Bethesda's E3 2015 Conference: Fallout 4, Doom, Dishonored 2, and More

The biggest video game event of the year, E3 was off to a rousing start. Bethesda, the company behind franchises such as Doom, Wolfenstein, and Fallout hosted its first E3 press conference and it was solid.

Over the years, most E3 events have devolved from showcasing gameplay footage and release dates to simply showing off pre-rendered, computer generated trailers that have no resemblance to the final product. Today, we were treated to a slew of fantastic looking games in close to final form. Here were the top announcements from Bethesda's maiden E3 event.

1. Fallout 4 has a release date

November 10, 2015 is when you'll be able to get your hands on Fallout 4. The company showed off gameplay footage that looked a tad better than what we saws in the reveal trailer a few weeks earlier. In addition to this, some welcome additions like base building, dynamic dialogues, and an easy to use character customisation feature promise to make this the biggest and possibly best game in the series. There was a mention of "brahmin caravans" implying that the franchise's two-headed radioactive cows are making a comeback. Wether this would impact the India release of the game is yet to be ascertained.

(Also see: What the Games Industry Can Learn From Fallout 4's Reveal)

2. The new Doom is real and it looks gorgeous

After teasing us with a three second video weeks prior, the Bethesda-owned Id Software finally lifted the lid on the new Doom game. Simply called "Doom" you'll be squaring off against the hordes of hell with some classic weapons ranging from double-barrel shotguns to super weapons like the BFG (short for big friggin' gun). The gameplay footage presented a sense of pace that's quicker and more twitchier than we're used to from most modern day first-person shooters, making this a throwback to the early days of PC gaming. A welcome change. While no concrete release date was unveiled, there was a release window. Spring 2016 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Id also showed off Doom Snapcam, an easy to use level editor to make and share custom maps with friends as well as multiplayer mode for Doom.

3. Dishonored 2 and Dishonored Definitive Edition

One of the industry's worst kept secrets finally revealed itself when Arkane Studios' Harvey Smith and Raphael Colantonio were up on stage. The next entry in the Dishonored series, aptly named Dishonored 2 will be out in 2016. Much like its predecessor it's a first-person stealth game with the option to play it violently or otherwise. Like everything else, there was an in-game trailer that showed off slick magic and weaponry as well as the ability to play as Emily Kaldwin, as well as the last game's protagonist, Corvo. Sporting the oil painting art style reminiscent of the first game, it was a treat for the eyes. And if you weren't up to speed on the series, the duo announced Dishonored Definitive edition - an HD remaster of the first game with all its downloadable content for the PS4 and Xbox One out later this year.

4. Bethesda begins to take mobile seriously

The company also lifted the lid on two mobile games. The Elder Scrolls Legends is a card game that's in a similar vein to Blizzard's monster hit, Hearthstone. With no release date just yet, it's expected later this year on PC and iPad. Details were sketchy but the title appears to bring elements from previous and present The Elder Scrolls titles, such as Morrowind, Skyrim, and Oblivion. Available today on iPad is Fallout Shelter, a management game based on the post-apocalyptic series that has you taking care of a vault- a settlement of survivors from a nuclear blast, and growing it. It seemed reminiscent to XCOM in the way base management is handled. While it sports in-app purchases, at no point in the game will your progress be stifled because of it and there's no requirement to be always online either.

(Also see: EA's E3 2015 Conference: Mass Effect Andromeda, FIFA 16, Need for Speed, and More)

5. Battlecry and The Elder Scrolls Online Tamriel Unlimited

In addition to these were a global beta announcement for the melee industrial revolution themed third person action game, Battlecry which you can sign up for here and new cities to The Elder Scrolls Online Tamriel Unlimited. While both aren't exactly popular in India thanks to bandwidth constraints, they're available to try out if you're one of the rare few with a fast enough internet connection. Keep in mind that while Battlecry is currently free (as it is in beta), The Elder Scrolls Online Tamriel Unlimited sports a Rs. 4,299 price point with no monthly subscription charges.

Full E3 2015 coverage