Tag: Bethesda

On Fallout 76

Izlain

I started on a draft about Fallout 76 back when it released in 2018 right around my birthday. It was actually a gift from my lady, who already knew how obsessed I was with the prior game, Fallout 4. The initial draft was intended to capture my first impressions of the game, which turned out to be less exciting than I had expected. Firstly, I wasn’t into the idea of having to download yet another launcher to play, but Bethesda released theirs alongside this game, also pulling many of their newer titles from Steam in order to support their lineup of games. It didn’t take long for Epic Games to also release their own store, and actually gain some ground on Steam with exclusivity deals. The community divided, Bethesda decided to return their titles along with future developed games to Steam, while also running their own launcher if you prefer. So one of the ticks on the box was checked for me there.

I didn’t end up releasing the draft I had been working on because I literally spent a handful of hours with the game before getting bored and running off to do something else. It looks and feels like a Fallout Game in the sense of environment and guns and NPCs, but that was probably the main issue, that there weren’t really NPCs aside from enemies. There was a sort of breadcrumb story trail that I followed around the map for a bit, and I also witnesses a nuclear bomb going off, as that was part of the packed in pvp experience. To be honest, there were so many more things I was finding wrong with the game than what I found right. Despite destroying the draft, I did upload some of those first screenshots so I’ll share them here and try to job my memory a bit.

The character creation was similar enough to Fallout 4, and honestly you could say it’s just the next iteration of the same game. I suppose that makes sense, but with the inclusion of other players, there’s other considerations that didn’t seem to be made. I understand its hard to shape a story around one person when there are others playing, but Borderlands has been doing this for years so it shouldn’t have been that difficult. The constantly open mics was a terrible decision, but it was nice that they added an option to turn them off. PvP sounds like it would be fun, but with the VATS system severely gimped, you wouldn’t be able to truly have epic fire fights with others. So then that leaves co-op, which sounds like where the core of the fun would be at, but it was distinctly lonely feeling while I was playing. I did see other people wandering around, but I didn’t group up or go on adventures, I mostly skulked around thinking they might try to fight. Whatever the case, I wasn’t overly thrilled with the game, but decided I would keep up on it regardless, because maybe one day it might morph into something more enjoyable.

Sometime after the release of the game, Bethesda released a roadmap of where they wanted to go with the title. The latest of these updates was slated to release in the fall of last year, but was delayed until this month. Wastelanders is the name of the update, and it promised to bring NPCs back to the game, which is ultimately what most Fallout fans wanted. If I can play the game solo but there are other people running around, that’s cool, but give me things to do. Also, make these things more fun to do with other people so we’re encouraged to group up and get things done together. Apparently Survival mode was added, and something called Nuclear Winter as well, but I don’t know exactly what those added to the game. As of yet, I haven’t played again, but I thought I should get some opinions down about my initial experience with the game before I do try it again so I have more comparison points. As a bonus, the game did release on Steam and owners got a free copy so I’m pretty stoked about not having to pay for it again and being able to play on Steam.

So with that, I’m going to try and dive into the game sometime in the near future and give it a fair shake again. I’m hoping that this ends up being another No Man’s Sky where it was a cool concept that under delivered at launch but redeems itself down the line.

DOOM Eternal Complete

Izlain

I apologize for the late post today, I ended up deciding that I wanted to complete a game in order to have a post, and rather than scheduling this for later, I wanted it to come out today. I guess what I’m saying is that I started playing last night, and before I knew it, it was pretty late in the evening and I knew that I was nearing the end. I tried to push through to complete the game so I could have written this post earlier in the day, but it was starting to get late so I just called it a night. Today I woke up with the intention on completing the game but lazed about for a bit and then had a couple of errands to run. Regardless, I have since completed DOOM: Eternal and I have some final thoughts along with a gallery of cool shots from the remainder of the game. You can catch up with my initial impressions in this post.

So I should preface my thoughts with the fact that I’ll be discussing parts of the game that could contain spoilers, including the screenshots below. Honestly anything that I might spoil isn’t integral to your enjoyment of the game, but I thought I should give you the chance to check out at this point in case you want to experience things first hand. Otherwise, if you’re on the fence about the game, perhaps I can further convince you of its worth.

I guess the main thing that would matter most is if you enjoy this style of fast-paced FPS. The action is even more over the top than the 2016 version, and there is a lot of depth to the combat. I will say that this game is significantly harder than the 2016 version as well, but that could be due to the fact that I’m four years older and perhaps my twitch reflexes aren’t as good. Or perhaps it’s just harder. It took me longer to complete as well, with 2016’s DOOM taking me 10 hours to complete, and DOOM: Eternal taking 14 hours. It didn’t really feel longer, and I don’t recall getting stuck anywhere, but it did feel like a fuller experience. I liked the fact that your spaceship is a hub zone and that finding items in the world (sentinel batteries) could be used there to further unlock upgrades and/or cosmetics.

As far as story goes, it felt more involved as well. VEGA, and to a lesser extent Dr. Hayden, make regular voice communications throughout each mission. There is more interaction with the villains because they actually communicate, rather than just being blasted. Well, the main character demons that is… the normal fodder is just there to be exploited.

Without a doubt, it was fully worth the $60 price tag. There is a fast travel system that allows you to go back and gather all the collectibles and things, so I might have more motivation to play in the future, along with the season pass giving some new campaign experiences. I thought it was a great game and I recommend it highly if this is your thing. Here’s some screens of my experience, in chronological order:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Pick this up ASAP if your’re a DOOM fan, or a fan of shooters in general.

First Thoughts: DOOM Eternal

Izlain

I absolutely fell in love with DOOM 2016. It was a reboot of the series to some degree, basically starting over what began in the 1990’s and updating it with modern graphics. At the time, my computer had just been built a few months before, so I was able to run this at Ultra settings and though I was still running my rig in 1080p, it was gorgeous. The action was fast paced, the glory kills were over the top fun, and overall it hearkened back to a simpler time when we played games by ourselves. The follow-up to that game was announced a couple of years ago as DOOM Eternal, and it was instantly a part of my most-anticipated games list. Slated to release in November of 2019, it ended up being delayed to March 2020, just in time for us to be cooped up in our houses with plenty of time to play games (or at least, this about the most positive thing I can say about the current circumstances of the world). Sadly I would not have been able to pick the game up on release, but was lucky enough to be gifted a copy regardless, so I thought I’d share some thoughts on my first 5 hours with the title.

This time around, there is a bit more focus on the story, with a multitude of cutscenes, set pieces that want you to wonder about what’s going on around you, and collectible codex entries that shed some extra lore on an otherwise straight forward demon slaying experience. Apparently the original DOOM games also had a bit of story to them, though it was never really well conveyed in-game. I suppose this is an attempt at creating a story you kind of care about, despite the fact that all of the glory takes place during combat — which is still this series’ strength. As it goes, this title follows the story of the original DOOM II: Hell on Earth from 1994. Its uncertain if this is meant as a reboot sequel as most of us expected, or if this is sort of a separate more detailed timeline. However you want to look at it, at the end of the day DOOM 2016 ≥ DOOM as is DOOM Eternal ≥ DOOM II: Hell on Earth. That isn’t to say either is better than the other, but they are certainly good examples of how a game that pushed boundaries in the 1990’s can still do so in 2020 but with far more realistic graphics. So we know that while the Slayer was out and about on Mars taking care of business a few years ago, he’s now come back to earth and shit has hit the fan. So it’s up to him to get down to slayin’ business immediately.

Unfortunately, being such an action packed experience, I was unable to get many action shots, but the backdrops I managed to capture are fascinating. Some of the same mechanics from DOOM 2016 have returned, and some have been expanded upon. Not only do weapons get upgrades via modifications found in the world, but then you can spend weapon points on additional modifiers for those mods. Once unlocking everything on one weapon you’ll be able to then complete a mastery challenge that will unlock another perk for the gun. From there, you can also put points into your Praetor suit, which are passive bonuses that mostly have to do with your auto-map amongst other things. Runes can be found that give you further passives depending on which ones you have equipped (max 3 out of 9 at a time). There’s another layer of perks called crystals that you can equip which increase your health/armor/ammo maximum amounts, but also grants bonuses to your equipment, which is a shoulder mounted grenade launcher, frost bomb launcher, and the flamer. There’s a lot of depth here despite it just being another FPS in a long line of games that you’ve already played. In a sense it’s more of the same (which was good) but takes things just that much further. I can say for sure that the movement around maps is vastly changed, with many more open spaces to jump and dash around in. This means some creative level design was in order, and I find myself having to back track a lot less as a result. However, there is a fast travel system and because of the sheer amount of collectibles and secrets you’ll want to use this system to go back and finish the content presented.

Challenges are still a thing, but this time they’re called Slayer Challenges and you have to find a nearby key before being able to access the special zone. Once you have access and head in, you’ll be in for a challenge. I think now I could probably go back and complete a few of them, but on my first attempt I was stomped. Beyond completitionist status, there is a Battlemode that I have yet to check out, but also already included with the deluxe edition, you get access to future campaign and multiplayer content. I’m looking forward to having a reason to come back to this title beyond just deathmatch, as DOOM 2016 included but I wasn’t really a fan of. Here’s hoping the multiplayer here is better, but I can already highly recommend this title just for the single player alone. Well worth the investment price, and if you can get it on sale, even better!

Early Impressions: Wolfenstein Youngblood

Izlain

I’ve been looking forward to the newest edition of Machine Games’ Wolfenstein series, and it finally arrived this past week. Wolfenstein Youngblood is a game I had considered pre-ordering, but with how easy it is to get burnt these days, I decided to wait. Releasing on my payday was good for me, and thankfully it also didn’t run the full $60, instead being a $30 game on day one. Something came up that day though, so I didn’t end up buying it until the following afternoon. In the interim I read the “mixed” Steam reviews and it seems that most people were panning the game as not being a traditional Wolfenstein experience. Many compared it to other looter-shooter style games such as Destiny or The Division. It doesn’t have much of a story, the AI is poor and co-op is forced, etc, etc. Here are my thoughts on the matter:

There is no doubt that this is a game created using the same engine and made by the same team and past Wolfenstein titles. The gameplay is smooth, graphics crisp and the mechanics are sublime. I enjoy running around and shooting nazis now as much as I did back in the original. As far as story goes, it is true that it is not as straight forward as the previous iterations — you’ll get some tidbits via cutscenes, but the majority of the dialogue comes from characters you’ll interact with and from the sisters talking among themselves during levels. I’m about 7 hours into the game, and I feel like the story has pieced together well enough, but it’s not to the same level as when B.J. was at the helm. Whatever the case, I don’t find this to be a major downfall, particularly when we’ve all been playing this style of game for decades and the point is to shoot stuff and blow shit up… story used to not even exist. I’ll admit I really enjoyed Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus‘ story, but it wasn’t integral to my enjoyment either.

Gameplay is core to me in this style of game, and there is a weird amalgam of concepts that have been thrown together here, and yet they seem to work. This isn’t a looter-shooter, because you don’t constantly swap out gear or get different colored upgrades. It isn’t open world, because there is a “safe zone” called the catacombs and this is where your base of operations is. You will get new people residing here along the way, and most will give you quests. This is also the hub from which you sort of teleport (it’s explained as using the metro system) to different parts of Paris, or at least this world’s version of it. Story missions lead you to a point where you must beat several bosses at different locations, but it will end up where you won’t be able to progress immediately, instead needing to do some side missions (from the aforementioned quest givers) to gain experience. This is where I would correlate this game to other titles like Destiny, but it’s mostly just a co-op FPS with some light RPG elements and not quite the psuedo-MMOs that Destiny and The Division are. Enemies can become bullet-sponges after a time, but I can’t think of too many games where this isn’t the case, so I don’t understand the complaint. I have found that so far the AI isn’t terrible (as I haven’t wanted to play with randoms and I don’t know anyone personally that has this game on PC just yet), but I can see where it might become a liability in later stages of the game. Regardless, I don’t really see why the criticism is being laid on so thick. This is a fun game for $30, and thought it’s not exactly what we’re used to from this company, it isn’t a bad thing. It’s not a buggy mess like some of the other games in this vein have been either.

Instead of having new guns pop up all the time, instead you’ll collect coins throughout the world and can use them as currency to upgrade your predetermined set of weapons. Each item has a list of parts that can be upgraded, and from there you get some branching paths so you can optimize each as you see fit. As you gain experience you’ll gain player levels and with that comes perks that you can use to get different powers, have more health/armor, dual wield and other cool things. You really get to play the way you want to and I think that’s pretty cool for an FPS. There are a ton of collectibles in the world for those achievement hunters, and you can read/listen to those as you like. Easter eggs are around too… including an arcade cabinet housing the OG game.

Overall I think this game has a lot of potential. Future DLC could see this expanding into a psuedo-MMO, but it’s not quite there yet. Whatever the case, if you’re a fan of this series I think you’ll still like this title. Worst case scenario, it should be on sale by Christmas time.

Developer Appreciation Week: Two For One

Izlain

The third week of Blaugust was scheduled to be “Developer Appreciation Week,” which is something the blogsphere has put on in the past. I’ve never participated in this particular event, and thought maybe I should make at least one post related to it to not only stick to Bel’s schedule but to also actually show some appreciation. Those of you who have been reading this blog for any length of time know that I tend to only write about games I enjoy, so I have heaped praise on many a title over the years. I’ve not really hyped up a developer before though, and in this case, the one that I’d like to show my appreciation for is Bethesda.

Bethesda is responsible for one of my all time favorites in The Elder Scrolls and Fallout series. As developers of these huge open worlds, they have whet my appetite for a deep single player RPG experience. I’ve had my dislikes too, but overall games like Fallout 4 and Skyrim were amazing titles and gave me a love for single player games that I hadn’t felt since before I got into MMOs. I poured countless hours into their big open-ended RPGs and loved them, and then we got the ability to toy around with mods on top of that and by that point you’re putting MMO hours into a single player game. They got me hyped up again this year with the teaser trailers for the next Elder Scrolls game and another game that’s taking their formula to space, not to mention Fallout 76 which will finally bring a multiplayer aspect to one of their beloved worlds. Bethesda’s been a favorite company of mine for a long time now and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Not only are they developers of games that I love, they also publish for another big name in the industry:

id Software is single-handedly responsible for turning me into an FPS fan. Wolfenstein, DOOM, Quake and all of the iterations over the years have been great, and now that Bethesda are publishing them I feel like the quality has gone up a notch or two. I have not been disappointed with any of the recent remakes/reboots of these franchises. The sequel to the last DOOM is coming by next year, more RAGE, Quake Champions is still being developed as we speak (but is very fun already) and the next chapter in the Wolfenstein series is coming as well. Not only do these games push the envelop graphically, they have come a long way in their story-telling and just how damn smooth and fast you can expect an FPS to run. id Software spurned a whole genre that has seen countless copies and iterations but can all be traced back to early 3D outings by this team. Without either of these companies, these genres would not be what they are today and for that, I thank them. Looking forward to making new memories with these companies’ games.