It began with a single black-and-white image: a 1950s style TV test pattern superimposed with the words "please stand by". Beneath it was a countdown clock.
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What may have seemed meaningless to most was a bright flare for fans of the long-running post-apocalyptic action role-playing game series Fallout. After many years of speculation and guesswork, the long-awaited next chapter was officially on its way.
Last night, the countdown ended early, and Fallout 4 was revealed to the world in three minutes of what appears to be in-game footage, spliced with scenes of life before the alternate-history nuclear war that drove survivors into underground vaults. Over the footage, The Ink Spots sweetly sing "It's all over but the crying".
The entire trailer has been engineered to please fans. The first unveiling of Fallout 3 also featured The Ink Spots, that time singing, with profound irony, "I don't want to set the world on fire". The voice that can be heard reading news bulletins is Hellboy and Sons of Anarchy star Ron Perlman, whose has been heard in the series since the original Fallout in 1997.
Also present is the faithful canine companion, another relic from the first game in the series that has also appeared in more recent releases. The protagonist wears the familiar blue and yellow jumpsuit of a survivor from an underground bunker, referred to as Vaults, staying true to the Vault-survivor hero stories of previous games.
Fallout is seen by some as the less glamorous sibling of The Elder Scrolls. While Fallout 3 sold respectable numbers (no official figures were released, but it was multiple millions worldwide), its creators at Bethesda followed up with the phenomenally successful The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The fantasy action classic shifted 7 million units in its first week, and has topped 20 million in its lifetime.
Still, Fallout 3 is no slouch. It occupies a very respectable 14th spot on Metacritic's Xbox 360 high scores — Skyrim is number six. While the fantasy realms of The Elder Scrolls may have broader appeal, surviving in the arid wasteland of a nuclear-scoured earth has earned itself a legion of devoted fans.
Sharp-eyed viewers have noted that the new trailer features well-known Boston landmarks, seemingly confirming the rumour that it will be set in and around the Massachusetts capital. The previous games in the series, Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, were set in Washington D.C. and Las Vegas, respectively.
One big surprise in the trailer is the hint that the game's protagonist may have a voice. Bethesda's action-RPGs, including the Fallout series, and both Skyrim and its predecessors Oblivion and Morrowind, have all featured silent protagonists. The character in the trailer chatting to his dog may signal a change in that trend.
Owners of older consoles will be disappointed to hear that this is yet another upcoming game that will be making the move fully to the new generation of game hardware; it has been announced only for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
Nothing more has been revealed at this stage, including a release date, but the game will have a big presence at Bethesda's first ever E3 press conference on Sunday June 14.
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