Our E3 2016 preview coverage continues with Bethesda, makers of some of the biggest RPGs of the past 10 years with The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, as well as some seriously excellent reboots of dormant franchises such as Wolfenstein and DOOM. Last year’s inaugural Bethesda Showcase gave us the official Fallout 4 and Dishonored 2 announcements, so they have a lot to live up to this year. Up until this week, Bethesda’s E3 slate looked fairly light. Now, rumors abound that they have an HD remaster in the works, as well as three different sequels that they may reveal at the Showcase this Sunday, June 12 at 7p.m. PDT.
Dishonored 2
Doug Trein, Staff Contributor
A sequel to the fan-favorite 2012 stealth-action game Dishonored is on the way. Taking place 15 years after the outbreak of the Dunwall Plague, the Empire once again falls into chaos. Players can have the choice of playing as two protagonists – Corvo Attano from the first game and a grown-up Emily Kaldwin! The choice between stealth and fighting will return, and Arkane Studios has confirmed there will be a new third way of dispatching enemies and advancing. With the game’s release slated for the end of the year, expect new details and/or a playable build on the show floor.
DOOM DLC
Kim Deuel, Staff Contributor
The DOOM reboot was released late last month and fans and critics can’t stop gushing about how good the game is, and how it harkens back to the original games from the ’90s. Prior to the release, Bethesda and developer id Software announced the game would have three premium DLC packs after launch that will include a number of new maps, hack modules, playable demos, weapons and more. All three packs could be purchased as part of the Season Pass, or paid for individually. The first DLC is planned for this summer and we expect to find out more details at E3, including an official title and release date.
Elder Scrolls
Kim Deuel, Staff Contributor
Is there a new Elder Scrolls release on the horizon? Well, most likely, yes but that horizon may still be out of reach for a while. The internet buzzes with speculation and rumors calling the yet-to-exist game The Elder Scrolls 6 and Skyrim 2 for lack of an actual title, but we have yet to hear or read anything substantial. It’s been more than four years since the release of The Elder Scrolls V:Skyrim, nearing the timespan between that title and its predecessor The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (released in 2006). If there is something in the works, even the smallest promise of things to come would still be exciting news.
Matthew Allen, Executive Games Editor
Rather than an entirely new Elder Scrolls game, perhaps a more likely scenario would the HD remaster that is rumored to be in the works. On a MrMattyPlays podcast, industry insider Shinobi602 revealed that a “remaster of sorts” would be revealed at the Bethesda Showcase on Sunday. An HD remaster actually makes a lot of sense given recent industry trends. It gives an entirely new audience the chance to play one of the greatest RPGs of all time and buys them time before announcing the official sequel sometime in the (hopefully) not-so-distant future.
The Evil Within 2
Matthew Allen, Executive Games Editor
2014’s The Evil Within certainly looked good on paper. The third-person psychological horror game was directed by Resident Evil series creator, Shinji Mikami, and received positive reviews from critics and decent sales upon its release. However, I couldn’t help but feel that the game was overshadowed a bit by Dying Light, which was released only a few months later, and had enough in common on the surface for the games to draw comparisons to one another. Reports are circulating this week that the sequel may be announced this Sunday. Hopefully this won’t get overshadowed by the announcement of another third-persona survival horror game rumored to be at the show: Resident Evil 7.
Fallout 4 DLC
Doug Trein, Staff Contributor
Fallout 4 has received three add-on content packages so far, and we know Bethesda has plenty more in the works. Automatron and Wasteland Workshop provided new customizable options for players while Far Harbor provided an exciting new stand-alone story. Previous games in the Fallout series have received anywhere between 3-5 new packages of DLC, so Fallout 4 is bound to get another DLC announcement. Let’s hope another major storyline DLC like Far Harbor is announced at the show.
Prey 2
Matthew Allen, Executive Games Editor
Here is another one fresh off the rumor mill. Eurogamer is reporting that Prey 2 may be re-announced at E3 this year. The new game is apparently being developed by the Austin branch of Arkane Studios, and is a completely different game than what was announced and shown back in 2011, but was later confirmed by Bethesda as canceled in 2014. Considering the storied history of the development of the original Prey , which took over 10 years and went through several iterations before its eventual release in 2006, it seems appropriate for Prey 2 to go through something similar.
Wolfenstein: The New Order 2
Matthew Allen, Executive Games Editor
The 2014 reboot of the Wolfenstein franchise managed to bring the storied franchise into the modern shooter era while still maintaining much of what made the original games so much fun, such as an over-the-top tone and story that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but still allows players to live out their power fantasy of singlehandedly taking on an entire army of Nazis that has taken over the world. Rumors abound that a sequel will be announced at E3, and comments last year from the voice actor of one of the key characters in the game also indicate that the sequel is happening. We hope so, and that Bethesda can somehow figure out how to start a staggered annual release schedule of Wolfenstein and DOOM games, plus any other ’90s classics they want to reboot and throw into the mix.
