Fallout 4 E3 2015: Gameplay, Shelter and Release Date Revealed (Update)

Update:

Here's another gameplay demo of Fallout 4 from the E3 stage. While some of this footage eclipses Bethesda's previously released gameplay, we get to see some new segments as well (starting at around 3:00 into the video), which features the new Laser Musket weapon. The Vault 111 Wanderer encounters a group of survivors in a decrepit area facing off against a band of raiders. The group has been wiped out with only five survivors remaining, down from 20. Their leader has a plan to take their home back, and it involves Power Armor. That's right — we get to see the new Power Armor game mechanics in play. In previous Fallout games you would wear Power Armor just like any other piece of equipment. Fallout 4's Power Armor actually must be stepped into like a giant Iron Man suit, changing the display, making you slower but much more powerful and almost bulletproof.

Lastly, some big news: Fallout 4's PC mods will be able to be transferred and shared for free on the Xbox One version of the game.

Original Story:

War never changes, but Fallout 4 is going to offer some awesome new features, including revamped crafting and the ability to make your own base/home.

Bethesda revealed all kinds of new info about Fallout 4, including the game's story (minor spoilers ahead). The game starts off before the nuclear holocaust happens. You get to play as a man or a woman and go over your physical features in a mirror while you and your spouse comment on whatever choices you make about your character. You get to explore your house before the bombs drop, so you can enjoy all the fictionalized and futuristic Americana while it's still standing. After exploring your house, a VaultTec representative shows up, reminding you and your family about going to Vault 111. Let's just say that your character emerges 200 years later, and is the lone survivor of the Vault. After returning back to your old home, your house's robot recognizes you and reminds you that you're 200 years late for dinner. You get to see Fallout 4's revamped conversation system in action as well. You can walk away mid-conversation or shoot the person in the face whenever you'd like. Talking is much more natural, especially since your protagonist has full voice-overs.

After talking with your old butler, the player approaches an old garage that has a friendly German Shepard in front of it — the same one from the trailer last week. You can talk with your new dog (Dogmeat), offering him praise and all kinds of other interactions. The player can actually send his or her canine companion to pick up specific items for you from far away. Once you're done interacting with Dogmeat, a bunch of Mole Rats appear. We then get to see Fallout 4's new combat system in play. Even when using a basic pistol, combat looks quite awesome, especially the new VATS system, which slows down time and lets you choose your shots.

Fallout 4 will let you customize your weapons and Power Armor however you see fit. You can mix and match your Power Armor pieces and give it custom paint jobs. The crafting system is fully revamped. Starting with a single plasma pistol, you can breakdown its parts, add a stock, a silencer, a shotgun attachment, custom grip or whatever you'd like. There are dozens of different gun types and thousands of different combinations you can make.

A new feature is the ability to make your own home. When we mean make your own home, we mean you can breakdown entire buildings, items and parts of the environment for scrap/materials to build a fortress to your own liking. You can use the materials to build your entire house from the ground-up and fill it with whatever you desire. You can set generators and connect all kinds of different machines to them, including turrets and flamethrowers to defend your place from the bandits who are bound to arrive. You can even connect a computer to the system and program your own targeting and shooting parameters.

Bethesda announced that the collector's edition of Fallout 4 will have a fully functional PipBoy that you can wear. You'll be able to put your smartphone into the PipBoy and lock it shut to make it functional with its tie-in app. Using the PipBoy app will perform in-game actions for you in Fallout 4, which helps deepen the immersion. You obviously don't need the PipBoy to use the app on your phone, but it's a great bonus.

Best of all, Bethesda announced Fallout 4's release date. This game will be hitting PS4, PC and Xbox One this year on Nov. 10.

Lastly, Bethesda's new mobile game, Fallout Shelter, has launched. Shelter lets you manage your own Vault. You choose the number, the inhabitants and all the major actions, managing everything on a widespread scale. You decide who goes out into the Wasteland for supplies, who cooks, who invents stuff and who should get it on with who for the sake of new life and expanding the shelter. As with previous Fallout games, the Vaults are never perfect. Expect hazards from the local wildlife, raiders and even the vault itself. Fallout Shelter is out now for free on the iOS and Android formats.

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