It feels like, compared to its predecessor, Hitman 2 has very much gone under the radar. It was a great game at launch, but we think it’s safe to say that the sequel hasn’t had the same impact the episode-based original had. Nevertheless, IO Interactive’s latest rounds out its season pass content next week on PlayStation 4 with a tropical trip to Haven Island.
This time around, Agent 47 dons a fake identity and works his way into the position of a guest at the privately-owned island. It is said to be a luxurious destination for the wealthiest families on the planet, but that’ll make the stealthy slaughtering all the more satisfying. It hits PS4 on 24th September to be exact and brings with it two further Special Assignments named A Silver Tongue and A Bitter Pill.
World War Z has received an impressive level of post-launch support ever since its promising release back in April, with the best part being that it’s all completely free. It gets even better with season two, however, which teases PS4 crossplay with PC and other consoles, as well as new missions and zombie types.
There’s no doubting that crossplay is the biggest talking point of World War Z’s second season of content, which is said to add support for console and PC players to interact with one another across all PvE modes. Elsewhere, two new missions set in Moscow and New York are on their way alongside extra weapons and zombie types.
Borderlands 3 is here and it’s currently holding the attention of your friendly neighborhood Xbox Wire editorial team. We recently took a glowing look at one of the game’s playable characters, the robotic Beastmaster named FL4K. As you might have noticed if you read the article, our own Jeff Rubenstein was quite smitten with FL4K’s Dr. Doolittle-like animal whispering abilities. Of course, his judgment might have been clouded by the pile of Skill Points that was thrown his way to level up the character right from the jump.
Now that we’ve had the chance to play Borderlands 3 for a couple days, however, we’ve all got our own opinions about which class is best. Looking to start playing? Take a look at our character breakdowns below for some ideas on what to expect.
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Mike Nelson chooses Zane, the Operative
The dude can create a hologram of himself that kicks ass (and deals damage), dispatch an automated drone that fills enemies full of holes, and can throw down a shield to protect his allies. Clearly the most versatile of the new Vault Hunters in my opinion. Also has more quips and japes than you can shake a dead skag at that gets a chuckle out of me every now and again.
My favorite combo for Zane that I’ve been putting my Skill Points into is Hitman and Double Agent. This gives you a great pairing to play Borderlands 3 solo with two “co-op” partners that you can call on for a limited time: the Digi-Clone (aka hologram Zane) and the SNTNL drone. I’ve also found it cool that you can warp back to the Digi-Clone’s location, making your enemy’s head spin and can get you out of trouble quickly if you get surrounded.
No, he doesn’t have a giant mech. Nor can he command a pack of skaags. But Zane’s got some extraordinary tools that I’m looking forward to leveling up and expanding as my Borderlands 3 adventure continues.
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Jeff Rubenstein chooses Moze, the Gunner
Aren’t they all gunners? No matter – Moze sees Borderlands adopt one of the bigger trends this generation: getting your butt kicked? Summon a giant mech to jump into!
And so it goes for Moze; a press of the Left Bumper and this character digistructs her “Iron Bear” mech, clambers inside, and rains holy hell on Bandits, beasts, or anything else in her path. You got your D.Va in my Borderlands!
The catch is, Moze can only stay in the Iron Bear until it’s out of fuel, or it takes too much of a beating. So I’ve focused her skill tree on toughening up her mech (“Security Bear,” “Stainless Steel Bear”), increasing its fuel efficiency (“Deadlines”), and reducing its Cooldown (“Grizzled”). By the time Moze hit level 10, she was spending a lot more time inside the Iron Bear, which is exactly where you want her to be.
I’ve also enjoyed tinkering with Iron Bear’s many weapons; the Vanquisher Rocket Pod, modded to lock and home in, is a favorite. And if you’re playing co-op a lot, it’s worth the Skill point in “Dakka Bear” – it adds a turret for one of your friends to, um, catch a ride on.
Yes, Mike, all of the characters can crack a joke. But does Zane quote Ariana Grande? Thank you, next.
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Will Tuttle chooses Amara, the Siren
I’ll admit that I was not originally expecting to choose the Siren. Given that Borderlands is a game that’s ostensibly all about guns, I kind of figured that I’d go with the Gunner since, y’know, it’s got gun right there in the name. Then I remembered that there’s more to this game than guns and that Amara is one of only six Sirens in the entire Borderlands universe. I mean, that’s got to count for something, right?
I think what most interested me in Amara are her phase powers, which allow her to perform a number of powerful, almost-magical attacks during combat. Her Phaseslam Action Skill allows her to jump and slam into the ground, exploding weak nearby enemies and launching the more powerful ones up in the air for your allies to blast. Phasegrasp, on the other hand (pun most definitely intended), brings a large hand up from underground, holding baddies in place for an extended period while you unload on them with your weapons.
As for me, I’ve spent most of my time using the Phasecast Action Skill. This ability lets Amara blast an electricity-based version of herself straight ahead, damaging any enemies caught in the path. I’ve tweaked it a bit by dumping skill points into some of her action skill augments. This includes an augment called Soul Sap that gives Amara health back every time she uses Phasecast, giving it an element of defense to go with its offense.
And you guys can have your cute jokes. Amara knows saving the universe is serious business.
Finally, the Borderlands 3 Super Deluxe Edition is available for $99.99 – at a special limited-time pricing that will go up to $119.99 on September 17 — and includes all the bonus digital content of the Deluxe Edition plus the Borderlands 3 Season Pass, which includes: four campaign DLC packs featuring new stories, missions and challenges; Butt Stallion weapon skin, weapon trinket, and grenade mod.
Starting at 2:00 p.m. PST today, members of the Xbox One Preview Beta Ring will begin receiving the latest 1910 Xbox One system update (Build: 19H1_RELEASE_XBOX_DEV_191018363.7168.190916-1945).
DETAILS:
OS version released: 19H1_RELEASE_XBOX_DEV_191018363.7168.190916-1945
Available: 2:00 p.m. PST – September 18, 2019
Mandatory: 3:00 a.m. PST – September 19, 2019
FIXES:
Games
Fixed an issue where declining a game’s request for permissions can cause the prompt to appear repeatedly.
Guide
Fixed an issue where the Guide would show a game installing when it has been cancelled.
Accessibility
Fixed an issue with the power menu not displaying correctly with Light Theme enabled.
Various fixes to Narrator when reading content on the console.
Fixed an issue where the narrator would not read some items in the Gamerscore Leaderboard.
My Games & Apps
Fixed and issue where some users were not seeing games appear in Ready to Install.
Various improvements while navigating collections.
System – Controller
A new version of controller firmware (4.8.1908.0) has been released for certain controller models. Users may be prompted to update the controller automatically when it is connected to the console. You can also go to Settings>Devices & streaming> Accessories with the controller connected, then select the ellipsis button to see if a firmware update is available.
Changes in this firmware include:
• Reliability improvements for wireless connectivity on console.
• Improvements to Bluetooth pairing.
• Nexus behavior changes over Bluetooth on Android.
System
Fixes for issues where the console are shutting down unexpectedly while playing games and using media apps such as Netflix.
Note: If for some reason you experience this behavior after today’s update, make sure to submit a report from the console as soon as it has rebooted.
Fixes to the console setup process when selecting to Apply account settings.
Fixed an issue when manually closing games and apps via the menu.
Various updates to properly reflect local languages across the console.
KNOWN ISSUES:
Audio
Users who have Dolby Atmos enabled and console display settings set to 120hz with 36 bits per pixel (12-bit) are experiencing loss of Dolby Atmos audio in some situations.
Workaround: Disable 120hz or set Video Fidelity to 30 bits per pixel (10-bit) or lower.
Dolby Access
Users are unable to complete the setup for Dolby Atmos in the app and the app is not recognizing Dolby Atmos headphones.
Note: This is an issue with the Dolby Access app and the app developers are aware and investigating.
Guide
Users are reporting that their Friends list is not updating with correct status.
Profile Color
Sometimes users may encounter the incorrect Profile color when powering on the console.
We’ve barely heard anything about ReadySet Heroes since its announcement during the inaugural State of Play. The neat-looking dungeon crawler pits four players against each other in a competitive hunt for loot before throwing down in an arena battle. It doesn’t sound particularly impressive written down, but this new gameplay video from PlayStation Underground looks pretty fun.
This video shows off a typical 2v2 game of ReadySet Heroes. Your team of two will make its way through a randomly generated dungeon, trying to get as far as possible within the time limit and picking up new weapons and stat buffs along the way. At the same time, the opposition is trying to do the same. Once your time in the dungeon is up, all players will be put into a competitive brawl of some kind. The example in the video has you trying to feed sushi to your team’s walrus, of course, but there will be multiple mini-games that will decide the winners.
Ubisoft has revealed that the open beta for Ghost Recon: Breakpoint will begin later this month, lasting just a few days. It’ll apparently feature content that wasn’t part of the closed beta which ran earlier this month.
Pinch us! We never thought we’d see the return of cult PSone franchise MediEvil, but Other Ocean’s upcoming PlayStation 4 remake has gone gold. For those uncertain on the technical terminology, this effectively means that the title is complete and ready for manufacturing. Here’s what the final master looks like:
Of course, while it was never really in doubt, this means that the game will hit its previously announced 25th October release date, so you can be confident you’ll be reacquainting yourself with Sir Dan and co in time for Halloween. The latest gameplay footage is looking great – are you eager to revisit Gallowmere in a few weeks?
Ah yes, BioWare is still trying to keep its failed looter-shooter alive. ANTHEM is dead in the water, but in an effort to keep its tiny community engaged, the former Mass Effect developer has issued an update on its blog pertaining to what lies ahead of the game. The problem is, head of live service Chad Robertson doesn’t actually announce or even hint at anything for the future whatsoever.
With the title “What is next for ANTHEM”, you’d expect some sort of content reveal to be included. Robertson discusses the feedback received from the title’s recent Cataclysm event, before taking a deep dive into the road ahead.
