So, I figure either Cyber Runner or Diplomat in STARFIELD.

Look, we all know I’m buying Bethesda’s STARFIELD. And judging from the character class information that we can see in this article, I can already tell you my starting build: Cyber Runner’s got pistols, lockpicking, and diplomacy. That’s all I need, plus stealth. But I want to see Diplomat first. Maybe Professor, if that’s where the magic… ah, ‘Ancient Science’ or whatever they’re calling… is. I also like the spacesuit, but we all know that it’s the first thing that’s gonna get modded to infinity and beyond, so why waste time dwelling on it?

All in all: thank God this got delayed until 2023. I got a book to write in November.

Microsoft Buys Bethesda.

Welp.

Microsoft’s Xbox team significantly expanded its list of game development studios on Monday, announcing the purchase of ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion in cash. The entertainment company owns several industry-leading game developers, including Bethesda Softworks, the maker of the post-apocalyptic Fallout games and the fantasy series The Elder Scrolls. It also owns Id Software, known for its Doom, Rage and Wolfenstein shooting game franchises.

Continue reading Microsoft Buys Bethesda.

I don’t really know what to do about Fallout 76.

I still play Fallout 76, actually: log on, go wandering around, level up a little, then advance the plot a bit, although I doubt that I’ll actually get around to launching a nuke on my own or in a group.  It’s even still enjoyable. But I still don’t get what Bethesda was trying to do with this game.  I mean, what’s the final point of it?  At least when you nuke the Institute or Alduin you can say hey! I did that.  I’m almost ready to start another game of Fallout 4, or maybe even New Vegas.  Although I’d love a New Vegas where I could build actual settlements… but I digress.

Bottom line: I will probably play Fallout 76 until something new comes out, and then I will drop it for that.  And that is not my usual style for Bethesda games.  Seriously, you gotta give me a reason why I should care about popping back to Appalachia.

Fallout 76 Beta to start 10/30/18 for PC.

Oh, and the Playstation. XBox beta is already live, which is nice for them.  But the real workout for Fallout 76 starts on Tuesday. One thing to remember:

On any given day the game might be up for anywhere between four to eight hours. Focusing as many players as we can into these windows is our prime objective. Then we’ll fix what we need to fix and do it again and again from the start of B.E.T.A. until a few days before launch. We’ll give you as much heads up as possible because we need you to log in during these times and play the game. We’ll also keep you posted through our official @Fallout and @bethesdastudios on Twitter as well as the Bethesda.net forums and our Bethesda.net Status Page to learn when servers will be online.

I’m probably going to do the beta, but I’m not exactly sure how much of this game I am going to play.  I’ll probably be mostly interested in the lore, honestly.  Which promises to be quite gruesomely sad, given that I’m not going to meet a single talking organic person who isn’t also from the Vault.  And I’m probably not going to be able to actually fix the world, either.  Ah, well, maybe Fallout 5 will let me finally clean up the place, once and for all…