Fallout 4 is properly, actually real. Bethesda has shown it off at E3, with a load of gameplay footage showing how the game begins and offering a few glimpses of what you can expect to be doing for the next hundred or so hours of your life once you get your hands on it. Which will be this, year, by the way, as soon as November 10. No, I cant wait either.

I've taken a look through the footage and pulled out some of the juiciest, most tantalisingly awesome stuff from what's been shown so far. None of the following slides are radioactive (correct at time of publication) so click on through and enjoy at your leisure...

Things seem to have moved on in the Fallout universe. Society is starting to recover, and tech is improving once again. So, it’s not a huge surprise to see you can call in a gyrocopter by dropping a smoke grenade / flare, then board it and ‘ride shotgun’ as it hoons around the wasteland. And of course there’s a minigun to shoot with, while you fly. Whether this is a regular ‘taxi’ style mechanic, or a freeform thing, or just an on-rails section… it looks damn cool. And yes, later in the gameplay footage, we see our hero shooting a gyrocopter down with the new rocket-launcher weapon. So I’m guessing not all that flies is friendly.

Yeah, you read that correctly. Looks like there’s a weapon in the game that lets you fling junk items at enemies. In the footage, it’s a teddy bear that our hero launches at his foe. He scores a critical hit and… in true Fallout fashion it totally disintegrates the bad guy’s head. Wondefully ludicrous. You’ll be able to launch all manner of junk items with this weapon, so they’ll actually become useful. In previous games, junk is stuff you pick up and sell if you’re really poor, or it’s crap that clogs up your inventory as you search for weapon / item blue-prints. Frankly, I can’t wait to wing a ghoul with a toy car.

This looks brilliant. If you though the coolest bit of Avatar was the mech-like armour suits (I know, it's like Aliens too, but that film was all cool, so it's hardly a standout moment), then you're in for a treat here. Looks like not only does the suit have its own HUD, extreme offensive capabilities and look damn awesome, it's even got a freakin' minigun. Granted, that probably comes under 'extreme offensive capabilities, but worth mentioning twice, I think.

Awww, doesn't it look lovely? This is what Fallout 4 looks like before the fallout. Look at those cars! It's like the future, only if the future had happened in the 1950s. It doesn't appear to be completely free to explore, but you do have movement around your gorgeous home...

I suppose you'd call this foreshadowing, but the 'Sugar Bombs' and 'Nuka Cola' are tempting fate a little, no? You also get to converse with your service robot, who it turns out survives the blast and meets back up with you two hundred years into the future. At which point he declares you are "two centuries late for dinner". Oh, the lols...

A Vault-Tec representative wants to know some more about you when he calls at your door, which is the game's way of getting you to choose your starting stats. That's pretty darn neat. All the stats screens appear to be accompanied by the familiar Vault-Tec mascot Vault Boy, who animates according to which option you're tweaking. The game has been in development for the past 4 years, and it really shows in all the little details like this.

And it will! It's like having your very own... well, dog. It's unconfirmed whether you need to carry little plastic bags with you and clean up after the damn thing, but I'm guessing that enforcing laws on dog fouling are low on the list of priorities for people living in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. It does have its uses, though, as it will pick up items and bring them to you. Why risk your own life when you have a faithful, trusting, good-natured animal to exploit? Exactly.

While many aspects of Fallout 4 seem more civilised than previous games, I’m guessing that sports like golf, basketball, and polo haven’t made a comeback quite yet. Instead, there seems to be some kind of fight-to-the-death arena in this game instead. Footage shows one fighter gloating over the ‘oh my god, he isn’t moving’ body of a competitor. Seems likely you’ll be able to watch, take part in, and maybe even bet on fights to the death. Cool.

A big cheer went up when the VATS system was shown in the demo, as it's one of Fallout's best-loved features. Granted, it was always going to be in the new game, but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate it. In case you're unaware, it's a slow-motion weapons system where you can target individual areas of an enemy's body, then watch as your ultra-gory shot plays out in delicious, gloopy detail.

Look! It's a Pipboy version of Donkey Kong! There's also a Missile Command-style game too, fully playable. Apparently there are more. Even better, if you buy the Collectors' Edition version of Fallout 4, you'll get a real-life Pipboy that fits on your wrist and acts as a case for your smartphone, on which you can download an app that's just like the in-game Pipboy. Amazing.

Ah, sweet, sweet overkill. What could be better than carrying a shoulder-mounted nuclear rocket launcher and using it to blast but one foe into tiny little pieces? Carrying a shoulder-mounted, nuclear rocket launcher and using using it to blast but one for into tiny little pieces on new-gen, that's what. Kaboom! That's going to smart in the morning.

A conversation takes place between you and your wife/husband, depending on which sex you choose for your character. While this is happening, you can morph your appearance in real-time. A longer nose, a different ethnic origin... the game even goes so far as to make an amalgam of both characters' appearances and create a plausible baby from its parents.

You can play as a man or a woman in Fallout 4, but it would appear that clothes are not restricted by gender. You can wear everything from a diving bell-like helmet to a suit and teddy bear head combination. Frank West from Dead Rising would be so proud. Hey - at least this red one won't show up the blood, right?

Yep, the big bear-like Yao Guai beasties are back. These Fallout stalwarts are mega-aggressive, big and strong. Obviously not a great combination if they take exception to your presence. Know what it calls for? That's right - an even bigger gun. There's also a Deathclaw in the trailer, and a Murkmire Queen, so if you're a fan of the series, you'll feel right at home. Y'know, as you die horribly.

The open world looks absolutely massive, and we are promised that the remains of downtown Boston will be available to explore. This is exciting. So exciting in fact, it's worth reiterating that this Fallout 4 will be released this November on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Yes, it does sound too good to be true. Let's not mention the dreaded 'D' word. Have faith. What's the worst that could happen...?