In addition to showing off Doom, Battlecry, and Dishonored 2, Bethesda finally gave all of us a lengthy look at Fallout 4 and revealed that it’s set to release on PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 10, 2015. In addition to the standard edition, there will be a collector’s edition featuring a real life Pip-Boy you can use with a specially-designed app for your smartphone.
First up on the Fallout 4 reveal train was an extensive look at the game’s opening sequence. One of the things that got a lot of people excited about the game’s first trailer was that it was flashing back and forth between the pre- and post-apocalyptic world. When Bethesda’s Todd Howard took the stage to discuss the game, he revealed that the game kicks off before the nuclear holocaust that transforms the Earth into the Wasteland, on a beautiful Saturday morning.
Character creation forces players to quite literally take long, hard look in the mirror. The dynamic system allows the player to sculpt and alter their character’s appearance with apparent ease while their significant other stands in the background. You’ll be able to play as a male or female in Fallout 4, which when paired with character customization, opens up endless possibilities for creating a unique look.
Once you’ve got your look down and a name for yourself (which you can choose from a library of 1,000+ names that the game’s NPCs will be able to say aloud), you’re greeted by your trusty robot Codsworth and a door-to-door Vault-Tec salesman. A brief conversation with the salesman transforms into another aspect of character creation, prompting the player to assign points to various ability scores. However, shortly thereafter the air raid sirens sound, and you and your family head to the Vault, only to be caught in the blast before you can make it to safety. Luckily you make it out alive and are lowered into the vault only to emerge 200 years later as the sole survivor of Vault 111.
Other than that, not much else about the story was revealed, and the focus shifted to showcasing the apocalyptic setting and the gameplay itself, including a really awesome command system with your new dog. That’s right, they showed off the commands you can give to your adorable German Shepherd. Your pooch will be able to fetch things, attack enemies, and investigate areas among other actions.
The game will also have a robust crafting system, which encourages players to take advantage of items in their environment to transform both your weapons and armor in ways you never knew were possible. In fact, there are 50 base weapons and over 700 different weapon modifications. If that isn’t enough customization for you, I don’t know what is.
Additionally, you’ll be given the space to collect, build, and rebuild new houses, settlements, power generators, chemicals and food with what they’re referring to as the “most advanced crafting system ever”. Just make sure to construct some defense turrets because your settlement will be subject to attacks by local raider bands. Of course, this gameplay mode is completely optional, but that’s just a testament to the level of detail Bethesda is putting into this game.
As for the popular Pip-Boy, the device has been revamped, includes a new layer-based armor system, and allows you to play “game tapes” (e.g. minigames) and check information on the go. To sweeten the pot, Bethesda revealed that the collector’s edition of the title comes with an authentic “working” version of the device which can be paired with either your Android or iOS phone (which fits inside the device!). There’s a special app for your mobile device that sports the same software as the device in the game. So, regardless of whether or not you have the collector’s edition, you can still play around with the app and feel like the Hero of the Wasteland.
Speaking of mobile games, the developer also announced Fallout Shelter which was made available (only for iOS so far) once the press conference concluded. In this free to play title, you are able to build your own vault, act as overseer, send dwellers out on surface missions, build a livable society, and even reproduce. In other words, if you were worried about having too much free time, Bethesda has you covered.
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What do you think about all of the new details we learned from the conference? Are you excited to hear more? Let us know in the comments below.