Bethesda kicks off E3 a little early this year, giving us their first ever exclusive showcase on the heels of their Fallout 4 announcement earlier this month. While we were not able to attend in person, we did join tens of thousands of viewers in watching remotely and even even a consummate cynic like myself couldn’t help get a little excited. You can watch the event here:
Bethesda kicked off the event with a hearty demonstration of the new Doom with plenty of gory demon slaughter. This iteration of the space marine seems lighter than previous iterations, with more vertical gameplay and some extremely gruesome melee finishers which look like they will play a big part in combat. We got a brief glimpse of the new multiplayer, but perhaps most exciting for this title is the announcement of Snapmap, a new content creator which integrates drag-and-drop features for level creation. While we only got a brief glimpse at the system, it looks like the kind of level creator a person like me could actually use to make a map, which is pretty cool.
We also enjoyed a brief look a few other upcoming titles, including some in-game footage of the Battlecry, as well as a cinematic trailer for Dishonored 2 which will give you the option of playing the protagonist of the first game, as well as a new female protagonist.
The Elder Scrolls received some attention as well, touching on The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited‘s full launch, but also announcing a new, free-to-play strategy card game for PC and iPad titled The Elder Scrolls: Legends. Very little about the actual game was divulged this time around, but it was stated that it can be expected later this year.
Of course, the main event for Bethesda, perhaps the entire year, is the long, long awaited Fallout 4. Bethesda’s Todd Howard took the stage to present the longest, most in-depth portion of the event and I must say they did not disappoint. There’s a lot to the Fallout – We have confirmed that we will control a voiced character (Either male or female, to the great delight of the crowd) and you will be enjoying the company of a new canine companion. We did see something that looked unnervingly like a dialogue wheel, but there’s a lot that’s still to specified. The game also has a robust building system which allows players to build their own settlements, setting up houses, merchants and fortifications (It was noted that this is a completely optional experience). Perhaps the most exciting announcement is that Howard also confirmed that the game will release this year – November 10th, 2015. That’s right, we get it this year.
Other interesting Fallout announcements include an actual Pipboy you can wear on your wrist included with the collector’s edition which you can use with your phone, including its own app for additional game functionality, as well as free mobile game called Fallout Shelter which places you in the role of an Overseer, running your own vault. Fallout Shelter is available to download, for free, right now.
Needless to say it’s going to be a big year for Bethesda. We will be keeping a close eye on Fallout 4 and other releases, but for now we’re all going to sleep a little sounder knowing that we will be back in the wasteland before Christmas. Be sure to check back with Enemy Slime for additional E3 coverage and, if we’re lucky, more good Fallout news.
