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'Elder Scrolls' cookbook will let you explore the foods of Tamriel
You've fought your way through Skyrim and Oblivion, soon you can eat your way through the continent of Tamriel. Chelsea Monroe-Cassel, the author behind the official Game of Thrones and Warcraft cookbooks, is tackling the Elder Scrolls series next with a new book due in March, Destructoid reports. According to the Amazon listing, it'll feature more than sixty recipes for dishes like Apple Cabbage Stew and the ever-popular Sweetrolls. Hopefully, they'll make use of more spices than what we're used to from traditional medieval cuisine. Next up, maybe Monroe-Cassel can explore the food of Final Fantasy, especially since FFXV motivated us to cook up some meals of our own.
'Elder Scrolls' on mobile isn't great
The universe of Elder Scrolls feels too big to fit on a phone, and it kind of is. Elder Scrolls Blades is Bethesda's attempt to give iOS and Android players a taste of its beloved high-fantasy franchise. It's a free game that includes streamlined character and city builders, and two different regions to explore (that's how many were in the demo on display at E3 this week, at least), the castle and the forest.
'Skyrim' is coming to the PSVR, after all
Fallout 4 isn't the only Bethesda title getting the VR treatment. During Sony's E3 keynote on Monday, the company confirmed leaks from earlier in the week that it is also porting Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to the PSVR. Unfortunately, there's no word on when the game will actually be released.
'Skyrim Special Edition' audio took a step backward
As a rule, remasters of classic video games are supposed to be clear steps forward in audiovisual quality. However, Bethesda didn't get that memo before launching Skyrim Special Edition. PC and Xbox One owners have noticed that their version of Skyrim is using highly compressed audio that's noticeably worse than in the original release. You're fine if you have the PS4 version (or are willing to modify your PC copy), but it's a rude surprise for everyone else.
Everything we saw at Bethesda's E3 event
Bethesda's big E3 show is over, and it was pretty great. We got a new Quake, lots of Fallout goodness (including Fallout 4 in VR!), a first look at the upcoming Prey reboot and a ton of detail on Dishonored 2. Oh... and a Skyrim remaster. While our very own Tim Seppala and Jessica Condit run like excited children towards that Fallout VR demo, you can check out all of the trailers from the press conference below.
Steam lets modders sell their wares, starting with 'Skyrim'
Valve's move to start selling community-created mods on its PC-game storefront looks like it could boost that $57 million user payout from earlier this year. And it's starting with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim -- one of the most popular moddable games. The process sounds pretty easy as Valve tells it, too. Upload your tweak to the Skyrim Creation Kit, agree to the new Steam Workshop terms, enter payment info and set your creation free. Within the week, it'll go up for sale at a price of your choosing. You can even add revenue splitting if you're working with a team and generally control the whole process from start to finish.
'Elder Scrolls Online' finally arrives on consoles this June without subscriptions
After suddenly delaying the title last May, Bethesda is finally giving us a release date for its Elder Scrolls MMO. Mark your calendars: June 9th is the date The Elder Scrolls Online (now subtitled Tamriel Unlimited) comes to Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and there are a few welcome changes to boot. Along with the release date, Bethesda is announcing the end of its subscription strategy. The game will now be priced like every other console game: a one time purchase will grant you access to the entire game. Previously, Elder Scrolls was intended to be entirely subscription-based. There is still a "premium" subscription service called ESO Plus, however, which will grant users access to in-game items and some Crowns (in-game currency) to spend, but it's not required to play the game. The subscription will also grant access to all available DLC expansions.
PAX Prime 2013: Adjusting butts in Elder Scrolls Online
After my hands-on demo at E3, I was cautiously optimistic about sitting down for another hour of Elder Scrolls Online at this year's PAX Prime. I was ushered into the press demo area and immediately dived into character creation. There were significantly more options available here than during my last demo just a few months ago. Among the additions was a feature I'm sure you've been waiting for: the "posterior dimensions" slider. Beyond butts, the variety of the options Bethesda brought to PAX Prime was pretty impressive. I spent more time in character creation than I expected, even customizing my stomach size. After I decided on the appropriate butt girth, I loaded into the snowy, nordic area of Bleakrock Isle and immediately spent a solid 10 minutes exploring my option menus.
Elder Scrolls Online coming to the PS4 in the spring
In case you haven't already lost enough sleep (and probably a few girlfriends) to the Elder Scrolls Saga, Bethesda is turning the world into a next-gen MMO. The title appears to have many of the same, non-traditional (for an RPG) elements that made titles like Skyrim so successful but brings them to a massively multiplayer world in the vein of WoW. And, if any franchise has the ability to unseat the current king on online RPGs, it's the Elder Scrolls. There will be a beta period kicking off, starting with the PS4, before the title will officially hit shelves in the Spring of 2014. It's probably best to start stocking up on Red Bull and Cliff Bars now. Follow all of our E3 2013 coverage at our event hub.
Skyrim gets Kinect integration on Xbox, over 200 voice commands in tow (video)
Okay, we have some excellent and some disappointing Skyrim tidbits to share. The good news being that bestseller The Elder Scrolls V is finally adding (real) support for Microsoft's Kinect, but unfortunately, it's coming exclusively to the Xbox console (sorry PC folks). That said, developer Bethesda says the update -- which is arriving later this month -- will bring more than 200 voice commands to the title, allowing things like Dragon Shouts, Follower Commands and Hotkey Equipping. In addition to busting out your best moves, you'll also be able to control menus within the game, as well as save and load your Skryim progress. While the full list of commands is set to be unveiled "in the coming weeks," there's a sneak preview waiting on you right now just past the break.
Bethesda tells Mojang to lay down its virtual guns, lawyer up for a trademark battle
Time was, men could settle their disputes with glinting swords at the ready and their honor on the line. Nowadays, only the cosplaying and Comic Con attending folk alike are likely to burnish (elvish) blades, although they're rather inapt to sully them with enemy blood. Well, unsurprisingly, Mojang head Markus "Notch" Persson's modern day offer of a Quake 3 Arena simulated duel -- his proposed method of extralegal recourse -- was shot down by Bethesda, the company suing the Minecraft creator for use of the word "Scrolls" in its unreleased card game. As these are apparently sue-happy times, both parties are headed to court to battle it out, with Mojang facing the terrible repercussion of a forced product name change. From the looks of the defendant's Twitter feed, however, it doesn't appear the impending litigation's breaking this Swede's stride.
Minecraft creator challenges Bethesda to deathmatch for the word 'scrolls'
While Samsung, Apple, HTC and others battle it out in court with lawyers and expansive patent portfolios, one man seems to know how real geeks settle disputes -- with a deathmatch. Markus "Notch" Persson, the man behind Minecraft and head of Mojang, has decided the best way to put the trademark squabble with Bethesda to rest is two rounds of three-on-three Quake 3 Arena action. The Elder Scrolls developer is sticking with the same tactics that have made smartphone companies our new least-favorite corporate citizens, but Notch thinks ownership of the word "scrolls" can best be determined with BFGs and railguns. With any luck this will catch on and, when Steve Jobs and Larry Page lead their forces into battle in Team Fortress, we're gonna have to put on our money on the Mountain View crew.
TUAW's Daily App: Undercroft
Undercroft is an iPhone RPG that's reminiscent of the old Elder Scrolls games; it's turn based, and seen from a first-person perspective (even though you actually play a party of adventurers). This is strictly fantasy fare, and it doesn't do a lot that's new. For the first few quests, you're fighting rats and spiders, and you'll need to level up, deal with loot, and do lots and lots of exploring and quest completing before getting anywhere. But as traditional as it is, it's actually a lot of fun, and the retro format translates well to the iPhone's touchscreen. We've seen elsewhere that the iPhone can do next-gen games, but it's nice to see older forms like this finding a tidy home on the App Store. And what the heck, ... it won't cost you anything. The game is sponsored by developer Jagex's Runescape at the moment, so you can download and play the whole thing for free. With that news in the equation, there's really no reason not to try this one out. Make a party, go kill some monsters, and see if it doesn't take you right back to a much simpler fantasy RPG time.
Bethesda sister developer bringing mobile sports pair to DS
Did you know that Oblivion and Fallout 3 dev Bethesda had a sibling named Vir2L Studios? Known primarily for releasing games for cellular phones, the ZeniMax-owned outfit has announced plans to bring a pair of titles to the Nintendo DS this summer. However, while this would have been great news had the company decided to bring its Elder Scrolls Travels mobile titles to the handheld, life has taught us that life is seldom that generous.Vir2L will instead release touchable versions of its AMF Bowling and Ducati motorcycle racing series on the DS. Both AMF Bowling Pinbusters! and Ducati Moto promise multiple characters and Wi-Fi connectivity, and will each carry a budget price of $19.99. Still, our hope is that Vir2L is simply testing the waters with these titles, and we may someday be able to save Oblivion's Tamriel, stylus in hand.
Best of the Rest: Justin's Picks of 2007
Dead Head Fred (PSP) Though he may have been on a small screen, Dead Head Fred (voiced by Scrubs' John C. McGinley), had more character than 90 percent of the leads in this year's crop of console games. If you haven't played it, do yourself a favor and track it down. It's excellent stuff.
Rumor: Elder Scrolls Online in the works
Voodoo Extreme reports that Bethesda parent company ZeniMax Media has purchased the domain "ElderScrollsOnline.com," leading them (and us) to believe that an Elder Scrolls MMO may be in the works. You may recall that Zenimax recently opened a new branch -- ZeniMax Online Studios -- specifically to focus on MMOs. Honestly, it makes sense. The Elder Scrolls has always had a rich world to explore, but the games have always been a solitary experience. An MMO version would finally allow players to share their custom characters and exploits with their friends. Not only that, but it might provide players with more motivation to plow through the hundreds of hours worth of side quests and extra content. Of course, the best reason that this rumor would be true is that MMOs are big money these days. With World of Warcraft creating Scrooge-McDuck-sized piles of money, making the next Elder Scrolls online is just a smart move.Unfortunately, even if Elder Scrolls goes online, our experience will remain solitary, because we'll still be sitting in the corner grinding up potion ingredients. Mmm ... alchemy.[Via Evil Avatar]
Elder Scrolls going online? Maybe
Hot on the heels of a massive investment from Providence Equity Partners in Bethesda-parent ZeniMax Media's newly opened MMO-focused studio, word has reached us that the company has registered the domain name elderscrollsonline.com, throwing some weight behind the idea that Bethesda's popular RPG franchise could someday finally break free from its single player shackles and frolic the n00b-infested waters of the MMO. It's true that many have often referred to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion as an MMO without all the stupid. Still, the truth of the matter is that while we openly admit that The Elder Scrolls works well as a setting for an immersive single player experience, the world itself is nothing short of generic. The last thing the gaming world needs is yet another tepid swords and sorcery MMO, and the idea of having to lead an intricately armored horse to the pond to drink once a month seems more apt to turn our stomachs rather than our wallets.
Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles headed to PS3 on Nov. 20
If you're anything like one Justin McElroy, you thoroughly enjoyed the long walk in the woods that was The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. In fact, you'd go as far as saying it was the best game ever created. Unfortunately, the news of the game's expansion, Shivering Isles, arriving on the PlayStation 3 next month won't be of much use to you. Let's face it, the chances of you wiggling out of that straitjacket by November 20th aren't particularly good. It's just as well, really, since Shivering Isles rolls around screaming in the subject matter of insanity and delirium and would likely prove upsetting to you.Not quite as upsetting: Though Bethesda will be forgoing the download route it initially took with the Xbox 360 version, the price of the PS3's expansion disc is similarly set to $29.99.
Oblivion to get free, final DLC: Fighter's Stronghold
Get ready to saddle up your blessedly armor-free horse and don the Crusader's relics one final time. Bethesda announced today that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion would be receiving new downoadable content on Xbox 360 and PC next week, beginning on Oct. 15. The good news? It's free for a week! The bad news? It's the last bit of DLC for the game. Fighter's Stronghold will add a new castle for you to run, complete with your own vintner to create wines for you, a combat trainer, even a taxidermist to create trophies for your pad ... and creep out the local girls.In other Oblivion DLC news, Bethesda says that they're "close, very close to working something out to bring Shivering Isles to PS3 owners." Which is close, very close to being very good news for those of you who didn't wait out for the Game of the Year edition.
Shivering Isles to get retail disc on 360 in October
Life is good for fans of massive fantasy worlds who haven't yet found time to see what the whole internet craze was about. Not only will The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year edition be released next week on 360 and PC, but next month you'll be able to buy a standalone disc containing the Shivering Isles expansion along with the Knights of the Nine DLC. The disc will retail for $29.99, a $10 savings over those who bought the packs through Xbox Live.But take note of that "Storage Required" sticker on the box, you still need to have a hard drive for the expansions to live on. Those of you rocking the Core systems are unfortunately still out of luck.
