC and QuakeCon is happening in Dallas, Texas, between August 24 and August 27, 2017.

The Evil Within 2 is Full of White Pudding

That’s some super gross, Westworld-looking sort of milk people. And speaking of laugh-inducing needle drops, what about this requisite E3-ified, somber version of Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World?” We’ve been waiting all weekend for a trailer to do it, and this one deffo did it.

But it makes me happy knowing that Shinji Mikami will be getting another shot at the franchise. It played fine, but it really felt underexplored in terms of story. With the groundwork already laid, a sequel will let him and his team at Tango Gameworks focus on tying it all together more cohesively. It releases for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 13, 2017.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus Goes Full Tilt

You might be thinking I was exaggerating when I said Bethesda lost it earlier. And up until now, you would have been right. Some of these bits and pieces are definitely testing the limits of the bell curve, but it’s still within acceptable operating parameters. Well, that’s because you haven’t seen this Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus trailer.

For starters, it opens with a live-action approximation of what the planet’s entertainment would look like in the Wolfenstein world, the same world that had the Beatles as nationalist Germans and Jimi Hendrix an explosive leader for our freedom. This materializes in the form of game shows about German, cartoons that destroy the Statue of Liberty, and a Lassie simulacrum called Liesel, a literal Panzerhund saving townsfolk in a bucolic countryside.

And then there’s a monkey-cat thing, shots of small town Nazi America replete with strawberry milkshakes from the corner diner, a protracted goof about headshots and grenades, and a rogue robot hand. Oh yeah, and it ends with a scene wherein a character literally drops acid. So yeah, shit gets whack. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus comes out for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 27, 2017.