EA and DICE have announced that the January Star Wars Battlefront update is now live, and it features balance changes to Heroes, bug fixes, and more. According to players, it’s 2.9GB on PlayStation 4, 3.9GB on Xbox One, and 2.44GB on PC.
Here’s the full list of patch notes:
Bug Fixes and Tweaks
General
- General: Various minor UI issues.
- General: Various lighting fixes
- General: Various minor art updates on Rogue One: Scarif maps
Game Modes
- Walker Assault: Fixed a bug where three uplinks could be seen at the same time on Rogue One: Scarif maps
- Walker Assault: Adjusted all Hero spawn points on Rogue One: Scarif maps
- Walker Assault: Changed Y-wing timer to 30 seconds on Rogue One: Scarif maps
- Walker Assault: Adjusted AT-AT health across all maps
- Walker Assault: Adjusted AT-AT speed on Twilight on Hoth
- Infiltration: Adjusted playable area during The Approach
- Infiltration: Fixed an issue where users could not grab another Data tape after using the Jump Pack
- Hero Hunt: Fixed a bug with the Hero selection screen
- Heroes vs. Villains: Changed to only 1 set per map
- Battle Station: R2-D2 ignores benefits from Bacta Bomb and Medical Droid
- Private Match: Fixed an end of round issue on Infiltration where the U-wing didn’t spawn if switching teams in a 1v1 match
Weapons & Star Cards
- Sonic Imploder: Fixed criteria for Grenadier Hutt contract regarding the Flash requirement
- Sonic Imploder: Increased blast radius from 2 to 4 meters
- Sonic Imploder: Increased explosion damage from 90 to 100
- TIE Striker: Raised projectile speed from 800 to 1000 meters/second
- TIE Striker: Increased explosion damage from 5 to 10
- A-180: Fixed a rare bug where users could be spawned with their regular Star Card primary hand instead of the A-180 module
Heroes
General
- Most stuns will be prevented for 2 seconds after a Hero has been stunned once. This doesn’t apply to specific stuns like Force Choke and Force Push
Boba Fett
- Increased Flamethrower damage against Chewbacca by 50%
Bossk
- Reduced Microgrenades inner radius from 3 to 2.5 meters
- Reduced Microgrenades radius from 5 to 4 meters
Chewbacca
- Increased Roar recharge time from 28 to 35 seconds
- Decreased main projectile Explosion damage from 45 to 38
Darth Vader
- Can now use his Saber Throw and Heavy Strike when Force Choking
- Increased Trait radius from 10 meters to 15
- Trait no longer affect enemies
- Trait values now correctly match the UI description, Level 1 20%, Level 2 50%, Level 3 80%
Greedo
- Stuns Luke out of Block for 2 seconds when shooting him with Slow targeting
Jyn
- Increased Pistol End damage from 35 to 69
- Increased Pistol start falloff damage from 40 To 50
- Increased Pistol end falloff damage from 60 To 70
- Decreased Rifle configuration Overheat per bullet from 0.068 to 0.055
Krennic
- Increased Trait radius from 10 to 12 meters
- Armor Breaker is applying the armor reduction after the damage is done
- Reduced Armor Breaker homing capabilities
- Trait values now correctly match the UI description, Level 1 10%, Level 2 20%, Level 3 40%
Lando
- Will no longer be damaged from his Power Blast Explosion
- Power Blast now goes on cooldown properly after deactivation
Leia
- Increased Trait radius from 8 to 13 meters
- Fixed looping stun animation on Trooper Bane shots
- Stormtroopers affected by Bacta will now be defeated by Trooper Bane
- Trait values now correctly match the UI description, Level 1 20%, Level 2 40%, Level 3 60%
Luke
- Decreased speed at Trait level 3 from 80% to 70%
- Shield Deflection can now block Krennic’s Armor Breaker ability
Vehicles
- U-Wing: Fixed missile warning issues
The Star Wars Battlefront expansions came to an end last month with the release of Rogue One: Scarif.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 is scheduled to release later this year.
[Source: EA Star Wars, Reddit (1), (2), (3)]
Sony Published 2016 Games
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Sony Published 2016 Games
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Gravity Rush Remastered
An upgraded port of the PlayStation Vita title, Gravity Rush Remastered was one of the earliest PS4 exclusives of 2016. Kat's debut adventure is still slightly rough around the edges, but plays a lot better with a DualShock 4. It did its job as both filling a slot on the calendar, and getting new players excited for Gravity Rush 2.
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MLB The Show 16
While MLB The Show 16 doesn't garner as many headlines as other Sony titles do, it's consistently one of the publisher's best games. In fact, it's consistency is probably why it doesn't get more attention. The game is always great, so it rarely gets the attention it deserves. That said, it's a key title for Sony, and one that single-handedly makes the PS4 a must own title for baseball fans.
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Ratchet & Clank
Ratchet & Clank is a shining example of a remake done right. While the game definitely shows its 2002 age in spots, it still managed to wow gamers with some beautiful visuals. Clearly Insomniac hasn't lost their technical abilities, and it was an exciting reboot for a series that had began to get stale.
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The Last Guardian
After many years in development, The Last Guardian finally released in 2016. While it wasn't a universally beloved title, as enjoyment of Trico's AI tends to vary from person-to-person, it absolutely resonated with many gamers. The game manages to be both a technical feat, and a disappointment at times due to poor performance, but it's far from forgettable.
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Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Like the title suggests, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End brought Nathan Drake's adventuring days to an end. It didn't always feel fresh, as it demonstrated how little the series had evolved over time, but the game featured the best narrative in the series by far. It was also a sight to behold from beginning to end. Naughty Dog gave the series a fitting ending, even if it's not actually going away.
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Alienation
Considering Housemarque's previous work, it' makes sense why expectations were high for Alienation. The twin-stick shooter offered some top-notch shooting in a loot-driven package that expects players to play the same levels repeatedly. Whether or not it clicked with players came down to personal preference, but there's no denying how well made it is mechanically.
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Bound
Plastic's Bound is arguably the best looking game of 2016. The game takes place inside a woman's mind who is thinking about her past, and features a dancing theme to the surreal action. It's really unlike anything else on PlayStation 4, and manages to stand out from the crowd despite its relatively simple gameplay.
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Hardware: Rivals
A sequel to SCE's PlayStation 2 title Hardware: Online Arena, Hardware: Rivals brings car combat action to PS4. While that certainly sounds exciting in theory, Rivals is undoubtedly a disappointment. There just isn't enough depth to keep it fun over time, and the January release didn't kick off the year right for Sony.
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Heavy Rain
The PS4 port of Heavy Rain is one of mixed quality. On one hand, the game has never looked better. A lot of work went into recreating textures, but sadly it added some bugs along the way. It's not good when an enhanced version of an older title plays worse, but that's the case here. It also doesn't include the excellent The Taxidermist DLC, which is an awfully strange exclusion.
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Kill Strain
Sony San Diego's top-down competitive shooter has some really good ideas, but Kill Strain can't really capitalize on them. The free-to-play nature of the game led to it feeling like an excessive grind, and poor matchmaking options at launch really made it dead on arrival. Another digital miss for Sony.
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Shadow of the Beast
Shadow of the Beast is a reboot of Psygnosis' beloved 1989 Amiga title of the same name. It translates the 2D action pretty faithfully, and layers top-notch graphics on top of it. Its stiff-by-design gameplay was divisive, but as a love letter to the original game it really succeeds.
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The Tomorrow Children
The Tomorrow Children sports an intriguing theme of communism, and a gorgeous aesthetic to match. The crafting title also features some interesting ideas about forcing players to cooperate, but does a very poor job of teaching players what to do. There's a decent time to be had if you can get past the veneer, but it's disappointing that players have to put in so much work just to have fun.
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Driveclub VR
Driveclub VR was basically a consolation prize after Gran Turismo Sport got delayed. That's not to say it's bad, as virtual reality actually adds a lot to the driving, but it wasn't exactly what fans were hoping for. This retooled version of the 2014 release features the many updates that eventually turned Driveclub into a good game, but sadly looks rather poor from a fidelity perspective.
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Here They Lie
Here They Lie has players searching for their missing spouse, and having to go through various hellscapes to find her. It can be pretty creepy at times, but the execution just seems off. It's also one of the most notorious PlayStation VR games when it comes to inducing nasuea, which isn't exactly a great look when Sony is publishing the game.
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Hustle Kings VR
Only a new release by a technicality, but Hustle Kings VR adapts VooFoo Studios' 2009 pool game (which originally released on PS3 and has been ported to Vita & PS4) to work with PlayStation VR. Virtual pool is pretty cool, and players can experience it with an already established title.
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PlayStation VR Worlds
Considering that there were some stinkers in PlayStation VR's launch lineup, it's pretty telling that Sony had a bunch of games that couldn't be fleshed out into a full release. That's PlayStation VR Worlds in a nutshell. A collection of tech demos that weren't worthy of their own game for $39.99. Not quite Wii Sports in terms of pack-ins.
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RIGS: Mechanized Combat League
One game that was fleshed out enough to earn its $39.99 price tag was RIGS: Mechanized Combat League. The multiplayer-focused mech shooter has a variety of modes, with the main one being a futuristic sport offering. There's also a deathmatch variant for those looking for more traditional gameplay, but either way, it's a good time as long as PlayStation VR cooperates.
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Super Stardust Ultra VR
Another technicality, Super Stardust Ultra VR brings Housemarque's classic Asteroids inspired game to VR. It does add an entirely new mode, though, so it's not like work wasn't put into this update. The new mode isn't really what one would expect from Super Stardust, as it has players shooting enemies from within their ship. It's a cool visual, but it's not as good as the base game (which doesn't need VR to be played).
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The Playroom VR
Despite being free, The Playroom VR is actually better than some of Sony's paid VR games. The party game features six different games, and is a great way to introduce virtual reality to friends. There are competitive and cooperative offerings, which makes it a great couch game.
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Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
Released at the budget price of $19.99, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood offered up a fun shooting gallery. It might not be the Until Dawn sequel that people wanted in VR, but sometimes it's fun to just shoot at stuff and have a good time.
