Fallout 4 is gathering momentum, with just over three months to go until it emerges from the bunker like a drowsy, post-apocalyptic Godzilla.
Bethesda recently used Gamescom 2015 to give journalists a sneak preview of Lexington, one of the game's many desolate towns, in a video that was narrated by Fallout 4 game director Todd Howard.
Overrun by hordes of raiders and other wastelanders, it demonstrated some of the game's mechanics while introducing new enemies and locations.
Though tempting, we didn't just sit there gawping like a ghoul: click on to discover what we learned during the brief but action-packed preview.
The preview's opening sequence made a big deal about the role strength will play in Fallout 4. "Keep doing chin-ups and push-ups because there's more that strength can do for you," advised a voice with Fallout's familiar '50s American accent. "Swing for the fences like a pro, wear specialised protective gear and craft weapons to wield."
We know that some pretty beefy vault suits lie in wait with gatling guns and other weapons attached, and on the basis of this hint, there might be a baseball bat for bashing things in the head too.
Fallout 4 awards you with perks, skills and abilities as you progress through the game. They're chosen via a perk chart that's organised through seven S.P.E.C.I.A.L abilities: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck.
There are 70 base perks, each with multiple ranks that do new things, providing a total of 275 abilities to pick. According to Howard, it gives you "a ton of choices and many different ways to develop your character over the game".
There was heavy reliance on V.A.T.S (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System) in Fallout 3, which doesn't appear to be the case in its sequel. In the demo, Fallout's 4's protagonist dismembered feral ghouls by blasting off their kneecaps, Dead Space-style, after which they continued to crawl around.
You can still use V.A.T.S, but instead of making the came come to a dead stop it merely slows it down the action. This will invariable speed up the gameplay and force you to swiftly pick a limb for picking off and think on your toes more creatively.
Fallout 4's protagonist (the Sole Survivor) has a canine pal called Dogmeat. You're probably already aware of his canine companion, as a) he attracted more attention than anything else when the initial Fallout 4 trailer due to his slightly blocky appearance and b) Dogmeat has been a fixture of previous games in the series.
It turns out he's more than just a guide dog in Fallout 4 and can be commanded to explore rooms, attack enemies and even growl to alert you when they're nearby. Like Frodo's Sting, only furrier and less blue.
The demo gave a glimpse of the Fat Man in action. One of the most ridiculous(ly satisfying) shoulder-mounted rocket launchers ever. The chunky projectile flinger gets quite some distance on it too, as was demonstrated when our Sole Survivor used the nuke launcher to take out a troublesome enemy on a high up ledge.
Fat Man is a meaty weapon, no doubt about it, but it's not powerful enough to take out all of the game's bigger nasties in a single hit. In an encounter with a troll-like Behemoth, the Sole Survivor used V.AT.S to direct a swift Fat Boy rocket to its face, only for the beast to emerge enraged from the other side of a mini mushroom cloud.
If you're low on firepower, some of Lexington's locations contain oil barrels that will explode when shot, providing another tactical avenue to take out some of Fallout 4's meaner enemies.
If you don't the firepower to take out enemies yourself, it's possible to manipulate enemies or other NPCs to do your bidding. While explaining perks, Howard noted: "There's a perk for each special, and each rank of that special goes from one to ten. If you were to come out of the value with a 10 charisma, you can pick the intimidation perk that lets you manipulate and control other people."
As in Fallout 3, enemies sometimes begin to fight each other if they come too into close contact, and throwing manipulation into the mix should let you start some interesting brawls.
The vast array of weaponry on offer seemed to equip the Sole Survior with enough power to deal with all enemies on the ground in the video - except one.
Nestled high up in a mountain side, a turret was the only enemy that proved Fallout 4's protagonist real problems in Bethesda's preview video, raining down bullets in a hail of pain. The attack caused enough damage to make the injured Vault Boy icon appear in the top-right hand corner, which indicates that you've been injured. Mark these words: turrets are going to cause you pain.
About halfway through the demo, we started to notice a running theme: Fallout 4's weapons - from the Fat Man to miniguns and flamethrowers - all sounded meaty and convincing while giving off some great-looking particle effects. A red energy gun called the Laser Musket was top of the pile, spitting out red laser beams that ripped through enemies and ricocheted off walls when indoors, lighting them up like a firecracker.
If it's half as fun to use as it looks, we'll be running around the wastelands doing our best X-Men Cyclops impression, which wouldn't be too difficult in that blue and yellow suit.
Bethesda recently tweeted that there'll be no level cap
and you'll be able to keep playing the game once the main story is
complete. If you're the kind of player that likes to carry on exploring
the open world once you're done, you'll be able to continue growing your
character's strengths to theoretically take on increasingly powerful
enemies. Whether Bethesda will introduce new ones via DLC remains to be
seen.
