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The long-rumored 'Quake II' remaster is out now on PC and consoles
The rumors were true: Bethesda has announced an upgraded version of Quake II. Best of all, you can play it today on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. The enhanced edition is on Game Pass on PC, console and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Those who own the original game on GOG or Steam are getting a free upgrade.
QuakeCon returns as an online-only event on August 19th
It’s Bethesda’s first QuakeCon since joining Microsoft.
'Quake II' is free right now from Bethesda, 'Quake III' next week
Fans of old-school first person shooters can easily access these classics for free via the Bethesda Launcher. 'Quake II' is available right now, followed by 'Quake III Arena' on the 17th.
Snag 'Quake' for free this weekend in the Bethesda Launcher (updated)
During this year's online-only QuakeCon event, you can get a free copy of the game that started the whole thing.
Bethesda's 'Doom' re-releases will no longer need internet access
Bethesda's re-release of the first three Doom games didn't get the warmest reception, to put it mildly. The titles all required a BethesdaNet account (and thus an internet connection) to get started -- a frustration for a game series that started when home internet access was still a novelty. The publisher is putting things right, however. It's promising a fix that will make the BethesdaNet account optional, letting you slay demons whether or not you're online.
Original 'Doom' games hit PS4, Xbox One, Switch and mobile
Quakecon 2019 is underway and one of the first big announcements from the event is that the first three Doom games are now available on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. You'll also be able to carry around the first two entries in the classic FPS series on your iOS or Android device too.
Quakecon's Steam sale offers steep discounts on 'Doom' and 'Wolfenstein'
QuakeCon is right around the corner, and Bethesda is determined to capitalize on the wave of good vibe for id Software's gaming legacy -- including, we'd add, the looming 25th anniversary of Doom II. To that end, it's launching a QuakeCon sale on Steam that runs until July 30th. There are steep discounts on recent id-associated titles like the 2016 Doom reboot (67 percent off), Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (also 67 percent off) and Rage 2 (50 percent off), not to mention classics like the Quake Collection (67 percent off) and the original Commander Keen series (50 percent off).
'Elder Scrolls: Legends' may skip PS4 due to cross-play ban
Sony's ban on cross-play for PS4 titles may create more than just inconveniences for some gamers. Bethesda's senior global marketing VP Pete Hines told Game Informer in an interview that the console version of The Elder Scrolls: Legends won't launch on any system that doesn't support cross-play -- in other words, it would skip the PS4. The card battling title revolves around an experience you can carry from device to device, Hines said, and it would be unacceptable to have one version walled off from everything else. The feature is "essentially non-negotiable," the executive said.
'Fallout 76' deals with trolls by making them part of the game
When Bethesda mentioned that Fallout 76 was an online game, you could hear alarm bells ringing in fans' heads. How were they going to deal with the inevitable trolls who come in to ruin other players' fun? Now we know: it's making them a part of the game. In a presentation at QuakeCon, game lead Todd Howard revealed that people who kill unwilling victims will get bounties on their heads, with the money coming out of their total cap balance (that is, currency) and reflecting their character level. They'll also be impossible to miss -- you'll see a red star on the map.
'Doom Eternal' doubles the (destructible) demons
Bethesda and id Software teased Doom Eternal at E3, but now we've got a much better look at it. id promises twice as many demons as last time, including reimagined classic enemies from Doom 2 like the Arachnotron. There are destructible demons now too, with chunks falling off as you rip and tear through them.
Fighting depression in the video game world, one AFK at a time
Matt Hughes took his own life in the fall of 2012. He was a freelance reporter covering the video game industry, and before he committed suicide, he sent emails to some of his editors, noting that he wouldn't be able to turn in more stories for one simple reason: He'd be dead. His suicide surprised nearly everyone who worked with him. Speaking with Kotaku days after Hughes' death, his former editors said things like There weren't any red flags and This was a complete shock. Hughes wasn't the only person in the video game industry to take his own life that year, and as the tragedies piled up, it became impossible to ignore their commonalities. Complete surprise. No one knew. She seemed fine. For Russ Pitts and Susan Arendt, two editors who had worked with Hughes and regularly interacted with dozens of other freelance reporters, these suicides were more than a shock. They were a wakeup call.
Bethesda's 'Fallout Anthology' collection comes in a mini nuke case
If you're a big fan of Bethesda's Fallout franchise, or you just like collecting things, you'll soon be able to nab a nuke. Not a real one, of course, but a miniature bomb case (complete with sound!) that houses all of the Fallout titles for PC that have been released to date. This means that you'll get Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas. You may have noticed that the upcoming Fallout 4 isn't on that list, which you'll have to purchase separately when it arrives in November. The Fallout Anthology collection actually arrives before the new title -- September 29th in North American and October 2nd in Europe. There's an empty slot for the new game to join the rest, though, and the set offers a refresher before Fallout 4 is released with a few extras of its own. Bethesda didn't mention a price in its blog post, but Best Buy has a pre-order page up with the set listed for $50.
Elder Scrolls Online publishes video of its QuakeCon panel reveals
If you missed the hoopla of last week's QuakeCon, you lost out on some startlingly cool Elder Scrolls Online announcements, including news about an "active world PvP" system for thievin' and murderin' that makes the game feel just a bit more like a true Elder Scrolls title. Fortunately for you, ZeniMax has today released a video of the entire Future of The Elder Scrolls Online panel, which runs almost two hours and covers everything from PvP to the veteran ranks overhaul. Enjoy!
Bethesda: Doom reveal meant to quell negative Id Software chatter
Id Software's upcoming Doom reboot was revealed last week at QuakeCon 2014, though the event's livestream cut out during the presentation. As Bethesda's VP of PR and Marketing Pete Hines told PC Gamer, Doom isn't exactly ready to show off, so the developers at id Software were reluctant to offer images of the game up freely for the rest of the world to pick at. "We're working with them to say, 'How does this work? What do we want to show?'" Hines said. "And they're like, 'Look, we don't want a stream to go up for a game that isn't at the point where we would formally show it to the world, and now that thing is getting picked apart, and digested, and gone through frame-by-frame and getting nitpicked to death, when normally we wouldn't be showing this to anybody at all.'"
Elder Scrolls Online shows new zones, active world PvP, and more at Quakecon
Quakecon is the place to be if you want the latest Elder Scrolls Online news. Last night during the Future of ESO panel, ZeniMax showed off a boatload of upcoming features including video of new zones, further discussion of the veteran rank revamp, and details on the justice system. This last bit is particularly interesting since it involves some sort of "active world PvP" outside of Cyrodiil. In a nutshell, the system allows players to murder NPCs and steal items. If caught, you can choose to pay a bounty (and lose the stolen goods) or run, exposing yourself to guards. You can also be a guard and hunt down player bounties, hence the PvP. In terms of new zones, there are videos for Imperial City, Murkmire, and Wrothgar after the cut, as well as a look at the stealing and justice system mechanics. Dulfy has a breakdown of the panel, too, including info on new armor and weapons, spellcrafting, and more!
Doom unveiled as gory return to roots at QuakeCon
The new Doom returns to a fast-paced, gory march through Mars and hellish invaders. According to comments recorded at QuakeCon, which built a media blackout around the game's debut for the sake of giving attendees something special, Doom bares that stripped-down title because it's a reboot. It will launch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, running on a new version of the idTech engine. Though the first-person franchise's love for the big guns – including the double-barrel shotgun – remains intact, PC Gamer says Doom also has brutal hand-to-hand kills. Demons can be stunned with a shot and kicked in the face, and ... well, let's just use this great tweet in its entirety: "A demon just ripped the player's arms off and beat him to death with them. The room is breaking out into a standing ovation."
Quakecon pins exclusive Doom reveal for July 17
Quakecon attendees will get an exclusive first look at the new Doom when it's debuted at the Dallas convention on July 17. Then, through the power of smartphones, everyone else will get a not-so-exclusive second look in the days following. Snarkiness aside, the Doom reveal will be the major draw for what is a packed Zenimax convention. Other highlights include a Zenimax Online Studios panel on the future of Elder Scrolls Online, and a "Designing the Perfect Game" panel in which the panelists will design a game concept to be judged by Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart. Attendees will also be able to get their hands on Mikami horror The Evil Within and take part in a tournament for melee-heavy multiplayer game Battlecry. Check out the full schedule here.
E3 2014: The Elder Scrolls Online offers small-scale PvP at cons
If you are one of the fans who has been begging for a smaller-scale PvP experience in The Elder Scrolls Online, E3 2014 offers a glimmer of hope. Instead of dishing out a large production, ESO offered attendees a a unique 3v3 experience that was made specially for the convention. The map itself, which utilizes art assets from Cyrodiil and is about the size of one fort (like Glademist), took the devs only about two weeks to put together. There are no kill counts or rankings, and players battle for control of a single flag in King of the Mountain-style gameplay. The drop-in-and-play scenario has apparently been well-received; game representatives on the floor reported that players really like the size and the fast pace of it, which is perfect for short allotments of time. If you want to try out this small-scale PvP yourself, it will be be available again at both Gamescom and QuakeCon later this summer. And if you want to see a version make it into the game itself, be sure to let the devs know on the official forums! Massively's on the ground in Los Angeles during the week of June 10-12, bringing you all the best news from E3 2014. We're covering everything from WildStar and Landmark to Skyforge and H1Z1, so stay tuned!
There's a new 'Doom' coming and you can see it right here
You like fighting crazy demon-robot hybrids, right? Boy do we have some news for you: video of the new Doom surfaced today. There isn't much to see at the moment aside from some smoke and grisly Hell-flesh, but there should be more details at id's Quakecon show in Texas this year. If you can't make it to The Lone Star state, though, we've embedded a teaser trailer for the game just after the jump.
