Tag: Bethesda

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R.I.P. E3 2023 [Showcase Ranking] – Who Won This Whole “Summer of Game Fest” Thingy?

@travmoody

Kids.

This is complicated.

This time of year for us crazy hardcore gamers used to be called “E3 Season”, named after the now seemingly deceased annual mega video game convention — Electronic Entertainment Expo (better known as E3). Every bit of gaming reveal news, trailers and gameplay was always grouped under this easy as hell to remember, reference and say moniker.

Now, these past 10 days have been labeled or awkwardly described as a cross between famed games journalist Geoff Keighley‘s Summer Game Fest and IGN‘s Summer of Gaming. Then you’ve gotta throw in a 2 week early PlayStation Showcase from Sony (thanks for that…), Microsoft‘s annual Xbox Games Showcase and smaller digital pressers like the Ubisoft Forward, Capcom Showcase, and, heck, a full blown Final Fantasy XVI Pre-Launch Celebration that felt like an entire evening on its own.

There are others (PC Gaming Show, Devolver Digital, etc.), but the aforementioned video game showcases and digital pressers are the ones I watched and shall rank. Strangely, there’s no Nintendo Direct this time of year, but they likely own 2023 already with landslide GOTY winner, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, so there’s absolutely no need.

1. XBOX GAMES SHOWCASE x STARFIELD DIRECT

DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK: Bookended by arguably the greatest deep dive E3 presentation of all time (yeah, hyberbole, I’m going there), Xbox gave their players the summer Showcase they so desperately needed to give.

They opened with Playground Games’ long-awaited Fable (Day One Game Pass) and finished with 45-minutes of Starfield. Unless you’re a Sony fangirl/boi and keep trolling on the 8 years in the making Bethesda title being console locked at 30 fps, you’ve got to take your NASA helmet off to Bethesda Softworks and God Howard. Starfield looks like 5 games in one with its interplanetary exploration, spaceship travel/dogfighting, intense character creation/progress, mega Mass Effect-level dialogue decisions, much improved FPS/3PS combat, ship building, base crafting/farming, etc. Speaking of Todd, he was especially candid in a near 30-minute follow-up interview with IGN. Even if you don’t YET own an Xbox Series console, don’t miss ANY of the Starfield Direct.

LET’S NOT FORGET: a yearning to play Cyberpunk 2077 (again, or for the first time), thanks to a hella impressive Phantom Liberty expansion, starring Idris Elba and a returning Keanu Reeves (out September 26); Obsidian’s Avowed wasn’t set to be a star in this showcase, but I still wouldn’t sleep on it (Game Pass, baby — out in 2024); Compulsion’s South of Midnight received Microsoft’s seal of approval from the jump, so let’s hope it leads to more jeers from just a “Happy Few” on Game Pass; and inXile’s Clockwork Revolution turned some heads (or is that hands?) with its new steampunky, Bioshockesque Game Pass manipulator.

XBOX FIRST: to show off Massive’s Star Wars Outlaws (2024), a surprise new IP from Persona devs with Metaphor Re Fantazio (2024) and Persona 3 Reload (next year on Game Pass), RGG’s Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth was the funniest trailer of the season, too. In all, Xbox showed off more “Sony” type games than Sony did less than 2 weeks prior. Way to go, Phil. We forgive you for RedFAIL and all of 2022.

Xbox Showcase = 4.75/5 Whiskeys
Starfield Direct = 10/5 Whiskeys

2. FINAL FANTASY XVI PRE-LAUNCH CELEBRATION

Yeah, a singular game earned my second spot in the Summer Gaming of RIP E3 Game Fest thing. Actually, almost a single man won this spot. I give you new Square Enix CEO, Takashi Kiryu — whom I wish every other CEO was like on the planet. If so, we’d be living in so much happier times! Kiryu took to the stage at the tips of this FFXVI pre-release shindig and won the crowd over with childhood stories that have never been more relatable or even flattering from CEO-to-peasant. “One of us! One of us!” should have been the chant following the hardcore gamer/school-slack turned Square Enix success’ amazing opener.

That said, the Square Enix team did a wonderful job deep diving into every important aspect of the next Final Fantasy — from gameplay details to an incredible live-action trailer to the title’s score — kicking off with Creative Director Kazutoyo Maehiro and Localization Director Michael-Christopher Koji Fox.

FANTASY OF THRONES: the art direction and dialogue tone inspired by HBO’s Game of Thrones, Active Time Lore — a new system that allows players to gain information/lore on the current characters/setting in the current scene, and the fact that PlayStation players were able to download the FF XVI demo just hours (!!) after the celebration. I’ve consumed, finished, and ultra loved the 2-hour Prologue and I cannot wait to head over to Best Buy on June 22nd to pick up my steel case edition.

If only that super, huggable, loveable and stupidly expensive Torgal were 50% cheaper ($120 for a PLUSH! DUDE!), I would’ve been hard-pressed to give this game showcase a higher grade. All in all, a big recommend for modern day Fantasy fans.

4/5 Highball Whiskeys

3. UBISOFT FORWARD

Ubisoft seems to have the most bizarre Summer Games/E3 presentations, pressers, digi showcases year in and year out. While 2023 for Ubi was certainly no exception, beginning with a Just Dance thing and having some good ol’ boys drone on about Skull & Bones (which, I don’t even know what is anymore.. is it out?), there was a lot of decent to unpack here in the near hour and a half of hard-to-understand French accents and continuous push to do too many things at once.

SPEAKING OF TOO MANY: Why there gotta be so many Assassin’s Creed games, yo! We have Mirage, which I think is the mainline title, since looks like a 4K update of the old AC games. Then you have the long-awaited set-in-China Codename Jade, which is.. a mobile game. R.I.P. And Nexus is a VR game. Also R.I.P. Okay, okay — I know there are audiences for that; it just ain’t me, pimp. I’m also not sure if Mirage is for me, because I suck at stealth, and this is a return to stealth, and I really loved the intense open world combat of Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla (although, I didn’t dive in that one as much as I wanted). Sorry, but this is the least excited I’ve been about the franchise pre-Origins.

OUTLAWS WE RIDE: Really digging the Watch Dogs/GTA vibe set in Star Wars galaxy of Star Wars Outlaws. Without this game, this year’s Ubisoft Forward might be better off called Backward. But, I’m real thrilled for Massive (The Division devs) because this is the Star Wars game we never knew we wanted–and supposedly you can fly anywhere whenever within reasonable limit. Gameplay looks solid with cutesy alien companion assists and commands, and the dogfights certainly aim to rival that of Starfield.

TIDBITS: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is at least something new, a cartoony Metroidvania whose art style didn’t overwhelm; And, what in the DUNK was that presentation for the Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix anime? Great ambition, love the look of Netflix Castlevania appeal, Adi Shanker — but, man. But at least the Forward kicked off with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. I’ve never been an Avatar person, but this looks solid and far more ambitious than we imagined for a movie tie-in title and features online co-op. December 7th is a safe release date, too.

3.25/5 Blue Milk Whiskeys.

5. PLAYSTATION SHOWCASE

Spider-Man! Spider-Man! Literally, the only thing worth top-billing from the typically strong Sony summer shows this side of a surprise remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, which, when released, will be 20 years after its original iteration. Awesome. But, past Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (which looks amazing, spectacular, sensational thanks to Insomniac), there was NOTHING from Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, or even Bluepoint and Housemarque. Just.. weird. Maybe they saw their chief competitors so extreme on both sides of the spectrum (Nintendo winning the year no matter what with Zelda, and Microsoft losing forever with.. everything) that they took this “Summer of Gaming” for granted. And, releasing a “Showcase” 2 weeks before the usual E3 time is further proof of that.

Like I said above, Microsoft out-Sony’d Sony in this year’s summer of digi-pressers. That said, Sony has God of War, Horizon, Final Fantasy, Spider-2, Ghost of Tsushima, and 8 million other exclusives, while Microsoft has a dominant racing series and.. a whole lot of catching up to do.

3/5 Glasses of Spidey-Sauce

6. SUMMER GAME FEST

This show has “long covid” been an exhausting far cry replacement for the more appreciably compartmentalized E3. Back in the Before Times, you had Xbox Showcase kicking it off, typically followed by Ubisoft Forward, with EA Play (like, wtf happened to that?), Sony and Bethesda closing off the second day, with Nintendo owning that Tuesday morning as we wait behind hundreds of smelly gamers dying to crash the LA Convention doors to get 40th in line for a game they have to wait 6-hours to play. Oh, those were the days! Toss in a pointless Square Enix or Capcom stage direct here and there, and you had your E3.

Now, E3’s substitute, Summer Game Fest, I guess is.. a bunch of games — mostly small/unknown/indie schmindy stuff — from all developers, consoles (including the always annoying Mobile and PC-only), a bunch of celebrities, commercials/ads, interviews, movie things and celebrity/influencer jockying.

I DON’T HATE: The Game Awards, Summer Game Fest or Geoff. It’s just always AIGHT. This year, Mr. Keighley had the benefit of having Ed Boon on stage to show off an incredible Mortal Kombat 1 — a sequel/reboot that already has me forgetting about Street Fighter 6, which, like, just came out. Then, sure, he had Nic Cage talk to folks but it was a Dead By Daylight chapter, so meh. The Witcher Season 3 trailer was both sad and fantastic (yeah, I’m not happy about Henry either), but it’s not a game so there’s that.

BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT: there was a great pop from the crowd for Sonic Superstars — a 2.5D retro Sonic reimagined out this Fall; Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a return to the classic beat ’em style Yakuza, set between Yak6 and the hit Like A Dragon (November 9); a teaser trailer for the Twisted Metal tv show; and, finally, the game that saved Summer Game Fest — Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Holy heck, Geoff better praise Square Enix for loaning him this one. Not only is it gorgeous and dreamlike and everything we wanted it to be, the game will also release on 2 discs — unheard of in current day gaming.

The rest of the show has several hours.. hell.. days of filler.

2.75/5 Whiskeys.

7. CAPCOM SHOWCASE

“What the hell was THAT?” was the immediate response IGN game journo dude Max Scoville shouted when his Podcast Beyond hit the air post-Capcom Showcase. Yeah, man. Exactly. I have no idea. Pretty sure Capcom just wanted to be relevant in this Summer Games space, but this was.. nothing. No DMC. No Resident Evil. And barely a blip of its just recently released hit Street Fighter 6. They could’ve at least teased some future DLC or something for it, rather than a 2-minute recap of what we already knew. At least we saw more of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess (or, as my buddy Felipe labels the game: “Flowers May Cry”). I love the art style, it’s powered by the RE engine and seems like a very cool way to sink a few hours.

WE ALREADY KNOW, BRO: almost every game “showcased” here was already announced. Dragon’s Dogma 2 definitely had the most intrigue, with a lengthy gameplay reveal featuring NPC Pawns and details of the sequel’s sizable world. Dino hunter mech thing Exoprimal is out next month, but do you really care? It doesn’t look bad, but it’s not exactly pushed like the machine it could be. But what did look bad and incredibly boring (even one of the Beyonders claimed to have fallen asleep during this portion) was Ghost Trick. Yowzers. And before all that we got a moment of sadness with the announcement delay for Pragmata — a straight up hand-written apology, nonetheless. Classy, but I’d rather Capcom gave us a hand-written apology for this entire hour.

1.75/5 Whiskey Sours

8. XBOX EXTENDED SHOWCASE

Naw… I’m not even going there. Does this extended thing even count? The Games Showcase and Starfield Direct went SO GREAT that I’ll let this entire hour slide. At least Forza Motorsport had their own little mini demo direct on the side…

N/A/5 Whiskeys.

-Travis Moody

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MOODY’S BEST GAMES OF NOT-E3 2022 [Top 25]: Summer Scares-City.

Travis “Unbiased” Moody // IG @TravMoody

Seeing how E3 died (then was recently resurrected by the ESA for live and digital action in 2023) and there were only four true video game “press conferences” this year — PlayStation’s State of Play, Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest, IGN’s Summer of Gaming, and, of course, the Xbox/Bethesda Showcase — I didn’t think I’d bother covering any gaming stuff this June.

I mean… why bother?

But, thanks to the Video Game Trooper himself, fellow GHGer Patrick Obloy (and his wife, Sarah, for not being able to attend *insert cry laugh emoji*), your boy’s enthusiasm for the next year (or three) in gaming has certainly leveled up with a fun stay yesterday at the Xbox Fan Fest. But, no Nintendo Direct from the godfathers of this whole digital showcase mess?!?? Wild.

Regardless, here are my personal top video game reveals/trailers of the summer “E3” season:

25. MINECRAFT LEGENDS (Mojang Studios/Xbox Game Studios – Xbox Series, Xbox One, PC – 2023) – I’m not a Minecraft guy. That said, you can’t disrespect a franchise that Microsoft paid 2.5 billion for– with excitement from plenty of folks at Fan Fest. Legends is a real time strategy spin-off, too.

24. ARK 2 (Studio Wildcard – Xbox Series, PC – 2023) – This one is intriguing as hell. Of course the Vin Diesel appearance got a chuckle or two from the Fan Fest audience! Otherwise, Ark 2 soars with impressive Unreal 5 dino-combat. Not sure I have the patience for craft-survival (I barely touched that element in one of my fav games of all time, Fallout 4), but everything else looks fun. We’ll see.

23. EREBAN: SHADOW LEGACY (Baby Riot Games/Raw Fury – Xbox Series, PC – 2023) – Sometimes, going the stealth route can be a true kick in the pants. Thankfully Microsoft’s friends over at Baby Riot recognize this and make our titular hero the shadow! Toss in some stellar cell-shaded, robo-apocalyptic vibes and crisp, cyber-cut-em-up combat and this could wind up one of next year’s dopest dark horses.

22. ALIENS: DARK DESCENT (Tindalos Interactive/Focus Interactive/20th Century Studios – PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PC – 2023) – Since it’s an Aliens game and not an Alien one, expect more James Cameron-spun action. Pulse rifles and smart guns return and have motion-trackers, and — thank god! — because there will be far larger hordes of Xenomorphs. Maybe the game isn’t over for the Alien series, man.

21. FLINTLOCK: THE SIEGE OF DAWN (A44 Games/Kepler Interactive – PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PC – 2023) – Ashen was a major hit in 2018 and this is that team’s follow-up. It looks dope. Fans of Assassin’s Creed Origins and the Horizon series shouldn’t shy away from this potential God Butcher.

20. FORT SOLIS (Fallen Leaf Studios – PC – N/A) – SO. MUCH. SCI-FI. SURVIVAL HORROR. But this one caught attention at Summer Game Fest due to its surprising star power in Troy Baker and Roger Clark. If they believe in Fallen Leaf Studios who pitched this title as sort of a “Dead Space meets Moon“, why shouldn’t we?

19. THE CALLISTO PROTOCOL (Striking Distance Studios/KRAFTON – PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PC – December 2, 2022) – Speaking of…. yes, sci-fi survival horror, and, oh yeah, Dead Space, former head of that famed EA series, Glen Schofield, has a new project and it’s a hyper-ambitious one. Expect tons of mystery swirling Jupiter’s moon inhabitants and an insanely deep gore system that wound up a 2-year development process. Wild.

18. DNF DUEL (Nexon/Arc System Works – PS5, PS4, PC – June 28, 2022) – Since IGN’s Summer of Gaming focuses in on games that fly under the radar, maybe you missed that Arc System Works moves faster than imagined! While we’re still not done with Guilty Gear Strive (right?), this pret-ty similar anime brawler pops in as quite the surprise. While I never heard of the 16-year Dungeon and Fighter RPG series (again, right?), the Awakening signatures and steampunky stage designs bring back more of that ASW GG goodness.

17. FORZA HORIZON 5: HOT WHEELS (Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios – July 19, 2022) – Forza Horizon 5 was my GOTY last year and it gets the delightful Hot Wheels DLC treatment from FH3. Go live your life a quarter mile at a time.

16. WO LONG: FALLEN DESTINY (Team Ninja/Koei Tecmo – Xbox Series, PC – 2023) – The only thing keeping Wo Long lower on this list is how damn hard Nioh was. Tecmo’s samurai adventures were unfair as it is, and then you add Bloodborne producer Masaaki Yamajiwa. Eh. And I couldn’t have been the only one at Fan Fest initially confusing this one with the 16th Century Chinese monkey-warrior RPG adventure, Black Myth: Wukong, right?

15. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: SHREDDER’S REVENGE (Tribute Games/Limited Run Games – PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC – June 16, 2022) – Out this week on digital! Coming later this year to all consoles in the physical form. It’s essentially a tribute sequel to 87 Arcade game and Turtles in Time, hence the dev’s namesake, with special attacks, personality taunts, and the classic overexaggerated 80s cartoon animation style. Throw in the Wu’s Raekwon & Ghostface on the soundtrack, and I’m ordering my pasticcio sardine pizza right now.

14. A PLAGUE TALE: REQUIEM (Focus Ent/Asobo Studio – PS5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, PC – 2022) – It’s the follow-up to the sickly-overlooked A Plague Tale: Innocence, with even more of the rats the title is known for. But our bro ‘n sis protagonists will sneak around a more vibrant colony of France, exploring under more optimistic measures than in their last quest.

13. HOLLOW KNIGHT: SILKSONG (Team Cherry – Xbox Series, PC – 2023) – Hunt! Survive! Vanquish! This will wind up the little game that could. Since the team from Ori is taking a break, this metroidvania is sure to fill all those voids missing in your platforming life.

12. GOTHAM KNIGHTS (WB Games Montreal/WBIE – PS5, Xbox Series, PC – October 25, 2022) – Don’t worry; the game has more or less nothing to do with the shitty-looking CW show. Another smart move by WB Games: the newest trailer focuses on Nightwing, arguably the biggest fan favorite of Batman’s fearless foursome. Arkam Origins had super awesome boss battles, so I wouldn’t count this one out yet.

11. MARVEL’S MIDNIGHT SUNS (Firaxis Games/2K Interactive – PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC – October 7, 2022) – Spidey winds up on the Xbox, after all! Thankfully, this Marvel title is exclusive-free and coming out this year. Doesn’t hurt that Firaxis is among the best devs in the strategy atmosphere. There’s even a “Fire Emblem: Three Houses” feel to The Abbey — a fully explorable hub where your created Hunter can craft items and hang out with all the other Super Friends in between your intense, card-based combat missions.

10. THE LAST OF US, PART 1 REMAKE (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive – PS5 – September 2, 2022) – If you never played the original on PS3 or PS4, there’s no better time than now. I’m legally restricted from saying any more.

9. REDFALL (Arkane Austin/Bethesda Softworks – Xbox Series, PC – 2023) – This looks like the most fun game of the showcase. And if you played Deathloop, then there should be zero doubt in Arkane’s shoot-to-thrill capabilities despite years of shadowy stealth in Dishonored.

8. OVERWATCH 2 (Blizzard Entertainment – PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PC – October 4, 2022) – The once biggest game in the world is getting a sequel 6.5 years later (at least in “early access”0, and — despite not being an Overwatch fan per se — I couldn’t help but be blown away by this trailer. PVP is also F2P, so why not download it?

7. CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE II (Infinity Ward/Activision – PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PC – October 28, 2022) – Since there are no good G.I. Joe video games for modern consoles, just buy this one and pretend that shit got real serious for Duke, Lady Jaye, Stalker, Tunnel Rat and pals. Modern Warfare has always been CoD’s bread ‘n butter, and Infinity Ward’s track record is stellar despite the obvious franchise fatigue. LFG.

https://youtu.be/r72GP1PIZa0

6. FINAL FANTASY XVI (Creative Business Unit III/Square Enix – PS5 – Summer 2023) – Devil May Cry 5 designer is working as combat designer for this game. Need I say more? Nope. Just watch this beauty…

5. FORZA MOTORSPORT (Turn 10/Xbox Game Studios – Xbox Series, PC – Spring 2023) – If this was a selfish list, this would be #2, but we still have to wait a bit for before Turn 10 gears this one up for Spring. Microsoft Flight Simulator aside, this was arguably the most visually striking game at the Xbox Showcase, and spotlighting the F1 popularity boom was a brilliant move, too. Every race receives the dynamic day/night/weather treatment and everything in the game has real-time raytracing. Vroom.

4. DIABLO IV (Blizzard Entertainment – PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PC – 2023) – I definitely popped for this one. Despite not closing the deal just yet with Blizzard, Xbox didn’t hesitate to deep dive in this one, especially with old friend Rod Ferguson at the helm. As a longtime Gears guy, there’s no lack of faith in Diablo 4 on my end. The Necromancer is a much-welcomed fifth class, environments are super pleasing for the isometric eye, combat feels heavier than ever, and there are 150 dungeons, any of which you can play solo or with/against friends on the couch or online, including crossplay.

3. STREET FIGHTER 6 (Capcom – PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, PC – 2023) – With Capcom still supporting Street Fighter V as of this article, the launch of another Street Fighter comes as a bit of a surprise. Even more stirring, however, are the features! There’s Real Time Commentary (although, I can’t say I’m a fan of the English play-by-play by Jeremy “Vicious” Lopez in the new trailer; maybe it’s because I don’t watch enough eSports?).

There’s an all-new Game Face Feature, which allows players to alter their fighter’s facial animations during the match-up screen. Capcom also hip-tosses in the option to battle with the classic 6-button control layout or a modern Smash Bros-inspired set-up with special moves being executed by the simple press of a button and directional pad. But above all else is the startling inclusion of a free roam single player mode called World Tour.

2. RESIDENT EVIL 4 REMAKE (Capcom – PS5, Xbox Series, PC – March 24, 2023) – If it wasn’t a remake this would be #1. While far from the scariest, Res 4 is arguably the best Resident Evil game and a remake of it even has this lukewarm R.E. fan shaking in mah boots. I’m def all for more action than the survival horror of the first two games– which arguably needed more of the remake treatment than this one. Still, there’s no sleeping on one of the 2023’s early frontrunners for GOTY.

1. STARFIELD (Bethesda Game Studios/Softworks – Xbox Series, PC – 2023) – As we can see from today’s responses that your mileage may vary. How much do you love No Man’s Sky? Do you own an Xbox Series X/S or plan to? Do you love Fallout? Diehard Elder Scrolls fan? Miss the humor of The Outer Worlds? Overlooking the fact that we barely saw 1% of everything that God Howard and company have in store for us with Starfield?

Wild, and maybe it’s because I was with a bunch of like-minded Xbox/Bethesda diehards at Fan Fest yesterday, but Bethesda’s Starfield gameplay reveal and trailer was among the very best E3 presentations I’ve ever seen: 1.) Ship, base and crew creation; yes, you can create your own Razor Crest-type ship and fly it and get into intergalactic dogfights, 2.) Detailed character creation and skill system; yes, you can pretty much make your own Han Solo, Mando or Bo-Katan, 3.) Intense combat; yes, you can blow pirates up with their own jetpack, 4.)  Starfield has over 100 galaxies to explore and 1000 (!!) planets to scan, battle, and takeover. GEESH.

-Travis Moody

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GEEKDOM GAMESCAST [Episode 39.A]: E3 2021 – Xbox x Bethesda / Ubisoft Review.

It’s really happened! Sorta. E3 2021 just passed us by, and Xbox/Bethesda Showcase was arguably the only conference that tried to be a traditional E3 conference. Also, we saw a Ubisoft Forward. The VG_Trooper himself, Patrick Obloy, joins us to talk about what little we saw in Ubisoft, and the megamix of THIRTY GAMES that was the Microsoft x Bethesda conference!

If you want to skip to a specific game, click on the timecode below:

3:08 Rainbow Six: Extraction
6:58 Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
8:51 Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
12:13 Far Cry 6 Ubisoft Trailer
14:58 Rocksmith+
20:43 Starfield
25:23 The Outer Worlds 2
27:20 Redfall
30:06 Halo Infinite
38:09 Forza Horizon 5
41:38 Riders Republic
43:34 Far Cry 6 Xbox Trailer
44:35 Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life
48:03 Psychonauts 2
50:05 Back 4 Blood
51:36 Battlefield 2042
54:03 Diablo II Resurrected

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GEEKDOM GAMESCAST [Episode 38]: Our E3 2021 Preview.

After a year off, the gaming world is gearing up for another E3. Nature is healing. Myke and Travis are joined by returning guests Artez, Jamison, and newcomer Matt Robb to rundown the entire schedule of what has been announced for E3 2021…

We get into what we know already, what we’re hoping to see, and what some companies need to show us in order to win us back. Myke also goes over his initial Biomutant thoughts, the demo for the upcoming Scarlet Nexus, and the crew spout off on extended play for Far Cry 6 and Horizon Forbidden West!

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DOOM ETERNAL [Campaign Face-Off / Multiplayer Review]: South of Heaven.

***UPDATE 3/29 – We’ve added a review of Doom Eternal’s Multiplayer Mode***

Dee Assassina
@assassinasan

If you treat Doom Eternal’s Battlemode like a supplemental part of the game, it’s a fun little mode to play when you need a break after one of the long levels in the main campaign. There’s only one multiplayer mode that is 2v1, two monsters versus one slayer. The monsters include the heavies in the main campaign, such as the Revenant, Pain Elemental, Archvile, Mancubus, and Marauder. Whoever wins the most rounds wins the match, and in between each round you can add a perk such as increased health, team healing, buffed minions, or access to the BFG.

The main allure to Doom’s multiplayer mode is playing as the monster. Not only do you use some of the abilities the monsters have in the main campaign such as summoning a spectral dog as the Marauder, you also play as a tactician as you could summon minions (e.g. Hell Knights, Prowlers, Makyr Knight), lay out hazardous elements like acid, or place down a healing space. I haven’t played long and well enough to know which monsters are best paired together, but you can make any monster you choose play offensively or defensively by modifying the loadout.

Playing as the monsters is the real fun in this multiplayer mode, but the problem is, I almost never lost when playing as a monster, which may demonstrate some balancing issues. I also felt some monsters were way more effective at winning than others. You had to be a damn good Doom Slayer to win and even if you were good, playing as the slayer just wasn’t as fun because you have the same abilities and weapons that you did in the main campaign.

“Business is about to pick up.”

You unlock cool little cosmetics items like weapon or slayer skins, backdrops for your loading screen, player icons, and poses for the opening scene before a match. It’s a very basic, but cool little mode that’s a fun little change of pace if you play as the monster. 2.75/5 Bibles.

-Dee Assassina

Dee Assassina
@assassinasan

DEE ASSASSINA: Have you ever completed a task like cooking, cleaning, paperwork, or something that felt so much more pleasurable because the music you were listening to put you in the zone? That’s kind of what Doom Eternal does, except insert the destruction of demons that feels like pure bliss when supplemented with a mix of good ambient and metal music. You’re surrounded by demons in a small space, you feel claustrophobic, shit gets hectic, then you hear the tune, get in the zone, run, and kill. You’re running through tunnels littered with skulls, caves filled of acid, and there’s blood and guts everywhere. This is Doom…

“Monsignor” Travis Moody
@travmoody

TRAVIS MOODY: This is Metal. Dee & Company, due to how fucking intense everything is.. not only in iD Software’s sinister follow-up to the great 2016 Doom but with the majority of the country hell’d-up-in-quaran-life, Doom Eternal arrives at a.. strange time. Half of the gamers tied to their rooms for the next few months probably hail from two camps: 1.) Fuck this, fuck everything, I shall unleash my Doom on these harrowed demons!, 2.) Things will be OK, and if not, I can at least make them OK in this #animalcrossinglife. Personally, my mental zone falls between the two. So as downright amazing as the Doom sequel is, I just can’t get myself to slay through hell much more 2-3 hours (i.e. one mission) at a time. I need to relax. Dragon Quest XI has been relaxation.

Jamison Weir

JAMISON WEIR: Oh, I hear you. Bethesda should have called this game Doom Adrenaline. Even during the sections where you actually get to slow down for a second and search for secrets you’re still jacked from the last encounter. So True, Dee– Mick Gordon and his “metal gospel” put on a show that’s an instant early front-runner for Soundtrack of the Year. The deep, rumbling 9 string guitar is practically a weapon of its own, punctuated by throat singing and screams of anguish, pain and horror.

Come on! Half-Dead ain’t half-bad.

DEE: Yesss. This isn’t just any action-packed game filled with mindless fun, Doom Eternal has the best first-person gameplay I’ve ever experienced, thanks to iD Software’s fast shooting mechanics, mixed with an extremely vast arsenal of weapons with powerful upgrades. Each demon-filled area feels like a new puzzle because as you progress, they throw more demons you’ve previously slain and new demons that have unique weaknesses.

MOODY: Those bastards. But, really, at least Hugo Martin and his crew gave us enough of an arsenal to.. barely survive. There’s no doubt that part of the whole rush of Doom Eternal is running around like a mad man, doing your best to simultaneously avoid the most lethal demons while conjuring up exactly which gun to choose at what moment. Speed, rattling gun-spray, loud rocket blasts and a terrorizing score is prevalent, sure; but the the focus on mechanics complete the madness to a tee. In this sequel, superior agility and calculated movement takes precedence over explosive power.

DEE: It’s muscle memory AF. I had to be cautious when to use frag grenades just in case I needed to feed it to a Cacodemon, or make sure I left my shotgun sticky bomb mod to break off an Arachnotron turret, a Mancubus arm cannon, or a Revenant’s launcher. I would always make sure to keep some Zombies, Imps, or Soldiers alive so they could be glory killed for health, burned for armor, or chainsawed for ammo. I tried to use my plasma rifle sparingly for shielded enemies or my ice bomb to mow down the heavier enemies, and the possibilities goes on. I never stopped moving and my neurons never stopped firing.

Ya forcin’ us to play Animal Crossing, ain’t cha?

JAMISON: Combat is about two things: enemy priority and resource management. I love what they’ve done with Doom but there are lots of people who think it’s going too far off the “how it should be path”. Every enemy has a weak spot or weak to a certain weapon (I find auto shotgun melts pretty much everything). My brain can’t process how Whiplash moves so he ended up being my least favorite enemy. Either him or the fuckin’ tentacles that get you every time.

DEE: Ha! Then there is the slight platform controversy, where  actual puzzles are used to traverse the demon-filled Earth. Don’t know about you two, but I found them to be a nice break from the chaos.

Still having nightmares.

MOODY: Oh, the platforming in no way pissed me off as much as it did in Control during those brutal assaults. Fuck. I still haven’t gone back. But, ayo.. what’s with all the codex? Doom 2020 is the most intense ride we’ll have on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC all year and iD want us to.. read a bunch of stuff. I began the game digging into all of the literature and learning the ins-and-outs of hell, and.. yeah.. that didn’t last long. Short video-like clips for every enemy, weapon, landscape and item acquired would’ve immersed me more into the story.

DEE: Well, at least if players explore enough they’ll be rewarded with upgrades for their arsenal and Praetor suit, and — better — find cute little toys like we did in Doom 2016, but instead of different color Doom Slayers, there are different toy demons. The toys, along with some music records are all available for your viewing and listening pleasure at The Fortress of Doom hub area. In this area you can use Sentinel Batteries to unlock rooms with upgrades, or with different Doom Slayer skins. I’m still eye-balling that all black skin that’s just outside of the main fortress area. There isn’t a single activity in Doom: Eternal that I don’t feel rewarded for completing. 4.5/5 Bibles.

MOODY: Yeah, other than all that nitpicky reading stuff, the game appears damn near perfect. Through seven/thirteen stages of hell, Eternal feels perfect mechanically, looks deliciously perfect on a 4K set-up, and booms off the surround oh-so-bloody F’N perfect. So other than dropping at a strange quarantime when all I wanna do is relax, mellow out, escape from harsh realities and not get COVID-19-esque symptoms from playing such a hellacious title — yet not head to the extremes of crossing Tom Nook — my favorite title from E3 2019 is an easy frontrunner for the 2020 GOTY. 4.5/5 Slayer Vinyls.

JAMISON: In the end, I hate to say it, Moody, but you were right: this not a game that can be binged for hours. But despite it being the single most intense game I’ve ever played, I too crave my next hit of Doom Eternal. 4/5 Unfinished Bibles.

-Dee Assassina, Travis Moody, & Jamison Weir

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