It’s Outbreak Day, the unofficial celebration of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us series, and the studio celebrated with a behind-the-scenes look at The Last of Us 2. In the video, the team sheds more light on the story and some new gameplay mechanics for the upcoming sequel.

It starts with what appears to be early in the game, with Ellie and her friend Dina living in Jackson. The video mentions that Joel is living there too, though we’ve only just seen him for the first time in the latest story trailer. The first part of the story takes place with Ellie and Dina exploring an area through the snow, and apparently this is where Ellie and Dina express their feelings for each other.

Though that’s a tender sentiment, the mission itself is dangerous. Naughty Dog noted that it wanted to make enemies more threatening this time around, so even runners are more threatening. Ellie has new capabilities to her advantage, like increased agility and the ability to squeeze through small spaces. A new workbench also serves as the up-close look at your arsenal as you upgrade weapons. Later in the gameplay portion, we see enemy dogs who can track your scent, as opposed to most enemies who can only see or hear you.

The Last of Us 2 is coming February 21, 2020, and we got extended hands-on time with it. You can now download a new free dynamic theme. We also received word, however, that the game won’t include multiplayer.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-2-extended-trailer-gives-story-game/1100-6470146/

After receiving a hotfix update last week, developer Gearbox has revealed that Borderlands 3 will receive a new patch later today that will address a variety of community concerns, including multiplayer problems, user interface issues, and more.

The new Borderlands 3 patch is scheduled to go live today by or before 3 PM PT / 5 PM CST / 6 PM ET / 11 PM BST for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. A bulk of the patch is dedicated to the looter-shooter’s multiplayer and user interface, though the patch also targets performance and implements general fixes.

Some headlining changes center around multiplayer like audio troubles–such missing or quiet sounds when player two moves too far from player one in split-screen–and animation interruptions–including sprinting getting interrupted when other players open the ECHO menu in split-screen. Online multiplayer will also see some fixes, particularly relating to three-player squads having issues connecting to solo players.

Borderlands 3’s patch will also update the game’s user interface. Subtitles should now display after the initial cutscene, spending skill points will give off an audible flourish that previously failed to execute, Crazy Earl’s store has been modified, and more. PC players will notice a visual change with this new patch, too, as the focus from the mouse’s last known location should no longer hang around the screen even after plugging in and playing with a controller.

Some other changes come with Borderlands 3’s patch, including general improvements–like localizing special prompts–and performance updates–such as the game’s stability getting ironed out. Check out the full patch notes below.

Borderlands 3 Full Patch Notes

Performance

• [PC Only] Reduced the amount of texture streaming that was occurring when aiming down sights.
• Addressed a reported concern where certain users with a lot of people in their friend’s list saw more frequent hitching.
• Implementing general stability improvements.

General Fixes and Improvements

• Addressed a reported issue where KillaVolt’s Shield Storm attack does not disable the tiles around KillaVolt, resulting in the entire floor being activated.
• Addressed a potential progression blocker in the mission “Footsteps of Giants.”
• Addressed a reported issue where Guardian Rank had the potential to become non-functional and/or the player could potentially lose Guardian Rank tokens into the negatives.
• Modified vending machines so it will now sort items by rarity.
• Console FOV is now set to 75 by default. This will not affect players who have already started the game.
• Special prompts for particle text (Tediore guns, “critical,” “immune”) are now properly localized.
• Addressed a reported concern that certain players experienced where their vehicle’s boost could continue into the next map.
• Addressed a reported concern with “Porcelain Pipe Bomb” where it set off multiple explosions when colliding with objects.

User Interface

• Adjusted the verbiage for “left stick” and “right stick” inside the Russian localized version of the control options screen.
• Addressed a reported issue where certain users experienced a failure of the audio to play when spending skill points in the UI.
• The text is now correctly marked “invalid” when you enter an invalid e-mail address on the SHiFT account creation page.
• Addressed a reported issue where the item of the day item card would flash briefly before displaying on vending machines.
• Addressed a reported concern that certain players were served an unread mail icon when they didn’t have mail to read.
• Iron Bear button prompts will now correctly update if you re-bind your controls.
• Modified various features and elements of Crazy Earl’s store.
• Addressed a reported issue where subtitles wouldn’t display until after the initial cutscene.
• Addressed an issue experienced by certain players that social notifications could become stuck on-screen.
• Addressed a player concern that certain item preview images were failing to load inside the player bank.
• [PC Only] Addressed an issue reported by certain PC players where the focus from the mouse’s last known location was sticking around even when playing with a gamepad.
• Addressed an issue reported by certain players where the cursor would snap to an unintended location in the UI.

Splitscreen and Online Multiplayer

• Addressed a concern reported by certain players that the dialog volume faded too low before switching to ECHO audio during split-screen gameplay.
• Addressed a concern reported by certain players that sounds were quiet or missing for the second split-screen player if they move too far from player one.
• Addressed a concern reported by certain players that three-player groups were having trouble matchmaking with an additional solo player.
• Addressed a reported concerned experienced by certain players that in split-screen one player’s sprinting animation could be interrupted by the other player opening the ECHO menu.
• Addressed a concern reported by certain players that in split-screen where one player’s aiming down sights could be interrupted by the other player opening the ECHO menu.
• Addressed a handful of reported client replication issues:
  • Addressed Tina’s pizza bomb so it displays correctly for clients.
  • Modified certain audio elements that were reportedly looping for clients.
  • Addressed a reported player concern so the Guardian Skill “Dead Man’s Hand” now functions properly.
• Player icons are now pinned to the side of the mini-map when playing in any kind of multiplayer.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/borderlands-3-patch-notes-new-update-launches-late/1100-6470142/

Respawn has released a new trailer for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. There’s plenty to unpack in the new trailer, which is embedded below, and we’ve listed out the more significant details in the following article.

Though there’s an underlying current of adventure, the sense that the odds are stacked against Cal is at the forefront throughout the trailer. There’s a near-constant sense of danger looming over the young Jedi, which helps convey the feeling that he’s being constantly hunted throughout the game’s campaign. Hopefully, that feeling is captured in the game itself when it releases. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is scheduled to launch on Xbox One, PS4, and PC on November 15.

Cal Visits Quite A Few Planets In Fallen Order

At 0:34 we see an ice-covered planet, at 0:39 the trailer transitions to the marshy surface of a different planet, and at 1:10 a galaxy map reveals four possible planets to fast-travel to. However, one of the four planets–the one on the far left–looks like it could just be the planet seen at 0:39.

There are a lot of planets in Star Wars and many of them possess similar landscapes, so it’s difficult to definitively say which are included in this trailer without a bit more to go on. The ice-covered planet certainly looks like Hoth and the marsh-covered one does seem to be Pillio–first seen in Star Wars Battlefront II–but those are just educated guesses. Thanks to the trailers that were released during E3 2019, we do know that at least one of the planets that Cal visits is Kashyyk though.

There’s A Jedi Temple On One Of Those Planets

At 0:43, Cal uses the Force to access a temple. Inside, there are puzzles that can only be solved by moving large pieces of stone into certain positions (seen at 0:50), murals of robed figures (seen at 0:53), and the symbol of the Jedi Order (seen at 0:56). This is most likely an ancient Jedi Temple–and judging by the vegetation overgrowth it looks like no one has been inside in years.

Is Second Sister Talking To Darth Vader Or Simply About The Sith Lord?

Briefly, at 0:48, you can hear Darth Vader’s trademark breathing in the half-second fade to black shot that transitions the scene of Cal opening the Jedi Temple to the one of him exploring it. It’s only one breath though, and then the Second Sister begins talking, saying, “He’s searching for something, something very precious to the Empire.”

Though the scenes show Cal searching for something, it doesn’t show who Second Sister is talking to when she delivers that line. Is the “he” that she’s referring to Cal, or–given the breath–is it Darth Vader?

What this could mean:

If the Second Sister is just talking to Vader, then the “he” she’s referencing is most likely Cal. If that’s the case, we have no idea what the “something” could be. However, if Second Sister is talking to someone else and the “he” is in reference to Vader, then that could open up some intriguing possibilities–including the chance that the Empire is seeking out a way to locate Force-sensitive individuals. Not only would that benefit the Empire’s efforts in hunting down the last of the Jedi, but it would also give Vader the necessary tools for hunting down both his former apprentice Ahsoka Tano and former master Obi-Wan Kenobi, as both managed to escape Order 66.

That’s A Big Bat

Strange creatures aren’t uncommon in the galaxy of Star Wars, but the monstrous bat (seen at 1:15) is a new one for the franchise. It’s way too big to be a Shyrack or Loth-Bat, which means we’re probably seeing a never-before-seen species for Star Wars.

There’s another seemingly new creature at 1:34 but it also could just as easily be a new variant of Rancor. Though no longer canon, The Force Unleashed showcased how this ogre-like species has evolved in multiple ways on different planets, with some even developing tusks. The battle against the creature–and the aforementioned bat–certainly looks inspired from The Force Unleashed.

What this could mean:

We might get to go to a planet in Fallen Order that hasn’t been included in Star Wars before. Of course, if this bat is just a Shyrack (which are native to Korriban) or a Loth-Bat (which is native to Lothal), then that would likely mean we’re visiting the Sith home planet or the location of the World Between Worlds. But both possibilities seem less likely in comparison to this bat just being a new species on a new world.

New Purge Troopers

In previous trailers, we’ve only seen one type of Purge Trooper–the one that carries an electrostaff. However, this trailer gives us three more examples of the special Stormtroopers that are specifically trained to hunt down Jedi.

At 0:59, there’s gameplay of Cal fighting off a Purge Trooper armed with what appears to be an ax variation of the electrostaff. It has one giant cleaver-like blade on one end, with a current running along the length of the weapon so that the staff portion can still block and deflect lightsaber blades. Then, at 1:22, there’s a snippet of a cutscene that includes several Purge Troopers that carry firearms–as well as one in the back armed with an electrostaff, which again we’ve already seen. Finally, at 1:26, there’s gameplay of Cal using the Force to push a Purge Trooper back, and this particular Jedi killing Stormtrooper uses twin blades.

More Than One Inquisitor

The Second Sister isn’t the only Inquisitor we’ll meet in Fallen Order, as the trailer reveals we’ll run into at least one more. At 1:25, we see the Ninth Sister, a hulking Dowutin who is a former Jedi Knight. In the comics, her specialty in the Force is forced empathetic connection, allowing her to understand what another person is feeling in mere moments. This skill is twisted by Darth Vader, transforming the Ninth Sister into one of the Empire’s best interrogators, one who can use the Force to instantly glean who amongst a group is guilty as well as what they fear most.

The Second Sister Doesn’t Use Her Double-Bladed Lightsaber

Although the Second Sister carries a double-bladed lightsaber throughout the entire trailer, we never see the Jedi-hunting Inquisitor ignite her second blade. It’s odd, especially when you consider that the Inquisitors’ signature double-bladed lightsabers are designed to make the Jedi hunters more intimidating and seem more adept with the weapon than they typically are.

What this could mean:

The Second Sister might not need to seem competent with a lightsaber. She might just be skilled with the weapon. We’ve seen this before in the Grand Inquisitor, who would occasionally only use one blade because–as a former Jedi–he was skilled enough to fight with the gimmick of a twirling double-bladed saber. We learn in Star Wars Rebels that the Grand Inquisitor is so powerful because he was a temple guard–in fact, his skill was so great, he was one of the temple guards trusted with subduing Barriss Offee during her trial in Star Wars The Clone Wars.

So perhaps, like the Grand Inquisitor, the Second Sister is also a powerful fallen Jedi. Given her stature, voice, and fighting style (which we finally get a look at in this trailer, and it appears to be a mixture of Form III and IV) there’s some support to the theory that she’s Barriss–the Jedi traitor who managed to hold her own against Anakin Skywalker while still a Padawan learner. Regardless if she’s Bariss or not, the trailer does seem to at least suggest that the Second Sister is more skilled in using the Force and fighting with a lightsaber than her peers.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-wars-jedi-fallen-order-trailer-breakdown-dart/1100-6470110/