Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase (Recap and Summary) E3 2021

Time to look at the biggest presentation of the whole show, at least by the hype that has been generated.

 

The whole presentation started with a recap of Microsoft's foray into the gaming space, going from the launch of the original Xbox to the various fan events and other memorable moments from past E3's with the fan reactions.

 

The presentation itself was opened by Todd Howard, the head of Bethesda. He was ecstatic to be opening for this, and 20 years of Microsoft's Xbox series.

 

The first game that Todd brought up was Starfield. He talked how it the technology and the team was finally ready to take on the game that many at Bethesda had long since wanted to make. After that, they rolled the first in-game teaser for it. Seeing the beautifully rendered cinematic, it is clear there is going to be interstellar travel, gun play, and of course, exploration.

 

Sarah Bond came on to talk about the joining of Bethesda and Microsoft. 27 of the 30 games shown will be launching on the GamePass. She introduced Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl. This will be an exclusive to the Xbox when it launches next year. Then, a trailer for it started.

 

This trailer showed the other Stalkers gathered around a fire, with one playing a guitar. The main character makes it to the fire where all the laughter stops. They recount their adventures some. The updated graphics from the previous entry are on full display and the tense atmosphere seems to be on full blast at times. This game has a release date of April 28th, 2022.

 

The next trailer started immediately, showing a group of survivors making their way through a building. Made by the same team as Left 4 Dead, its a group based gun fight against a massive horde of zombies. It will have a 4 player co-op story mode. It will also have the Swarm PvP mode, pitting friends as Humans vs. Zombies. It looks to be much like Left 4 Dead, brought forward to modern times with bigger hordes and a lot of things to enjoy. It has a release date of October, 12th, 2021.

 

Next we got a console exclusive. This trailer had fun with integrating as much of its information as it could directly into the trailer. This is Contraband, a 4 player co-op game focused on getting stolen goods from point A to point B. At least some planning elements look to be there and set in 1970's. Plenty of shooting regardless with a potential for customization throughout. No release date was given.

 

After that was an update for Sea of Thieves. This offered a surprising cross-over between Rare and Disney, bringing the Pirate of the Caribbean into the world of Sea of Thieves. Captain Jack Sparrow stole a valuable relic which is causing havoc across the seas. They did seem to make fun of themselves for the lacking enemy variety. Of course, adding in 1 Davy Jones gives more enemies to fight. The hybrid sea monster crew members of the Flying Dutchman. Much of the original cast seems to have returned to reprise their roles from the films. This free update will be rolling out on June 22nd, 2021.

 

The following trailer started by announcing the release of all the Main Line Yazuka games onto Xbox Game Pass. This includes: Yakuza Zero, Yakuza 1-6. It will also include the brand new Yakuza: Like a Dragon. All those games are now available on the Game Pass.

 

The trailer after that showed us something we hadn't seen attempted for a whole console generation. A massive online combat game. The trailer boasted it was pre-alpha footage with 128 active players inside it. This looks to have grappling transversal (always a good time), dauntingly huge maps, vehicles and a grand variety of weapons and weather. These massive scale games will definitely have benefited from the proliferation of the Battle Royale genre a few years back. All this to announce Battlefiend 2042. It has a release date of October 22nd, 2021.

 

The next game was something different, called Twelve Minutes. It features an amazing cast with William Defoe, Daisy Ridley, James Mcavoy. The main character is stuck in a time loop. There seems to be some plain living mixed in with a cold case for this story's main pull. This definitely does look to live up to its billing as an interactive thriller. It has a release date of August 19th, 2021.

 

Psychonauts 2 was next. Seeing Raz was more than enough to get excited. Seeing the variety of the worlds and gameplay just adds more to it. This is a game that has a lot to live up to with the cult classic status of its original entry. It does look to retain that quirky sense of humor that helps define a Double Fine game. Expect plenty of puzzles and challenges throughout it. It has a release date of August 25th, 2021.

 

We get another spokesperson with Peter Hines coming onto the stage. He showed off the 30 Bethesda titles that re on or releasing onto Game Pass. Seeing the Dishonored series along with Doom, Elder Scrolls, Fallout and many others on that list was amazing. He also was remarking on the 10 year anniversary of the release of Skyrim was coming this November. He remarked that Skyrim10.com would allow the fans of the game to share their stories, and art to commemorate this occasion. Then he turned to Fallout 76, which has improved since its rough release. He then said we'd be seeing what is coming for Fallout 76.

 

The trailer for Fallout 76 focused on the upcoming expansion, Steel Reign. With its focus on the Brotherhood of Steel, you know there will be a lot of more advanced technology coming for you. Expect to have some very useful Power Armor upgrades as well. This story will be focused on a division within the Brotherhood of Steel, one side focused on saving missing members, the other on the eradication of the Super Mutant threat. Expect it to have some bearing on future story lines with the Brotherhood at its core in the future. This will release July 7th, 2021 for free to all Fallout 76 players.

 

Next was another trailer for Fallout 76 Expeditions:The Pit. This one didn't give much in terms of details, but does look to have a bit more to it than The Pitt did back in Fallout 3. It certainly gave it a good mysterious quality. Likely a shorter overall experience than a full expansion, but something to give a new area and a bit of new content. All we do know is it is slated, at present, for a 2022 release.

 

Next, Hines was talking about the present content with Elder Scrolls Online. At present, the Blackwood chapter of the ongoing story is active. This is all part of the Gates of Oblivion, year-long adventure. This fall, the conclusion of the story begins with Dead Lands. They are also launching an optimization patch for the Xbox series S and X for people to better enjoy on the online experience. We got a trailer for ESO after that, showing the vast and various lands now available in the game.

 

After that, another trailer started, this one for Party Animals. This brawler just looks like good silly fun. It has a few weapons, and a more interactive environment than a number of others like it. The plush animals make for a very silly vibe. This has a release window on 2022.

 

A trailer for Hades, the breakaway rogue-like hit started after that. It will be getting a release on the Xbox on August 13th, 2021. Well, if you have a Xbox and wanted to try this game out, or just wanted it for your Xbox, that will soon be an option.

 

Somerville was next. This looked to be a beautifully cel-shaded survival game. A family needs to make their way through an apocalyptic world. It definitely looks to feature an invoking story (or they wanted to convey THAT clearly). Expect stealth and puzzles to be a big part of this one. It looks to release in 2022.

 

This holiday season will mark 20 years of Xbox and 20 years of Halo. For this presentation we had Bonnie Ross, 343 Industries Studio head, and Joseph Staten, the creative director for Halo Infinite. She was announcing cross-play for Xbox and PC for Halo: Infinite. The multiplayer will be free to play, and give anyone who wants a chance at it. Joseph was next, talking about the Zeta Halo ring, where Infinite will be taking place. This entry will be one of the few that brings in other SPARTANs. It also shows the enhanced transversal abilities. Joseph took the stage after a bit of story from Infinite was shown, explaining that the single player and mutliplayer campaigns will be launching together this holiday season. We got to see a multiplayer PvP trailer after that. It was showing the classic death match in an updated Gluch map. Many favorites were shown there.

 

Next was a Blizzard trailer, this one for Diablo 2: Resurrection. This cross-play title is one

This has a release date of September 23rd, 2021. Just seeing all the content from the original game and its expansion in one title is amazing. Having it getting the needed face-lift and offering cross-progression, is even better. For once, the consoles can keep up with the PC's, offering an 8-player co-op.

 

A Plague Tale: Requiem was next. Seeing an empty town, with fies buzzing everywhere before seeing a wave of rats sweeping through those streets was eerie. No gameplay shown, but given its from an established series, you can have an idea of what is coming. It is presently set to come out in 2022.

 

This was followed by a trailer for Far Cry 6. Any chance to see more of Yara, its antagonist, Anton, and the dictorship he holds under the guise of being a president, is welcome. We get to meet one of the big players for the Resistance against Anton. Getting to see a trailer showing off the variety of weapons is always a good thing. Seeing a greater selection of thrown or silence weapons is very welcome. Seeing a Sniper Rifle, grenade launcher, expected. Being able to call in a tank, very unexpected and welcome! We also got to see a little gameplay of Chicharron, one of the Fangs for Hire, a punk-rock Rooster. Just seeing of the gameplay with Chicharron attacking was amazing. This now has a release date of October, 7th, 2021.

 

Next was a very light-hearted trailer for Slime Rancher 2. Seeing he bright colors and cute ascetic was a sharp contrast. It seems to be a simple game about collecting creatures. It builds nicely on the original and looks to have a good, light-hearted challenge to it. This game looks to release in 2022.

 

Shredders came after. Seeing the in-game graphics just reminds me how far our graphics have come. Seeing the snowboards cutting through the powder snow and just the lighting alone was amazing. If they keep the options for some camera separation for pulling off tricks, it'll be all the better. This has a release window of December, 2021.

 

The next game, Atomic Heart, had a pop beat going the whole time. It showed a lot of interesting powers, wire tendrils, robotics, cybernetic enhancements. Also, something was up with the gravity of the world with numerous things just hovering around.

 

This one for Replaced started with a near classic DOS prompt as the trailer began. After the quick text loading sequence, a number of 32 bit people were shown running through the background with a strange pink mark over their face. From there, it went on to show a ruined world, many homeless, no power, winter time, just the worst. From there, we got to see the combat and some of the movement to it. It looks very fluid, so the retro-aesthetic very much works for it. It looks to be a 2-D, retro platformer. It has a release window of 2022.

 

Grounded:The Shroom and Doom Update , all started with a recap of the favorite activities. The new update will be including, sitting, pets, and mushrooms that can be harvested for crafting (and not THAT kind). They are also adding in a new big boss with the Brood Mother. Grounded now will have achievements as well. All this goes live June 30th, 2021.

 

An announcement for Among Us was next, for an update coming June 15th across all platforms. This is enabling 15 player lobbies. Having 3 Imposters is quite a thing to experience for sure. On top of that, just announcing that Among Us is coming to the Game Pass. So you better sharpen those deductive skills.

 

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes was next. We got to meet a few of the main characters (or recruitable ones) in this trailer with: Nowa, Seign Kesling, and Marisa. After that was a shaky pan across a number of other portraits for the available characters. It looks to feature the characters in a retro-style, but very realistic backgrounds. Just after that, we got a quick scene of a character performing a combo in combat from Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising. This one looks to be more 2D side scroller opposed to the 3d style of Hundred Heroes. Rising looks to release in 2022, while Hundred Heroes aims to release in 2023.

 

The next game was The Ascent. This was very much done in the modern top-down point of view for a tactical game. It looks to have a variety of customization options for load-outs and plenty of abilities and weapons to use. Not too much was given away in this. It has a release date of July 29th, 2021.

 

Age of Empires IV was shown next. Plenty of choices can influence things, much like anything in the Civilization series. Much to be expected. Getting a look at the graphics and some of the gameplay was very welcome. Nothing of the interface, but it only gets a bit of a change or a small facelift from entry to entry. This will be releasing on October 28th, 2021.

 

The Outer Worlds 2 trailer was exactly what I needed at this point. Something just so aware of itself it just makes you laugh. That makes sense for this series overall. Nothing, according to the Voice Over, was actually ready beyond just that. No release date or window, simply an announcement and that it will be available day one on Game Pass, like almost everything else here.

 

Then we're back to normal trailers, showing off beautifully crafted worlds and displaying the power of the series X. This one was a surprise, since we hadn't yet seen anything from the Microsoft Flight Simulator on a console before. Just showing off the vistas and planes was a wonderful thing. This will release on July 27th, 2021. Staying on theme, we then go to a trailer for the new Top Gun Maverick. This will be a free expansion for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

 

We got to see vast desert vistas, leading to Forza 5: Horizons. All rendered using the in-game engine, does a good job of just showing off what the game can look like. That looks to release on November 9th, 2021. Finally, after that long stretch of trailers, we got to meet Mike Brown. He is the creative director at Playground Games. He explained that this year, Forza Horizons takes place in Mexico. Mike introduced Don (Art Director), Madi (Producer), Bill (Executive Producer), and Cierra (Principle Program Manager), as well as Abraham (Voice Actor), who is one of the VO's in the game. From there, we get to see some of the campaign mode, where you will be exploring to expand the Horizon celebration. We got to see some of the Forza seamless multiplayer. A lot of this was focused, not surprisingly on the sheer power of the Series X and it being able to generate a photo-realistic location. Mike had us going between the different members, showing a variety of locations and activities. The team showed off one of the Mini-Games, Pinata Pop. The players work together break as many of the air-dropped pinatas as they can within the time for the game. Finally, he showed off the new Event Labs. This will allow players to make their own races and modes. All of it will be customizable from the fundamentals upwards.

 

Finally, Hines came back on to recap what has come on throughout the presentation. More of the upcoming games for Game Pass were shown. He introduced a new game, an open-world immersive shooter. This is Redfall. We saw a group of people relaxing inside the remains of a convenience store, one of them documenting things around a smoldering humanoid skeleton with fangs. We then flash to a point little earlier that night, where the group is taking on a Vampire who is the head of a local cult that's overrun the town. Just seeing how things got to where they were was a great story at least. It has a release date sometime in the summer of 2022. If it deliveries on the promise of a variety of powers, roles, and weapons, it can definitely be an amazing game.

 

The whole thing wrapped, unsurprisingly, with a recap of everything that was shown off. It was definitely one of the better ones throughout the whole of E3 and I see why I was hearing more about the Microsoft/Bethesda presentation than pretty much any other.

 

Final Thoughts:

Microsoft understands that their Game Pass service is going to be key to getting solid income to help support further game development. There will still be plenty of people buying the games individually from the start. With a rotating catalogue, people will need to get the game at some point. This service has been a massive spike over the last year. Adding in a number of massive games, like ANY of the Yazuka titles is giving someone well over a year's worth of play time. Having all this games coming on through the pass feels like a good push for it. But it also is showcasing the games themselves. There are definitely a few I'm interested in (looking at you Hades). The Outer Worlds 2 trailer was the one I didn't know I needed. Just being that tongue in cheek and outright saying, “yeah, you're not gonna see any of this in the game.” Forza was a needed reprieve after all the trailers. Still, its strong presentation elements lacked some of the organic feel from past presentations. The long stretch of trailers without someone coming on did wear me down a bit. Getting some context now and again is nice. Especially when so many start with the same, “Console Launch”, “Exclusive,” etc and end with “Day One Game Pass.” It was a good presentation to watch. Definitely looking forward to a lot of games from here.


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