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Developer 4A Games has released a major new update for Metro Exodus, dubbed the Ranger Update. Available to download now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, this patch is approximately 6GB and both adds new features and makes various tweaks, in addition dealing with bugs. Read on for the highlights and the patch notes, courtesy of the game’s official website.

The most standout addition is that of New Game Plus. This additional mode, available once the campaign is completed, gives you access to all weapons and attachments unlocked through earlier playthroughs. Further, New Game Plus gives you full customization to tailor the gameplay experience and it comes with new Achievements/Trophies. You’ll also get developer commentary through New Game Plus, special tapes hidden throughout the world that provide insight into what the developers were thinking and how they went about creating some of the game’s levels.

The Ranger Update also comes with a fourth controller sensitivity preset, platform-specific improvements and additions (such as “mouse and keyboard support for Xbox One, improved RTX and DLSS support on PC, DualShock Controller Light support for PS4”), addresses numerous bugs and crashes, and adds full Ukrainian localization.

In order to access New Game Plus, you must finish the main campaign at least once; the mode will then become available in the New Game menu. One thing to note: starting a new game, in either Regular or New Game Plus, will clear all saves (quick/auto/chapter select), meaning you’ll need to progress through the game again to access those levels. You can view the full additions that come with New Game Plus below. You can also view the full patch notes for PC here or for consoles here.

In our Metro Exodus review, we said the game “puts together a charismatic crew of friends and family that you’ll want to follow to the ends of the earth.”

Metro Exodus is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

New Game Plus and Developer Commentary

New Game Plus adds a whole new dimension to repeat play-throughs of the campaign. Modify the following suite of modes and settings to craft your own personalised gameplay experience:

Inventory Modes

My Weapons

• Allows you to start with all weapons and attachments found in the last playthrough
• Weapons are granted after freeing Anna in Moscow
• Starting weapons will be the last loadout that was set in the previous end game save
• All other weapons and attachments previously unlocked will be available in the Aurora Workbench Armory, first encountered in Volga
• Player Armor/Wrist upgrades do not carry over

One Weapon

• Reduces weapon slots to one. Any weapon can be used in this slot, but you can only take one with you. Manage this by swapping Weapons in the field, or by using the Aurora Workbench Armory

Crossbow

• Provides Player with the Crossbow at the beginning of the game in addition to normal Weapon Progression. Yermak gives the Player the Crossbow after Jammer scene in Moscow.

Backpack Limitations

• Crafting in the Backpack is disabled, you may only use a Workbench
• Only Weapon modifications allowed in Backpack

AI Modes

Armored Enemies

• Human NPC’s are upgraded by one level of Armor across the game if applicable

Tougher Creatures

• Creatures have thicker hide across the game

Grenadiers

• Human NPC’s use explosives more often

Environment Modes

Real-Time Weather

• Change the game’s natural day/night cycle from 2 to 24 real hours for complete immersion

Bad Weather

• Fog, Rain, Snow, and Sand storm conditions occur more frequently where applicable

Radiation is Forever

• Additional radiation zones will appear across some levels, making the Gas Mask more important

Game Modes

Iron Mode

• Fully disables the Save System, progress is only saved between levels

Developer Commentary

• Green Tape Players throughout the game will be available to play Developer Commentary about the area in which it is found

Additional New Game Plus Content

Achievements / Trophies

Unique Collectibles

• Additional set of hidden objects in the world, only available in New Game Plus

Gearbox has spent weeks teasing announcements for PAX East, starting with one that very conspicuously looked like Borderlands and had a “3” attached. Just before the show kicks off, the studio has released a teaser for a Borderlands project. With the Gearbox panel at PAX East fast approaching, soon we’ll see what it all means.

The PAX East panel takes place March 28, so check below for showtimes. We’ll be bringing you news from the panel, but if you want to watch it all unfold live, set your alarm and come right back here at showtime to watch the stream.

Gearbox PAX East Panel Start Time

• 11 AM PT
• 2 PM ET
• 6 PM GMT
• 5 AM AET on March 29

The series of teases from Gearbox has often explicitly mentioned announcements coming at PAX East. Some have been clear references to Borderlands, while others have been more vague. Still others, like a tweet simply showing a malfunctioning umbrella, are either extremely metaphorical or the marketing team is pulling our collective legs.

However, the teaser-trailer does seem to drop the first real clues for what could be Borderlands 3. It shows off several characters who could be new Vault Hunter designs or villains, for one thing. The opening scene of Psychos appearing to worship a gun-wielding character, standing next to an angelic figure holding an upside-down Vault symbol, could suggest a direction for the story. We’ve known for quite a while that a new Borderlands has been in development, so the time seems right to finally reveal it. We’ll know for sure soon enough, so come back and watch it with us

First revealed at The Game Awards 2018, Journey to the Savage Planet takes a decidedly more strange and self-aware approach to the premise of the lone space adventurer exploring a distant world. Instead of seeking knowledge and charting new areas of the universe for the betterment of humanity, it’s your job as an interstellar adventurer to make way for the inevitable push of capitalism by prepping the planet for your employer–a mid-tier corporation that has an endless flow of products to sell.

We spent some time with Journey to the Savage Planet during GDC 2019 and spoke with Typhoon Studios co-founder and creative director Alex Hutchinson about the developer’s approach to the familiar premise, why he’s proud the game features no procedurally generated content, and how players will always be within reach of consumerist tendencies, even in the furthest reaches of space.

Playing as an unnamed planetary settler for Kindred Aerospace–the fourth-best interstellar corporation in the universe–you’ll explore a distant planet housing strange wildlife and plentiful resources. With the intent on making the planet ready for colonization, you’ll quickly find that the creatures of the planet are more than capable of defending their territory from invaders. To make things more complicated, the planet possesses signs of intelligent life, and prominently features some ominous ancient ruins hinting at something hidden deep within the planet. In order to complete your lonely mission, you’ll need to collect as much data as you can and uncover the secrets of the ruins, and this is all while enduring constant advertisements for Kindred products.

In a similar vein to the adventurous jaunts found in No Man’s Sky, the key to accomplishing your goals in Savage Planet is to explore as much as you can, scan everything in sight, and collect resources. But in contrast to the scale and breadth of procedurally generated content found in the former game, Typhoon Studios’ self-aware take on the space-adventure is set entirely on one planet, allowing you to get acquainted with all the bizarre sights found within. Your only safe haven on the planet is your makeshift base. If you die, a 3D-printed copy of yourself will respawn here, allowing you to continue your mission.

Typhoon Studio worked to present a setting that shows personality and nuance, Hutchinson said, setting Savage Planet apart from other games that rely heavily on tech that creates content on the fly.

“It’s kind of like we’re a hipster game, we made all of the content in-game by hand,” said Hutchinson while explaining Typhoon’s approach to world design. “Personally, I don’t think anything made by an algorithm is worth looking at. The meaning of anything creative for me is why you did it and how you did it. If no one did, then I don’t really find it that meaningful. It’s like you’re missing the point by relying on that technology too much. Also, we made a very funny game, and there really aren’t a lot of games like that out there. I remember growing up with games like the Super Nintendo and the Amiga 500, and playing these new games you’d see these bright blue skies, and it had an optimistic outlook in them where you would actually like to be in those cool worlds. That was really attractive to me, and it’s something that’s somewhat absent now.”

In keeping with those retro roots, Savage Planet has a lot in common with games like Metroid and Castlevania, focusing on the exploration of an interconnected environment. Over the course of your expedition, you’ll gradually find some rare materials to upgrade your suit and weaponry. With the planet divided into four distinct biomes, each area requires certain gadgets to traverse. For instance, the grappling hook upgrade can open up new shortcuts and sections of the planet, and is surprisingly useful when trying to evade certain enemies.

Just when you think you’ve gotten used to the strange wildlife, such as non-hostile creatures that howl with an ear-piercing screech if provoked, you’ll encounter some of the more dangerous critters. During the demo, we came across a larger beast that could fire out mortar strikes from its back.

Personally, I don’t think anything made by an algorithm is worth looking at. The meaning of anything creative for me is why you did it and how you did it.

One of the more interesting twists on the larger plot is that your character is an extension of the larger corporation that’s come to colonize the planet. Though the game doesn’t outright refer to you as a colonizer or an invader, it’s not hard to see that you’re clearly encroaching upon territory that isn’t yours, especially when it’s your job to disrupt the environment for a company that can just as easily clone you as it tries to sell you on more of its products. With no means of two-way communication, your only link back to civilization is with constant live-action advertisements that mimic late-night ’90s infomercials. These ads all praise the corporation’s mid-tier achievements while hawking bizarre goods that are mostly useless for your mission–even more so in the grander scheme of trying to find ancient life on the planet.

“We often joke that you’re basically coming to this alien world to ruin it,” said Hutchinson. “But everything we’ve placed in this game has a point. When a game says ‘you’re on an adventure!’ it’s usually not for no reason, there is a broader point to be made, a payoff. You have your goal and your core missions to find and accomplish, and you can accomplish those goals at any time in your own way. But also, we’re going to bombard you with weird advertisements along the way.”

What I found most interesting about Journey to the Savage Planet is how it managed to blend satire with the experience of an isolating exploration game, which felt surprisingly more intimate than expected. That feeling of isolation is often punctuated with the obnoxious live-action advertisements, which are the closest connection you have to civilization and a friendly face. Though it’s still a ways out from launch, planned for a Q1 2020 release, Typhoon’s new game seems to be striking a particular tone that aims to be more thoughtful with the pulpy premise than it initially lets on.