E3 2017: Bethesda's Highs, Lows, And Biggest Games

Bethesda held its own press conference for E3 2017 and while it was one of the shorter ones, it still packed highlights, but wasn’t without its shortcomings. The prominent publisher unveiled a few games that warranted the big stage presentation as well. However, we’re here to share what we thought of Bethesda’s show.

In this feature we go over our favorite moments from the show, a few of the things we wish Bethesda had done differently, and a handful of its biggest games. This is the spot for a high-level analysis of all things Bethesda had at E3.

To get more information about all of Bethesda's E3 presence, check out all of the news and from the press conference, all of the new Bethesda trailers, and a list of all the Bethesda games seen at the show!

And for our analysis of the other press conferences, check out the roundup of right here of all the highs, lows, and biggest games for the other big publishers and developers, including Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo.

Though it wasn’t much of a surprise to see Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus this year (considering the teaser from last year), its stylish and bold presentation was the star of the show. It opened with an alternate reality version of 1950-60’s Americana, where faux-friendly Nazi’s have a terrifying grip of the States, even going as far as running a game show called “German...or Else!”

Enter the return of BJ Blazkowicz, who’s equipped with an exo-suit and the same hardened determination to eliminate Nazis. Familiar faces such as Anya (who’s now pregnant with twins and still fighting), and a new cast of characters to usher Wolfenstein into another era. To top off the reveal, it closed with a new character on an acid trip while Anya stabbed an enemy, reminding us that Wolfenstein isn’t going to wrap itself in a super-serious light.

The original Dishonored had some amazing DLC expansion packs so there’s reason to believe Dishonored 2’s new content will deliver. Though we didn’t get a gameplay sequence to see the new powers we’ll use, a new perspective on the Dishonored saga is always welcome.

We’ll play as Meagan Foster, an ally to Emily and Corvo in Dishonored 2, in this expansion subtitled Death of the Outsider. And we can’t wait to see what it’s in store for her, especially with Daud making an appearance at the very end of the reveal.

The entire show was done with an amusement park-themed presentation that was cute as hell, aptly titled Bethesdaland. The quirky, cartoonish art style keep things moving and captivating. And each game revealed during the show had its own little section within the park. It’s even an actual thing here at E3, though it is essentially a makeshift carnival.

Remember paid mods which crashed, burned, and rubbed users the wrong way? In a way, it’s back in a new form called Creation Club. Fallout 4 and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be part of Creation Club where currency can be used to purchase game mods. Modders will get official support to help polish their work, however. Though there are details that remain to be seen, we can’t see something like this existing without community backlash. Hell, it’s already stirring things up and it’s only been three days.

Despite a few exciting titles and the comfort of Bethesda Land, there wasn’t much in the way of gameplay footage. It’s disappointing that big games like Wolfenstein 2 or The Evil Within 2 lacked some sort of gameplay walkthrough or showcase, especially since everything shown was said to come this year. Punchy trailers are fun to watch and will get you hyped up, but they should be complemented by actual gameplay to get a taste of the games that’ll arrive in the coming months. In this regard, Bethesda failed. It’s also curious, because....

...the press conference itself was pretty short. Clocking in at 38 minutes, Bethesda came up a little shy of the expected 45 minutes. It’s great to be snappy and to the point, but it’s E3 and you have the stage and everyone’s eyes are on you. We wish they took advantage of that this year, by (again) bringing more gameplay to the table.

It’s been six years since the initial release of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and it took on a life unlike any other game in the series. The latest version of this open-world first-person fantasy RPG will come to Switch with some Nintendo specific features, shown during the presentation: Link as a playable character! It seemed that you’ll need the Link Amiibo for this, so it’s worth pondering other treats that may lie ahead in terms of Amiibo support. The most captivating part, however, is actually seeing this game run on the Switch console, so we know it’s really a thing that’s coming this year.

Wolfenstein: The New Order was a welcome surprise in that it brought an iconic franchise back with a whole new tone and atmosphere. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus will continue that balance of serious drama and comic relief in its chilling story of Nazi-occupied America. You’ll team up with a few old friends and some new ones along the way in this story-based off-the-walls first-person shooter. We’re real curious about how BJ’s exo-suit is going to work in-game and if acid trips will be a sweet powerup.

The Evil Within 2 is a sequel to the 2014 horror game developed by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami's studio. It seems that you'll have to save your daughter, but not much else was revealed, although the prospect of another atmospheric and terrifying experience shouldn’t be overlooked. Oh yeah, we’re looking forward to how deranged and messed up this game can get.