This is E3 done right. In the company's first E3 press conference, Bethesda kicked off E3 with a earth-shaking bang. From remastered oldies to breathtaking new titles, Bethesda pulled no punches, revealing to the E3 2015 crowd a cache of games that will appeal to a wide berth of gamers. Although the company showed off its first entries into the mobile space, Bethesda has its foot firmly planted in the next-generation, showing off scene after jaw-dropping scene from such titles as Doom and Fallout 4.
Doom (id Software, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)
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Hell never looked so good. The game that ushered in the era of the first-person shooter is coming to PC and next-generation systems (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One). Powered by the id Tech 6 system, the fourth entry in the series comes packed with fast-paced combat loaded with Big Effin Guns, demons and copious amounts of blood, guts and dismembered limbs.
When you aren't running amok in single-player mode, you can give the gift of a butt-kicking in multiplayer with modes like Domination and Freeze Tag. In addition to the gorgeous gruesomeness of it all, there's a new SnapMap feature, which lets creative gamers create their own modded boards and challenges and share them across the Doom community no matter the platform. When it launches in Spring 2016, the new Doom is sure to be a hell of a good time.
MORE: Doom is Back, Ready to Dismember Demons, Design Maps
Fallout 4 (Bethesda Games Studios, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)
War might never change, but Fallout 4 will definitely offer fans a few curveballs. Vault Boys and Girls will be pleased to see old favorites like the V.A.T.S. and S.P.E.C.I.A.L. systems, but the wasteland has gotten a much-needed makeover. Gamers can now scavenge materials from their surrounding to make new weapons, armor and even survivor settlements, complete with electricity and defense grids to ward off the random raider attack.
Your faithful canine companion Dogmeat has even learned a few new tricks, such as retrieving a tool at your behest. Set 200 years after the nuclear war in the irradiated remains of Boston, it's up to you -- the lone survivor of Vault 111 -- to survive and effect change on the wasteland. Those eager to start rebuilding society won't have much longer to wait; the game's slated to launch on November 10.
Battlecry (Battlecry Studios, PC)
Gamers got their first glimpse of BattleCry, Bethesda's PC exclusive at last year's E3. However, the latest glimpse of the third-person multiplayer action title showed off the Han Republic, a new faction ready to fight for global domination. Revealing new takes on established classes, such as the Ranger and Gadgeteer, Battlecry gave the audience more of the stylized watercolored violence that previously captivated gamers. Players looking for a respite during the summer gaming drought can sign up for beta trials of the free-to-pay title and take it for a test spin before its launch.
Elder Scrolls Legends: A Strategy Card Game (Bethesda Games Studios, iPad and PC)
If the recently released Elder Scrolls Online: Tamreil Unlimited isn't keeping you busy, you can always try your hand at Elder Scroll Legends. Bethesda Games Studio kept its cards close to its chest, only showing a tantalizing trailer revealing the developers entry into the card game genre. There's no telling whether or not this will be a Hearthstone killer, but strategy card enthusiasts will want to keep an eye on this one.
Dishonored II (Arkane Studios, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)
Corvo Attano, the bodyguard-turned stealthy supernatural assassin, is back. But this time he has help from an unlikely source. Emily Kaldwin, the heir to the throne of the Empire of the Isles, is all grown up and fighting with Corvo to take back the kingdom from an outworldly invasion.
In the demo, Emily deftly dispatches some imposing-looking robots with a mix of fast strikes, steampunk gadgetry and the same time-slowing, teleportation powers Corvo wielded in the first game. As Emily finally catches her enemy, a voice warns that the choices and actions she makes will have lasting effects on the kingdom. While there's no word on whether Dishonored II will feature co-op or single campaign, Emily is a welcome addition to the Dishonored series.
MORE: PS4 Games: Our Staff Favorites
Fallout Shelter (Bethesda Games Studios, iOS)
Fallout Shelter is what happens when Tiny Tower and your favorite post-apocalyptic action role-playing game had a nuclear baby. Available now, this free iOS-exclusive title puts you in the role as overseer of your vault. Your sole responsibility? Keeping your vault dwellers productive and happy.
You can send your dwellers out into the wasteland to bring back supplies necessary to the continued health of your vault (food, water, supplies). Inside the vault, you can send them to the bar to learn charisma and if you're lucky you can add a few new inhabitants to your vault by getting a willing couple to procreate. In the midst of everyday life, you'll have to defend your dwellers from random attacks from irradiated beasts and take-no-prisoners raiders.
