A new trailer for From Software’s upcoming game, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, has been released. The video showcases more of the abilities the protagonist, The Wolf, will have at his disposal, as well as the fierce enemies and bosses he’ll encounter. You can watch it above.

The trailer begins with The Wolf facing off against a massive bull-like creature–its horns are a log tied to its head, and both ends are on fire. The bull crashes through and destroys every bit of the environment in its path, but just before it can crush The Wolf, his prey transforms into feathers swirling within a cloud of shadow and teleports out of the way. From there, the hunter becomes the hunted.

The rest of the trailer depicts The Wolf’s ongoing battle with the more human enemies found in Sekiro, and the shinobi takes them on with a mixture of stealth kills and acrobatic counters. The video also showcases some of the environments in the game, such as dilapidated fortresses and icy mountains. The trailer ends with an amazing sequence as The Wolf battles against a yeti-like creature, only to finally wear the beast down and decapitate it. Sekiro may not be another Dark Souls or Bloodborne, but From Software’s new game is certainly going to be just as bloody and violent as the developer’s previous titles.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice may be From Software’s most punishing take on death ever, with some of the most brutal dying mechanics the Dark Souls developer has ever made. That said, in Sekiro, unlike From Software’s Soulsborne games, death is both an enemy and an ally. That’s not the only difference, though. Unlike the protagonists of From Software’s Soulsborne games, Sekiro’s The Wolf will actually have a voice, allowing his story to be more of a Japanese drama. Bosses and minibosses are also quite different, with many needing strategies other than slashing and dodging to beat them. Sekiro’s world–including the hub–is also a series of connected areas, so you won’t need to fast travel to reach every part of the game. The game doesn’t support multiplayer either, but as a result From Software is able to include a pause function in the upcoming title.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is coming to Xbox One, PS4, and PC on March 22. The required PC specs for the game are actually quite low, so you won’t need a high-end machine to run it. There are two editions of the game, both of which are available for pre-order.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-sekiro-shadows-die-twice-trailer-sees-the-wolf/1100-6465492/

For a brief period on Friday, March 8, a bug in Anthem was causing players to receive above average amounts of Masterwork and Legendary items. However, the issue was quickly rectified with a rather large update, Patch 1.0.3, which reinstated Anthem’s grind. As you can probably surmise, Anthem’s playerbase is not happy about the bug being patched.

According to Kotaku, when the bug was first discovered, players went to Reddit to ask BioWare to keep the changes in the game. The bug might have stuck around for a bit longer too, but Patch 1.0.3–which was originally scheduled to go live March 9–surprisingly went up a day early. “We’re dropping the new [Anthem] patch ahead of schedule so you can all benefit from the updates and fixes, including improved stability on all platforms,” EA said in a tweet. And unfortunately for those who were enjoying the increased drop rate for Masterwork and Legendary items, the update just happened to patch the bug as well.

Patch 1.0.3 was not created to address the bug, though, and actually fixes many notable problems in Anthem. The update removes respawn restrictions in the game, allowing you to return to the fight in Critical Path, Agents, and non-end game missions after 10 seconds, and to Legendary contracts and other end game missions after 30 seconds. Common and Uncommon items drops also no longer appear for players who are level 30. Audio improvements have been implemented as well, which should fix instances where the game’s audio randomly cuts out completely. Patch 1.0.3 improves stability across all platforms too–designed to address any possible console crashing issues like the one that was plaguing PS4.

Neither BioWare nor EA have followed up on whether the loot drop rate will again be increased to the same level as it was on March 8. The full patch notes for Anthem’s most recent update can be found on EA’s website. The highlights are outlined below.

Anthem 1.0.3 Patch Notes

General Fixes and Improvements

• Fixed a number of issues that were blocking players from accessing the Forge
• All missions should now properly end when all conditions have been met
• The inbox now properly displays information on PC (the inbox is found in the newsfeed)
• Fixed an issue that would cause players to be unable to interact with NPCs in Fort Tarsis
• The vault is no longer accessible from the Forge. This change was made to improve performance
• Fixed an issue that would cause the game to hang when entering menus while on an expedition
• Titans will no longer respawn on missions after they are defeated. Example: if players defeat 2 out of 3 titans and then wipe on the third, the first two will not reappear when players respawn during a mission
• Server shutdown messages should now appear less often
• The ability to Quickplay into a Stronghold has been added back to the game
• Mouse button 4 is no longer bound to the back button for PC players
• Crashes that occurred while selecting certain conversation options when interacting with an NPC have been fixed
• Players should no longer get stuck at the end of the Tomb of General Tarsis mission
• Players should now run into less issues during Quickplay missions. Additional improvements to Quickplay will be coming in future updates
• Players should no longer get stuck behind fogwalls on missions or in strongholds as often
• Players should now receive credit for the There Be Giants challenge when they are downed and when the event is active
• Improved the audio when defeating creatures to provide better feedback
• Changed wording for server shutdown messaging to better indicate that it is just the players server shutting down, not the entire game server
• Players may now launch an expedition from anywhere within the launch bay and Fort Tarsis.
• PS4 led lights will now change based on the javelin being used
• It should now be harder for players to get stun locked by certain enemy compositions
• The values on max flight time inscriptions have been increased
• The appearance of the N7 vinyl on Legion of Dawn armor has been improved
• Haluk will now properly face players during certain dialogue scenes
• The message “Open the Cortex to track the legionnaire Challenges” will no longer pop up after completing the appropriate challenges

Strongholds

• The quality of loot from Stronghold chests has been improved, no more common and uncommon drops
• Fixed an issue that would cause players to get stuck at the entrance to the sewers in the Temple of the Scar Stronghold

Creature Updates

• Titans: We have made several balance changes to all variations of Titans
  • Reduced overall damage mitigation from 100% to between 70% and 75% depending on the damage type.
  • Increased the time that weakpoints are exposed.
  • Fixed an issue that prevented effects from applying and thus preventing combos.
  • Increased the damage the Titan takes from weakpoint hits.
  • Lesser Titan’s weakpoint’s have been changed to always be active.
  • Improved the collision on the ring and seeking projectile attacks. This should make them easier to dodge.
  • Decreased the radius of the seeking projectile attack.
  • Decreased the damage done by the self-destruct ability.
• Frozen Scar Enforcers and Scrappers can no longer move or attack while frozen
• The Monitor’s health has been greatly reduced in the Heart of Rage Stronghold.
• Force
  • Players will be less likely to be repeatedly staggered by heavy attacks.
  • Adjusted the force applied by some creature attacks down which will lower the frequency of player’s being staggered.

Damage and Item Scaling Changes

• Adjusted the damage scaling of secondary damage sources. These now scale with Average Item Power. This will allow these damage sources to better scale in the Grandmaster Difficulties. This will increase the scaling of the following:
  • Melee Damage
  • Combo Damage
  • Ultimate Damage
  • Status Effects
  • Item Procs (e.g. Proc from Yvenia’s Thunder)
• Item Power scaling has changed to better reflect the actual power of the item based on its rarity. This is applied to all items retroactively. Players will see the Power of their items go up.

Gameplay Bug Fixes

• The Ultimate ability bar will no longer appear full at the start of a mission when it isn’t actually full
• Weapon recoil will now stop once an exo is looking straight up
• Fixed a number of animation issues that could occur when the Colossus was using its shield.
• It should no longer be possible for the Interceptor to become Frozen while starting up their ultimate
• Interceptor Aura damage will now deal the correct type of damage based on the active aura
• Players can no longer equip abilities from one javelin to another
• The Colossus can now use gear faster after being attacked by a heavy hit from enemies
• The Colossus can now shield charge through destructible objects such as explosive canisters or harvest nodes
• The Colossus now recovers faster after crashing into walls

Item Balance Updates

• Increased the base health of Wind Wall and Bulwark Point to provide better scaling in higher difficulties. The duration of these has been reduced to 20 seconds, down from 60 seconds
• Burst Mortar’s damage has been increased to 300, up from 145 and its cooldown has been reduced to 6 seconds, down from 10 seconds. Its description has also been fixed.
• Flak Cannon’s damage has been increased to 42, up from 30
• Battle Cry’s description has been updated to explain that it also reduces the resistances of affected targets
• Wraith Strike’s damage has been increased to 250, up from 200 and it will now apply elemental effect to targets based on the active aura
  • Note: Description text for Wraith Strike will be updated in 1.0.4.

Item Bug Fixes

• Wind Wall should no longer block or interfere with other player abilities
• Ranger Grenadier Component will now correctly lower the cooldown of grenade abilities
• Fixed an issue where certain weapons were not firing where the crosshairs were aimed
• The Ice Blast ability for the Storm javelin now has the primer icon correctly displayed

Inscription Bug Fixes

• The Thruster Delay Recovery Inscription is now correctly applying a bonus
• The Overheat Delay Recovery Inscription is now correctly applying a bonus
• The Weapon Reload Bonus Inscription is now correctly applying a bonus
  • Note: These will have non-updated text values until the next patch (1.0.4)

Masterwork Item Balance Updates

• Increased the base damage of the following Masterwork Weapons.
  • Ralner’s Blaze
  • Rolling Carnage
  • Cycle of Pain
  • The Last Stand
  • Glorious Result
  • Insult and Injury
  • Sentinel Vengeance
  • Gnosta’s Balm
  • Vassa’s Surprise
  • Soothing Touch
  • Renewed Courage
  • Artinia’s Gambit

Masterwork Item Bug Fixes

• Ralner’s Blaze – Will no longer roll with incorrect inscriptions
• Ablative Shielding now provides the proper boost in shield and armor
• Badge of Devastation will now generate more ultimate charge when triggered
• It should no longer be possible to stack the effect from Gunslinger’s Mark more than once

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-anthem-update-fixed-loot-bug-much-to-players-a/1100-6465491/

The start of a new week means we’ll have a brand-new batch of game deals at Best Buy–but this isn’t just any old week. Sunday, March 10–also known as Mario Day–kicked off a week of celebration for Nintendo’s lovable mustached plumber, and as a result, several retailers are running major discounts on Mario games all week. That includes Best Buy, where you can save 50% on a select Mario game when you buy a Nintendo Switch. Best Buy has four games left to choose from as part of this deal: Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Mario Tennis Aces, and Super Mario Party. This deal is only available through Saturday while supplies last, so if you’ve been planning to buy a Switch, now’s a good time to pick one up.

For those who already own a Switch, you can still get Mario games at a discount this week. Like other retailers, Best Buy is selling digital downloads for various Mario games for just $40; however, the codes seem to be unavailable as of this time. We’ll update this post if that changes.

Don’t worry, it’s not all about Mario this week; in fact, quite a few big games are on sale at Best Buy right now. Red Dead fans will be pleased to see that Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year Edition is just $10, and Red Dead Redemption II is still marked down to $40. Meanwhile, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is on sale for $15, BioShock: The Collection is down to $20, and Just Cause 4: Day 1 Edition is selling for just $40. Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Online Edition is available for just $20, and Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience is just $15.

See our full list of picks from this week’s Best Buy game sale below, and browse the full catalog of options on Best Buy’s website. As always, these deals are available now through Saturday, March 16.

Shop Best Buy’s weekly game deals:

• BioShock: The Collection — $20 (PS4, Xbox One)
• Borderlands: The Handsome Collection — $15 (PS4, Xbox One)
• FIFA 19 — $30 (PS4, Xbox One)
• Fire Emblem Warriors — $45 (Switch)
• For Honor: Marching Fire Edition — $20 (PS4, Xbox One)
• Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Online Edition — $20 (PS4, Xbox One)
• Just Cause 4: Day 1 Edition — $40 (PS4, Xbox One)
• Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience — $15 (PS4)
• Nintendo Switch With 50% Off One Mario Game — $330
• Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year Edition — $10 (Xbox One/Xbox 360)
• Red Dead Redemption II — $40 (PS4, Xbox One)
• Tom Clancy’s The Division — $20 (PS4, Xbox One)
• The Sims 4 Plus Cats and Dogs Bundle — $30 (PS4)
• Star Wars Battlefront — $15 (PS4)
• Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido — $40 (Switch)

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/best-buy-sale-includes-huge-deals-on-mario-games-r/1100-6465483/

Halo Infinite appears primed to get its big debut at E3 2019, but it may be a very different kind of game. Comments from Kiki Wolfkill, the head of Halo trans-media at 343, has added more reason to believe that the studio is imagining this as an ongoing game or live service.

“We have to be able to change content quickly,” Wolfkill said at Fortune‘s Brainstorm Design conference. “We can’t afford to wait three years every time we drop a new product and have it be a black box because the games kids are playing are changing every week.”

The reference to a three-year development cycle as outdated, paired with the title of Halo Infinite itself, would seem to suggest that Microsoft and 343 are planning this entry as an ongoing game of some sort. That would also make sense alongside her reference of games that kids are playing currently. It sounds like a reference to games like Fortnite, which issues regular challenge updates and new equipment between its large seasonal updates.

Wolfkill also referenced “having a set of rules that people can engage with and buy into for years to come.”

As the head of of trans-media, Wolfkill’s focus is how to tell different kinds of Halo stories across a variety of media. That means she may not be directly involved in game development, but she probably is planning other media and storytelling that takes advantage of the story established in Halo Infinite. That could mean we see stories regularly updating in the game and continuing through other media, or criss-crossing through both.

The studio recently had to respond to concerns about microtransactions, following a job posting. It has also specified that it will not have paid loot boxes.

This news comes as Halo head of franchise development Frank O’Connor has recently confirmed that Halo Infinite will hit PC and Xbox One, rather than wait for the next generation of consoles. And given the popularity of battle royale, we’ve seen a good deal of speculation about Halo adopting the play format–though 343 is staying mum on the subject.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-infinite-could-adopt-games-as-service-model/1100-6465482/

After years of development, Sony Bend has completed production of the new PS4 exclusive zombie game Days Gone. In a post on Twitter, Sony Bend confirmed that the game had reached “gold” status, meaning the team has finished development of the project.

With the game completed, it can now be sent to manufacturers for mass production. In the middle of the shot you can see a developer holding what could be the “gold” master disc.

Days Gone puts you into the boots of a biker named Deacon St. John, a bounty hunter who travels around the apocalypse on his bike. He fights against zombie-like creatures known as Freakers, among other enemies.

GameSpot’s Edmond Tran and Alessandro Fillari recently played the game, and came away with the impression that the game feels familiar–but that might not be a bad thing. For more, you can check out GameSpot’s interview with Days Gone’s creative director John Garvin and game director Jeff Ross.

Days Gone launches on April 26 exclusively for PS4.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-ps4-exclusive-days-gone-goes-gold/1100-6465477/