Bethesda Softworks today revealed that the next installment in its Fallout series, dubbed New Vegas, is scheduled for release on October 19 in the U.S. and October 22 in Europe. The game will be released on the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The launch date was announced in tandem with a new E3 trailer, which shows loads of weapons, mutated enemies, a number of explosions and a look at many of the different areas in the game.

Fallout: New Vegas is being developed by many veterans of the original Fallout games at Obsidian Entertainment, which most recently created the espionage role-playing title Alpha Protocol. The game is set in the Mojave Wasteland and casts players in the role of a seemingly ordinary courier who is mysteriously shot over a package and left to die in the desert. After recovering, players will be free to roam the desert, exploring new areas, modifying weapons, and getting wrapped up in the larger conflict between the New California Republic and the slave-trading Caesar's Legion. Much like Fallout 3, in New Vegas players will have to make decisions that affect the ultimate outcome of the story.

Pre-order packs are available through several retailers in the U.S. and will be available worldwide soon. The Classic, Tribal, Caravan, and Mercenary packs each contain in-game items offered exclusively through GameStop, Amazon, Steam, Walmart and Best Buy. There's also a Collector's Edition pack complete with 'Lucky 7' poker chips, a deck of cards, 'Lucky 38' platinum chip recreation, 'All Roads' hardcover graphic novel, and the Making of Fallout: New Vegas DVD.