June 9, 2019, 5:30 PM PT
Los Angeles, CA

Fallout 76

Fallout 76 didn't set the world on fire, but it seems like Bethesda is aware of that, as the opening of the conference seemed like a genuine apology for it. An apology is no good without action, and Bethesda seems to be aiming for it. That's why Fallout 76 will get a major update to try to make it more like Fallout.

Called the Wastelanders update, this new (and free) expansion will finally bring traditional Fallout-style NPCs to the game, complete with questions and dialogue trees with special options based on your stats and perks. It's hard to say how significant this will be, but it's a major turnaround for Fallout 76. Pretty much the entire laundry list of features, from NPCs to meaningful choices and a focused main plot, is pushing to make it more Fallout-y.

The other change seems designed for people who want more of the competitive/cooperative multiplayer that Fallout 76 marketed. It will add a Nuclear Winter mode, which is basically a 56-player Battle Royale mode. It looks like it has some gimmicks, such as enemies in the environment, but otherwise, it's shaping up to be exactly the kind of experience you'd expect from a Fallout Battle Royale.

Ghostwire Tokyo

Shinji Mikami, the man behind some of the best games in the survival horror genre, is back with another new IP. We're told this will be more "action/adventure" than survival horror, but the aesthetics look versed in the same kind of surreal horror of The Evil Within. Set in modern-day Tokyo, it involves the mysterious disappearance of people around the city. The trailer is a mishmash of imagery and symbolism, but it seems like you can expect supernatural foes inspired by Japanese mythology, such as Oni.

Rage 2

While Rage 2 is still fairly new, Bethesda is pretty clear that it intends to add a boatload of extra content to fill out the world. The first expansion is coming soon and will include additional cheat codes, such as low gravity, more vehicles (including a pilotable mech), a full new storyline, and a new enemy faction with more foes to kill.

Wolfenstein

There will be two new Wolfenstein games coming out, both of which were mentioned at last year's show. One is Wolfenstein Cyberpilot, a VR experience where players take control of various Nazi machines to kill Nazis. The other is Wolfenstein Youngblood, which is set in the '80s and is a sequel to the previous games. This is a cooperative, arcade-style shooter where two players take on the role of BJ's daughters as they kill their way through Nazi-infested Paris. We're told it's the biggest Wolfenstein to date, and unlike The New Colossus, the trailer focused almost entirely on gameplay instead of the story. We'll get to see it for ourselves, since Youngblood comes out July 26 for all consoles and PC.

Deathloop

The new game from Arkane, the developers of Dishonored and Prey, was also announced. Unfortunately, we only saw a CG trailer of Deathloop, but what we saw looks interesting. The premise is that there is a chaotic island called Blackreef, on which two assassins are trying to kill each other. One is seeking to preserve the status quo and the other is trying to break it. The twist is that both are effectively immortal, respawning backward in time each time they die. Since this is an Arkane game, you can expect detailed environments, cool powers, and stylish visuals. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait to see more later on.

Orion

Orion isn't a game but Bethesda's new streaming software. Rather than being the latest entry in the streaming market, it's something that Bethesda claims will make those streaming platforms far more capable of playing games with minimal lag or loss of fidelity. It's not entirely clear how it works, but a video was shown that seemed to show the 2016 Doom running perfectly while streaming on a mobile device. If it lives up to the hype, it could be a genuine game-changer for those looking to Skyrim on the go.

Doom Eternal

The big game of the show was Doom Eternal. Bethesda has been showing bits of the game all year, so there wasn't much new here. What they did show looked awesome. Eternal is leaning hard into the arcade-style action from 2016's Doom, going so far as to bring back many of the power-ups (such as the Rad suit) and brand-new arcade ones, such as a 1up. It's fast, it's brutal, and it looks awesome. There are even some hints that it won't just be demons that the Doomguy is hunting because Heaven apparently isn't too thrilled with him, either.

The new announcement was the game's multiplayer Battle mode. In this mode, two players take on the roles of one of the various demons in the game while a third plays as the Doom Slayer. The two demons have to try to work together to kill the Slayer while he does his utmost to kill the demons. It's not entirely clear if this is replacing what looked like drop-in multiplayer from last year's conference or merely is an additional mode, but it looks like a lot of fun. We'll have to see when Doom Eternal releases on Nov. 22 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.