Two days before the official start of E3, Bethesda is kicking off gaming's biggest show of the year. Less than two weeks ago, the company announced Fallout 4, which will be set in the Boston area. Even with the big news, it still had a lot more to show fans, and considering that the event was hosted at the Dolby Theater (the same place where the Academy Awards are held annually), Bethesda made a grand entrance with its first E3 event.
Doom Returns
It's back. After an exclusive showing at last year's QuakeCon, everyone else finally gets a close look at the return of the classic series from id Software.
The gameplay shown puts us in a sprawling factory in Mars with the simple task of hunting demons (just like old times). With a shotgun, the player battled enemies from afar and up close with bloody melee moves. A vast arsenal including a chainsaw, Super Shotgun and Plasma Rifle can be accessed through a wheel, which slows down gameplay to give you time to pick the perfect demon-killing machine. Dropped items, such as ammo and health, appear highlighted on the player's heads-up display. Foes are also highlighted to show varying degrees of inflicted damage. There's also the Echo Device, which allows the player to see a few past events in a room in order to gain access to more areas ahead.
Unfortunately, we eventually meet our demise at the hands of a flying monster that tears the player's arms off before a swift punch to the face.
Multiplayer is also available in the game with multiple maps and modes that the original first pioneered decades ago. Power-ups are also included. From the quick trailer shown, it looks to be fun and chaotic.
A notable new feature is the ability for players to create their own Doom experience called Doom Snapmap. You can build your own custom maps with obstacles, fill it with a certain number of enemies and powerups, and even create certain scenarios at a specific location. Players will be able to share it with the rest of the Doom community, which should provide more than enough content to keep fans happy.
The segment ended with another showing of gameplay. This time, we're in Hell. As always, the demon slaughter is plentiful. The home of the enemy shows even more dangerous antagonists that shoot fireballs and spew poison, but with an even wider array of weapons, demons of all shapes and sizes meet a painful and bloody end.
We're bound to hear more about the new Doom in the coming months before it arrives next spring on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation. Still, it's good to know that we finally got to see more details about the series' revival.
Battlecry
We also got to see a new team-based online game called Battlecry. Players choose from a few classes such as the Enforcer, Infiltrator and Ranger. Each class has its own specific skills that can help turn the tide of war in your favor.
Players in Australia and New Zealand have already been testing out the game in its alpha stages, and a global beta is set to release later this year. No launch date was revealed.
Dishonored 2
The Victorian-esque stealth action is getting a second game. Numerous leaks of the sequel sprung up the day before the event, and now Bethesda is showing it to the public.
The trailer showed the famous mask of Corvo, the game's protagonist. This time, we seem to be in a new city with new powers, such as a grenade that freezes time and the ability to move even farther with a web-like contraption (similar to Spider-Man). Instead of Corvo, a female protagonist called Emily Caldwin will be in the lead role, but you can choose to play as Emily or still follow Corvo in his adventures.
Arkane Studios also announced Dishonored: Definitive Edition, which will be available this fall. It includes all of the original game's downloadable content as well as graphical upgrades for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
There's no release date set yet for the sequel, but it will obviously make its way to consoles and the PC.
Elder Scrolls
The latest iteration of the fantasy role-playing series, The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited, recently made its way to consoles. Tonight, we saw what the team behind the series is working on for the upcoming year.
With the recent arrival on consoles, it seems that the work is not done yet. More content is being added later in the year such as Orsinium, Realm of the Orc Race, as well as a teaser of the infamous Dark Brotherhood.
There's also a new strategy card game called The Elder Scrolls: Legends. A brief trailer was shown, but no gameplay was revealed. It seems that Bethesda is following the suit of card-based games similar to Blizzard’s Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. It will be available on PC and iPad later this year.
Fallout 4
The post-apocalyptic wasteland returns, this time to the East Coast. The three-minute trailer showed plenty of details about the Boston area, called "The Commonwealth," and tonight we saw much more about Fallout 4.
Game director Todd Howard was on stage as he explained that the game was in development for the last four years. He also boasted that the game's artists custom designed each button and light that you see in the game's numerous terminals. Various panels of concept art were also shown, giving a preliminary glimpse as to what the universe and its inhabitants will look like in the final version.
Finally, we got a glimpse of Gameplay. Unlike past versions in the series, the game will start before the nuclear bombs fall. Players will be available to "sculpt" their character, male or female, by selecting a portion of the face without the use of any sliders. A baby is even generated for your fictional family based on your own customizations.
Another big change is the introduction of the main character's voice. In the past, you only made changes without saying anything, and the other characters reacted. It definitely gives a more immersive feel to the story, and we finally get some peace of mind as to what our character will sound like in the game.
The actual game takes place 200 years after the nuclear apocalypse as the only survivor of Vault 111. In terms of dialogue, the player can have the conversation in first-person or third-person and can interrupt it at any time by walking away or shooting the person to whom he or she is talking.
Everyone loves dogs, and this game puts a great deal of importance on humanity's best friend. You can make the dog go anywhere and pick up objects. The dog will also act as a protector, helping you take down foes big and small. Just make sure you don't let it die.
There's also a new version of the Pip-Boy, the handy retro tool that fits on your wrist. However, it has a few visual improvements such as showing layers of armor and the ability to play small games. There's even a real-life version of the device, which will come in the Collector's Edition. You can place your phone inside it, and Bethesda even made a Pip-Boy app so that you can actually use it as a second screen. The app will be available on iOS and Android.
We also got a glimpse of the game crafting gameplay. This time, the world of Fallout will include your customized home. You can scrap materials from the world and reuse them to build your own personal fort to house sleeping quarters, a workshop, and of course, your trusty dog. You can also build resources such as farms, water, and power generators. With power generators, you can easily fortify your households from the Wasteland's raiders and monstrosities. You can even have traders run supply routes between your various homesteads. (That's right, you can have multiple homes.)
In terms of weapons, you can now build attachments, like a scope, from multiple combinations of items. So that toy car you think is worthless might actually come in handy later when you want to build a more powerful weapon. You can even customize the materials used to create the powerful Power Armor seen in the trailer. Customization is a big part of the game, and it looks like Fallout 4 will let you customize to your heart's content.
We also saw another brief trailer of bloody combat, featuring the V.A.T.S. targeting system, which allows you to target certain parts of an enemy. We also got to see the vast roster of enemies, including the occasional raider, the mutated Yao Guai bear, and the always terrifying Deathclaw.
Bethesda also made a smartphone game called Fallout Shelter. In this mobile game, you play the role of the Overseer, the leader of the vault, and it's your job to build a vault and manage its various residents and rooms. Each character has their own stats and can be upgraded with outfits and weapons, and you can send them out to the Wasteland to gather resources. You will also need to defend yourself from both external and internal dangers. It's very reminiscent of the command center from XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
Fallout Shelter will be free and won't require an online connection. Best of all, it comes out on the same evening as Bethesda's event, so you can get started on building your own nuclear fallout shelter in a little bit.
As for the release date for Fallout 4, it comes out on November 10, 2015. It looks like we don't have to wait a long time until we see the next generation of the game.
More To See
Obviously, we still have a lot more to see from Bethesda during E3. The week is just about to start, and we're going to stop by its booth later this week. Still, the company showed off a strong roster with both old and new titles. However, it's obvious that Fallout 4 stole the show. We're going to have a countdown set for November 10.
