Bethesda has announced the first piece of its three-part 2019 roadmap for Fallout 76 is delayed. Don’t worry, though, it’s only been delayed by a day.

“We are moving the release of Wild Appalachia back one day on all platforms,” Bethesda tweeted. “We just need a little more time to brew. Experience the new quest, crafting station & much more starting now on March 13.” Wild Appalachia was first announced on Fallout 76’s 100 day anniversary, alongside the game’s two other major follow-up expansions for 2019, Nuclear Winter and Wastelanders.

Wild Appalachia includes two new quests and a game mode, as well as several features. The two quests, titled Shear Terror and Ever Upwards, offer new stories for you to pursue, with the former focusing on mythical monsters and the latter having you join the Pioneer Scouts and earning merit badges. The new game mode, called Survival, is a PvP variation of Fallout 76’s Adventure mode. Of all the new features, brewing and distilling your own Nukashine recipes is the most notable, but the expansion also includes a means for exchanging unwanted legendary gear for new legendaries and setting up your own store for you to sell items to other players.

Fallout 76’s two other 2019 expansions are scheduled for much later in the year, with Nuclear Winter launching in the summer and Wastelanders in the fall. Nuclear Winter unlocks a new Legendary status and abilities for players who are level 50, and opens up Vaults 94 and 96 as challenging Raids for you to tackle with your friends. Wastelanders introduces “a tale with true choice and consequences” that includes a new main quest, factions, events, and features.

In our Fallout 76 review, Edmond Tran wrote, “Bethesda has stated it intends to continue supporting the game for a long time, but at launch, Fallout 76 is a poor experience. There are echoes of the series’ admirable qualities, but look past that facade, past the cute Vault Boy animations, past the familiar radio tracks, and you’ll find no heart–just an inconsequential wasteland doomed to be nuked over and over again.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-fallout-76-expansion-delayed-but-not-for-very-/1100-6465501/

Nintendo is holding a new Splatfest event in Splatoon 2 this weekend. The 24-hour competition kicks off on Friday, March 15 at 9 PM PT (12 AM ET on March 16), and as usual, it asks players to represent one of two opposing teams in Turf War. This time, however, you’ll be able to face off in special outfits.

The theme for this month’s Splatfest is knights vs. wizards. As always, players will choose one of the two sides from the Splatfest terminal in the game’s main plaza and try to rack up as many wins for their team as possible during the event. However, unlike previous events, you’ll be able to dress like your team of choice if you have the appropriate gear.

During each Splatfest, once you’ve chosen a side you’ll receive a special in-game t-shirt representing your team. You’re able to equip any headgear or footwear you own during the event, but you typically cannot change your t-shirt until the Splatfest has concluded.

This time, however, if you wear headgear and boots from the Steel or Enchanted lines–which are unlocked via the Octoling Boy and Octoling Girl Amiibo figures, respectively–your Splatfest shirt will automatically change to match, letting you battle it out in full knight or wizard regalia.

Ahead of the Splatfest, Nintendo recently rolled out Splatoon 2’s 4.5.0 update. This patch primarily makes balance adjustments to a range of weapons, most notably nerfing several Sloshers and buffing a handful of Blasters. You can read the full patch notes for the 4.5.0 update on Nintendo’s support website.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-switchs-next-splatoon-2-event-has-a-neat-/1100-6465497/

Whether you’re already deep into Devil May Cry 5, which just released on March 8, or haven’t had a chance to pick up the latest game, you may find this news exciting: Devil May Cry: The Animated Series is currently available for free from the PlayStation Store.

If you’re thinking, I didn’t even know Devil May Cry had an anime, here’s a quick catch-up: The DMC anime released in Japan in 2007 and consists of 12 episodes. Set between the events of Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 2, the anime follows devil hunter Dante, who’s running his business and taking odd jobs while struggling with crippling debt. The show also introduces two regular characters: J.D. Morrison, Dante’s agent who brings him job requests, and Patty Lowell, an orphan girl Dante rescues who becomes like a daughter to him. Morrison makes his first appearance in the video game series with Devil May Cry 5, so you’ll have to watch the anime to understand his full backstory with Dante.

How to watch Devil May Cry: The Animated Series on PSN

The DMC anime is available to purchase and watch for free in the PlayStation store right now, but you can only access it through your PS4, rather than the web store. The deal also appears to be limited to the North American store (although some people on Reddit have commented that it’s not free for them in Canada).

To access the series, head to the PlayStation Store on your PS4 and search “Devil May Cry.” The anime should pop up alongside the games. If you’re not seeing it there, try searching under Movies and TV -> TV Genres -> Anime, and then sort A to Z to find Devil May Cry. Normally, the series is $25 to purchase, and it’s unclear how long it’ll be listed as free, so don’t wait long if you’re interested in watching.

While Devil May Cry is on your mind, read our Devil May Cry 5 review, and pick up the new game if you’re ready to bash some demons.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-entire-devil-may-cry-anime-series-is-now-free-/1100-6465495/

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/