E3 2015; Bethesda

Bethesda announced back on February 10th that this year they would hold their first E3 conference, and on Sunday, June 14 they kicked off the E3 event. It has been a big topic this year whether or not this would be the reveal of Fallout 4 or Elder Scrolls 6. My husband and I each made our guesses and I ended up being wrong. Here is an overview of what you missed with Bethesda's big announcements Sunday.

The big announcements

Fallout 4
Yes that's right, Fallout won. And while Fallout is an excellent game I was of course disappointed as Elder Scrolls is my favorite series. Set in Boston, MA the first trailer for this eagerly awaited sequel was aired June 3rd, then answering those pestering questions about what would be announced Sunday. The game is post apocalyptic as always and will follow a survivor who was locked up in an underground vault and is now emerging into the remains of the world. However what is new is that this game will actually begin before the bombs ever drop.

This addition to the series is extremely customizable and creator friendly. You are focusing on a family and you customize two characters and then choose to play as either the husband or the wife, and they even create a baby based on the two characters you create. When you leave the bathroom in the morning the character creation is done, but that aspect of the game isn't actually over because later in the game you have opportunities to craft weapons and build cities. Everything from houses to businesses, you can salvage and rebuild existing establishments or build from scratch. 

Your city will look the way you want it to look. As you build more and more NPCs will visit or even stay to live or work, you are trying to achieve a completely functional new world for survivors to carry on in. And of course we can't forget the weapon and armor creation. Essentially there are several base things that you can use, but there are also infinite numbers of parts lying around which means infinite creation options for your play style. Anita Sarkeesian weighed in with what I think was a wildly ignorant remark but we all know how I feel bout her

You can have companions such as your dog, likely some other NPCs, and potentially the family robot, who also survived. And to be honest what is strange to me isn't that the robot survived and your spouse and child did not, but more so the fact that you did as this takes place 200 years later, but I digress. What will be new to this installment is the ability to issue commands to your companions such as to pick up items.

Many recent games have been utilizing our smart phones to their full ability with second screen experiences. They all seem to have digital companions that do one thing or another, but it seems Fallout's will be the best and most interesting, helping with role playing and further emerging yourself into the game. There will be a Pip-Boy app allowing you to access your in game Pip-Boy without having to pull it up in game interrupting your gameplay. This, in my opinion, allows it to feel more real to the player. If you were actually in that position you wouldn't pause life to do things, you would have to check things like that while things were happening around you. Now you are still completely capable of pulling it in game on screen if that is your preference, but I love fully emerging myself into the games I play and think this is a great way to do it. There will also be a collectors version available at some point for preorder of the game that will come with a real life Pip-Boy that can hold your smart phone.

Very little is known about the story at this time, but here is what we do know

Dishonored 2

The game will follow Corvo Attana from the first games story but will also add a female playable character named Emily Kaldwin, who was seen being kidnapped in the first game which got the whole game going. She is now an assassin doing her own thing I will say that's nice to see. A previously damsel female character now being a protagonist is a nice and empowering turn of events.

Much like the first game, the entire story can be completed without killing anyone. The gameplay seems to hold many dynamics from the original, however we see Emily with a new item, a grappling hook which will allow her to scale buildings. I am intrigued as I now see her as potentially an extremely agile Spider-Man type of character, which is what I like to play.

The setting of the game is much less bleak than the original. You are now in an area with lush greens and a busy and seemingly lively city. There is no co-op option and choosing your lead character will not have a drastic effect on your gameplay. There is one sole campaign no matter who you choose and you also may not toggle between Corvo and Emily. The only real difference is many interactions and dialogues are slightly adjusted depending on your character choice. 

I didn't care for the original Dishonored game too much to be honest. I thought it lacked character, was excessively drab which did not make me want to stick around, and the story didn't feel entirely fleshed out. While the changes that are made are seemingly subtle, I think it is going to make a world of difference in the end product and the enjoyability factor of the game. I feel this installment will be a huge improvement.

I am not a person who thinks all games need to have a female lead and I get unreasonably irate if that isn't the case, but as I mentioned before, I am a person that likes to immerse myself in a game fully. I find role playing easier when I am a character that is relatable to myself, hence part of the appeal to the Elder Scrolls series. I was very pleases to see Bethesda's two biggest announcements being games that now have a choice between a male or female lead, so as to further appeal to us female gamers. I am genuinely excited about both of these games and think they look like they have great potential.

In other news

Doom

Gameplay very reminiscent of the original Doom, some new details were released about the multiplayer feature including some potential multiplayer exclusive treats.

Fallout Shelter

Free to play mobile game in which you oversee the construction of your own vault in a game similar to the Sims games. You aim to keep your citizens happy and can assign them tasks to complete. This mobile app released Sunday.

Elder Scrolls Online

We were teased with the idea of a coming DLC that showed the Imperial City as well as a tour of Orsinium. The video teaser ended with an image of the black hand with the script "we know", potentially implying the long awaited DLC that will give us the option to join the Dark Brotherhood.

Elder Scrolls Legends

This free to play customizable competitive card hame seems to be Bethesda's answer to Hearthstone and will be coming to tablet and PC.

Battlecry

There will soon be sign ups world wide for a beta as there was also a video clip briefing us on classes and skills of the potential player character.