Month: March 2020

The Coalition is preparing the next big update for Gears 5, which will introduce Operation 3: Gridiron. The extensive patch notes for PC and Xbox One cover everything coming in the update, from new character drops, achievements, and changes to ranked playlists.

The biggest deal is the arrival of new additions to the roster: Cole, Clayton, Myrrah, and the Theron Guard. As a former Thrashball player, Cole gives the update its gridiron namesake. In response to player feedback, the studio has reduced the requirements to unlock the new characters. They’ll only take half as much character XP to earn as previous ones–30,000 down from 60,000–and they will no longer need to fulfill challenge requirements. Previous Operations characters will retain their old requirements, out of fairness to those who already earned or bought them.

If you’d rather just unlock all the new characters at once, you can buy the Gridiron Bundle for $20. That will grant you the four new additions, the Hot Rod weapon skin set, 1000 iron, and 30 days of boost. You can always buy individual characters for 500 iron apiece.

The update will also introduce a new Escape Hive, called the Barracks, and changes to ranked playlists. You can check out the full patch notes below.

Operation 3 – TU5 Update Notes

Gameplay

• Extensive Versus Tuning update. Full details here.
• Ranked: Users now need to be level 30 or above to play in Ranked unless joining as part of a Level 30+ player’s squad
• Ranked: Split-screen users can no longer play in Ranked, except for 2v2 Gnashers
• Bot behavior improvements across every difficulty
  • Bots will less frequently follow the same path/clump together in packs
  • Bots will less frequently use long-range weapons in situations where short range weapons are appropriate (and vice versa)
  • Bots will now make use of cover more frequently
  • Beginner bots will now roadie-run when appropriate
• Bots will no longer backfill for players in TDM Quickplay
• Round timeouts will no longer cause King of the Hill matches to end on the first round
• Meatshields should now more consistently protect the user from explosive damage
• Improved consistency of finishing off DBNO opponents with melee when holding a meatshield
• Addressed an issue where pulling back on the analog stick at certain angles could sometimes cause cover slides to not be cancelled
• Addressed an issue that could cause cover slip animations to sometimes not replicate smoothly between clients, making them appear like they are moving at much higher speeds
• Players can no longer be chainsawed mid-roll
• Players will no longer receive a prolonged stagger if hit with melee by a player slightly above them.
• Players can no longer end up in an unarmed state by trading and dropping weapons at the same time
• Fixed an issue that allowed a player to ignore being into a DBNO state by being grenade tagged by a Smoke or Flashbang by entering the slide animation
• Fixed an issue where a player grenade tagged in the back could no longer take cover
• Fixed an issue that could cause severe server corrections if a player initiates a swat turn or roll immediately after having a cover move blocked by a player
• Fixed an issue that could cause a Retro Lancer charge to cancel instantly if performed shortly after cancelling/finishing the initial one
• Resolved an issue where, sometimes, players could teleport if staggered while wall-bouncing
• Fixed an issue that allowed sidearms to be traded after dropping both primary weapons, which could also cause the player to end up in an unarmed state
• Fixed an issue that caused the Lancer GL to be stuck in grenade firing mode with no laser if the user pauses while holding the grenade firing button

Characters

• Characters received extensive tuning in Operation 3. Get all the details here in our Horde tuning update post.
• Lizzie entering or exiting a Silverback should now be correctly visually replicated for other players
• Jack no longer jitters when carrying the Fabricator
• Kat’s Decoy ability will now run through barriers

Horde and Escape

• Extensive Horde Tuning update. Full details here.
• Horde Frenzy: Added all maps to matchmaking
• Escape specific weapon tuning updates (on top of the additional changes listed in Horde Weapon Tuning)
  • Longshot: Increased headshot damage
  • EMBAR: Increased headshot damage
  • Boltok: Increased starting magazine size from 1 to 2
  • Snub: Increased starting magazine size from 1 to 3
  • Talon: Increased stating magazine size from 1 to 3
• Jackbot now has HUD indications for when he is flash banged
• Jackbot can now be more reliably revived when near a boss
• Reduced Imago enforcer damage per bullet to 15 (was 20) to reduce instances of players being instantly downed with 5 modifiers enabled and up
• Fixed an issue where the Dropshot may break or be unable to fire when Hijacking a Dropshot Scion
• Fixed an exploit that allowed players to drop grenades and have Keegan pick them up to gain 7 with the Grenade Pouch card
• Horde Frenzy: Fixed an issue that could cause the last boss wave to sometimes only have 2 mini bosses on Exhibit
• The Detour: Leeches will no longer sometimes die immediately after spawning in the last wave of reinforcements
• The Trap: Players can no longer get stuck in the top of the door if they are in the doorway when it closes
• Players will now see the outline of a Flock update in real time when marked but not visible to the player (ie. seen through a wall)
• Players that die will their Ultimate is active will no longer have their Ultimate fully recharged after being revived
• Crawlers will no longer initiate self destruction after spawning in as reinforcement in Escape
• Sires will no longer initiate a Sire Grab when a player is on a different elevation

Maps and Tiles

• Icebound: The mantle cover on top of the slides have returned for Horde only. This will provide a more comfortable defensive position in the towers for players
• Icebound: The side windows in the trading post are now always blocked off except for Horde. These changes are to reduce rifle suppression towards the spawn areas and allow more traversal across the map
• Icebound: The blizzard is now denser and lasts for 30 seconds rather than 15. This change is to allow more opportunities to traverse across the map. In Horde, the timing remains the same but the blizzard will also be denser.
• Icebound: The blizzard still triggers every 2 minutes for all PVP modes except for Gridiron. In Gridiron, the blizzard triggers at the 1-minute mark and will only trigger that one time per round
• Allfather’s Arena: Fixed an issue where users could end up on top of cover
• Vasgar: Spectator camera will no longer shake when players are moving against certain high cover pieces
• The Pit: Fixed an issue where rolling onto a slide could cause sporadic movement
• Tiles: Fixed an issue that could cause a Pouncer’s tail to get caught and stretch
• Tiles: General improvements to some tiles to improve cover, reduce clipping or address camera issues
• Tiles: Fixed an issue that could cause a player to fall through the map when tagged with a flash grenade while in a struggle with a Sire

PC

• Keyboard and Mouse: Returning to the previous menu via back/thumb button on the mutator selection screen for matchmaking now responds consistently to input
• Split-Screen: Setting dynamic shadows to ultra will no longer add a layer of fog/atmosphere over player two’s screen
• Fixed an issue causing Escape Map The Hive’s ambient lights to be too dark, causing players to be unable to see properly

Other

• Accessibility: Numerous improvements and bug fixes for the Narrator feature
• Accessibility: Toggle Aim will now reset to off when putting accessibility options to default
• Audio: Reduced volume of Escape Snatcher intro
• Audio: Team announcer will now announce when pistols are placed in loadout
• Audio: Fixed an audio starvation issue when multiple Trishots are being fired
• UI: Fixed an issue causing players to see a black screen instead of an Omen on death if they are killed before transitioning to the end of the match
• UI: Free For All weapon icons are now more accurately aligned to their in-game location on the overhead
• UI: Player column on the right no longer cuts into the overhead map
• UI: Fortification health and ammo bars will no longer extend beyond the limit
• UI: Completing a match with Tac-Com open will no longer cause the MVP screen to appeari n Tac-Com
• Campaign: Fixed an issue that could cause Del to fall out of world in an Act 2 cinematic under very specific conditions, blocking progression
• Campaign: Fixed an issue where suiciding as the player kills the Act 2 boss will cause cinematic audio to play when the checkpoint is restarted
• Co-Op Campaign: Fixed an issue that could cause the game to enter a broken state if a user loaded in while reloading the checkpoint during the first combat encounter
• Co-Op Campaign: Fixed an issue that could cause Jack’s abilities and components to be missing / unusable when players stop playing as Jack
• Campaign Lobby: Host can now select Customization when opening the menu from the Campaign Lobby while a second controller is signed in locally
• Split Screen: Split screen players can now see each other’s Gears Allies card.
• Players can no longer force a Swarm model on COG team and vice versa
• Fixed severe clipping when grenade tagging a meatshield
• Fixed an issue that allowed other weapons to Chainsaw if a player dropped a Lancer while chainsawing
• Explosions in water will now produce splash VFX on Multiplayer Maps

Back in February, the Nintendo Switch version of The Outer Worlds was delayed because of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as port developer Virtuous has offices in Singapore and China. The pandemic continues, but the Switch port has a new release date this June.

The Outer Worlds will release for Nintendo Switch on June 5, and it will be available as both a digital download and a physical cartridge. The physical version, which was not originally planned, will require an additional patch on launch day that will take up to 6 GB of space, and it adds higher-resolution textures and other gameplay improvements.

“We appreciate your dedication to the Board,” Obsidian said in an in-character update post on its website. “And remember: it’s not the best choice, it’s Spacer’s Choice!”

The Outer Worlds first came to Xbox One, PS4, and PC in October 2019. The game was in development prior to the studio’s acquisition by Microsoft, and it isn’t clear if a potential follow-up would also release for these systems or would only be on Xbox and PC platforms.

Despite the Switch delay, The Outer Worlds had already managed to sell 2 million units by February. The shorter role-playing shooter drew clear influence from the Fallout series — for which Obsidian created Fallout: New Vegas — and it received a warm reception. In GameSpot’s The Outer Worlds review, Edmond Tran was particularly fond on the game’s storytelling, world, and art design.

After experiencing technical issues that delayed the PS4 and PC versions of the Resident Evil Resistance beta past their Xbox One counterpart, the beta is now live on all platforms. It will run until Resident Evil 3 launches on April 3.

Game director Al Yang shared the news on his Twitter page, adding that players will need to download the game’s latest update if they still cannot play the game online.

The beta’s launch comes just a few days before Resident Evil 3 releases on the same systems. All copies of Resident Evil 3 come with Resident Evil Resistance as a free bonus, regardless of whether they are digital or physical. It was originally announced as a completely separate game, but was revealed as a freebie when Resident Evil 3 was revealed in January. It is the only way to get Resident Evil Resistance.

Resident Evil Resistance is a non-canonical asymmetric multiplayer game starring a group of survivors who must escape from a mastermind’s facility as traps and monsters are thrown at them. One player controls the villain and can carefully plan how to attack the group, but if they manage to escape, the match is over.

The multiplayer component could help to make Resident Evil 3 a more compelling buy, but we have mixed feelings right now. In GameSpot’s Resident Evil 3 remake review in progress, Alessandro Fillari found the game’s best moments were early on and it couldn’t keep up its tension for the entire six-hour runtime. A full review will be available once we have played more of Resident Evil Resistance, and you can learn how to pre-order the game with our launch guide.

Dead or Alive 6 has received an update, bringint it to version 1.21a, and as it turns out this is the penultimate patch the game will receive. One final update will introduce more DLC in mid-April, the game’s official Twitter account has revealed.

The new update, 1.21a, has been detailed on the game’s site. Here’s what it contains:

• The hair color change system underwent a large-scale revision: hair color change can be now unlocked on permanent basis for any hairstyle that features it, and includes all available colors (e.g., if you purchase Hair Color Change for Marie Rose’s “Long” hairstyle, you will unlock all 16 hair colors for this hairstyle.)
• All Premium Tickets that were used to purchase hair colors prior to this update have been refunded (e.g., if you have used 5 Tickets to purchase hair colors on v1.20 and v1.21, you will receive 5 Premium Tickets when you apply the v1.21a update.)
• As a result of the large-scale revision of the hair color change system, all hair color settings have been reset to default.
• The number of Premium Tickets that can be purchased has been limited to the maximum number of items that can be exchanged for Premium Tickets.
• Added the information display that shows the number of remaining available costumes and hair colors that can be exchanged for Premium Tickets.
• Added the information display that shows the maximum number of Premium Tickets required to unlock all available costumes and hair colors.

The game’s final update will focus on adding DLC, and will also contain some bug fixes. The details are listed in the tweet embedded below.

Dead or Alive 6 released a free-to-play version in December, called Core Fighters. The game has been criticized more recently for its approach to cosmetic DLC, as the game charges money to change character’s hair–even if you’ve purchased that hair color previously.

Dead or Alive 6 received a 7/10 in GameSpot’s review, and reviewer Heidi Kemps found a lot to like about it: “Despite some missteps, DoA6 is a fun, engaging fighter with great-feeling, easy-to-pick-up combat, a strong sense of visual style, and a lot of personality.”

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is coming to Switch on May 29, complete with new story content and upgraded visuals. But while this release has the potential to be the best version of Monolith Soft’s beloved RPG, it will be missing two features introduced in the 3DS version of the game.

As spotted by Twitter user Luxin, the Japanese store page for Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition says that the “Collection Mode” and amiibo compatibility of the 3DS version will not be available in the Switch edition.

The Collection Mode allowed you to use tokens to unlock 3D models that could be viewed, as well as music from the game. Tokens could be unlocked using Streetpass tokens or with the Shulk amiibo. In fact, scanning Shulk to unlock tokens was the only amiibo functionality in the game.

While it’s not the biggest feature, it’s a shame that the game’s Definitive Edition will be missing a feature from the 3DS version, which was very good despite having to compromise on the game’s graphics.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition will come with new content that veteran players can access from the start. Here’s our guide for how to preorder the different regional collector’s editions.