Bethesda has a relatively unassuming booth, especially given how popular its games are, with some booth babes who are passing out WET posters and other gaming paraphernalia, as well as celebrities like Mickey Rourke and Dick "I Could Kill You a Million Times Over" Marcinko signing autographs.
The inside of the booth consists of two rooms stacked one on top of the other. The top room is a small viewing room -- reserved for demos of the stunning Brink -- while the lower floor is where all the other games are. It's a welcome reprieve from the noise and buzz of the main show floor. And most important, the lower floor has a modest table with the nerd staples of soda and cookies, and about 15 stations set up to play and/or watch Bethesda's games.
Nice chairs prepared us for our demo of Brink, Splash Point's new FPS.
While all the games are getting some attention, the stations that are constantly occupied are those demoing WET. Fallout 3: Point Lookout opens up soon after we walk in, and Editorial Manager Will Tuttle immediately dives right in. Just a little past the Fallout 3 kiosks are Rogue Warrior stations, where guided demos are taking place. Seeing the game is entertaining to a lot of people there, but I can't take my eyes off Dick Marcinko, the soldier who the game is actually based on. Word is he's killed more people than you can count.
Bethesda's lower floor wasn't that impressive-looking, but it got the job done.
The Games
WET is the primary draw for most people on the lower level of the Bethesda booth. Maybe it's the fact that the star is a scantily clad girl, but it's nigh impossible to get hands-on time at the booth. The game looks to me like a cross of Stranglehold meets Tomb Raider meets grindhouse action flick. To see what I mean, check out the E3 2009 Trailer below:
Also present is Rogue Warrior, which I get to see via a guided demo. It needs some polish, but it's pre-alpha so there's still plenty of time. The apt phrase that's repeated throughout the demo is "cheesy '80s action movie." From the music to the giant explosions, this game is all about playing a character who kicks lots of ass while constantly dropping profane one-liners (and is voiced by Mickey Rourke) to remind you of such. I hope it turns out well, because I, for one, am scared that Marcinko will kill me in my sleep if I gave it a bad score. Seriously, everyone that's involved with the game constantly talks about the various ways this man has killed people (and they mean it).
Fallout 3: Point Lookout is also there, and the demo they have running is fairly straight-forward. You just sit down at the station and start playing it right from the beginning. I can't help but wonder about how much of the experience is lost when you're not getting to play with a character you're familiar with, but Will doesn't seem to be having any problems.
The last game that's in the room is Medieval Games. As adorable as the collection of medieval-themed mini-games looks, it really can't hold a candle to the other games in the room.
The Verdict
Anthony says: The Bethesda booth may not feature the annoying strobe lights or ear-splitting music that many other booths do, but that's far from a bad thing. Brink looks amazing so far, and all of the other games are interesting in their own right. I thank you, Bethesda, for a brief break from the madness of E3.
