E3 2015: Bethesda Press Conference Impressions

Bethesda kicked off E3 2015 with their first ever press conference late Sunday night.  Anticipation for the press conference was building from the moment that Bethesda announced it to the world.  Everybody was hoping for the official reveal of Fallout 4 along with a few unannounced projects hidden deep in Bethesda's pockets.  Those expectations changed once Fallout 4 and Doom 4 were both confirmed for the showcase as some thought the respectable game publisher already revealed their entire hand.  Could Bethesda pull out a show-stealing performance for their freshmen showcase?  Or would early reveals and leaks pull the rug out from under them?

While leaks did sour the Dishonored 2 reveal, the rest of Bethesda's press conference went off without any real problems.  I have to give huge kudos to everybody from Bethesda for stepping back and letting the games do the talking for themselves.  Just seeing Doom and Fallout 4 in all their glory was outstanding.

Both titles look incredible in their own way.  Doom hopes to bring old school FPS gameplay from past entries with modern graphics and controls.  The fast-pace and visceral action of Doom completely sold me on it, but adding in a return to twitch-based multiplayer of the 90s and the mod-making app Doom Snapmap has certainly made it a standout in the crowded FPS genre.

With a nearly 40 minute presentation that included everything from concept art to companion apps to a collector's edition reveal, Fallout 4 looks to be the ultimate post-apocalyptic sandbox ever created.  Just the sheer amount of things to do in Fallout 4 is unbelievable.  In-depth character customization, weapon and armour crafting, building settlements that open up a tower-defense style meta-game and modding the game within the game are just the tip of Fallout 4's immense iceberg of content.  Plus Todd Howard's presentation was simply wonderful.  He brought a form of sincerity and enthusiasm that you rarely see from the typical suits that do the presenting at E3.

Doom and Fallout 4 were the centerpieces of Bethesda's showcase as they spent a good 80 per cent of their conference talking about them.  As for the remaining 20 per cent of the show, it was spent on trailers for Battlecry, The Elder Scrolls Online and Dishonored 2 and announcements for Dishonored Definitive Edition and The Elder Scrolls Legends, Bethesda's competitor to Hearthstone.  While it was well-paced and to the point, this part of the conference felt flat especially considering the mystique surround Dishonored 2's reveal was lost thanks to leaks.  Everything contained in this middle portion of Bethesda's showcase could have been saved for the pre or post-show for better effect.

All-in-all, Bethesda's freshman showing in the E3 press conference circuit was a home run.  They focused on impressing gamers instead of stockholders, kept the conference moving at an entertaining pace, threw in a few inside jokes and established their small lineup as one of the finest in the industry.  If you missed out on Bethesda's conference due to its late airing, make the time to watch it very soon.  The Fallout 4 demo is worth it alone.

Grade:  A

Year in Review 2012: Games I Missed

2012 was a very busy year in the video game industry.  So busy in fact that it has been very hard to keep up with all the incredible games that were released this past year.  Many of the games I have personally been most looking forward to play, I have not gotten much time to play between school, work and having a life.  Instead of a more traditional list of my top games of 2012, I want to write a few articles on my look back at 2012.  Each article will look at a different set of games.  First up will be the games I missed out on during 2012, but hope to spend plenty of time with in 2013.  The second article will be about my favourite games that I actually got to play this year and the final article will be all about my Game of the Year.  So without any further ado, let us get on with this Year in Review.

Dishonored
Before Dishonored came out, I was cautiously optimistic.  While what I had seen and read about the game was very promising, you have to be careful with new IPs.  They do bring about innovation and change in the video game industry, but sometimes they can completely flop.  Personally, I did not want to get my hopes up only to be disappointed in the end.  So I was very happy to see all the positive reviews for the game and see that it is among one of the best games of the year as it is up for many Game of the Year awards.  Dishonored looks like a great blend of the stealth of a game like Thief and the open world choices of a game like BioShock or Deus Ex.  While I have heard that you can easily run through the game if you do not care for the side missions, the charm of a game like Dishonored is the freedom to experiment with your powers and abilities.  Can easily see myself putting a lot of time into this game trying different tactics and approaches to the missions in the game.

Pokemon White Version 2
I am a huge sucker for the Pokemon RPGs.  Pokemon Black and White 2 came out at the beginning of October and I was busy with school and saving my money for the Wii U, so there was no time or reason to pick up this game right at launch.  With more free time this semester, I have enough time to plug away at White 2 (the version I picked up a few weeks ago).  While not much has changed since Black and White released back in March of 2011, White 2 looks to offer enough new additions to keep this Pokemon fan playing for another 40 or 60 hours.

The Walking Dead
Never been a fan of The Walking Dead comic and TV show and when the game was first announced by Telltale Games, I was not that interested.  What really got me and I think many others to take notice of The Walking Dead was all the reviews praising each episode of the game.  Also playing the demo really helped win me over.  With The Walking Dead, Telltale Games has single-handedly revitalized the adventure genre in the eyes of many gamers who have not touched an adventure game in years.  Personally, I have been a fan of Telltale Games for a couple years now from playing their other great adventure games (Back to the Future and Tales of Monkey Island) and I am excited to play what has been their most successful game both commercially and critically.

X-Com:  Enemy Unknown
Another genre that has gotten little love on this generation of consoles has been the turn-based strategy genre.  Other than Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn for the Wii (a great game that every Wii should own), there has not been anything to scratch that hardcore strategy itch on the consoles.  That was until 2K Games and Firaxis released X-Com: Enemy Unknown, a true sequel to the PC classic in October.  Enemy Unknown is not for the feint at heart and that is what gets me excited and terrified to play it at the same time.  You need to be very careful with each turn you take because one move can be the difference between life or death for one of your squad mates.  I cannot wait to spend countless hours becoming a great commander and protecting the Earth from all of it's alien threats.