One of the major surprises to come out of February’s big Nintendo Direct presentation was Super Mario Maker 2, a Switch follow-up to the acclaimed Wii U/3DS creation game. Nintendo had previously announced the title would arrive sometime this June, but now the company has pinned down an exact release date: June 28.

Much like the first Super Mario Maker, the Switch game allows users to create and share their own custom Mario levels. As before, the stages can be created in the style of the original Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, or New Super Mario Bros. U, and this time around Nintendo has also added Super Mario 3D World assets to the suite of options.

That isn’t the only major difference in the upcoming game; unlike the original, Super Mario Maker 2 also gives players the ability to create slopes and angled surfaces, something that wasn’t previously possible. Other improvements include the ability to customize how autoscrolling levels scroll, and an assortment of new tools such as on/off switches and more. You can watch the Super Mario Maker 2 announcement trailer above.

The first Super Mario Maker launched for Wii U back in 2015 and was subsequently ported to 3DS the following year. GameSpot awarded it a 9/10 in our original Super Mario Maker review and called it “a game of joyous creation and fun surprises.” Critic Justin Haywald wrote, “The game won’t necessarily turn you into the next Shigeru Miyamoto, but you can almost feel a little bit of that magic rubbing off every time you upload a new creation.”

The other big surprise announcement from February’s Nintendo Direct was the Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening remake for Switch. That game is likewise slated to launch this year, although Nintendo still hasn’t announced a firm release date. You can read more about it and all the big Nintendo exclusives of 2019 in our roundup.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/super-mario-maker-2-gets-release-date/1100-6466462/

Pokemon Go‘s Meltan event has returned for a limited time, giving you another chance to catch a rare Shiny Meltan if you missed it the first time around. Not only will the special Pokemon appear from now until May 5, Niantic has also made it easier to find more Meltan than usual, allowing you to stock up on the Candy you need to evolve it.

Unlike other Mythical Pokemon, which can typically be found through either EX Raids or Special Research questlines, Meltan will only appear in Pokemon Go if you’ve used an item called the Mystery Box, which can be obtained exclusively by linking the game with either Let’s Go Pikachu or Eevee on Nintendo Switch. If you’re unsure of how to get your hands on one, here’s how to catch and evolve the Hex Nut Pokemon.

How To Catch Meltan

As mentioned above, the key to finding Meltan is obtaining the Mystery Box, which you’ll automatically receive after you’ve transferred a Gen 1 Pokemon to either of the Let’s Go titles. You can read more information about how Pokemon Go transfers work here.

After you’ve received a Mystery Box, open it and Meltan will begin to spawn in the wild for the next 30 minutes. Once you spot one, you can catch it just as you would any other wild Pokemon in Go. During this event, you’ll also have a chance of encountering a Shiny Meltan when you open the Mystery Box; however, whether one appears will be down entirely to luck, so you’ll need to be persistent if you’re hoping to catch one.

After the 30 minutes have elapsed, the Mystery Box will close, and you’ll typically need to wait seven days before you can open it again and capture more Meltan. However, from now until May 5, Niantic has greatly reduced this cooldown timer to three days, so you can re-open the Mystery Box and catch Meltan again much more quickly than before.

How To Evolve Meltan

Even if you’ve already caught the Hex Nut Pokemon, the Meltan event is a good opportunity to stock up on more, as you can transfer any excess ones to Professor Willow in exchange for Meltan Candy. You’ll need a whopping 400 of those Candies to evolve Meltan into Melmetal, but you can expedite the process in a few ways. Rare Candies will work toward powering up any Pokemon, even Meltan, and feeding Pinap Berries to one during the capture phase will increase the amount of Candy you receive if you successfully catch it.

If you evolve a Shiny Meltan, it’ll retain its Shiny coloration as Melmetal. This version of the Pokemon sports a slightly darker head and a blue tail rather than a red one. You’ll also be able to transfer any Meltan or Melmetal you’ve obtained in Pokemon Go over to Let’s Go, where you can add them to your party or show them off in online battles. You can read more about how to get Meltan and Melmetal here.

The Meltan event is scheduled to run until 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on Sunday, May 5. More details about the event can be found on the Pokemon Go website.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-to-catch-shiny-meltan-in-pokemon-go-and-lets-g/1100-6466454/

During the latest Kombat Kast, additional details about the server-side update that went live in Mortal Kombat 11 right after release–which reduced the maximum health of AI opponents in the Tower–as well as a coming hotfix update were announced. The live stream also addressed in-game microtransactions in Mortal Kombat 11 as well.

After player outcry in concern for the Towers of Time in Mortal Kombat 11, NeatherRealm agrees that the mode is too difficult in its current state–adding that it made earning rewards to go through the Krypt “punishingly slow” as a result. The developer is working on a patch “as quickly as they can” to balance the issue, with the update scheduled for the end of this week. However, NeatherRealm added that the update could be pushed back to as late as early next week. The update will specifically address AI difficulty and modifiers in the Towers, and also adjust the frequency of modifiers so that they show up less and make certain unblockable modifiers into blockable ones.

Despite these changes to make the Towers of Time less difficult, certain aspects of the mode will remain challenging. Group Battles, for example, will remain a difficult challenge for players because “they are meant” to be.

During the Kombat Kast, NeatherRealm also addressed in-game purchases. The developer said they don’t want to artificially drive people toward microtransactions. As a result, cosmetics, Time Crystals, and easy fatalities will remain the only things you can buy in Mortal Kombat 11’s in-game store outside of DLC. The store will not be changed to allow you to buy in-game currencies.

NeatherRealm also has a bundle of free in-game currency coming to all Mortal Kombat 11 players. The developer doesn’t have a timetable for when the bundle will release quite yet, but it will include 500k Coins, 500 Hearts, 1000 Souls, and 1000 Time Crystals–the latter of which is enough for two premium skins.

Mortal Kombat 11 is available for Xbox One, PS4, Switch, and PC. In our Mortal Kombat 11 review in progress, Edmond Tran wrote, “MK11 isn’t just a sequel for series fans and Netherrealm devotees, it’s a gateway into the realm of fighting games for anyone who has a passing interest in watching ruthless warriors beat each other silly. Streamlined mechanics keep the act of fighting furiously exciting no matter what your skill level, and comprehensive tutorials encourage you to dig into the nitty-gritty. There’s a diverse roster of interesting characters and playstyles, and the story mode is an entertaining romp. The unfulfilling approaches to the game’s dynamic single-player content and progression may feel like they’ve totally whiffed (at least at this early stage), but Mortal Kombat 11 hits where it matters.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mortal-kombat-11-not-meant-to-push-microtransactio/1100-6466455/

Soon you’ll be able to play Overwatch in a whole new way–or several hundred new ways–with the addition of the Overwatch Workshop. The new feature lets players create custom scripts and rule sets that change how the game functions, letting you tinker with your own modes or hero variations.

The tools as described in the official announcement seem pretty flexible. You can change how a hero moves or the properties of their abilities, change damage or healing outputs, or even add text boxes. After creating a script you can test it with the Workshop Inspector and share it online for others to try. The Custom Game Browser will house the Workshop creations.

Blizzard has made two sample modes available to show what’s possible in the Workshop. Molten Floor is just what it sounds like: if you touch the ground, you catch on fire. Mirrored Deathmatch pits you against other players as mirrored heroes, rotating once per minute, and the winner is the one who scored the most total kills.

In a developer update, Jeff Kaplan described the Workshop as a “power user feature” best for people familiar with scripting or programming languages. He also stressed that this isn’t a map editor, so you won’t be able to create custom geometry. You will be able to impact how the existing maps and characters behave.

Workshop is only available on the Public Test Realm (PTR) on PC right now, but once it launches fully you’ll be able to try the custom games on console as well. If you’re in the PTR you can begin creating scripts by going to the Game Browser, and then Create > Settings > Workshop. Blizzard has also created a blog outline with tips and pointers for creators.

Currently Overwatch is in the midst of its story-based Overwatch Archives event, Storm Rising. Like the other Archives, it pits four player-controlled characters against AI opponents in a new mission, and introduces a bunch of new skins to earn.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/overwatch-introduces-workshop-for-custom-game-mode/1100-6466451/

Paradox Interactive has shared some more information about Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. The publisher revealed new tidbits about Thinbloods, one of the game’s various clans, and detailed the different kinds of character classes Thinbloods will be able to choose between.

According to Paradox, Thinbloods are “a recent, weaker strain of vampire who face a constant struggle to survive in the World of Darkness.” Thanks to this status, Thinbloods are often discriminated against by full-blooded Kindred; Paradox says they’re “treated as second-class citizens” and aren’t granted the same social and legal standing as other Kindred, although the vampire leadership in Seattle has been surprisingly tolerant of them.

At the start of the game, players will be able to choose between three different “disciplines” for their Thinblood, which will determine their combat abilities and other attributes. Paradox says these classes were adapted from the Vampire: The Masquerade pen-and-paper RPG. The Chiropteran discipline “calls on the vampire’s strong affinity to bats” and allows players to summon swarms of them and move through the air; Mentalism bestows players with telekinetic abilities; and Nebulation gives Thinbloods command over mist.

Each discipline comes with a variety of abilities that players will be able to gradually learn as they progress through the game. Those who choose the Mentalism discipline, for instance, will start off being able to telekinetically pull objects, but they’ll also be able to learn how to make NPCs levitate in the air. You can read more details about each discipline and their abilities on the Bloodlines 2 website.

Paradox says it will reveal details about the game’s other clans “in the coming weeks.” Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is in development for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. No release date has been announced yet, but the title is slated to release in 2020.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/vampire-the-masquerade-sequel-bloodlines-2-reveals/1100-6466439/