Why we should all love Bethesda.

We all know Bethesda: the company that screams RPG and open world gameplay, the creators behind the ‘Elder Scrolls’, ‘Dishonored’, and ‘Fallout’. They’re noted for their signature graphical style and use of exploration (even ‘Dishonored’ used the concept of being able to go at a mission from a variety of angles). Not only did they shape role-playing games as we know them today, they are still changing, constantly listening to their fan-base and judging what their players want from their titles.

Most notably, their most anticipated release of the year, ‘Fallout 4’, has very exclusively involved fans in a major way, with constant forum posts and threads being made to ask fans what they want from the game. It’s stuff like this, and contact with the developers of the game, that make Bethesda such an approachable company for their content. Even with things like ‘Doom’ coming next year, they are always (I hate this word, but it works here) innovating, as ‘Doom’ looks to be as worthy a shooter as any; going off what we saw at E3, it looks gorgeous, and a joy to play.

However, no company is without fault, as we all remember the mess that was ‘Rage’ (which was previously reviewed in one of our print editions #plugplugplug), and the somewhat mediocre ‘ESO’, which drastically fell below our expectations, both graphically and mechanically. There was also the overlooked ‘Hunted: The Demon’s Forge’, which was as mediocre as it gets when it comes to 3rd person RPGs. When it comes to titles like ‘Rage’, it is important to note that there is only one thing more annoying than a zero choice game: a game in which there is the illusion of choice. So while ‘Rage’ was presented as an ‘open world’ game, this was far from the truth. For shame, Bethesda.

Contrary to these few blunders though, they always manage to pull our attention back to something worthy; so while ‘Elder Scrolls Online’ may have fallen short of expectation, we still hold high hopes for ‘Fallout 4’ and ‘Doom’, and even ‘Dishonored 2’, said to take us out of the slums and streets of Dunwall, and into an entirely new setting to explore as either Corvo, or the young Empress, Emily, as she discovers she lusts for revenge just as her saviour from the previous game did, using the power of the outsider in a faster, more lethal way.

Indeed, the company has gained the trust and adoration of many, many fans, and continues to show just how much it loves us back. A prime example would be the recent case of a fan named Seth, who had saved up 2000 bottle caps, and sent them in to the company. It was recently confirmed that he would be getting a copy of ‘Fallout 4’ for showing that amount of dedication, and because he was “the first to do it, and deserved recognition”. This was published on Matt Grandstaff’s twitter (game dev at Bethesda), after they received the shipment of caps.

It’s stuff like this that makes Bethesda a shining example of what a company should be.

Not shoving micro-transactions and pre-order bonuses down our throats. I’m looking at you EA.