Bethesda kicks off E3 with ‘Doom,’ ‘Fallout 4′

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Bethesda jump started the Electronic Entertainment Expo by showing off the latest installments of "Fallout" and "Doom."

The video game publisher launched this year's annual video game extravaganza Sunday night with its first-ever E3 press conference at the Dolby Theatre.

Bethesda Softworks spent most of its 90-minute briefing showcasing scenes from both a new edition of the hellish first-person shooter "Doom" and the post-apocalyptic role-playing saga "Fallout 4."

"I think we can all agree that tonight starts a week with E3 that is the world's best week of entertainment ever," said Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard.

Howard went on to detail how the character creation, settlement construction and combat systems work in "Fallout 4" amid the game's virtual rendition of Boston plagued by a nuclear attack. He announced "Fallout 4" would be released Nov. 10.

In addition to "Fallout 4," Howard said a mobile simulator game called "Fallout Shelter" would debut immediately following the conference, and a companion app that mimics the game's Pip-Boy doodad on smartphones would come out alongside "Fallout 4" this fall.

"Yes, it's a second-screen experience," said Howard. "Usually, I find second-screen experiences are generally just stupid gimmicks, but as far as stupid gimmicks go, it's the best (expletive) one."

The briefing began with id Software executive producer Marty Stratton unearthing a new "Doom," which is set to debut in sparing 2016. The demon-blasting action focused on shotgun shooting and skull cracking on a pair of levels: one set on Mars, the other within Hell. Stratton also outlined plans for players to be able to edit and share their own "Doom" levels.

"We can't wait to see all the amazing things you come up with next," Stratton told the crowd.

Bethesda also unveiled the strategy card game "The Elder Scrolls: Legends," a follow-up to the stealthy title "Dishonored," as well as new content for the multiplayer battle game "Battlecry" and the online role-playing game "The Elder Scrolls Online."

E3 runs through Thursday at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

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