E3 2005: Level Up
Bethesda's Lineup
Company: 247
Date: 05/19/2005
Avaliable On:

Bethesda didn?t just have The Elder Scrolls IV to show at E3 this year. The rest of their lineup contained both eagerly anticipated titles as well as some new, off-beat games. This well rounded lineup showed that not only does Bethesda have its old fan base in mind, but that it wants to reach out to newer audiences as well.

Of the 4 titles being shown besides The Elder Scrolls, Call of Cthulhu was what drew the most attention. For the last three years the developers have been promising a release within the respective year. This time is no different, but the promises that are being made for a fall 2005 release come with more urgency than those from previous years. Every level is said to be complete, and the developers promise that the only thing left to do is minor tweaking.

New on the block is NTRA Breeders Cup, a hard core horse racing simulator. Breeders Cup lets you buy, breed, and race realistically simulated horses, and winning will garner you more cash. The game is more of a managing sim with horse racing laid on top of it. This doesn?t mean you have to be horse savvy in order to have fun at this game; you can simply gamble on other people?s horses if you like, or take control of the reins and race the horses yourself. Look for Breeders Cup in Q3 2005.

An all new interface and bracket racing are the high points of another title coming out in Q3 2005, IHRA Sportsman. This drag racing simulation will have 60 fully customizable cars based on real world vehicles and 22 different tracks to race them on. The focus of these games is one of minute tweaking; small adjustments can be made on or off the starting line in order to get that edge on your competition.

Rounding out Bethesda?s lineup is Pirates of the Caribbean 2: The Legend of Jack Sparrow. This sequel is as opposite as can be from its predecessor. Hack and slash adventure awaits the player in this title as they take control of Captain Jack Sparrow and his partner Will Turner. The aim of the game is to relive all of those moments in the movie that were mentioned by Captain Jack but never explored. His sack of Nassau Port, giant sea monsters, and many other foggy back stories will be lived out by the player when this game is released at the same time as the movie sequel in 2006.

Snow Chainz aka Andrew Horwitz

GameVortex PSIllustrated TeamPS2