Bethesda Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks have been developing games for nearly 20 years and publishing games for 33 years. The company solidified its reputation in the gaming market with its first RPG The Elder Scrolls: Arena in 1994.
In addition to The Elder Scrolls which gained mainstream popularity with Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim, Bethesda had a huge hit with the post-apocalyptic RPG series Fallout. Bethesda, who are subsidiaries of Zenimax also published DOOM, Dishonored, Wolfenstein and others. However, the brand name hasn’t always had such a spotless record and in addition to all the great games, they have developed and published some terrible ones too. Here’s a list of 5 of the best and 5 of the worst according to Metacritic.
10 Best: DOOM: Eternal (Metascore 89)
Released in 2020 on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and the Google Stadia, DOOM: Eternal is the direct sequel to the reboot that launched in 2016. The frantic fast-paced gameplay was the perfect tribute to the classic 1993 original that changed the face of first-person shooters forever.
As brutal as its predecessor was, DOOM: Eternal takes that brutality and ramps it up to 1000. It’s very rare when a videogame can provide the kind of adrenaline-inducing experience that DOOM: Eternal can. Combined with fantastic music and smart level design, players have one of the best shooters in a generation.
9 Worst: Fallout 76 (Metascore 49)
Released in 2018 for the PlayStation 4 Xbox One, and the PC Fallout 76 is a subscription-based online RPG that is set before the events of the single-player games. The developers at Bethesda tried to implement a more environmental form of storytelling in place of NPCs.
As a result, Fallout 76 felt like it lost a large part of what made the 3D games so unique as the series weird and wonderful characters always stood out more than the game’s story. Furthermore, the game was riddled with bugs at launch, inconsistent game mechanics, and subscription fees which upset fans in late 2019, Fallout 76 may have done irreparable harm to the once-beloved franchise.
8 Best: Dishonored (Metascore 89)
Dishonored was first released in 2012 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and the PC and remastered for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2015. It’s an action-adventure game with a heavy emphasis on stealth, exploration and the freedom tackle any mission as the player sees fit.
The steampunk-inspired world of Dishonored is one of the most interesting and well-designed in a generation. The level design is incredible and very reminiscent of the Deus Ex series. The protagonist Corvo has incredible powers that players can use in a ton of creative ways.
7 Worst: IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005 (Metascore 36)
Released in 2004 on the Xbox, IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005 is the official 2005 game for the popular competitive sport of drag racing represented by the IHRA. The game was developed by Bethesda and was meant to offer racing fans an alternative to Need for Speed and other racers.
Unfortunately, as far as the actual racing goes it only lasts for a few short moments and all the time spent learning the clunky controls, and the customization involved it feels like it was a complete waste of time. In addition, the graphics are horrible and the interface takes forever to load.
6 Best: Fallout 3 (Metascore 91)
Released in 2012 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the PC, Fallout 3 was the first game in the series developed by Bethesda. It was also the first game in the series to give gamers a fully 3D experience as the first two games developed by Interplay used an isometric viewpoint.
The game took a similar approach to Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls series with the addition of a tactical combat system that allows players to target an enemy’s body parts and pause time. It’s a clever throwback to classical CRPG roleplaying systems while keeping Fallout 3 in line with more modern shooters and RPGs.
5 Worst: IHRA Professional Drag Racing: Sportsman Edition (Metascore 35)
Released in 2006 on the Xbox, IHRA Professional Drag Racing: Sportsmanwas another attempt to popularize the sport of Drag Racing in videogame form from Bethesda Studios. Sadly, it was another total misfire by the developer in what may be one of the worst racers on the Xbox.
Despite being a licensed game in association with the IHRA, the game features no real-life racing cars to draw fans in. Furthermore, the season mode is completely unbalanced to the point of being unfair, forcing players to repeatedly grind out races over and over again. Of course, this is made worse by the intolerable loading times that were present in its predecessor.
4 Best: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Metascore 94)
Released for the Xbox 360 and the PC in 2006 and the PlayStation 3 in 2007 in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was a landmark title at the time. Visually, Oblivion was one of the first games to really showcase what the Xbox 360 was capable of at the time.
There are few moments in gaming that can match the awe and amazement players felt when they escaped the sewers to see how beautiful the outside world of Cyrodill is. The game was filled with side quests and lore which really added to the Oblivion’s world-building. Furthermore, it featured a great voice cast with the likes of Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean, and Terence Stamp putting in memorable performances.
3 Worst: AMF Xtreme Bowling (Metascore 34)
Released in 2006 on the Xbox, AMF Xtreme Bowling was another attempt by Bethesda along with the now-defunct Mud Duck Productions in bringing a sporting franchise of its own to consoles. Despite the name, there’s nothing at all extreme about this bowling game and it’s as dull and as unexciting as it gets.
The gameplay implements a meter in the same way as most golf titles do with the player’s power and accuracy measured by how much of the bar has filled. Unfortunately, while golf games offer players with different courses and environments, there’s very little variety at all in AMF Xtreme Bowling other than a few lighting and color palette swaps.
2 Best: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Metascore 94)
First released in 2012 for the PC, Xbox 360, and the PlayStation 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released to worldwide critical acclaim. The game has since been remastered for modern consoles and VR systems.
Whatever the system of choice, Skyrim remains one of the most timeless and influential open-world RPGs of all time. Its story is steeped in Norse mythology as opposed to the Tolkienesque fantasy setting of its predecessors. The fantastic world-building and history are still present and the world of Skyrim is a densely packed endless side quests and lore to discover.
1 Worst: Rogue Warrior (Metascore 27)
Released in 2009 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Rogue Warrior is a videogame based on the life of former Navy SEAL commander and author Richard Marcinko. The game was initially intended to be a tactical and thoughtful shooter but it underwent a very troubling development from the start.
Initial development for Rogue Warrior was started by Zombie Studios until Bethesda pulled the plug and brought in Sniper Elite developers Rebellion Developments. Unfortunately, Rogue Warrior neither lived up the Sniper Elite series or Bethesda’s expectations and is still considered by many critics to be one of the worst games of all time.