Month: June 2019

Target is offering deep discounts on games this week to encourage use of its in-store pickup feature. The 30% off is a sweet deal if you can make it out to a store, but if you’re not near a Target or just don’t feel like making the trip, Amazon is price-matching many of the same deals. And since it’s Amazon, you don’t need to go anywhere. The result is some great deals on games for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

To take advantage of the Target deals, you’ll need to order online and select “Order Pickup” at checkout. The feature lets you swing by a Target store and grab your purchase at the customer service area. If you don’t mind waiting a few days, though, you can get many of the same deals through Amazon.

There is one wrinkle, though. Amazon’s sale price doesn’t reflect the discount price, but many of the games have coupons and other promotions that take off the difference and match Target’s sale prices. Some promotional prices are automatically applied at checkout, while others require you to click on a coupon to apply it. While you’re at Amazon, you can also get a Fat Black Chocobo for Final Fantasy 14 with any purchase over $20.

The sale includes Devil May Cry 5 for $35, Kingdom Hearts 3 for $24.50, and Metro Exodus for $35, among many others. Which store you use depends on whether you want to get the games now or later, because the prices will be the same.

Check out the full list of eligible games at Target and Amazon should be matching them. If you find any deals that aren’t matched, you may be able to score the deal by contacting Amazon customer service. The Target promotion ends after June 29, which presumably means Amazon will stop then too. But more discounts are coming soon, since Amazon has announced the dates for its annual Prime Day promotion.

• Devil May Cry 5 — $35 (PS4) / $42 (Xbox One)
  • Get it on PS4
  • Get it on Xbox One
• The Division 2 — $40
  • Get it on PS4
  • Get it on Xbox One
• Forza Horizon 4 — $34
  • Get it on Xbox One
• God of War — $24
  • Get it on PS4
• Just Dance 2019 — $21
  • Get it on Switch
• Kingdom Hearts 3 — $24.50
  • Get it on PS4
  • Get it on Xbox One
• Marvel’s Spider-Man — $28
  • Get it on PS4
• Metro Exodus — $35 (PS4) / $39 (Xbox One)
  • Get it on PS4
  • Get it on Xbox One
• Mortal Kombat 11 — $35
  • Get it on Switch
  • Get it on PS4
  • Get it on Xbox One
• NBA 2K19 — $14
  
  • Get it on Switch
  • Get it on PS4
  • Get it on Xbox One
• Resident Evil 2 — $28
  • Get it on PS4
• Spyro Reignited Trilogy — $24 (PS4) / $25 (Xbox One)
  • Get it on PS4
  • Get it on Xbox One
• Team Sonic Racing — $28 (Switch, Xbox One) / $30 (PS4)
  
  • Get it on Switch
  • Get it on PS4
  • Get it on Xbox One
• XCOM 2 Collection — $20
  • Get it on Xbox One

The Pokemon Company capped off its Pokemon 2019 Press Conference last month with the reveal of Pokemon Masters, a brand-new smartphone game developed in collaboration with DeNA (the studio behind Super Mario Run, Mario Kart Tour, and most of Nintendo’s other mobile titles). Few details about the game were shared at the time, but we’ll soon get another look at it thanks to a special livestream presentation happening this week.

The stream is scheduled to air tomorrow, June 27, and will run for roughly eight minutes, offering the first new details about Pokemon Masters since it was announced. If you’re eager to learn more about the anticipated title, here’s when and where you can tune into the stream, as well as what you can expect to see.

What Time Does The Pokemon Masters Livestream Start?

The Pokemon Masters stream airs this Thursday, June 27. In the US, the stream will begin at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET. That equates to 2 PM BST for fans in the UK. Those in Australia, meanwhile, will need to stay up late in order to tune in, as the stream won’t begin until 11 PM AEST.

• 6 AM PT
• 9 AM ET
• 2 PM BST
• 11 PM AEST

Where To Watch

The Pokemon Company will broadcast the Pokemon Masters stream on its official YouTube channel. You’ll also be able to watch it right here on GameSpot using the video embed below, so you can bookmark this page and tune in when the time comes to watch the stream unfold.

What To Expect

We’ve only gotten a brief look at Pokemon Masters thus far, so Thursday’s stream will presumably offer much more insight into the gameplay loop and what you’ll be able to expect from the overall experience. We already know Pokemon Masters will feature a wide assortment of the series’ most notable trainers, and that you’ll be able to battle alongside them in three-on-three contests. However, it’s unclear how the battle system will work or how you’ll be able to build your own Pokemon team. Will battles play out similarly to mainline titles, or offer more simplified mechanics? And will you be able to catch new Pokemon? These questions will likely be cleared up.

We’ll also likely get a look at more of the trainers you’ll be able to encounter in the game. We’ve already seen a handful of them. In the brief footage the Pokemon Company showed off during last month’s press conference, we saw former Pokemon Champion Blue, as well as Brock, Misty, Cynthia, and Steven Stone, while the key art that longtime Pokemon artist Ken Sugimori drew also features Red, Lance, and a few newer characters, including Diantha (the champion from Pokemon X and Y) and the female heroine of Pokemon Black 2 and White 2. That’s likely only scratching the surface of the game’s roster, and it’s a safe bet we’ll see more fan-favorite characters during tomorrow’s stream.

The second day of Fortnite: Battle Royale’s 14 Days of Summer event has brought with it another unvaulted weapon and another challenge to complete. Like the first, it involves another summer-themed objective: Epic Games asks you to bounce a giant beach ball in different matches. Here’s where to go to find the locations of the giant beach balls and what to do once you reach one.

Keep in mind, you have the full duration of the 14 Days of Summer event to complete these challenge. Despite the name, it will be available in Fortnite for about three weeks, wrapping up on July 16.

How To Complete The Giant Beach Ball Challenge

As with beach parties dancing challenge, this is simple in theory–all you have to do is make contact with a giant beach ball. But also like the preceding challenge, you’re given zero indication of where to find these giant beach balls or even how many there are. When you do happen upon one, there won’t be any uncertainty–they are quite large, as advertised–and all you have to do to receive credit is run into the ball. That should trigger the pop-up notification letting you know you’ve progressed the challenge.

Particularly if you’re attempting this right away, you’re likely to run into a lot of other people doing the same thing. They could be hostile, or you might find other players camping the area in search of some easy kills. Fortunately, you can complete each step of this challenge without actually landing. As you’re descending with your glider, you can move into the ball and register progress before your feet touch the ground. That should make it a little easier to complete the challenge before you’re killed.

You’ll need to bounce a total of five beach balls to finish the challenge. As the challenge text notes, you have to do this across different matches, so you’ll need to play at least five rounds to get this done. However, you can keep returning to the same beach ball location over and over from match to match.

Where To Find Giant Beach Balls – All Locations

We’ve discovered three different giant beach ball locations on the map. You’ll be able to see the ball from a far distance, so if you head to the general area you shouldn’t have much trouble tracking one down. You can see the locations and a map below, or check out the video guide above for a walkthrough on how to complete the challenge.

• On the border of D3/E3, south of The Block
• Western part of F6, southwest of Dusty Divot
• On the border of H7/I7, northwest of Paradise Palms

Giant Beach Ball Challenge Reward

Finishing the giant beach ball challenge will earn you an Uncommon rarity loading screen called Soak It Up that shows various Fortnite characters lounging on the beach. This is also one step toward earning the Smoothie back bling, which you’ll get for doing all 14 challenges from the 14 Days of Summer event, which kicked off with the release of Fortnite’s 9.30 content update patch.

14 Days of Summer Challenges

• Dance at different beach parties
• Bounce a giant beach ball

Annapurna Interactive has announced What Remains of Edith Finch is coming to the Japanese Nintendo Switch eShop on July 4. As the announcement lists that the English version will be supported, it can be assumed the port will be released worldwide. However, that hasn’t been officially confirmed. Regardless, the Switch can access multiple regions, so even if the port remains exclusive to Japan, you’ll still be able to buy it.

According to Japanese Nintendo, What Remains of Edith Finch will release on Switch in Japan for ¥2,200, which is just over $20 USD / £16. The game requires a 2.2 GB download.

What Remains of Edith Finch is one of the best games of 2017, receiving universal critical praise. You play as the titular Edith Finch, who returns to her family home after her mother’s death. Over the course of the game, you visit the rooms of each member of Edith’s family–all of whom are deceased–to learn about the lives and ultimate demise of each person. You also begin to unravel the truth behind the curse supposedly haunting the Finch family, which dictates that only one member of each generation will live a normal life. All the others are doomed to die in a strange or unusual way.

In GameSpot’s What Remains of Edith Finch review, Justin Clark gave the game a 9/10, writing, “Developer Giant Sparrow managed to strike the delicate balance between joy and sorrow in 2012’s The Unfinished Swan, but What Remains of Edith Finch transcends even the latent sadness of that game, finding the beauty–even sometimes the fun–in what’s always fundamentally a tragedy. It’s not often that a game’s plot slips past the bitterness of grief to finally get to the acceptance, but that’s the triumph in What Remains of Edith Finch. Ultimately, if the game has any resemblance of a moral, it’s that the bravest, most beautiful thing every one of us does is choose to keep going, despite knowing what’s coming.”

If you just cannot wait until next week and want to buy What Remains of Edith Finch right now, the game is 55% off during the Steam 2019 Summer Sale–which continues through July 9. You can see the game’s discounted price in the US, UK, and AU below.

What Remains Of Edith Finch Steam 2019 Summer Sale Prices

• US — $9
• UK — £6.74
• AU — A$13

Super Mario Maker 2’s release date is fast approaching. The game launches for Nintendo Switch in just a few days, and now reviews for the platforming game have started to hit the internet.

GameSpot’s Super Mario Maker 2 review-in-progress awards the game an 8/10, with Peter Brown stating “the Mario series is worth all the admiration it gets.” You can check out much more on the game in the selection of reviews below. Alternatively, check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic for a wider view on the game’s critical reception.

• Game: Super Mario Maker 2
• Developer / Publisher: Nintendo
• Platform: Nintendo Switch
• Release date: June 28
• Price: $60 / £60 / AU $80

GameSpot — 8/10 (Review-In-Progress)

“With the story mode and dozens of custom-built stages under my belt, I’m anxiously waiting for the floodgates to open upon Mario Maker’s 2 release. What I’ve played so far has proven, once again, that the Mario series is worth all the admiration it gets, and Mario Maker 2 is an excellent tool for picking it apart by pushing its enemies, mechanisms, and Mario, to their limit. I’ve yet to make a stage of my own that I think is worthy of sending out to other players, but I’m committed to getting there. Whether exploring the full potential of a single element or throwing things at the wall to see what sticks, I’ve got the itch to join the creator’s club. And thankfully, even if you aren’t an instant success (like me), Mario Maker 2 makes the learning process intuitive and enjoyable.” — Peter Brown [Full review-in-progress]

IGN — 9.5/10

“Super Mario Maker 2 is the most accessible game design tool ever created, and that core is just one part of a greater whole. I spent hours building levels, testing them, and starting over again, and I feel like I’ve only barely scratched the surface of what’s possible. The Story Mode has a basic story, sure, but it’s still a great excuse to introduce hundreds of novel, professionally made levels to play. Its design tutorials are so much more in depth than they ever needed to be, and you can take them or leave them as you see fit. Super Mario Maker 2 affords so much freedom in how you play, how you make, and even how you learn, it’s astonishing how incredibly well it’s all held together in one cohesive package.” — Seth G Macy [Full review]

Eurogamer — Recommended

“Like the first game, this is a warm bubble bath to settle into, or an afternoon on the sofa with the Sunday papers and nothing else in the diary. Has it changed? Not too much. But it is wonderfully soothing to have it back.” — Christian Donlan [Full review]

Game Informer — 8.75/10

“Super Mario Maker 2 is not a radical reinvention of the original Mario Maker, but it earns the “2” in its title with a story mode full of great Mario levels, worthwhile additions to the creation toolset, and new options for playing and creating cooperatively. The future is bright for Super Mario Maker 2, and I can’t wait to see what the community makes with it. But even at this starting line, I had plenty of Mario to play and enjoy.” — Kyle Hilliard [Full review]

US Gamer — 4.5/5

“Players now have the chance to make their own hellish, evil Mario levels on Nintendo Switch. Super Mario Maker 2 starts with the foundation established in the first game, and adds new themes, new game styles, and new items. It falters due to the loss of the second screen of the Wii U and 3DS iterations, and the lack of Amiibo costumes hurt, but this is still a fantastic package for a Mario fan or budding lever designer.” — Mike Williams [Full review]

Video Games Chronicle — 5/5

“For 2D Mario fans, Super Mario Maker 2 is a classic in the making. There’s already a consistently surprising and delightful offering at launch for creators and non-creators alike, but we suspect this sequel will continue to impress–and improve–well into the future.” — Andy Robinson [Full review]

Final Fantasy XIV‘s Shadowbringers expansion launches for PS4 and PC in just a few days, and developer Square Enix has now revealed the expansion’s full patch notes for the accompanying 5.0 update.

The update will add two new cities, The Crystarium and Eulmore, as well as new field areas Lakeland, Kholusia, Amh Araeng, Il Mheg, and The Rak’tika Greatwood. Main scenario quests will of course be included, along with “myriad” side quests. Notably, those side quests will utilize a new “automatic level adjust system known as quest sync.” Square Enix says the new side quests “will have their difficulty and EXP rewards adjusted to match your current level.”

Plenty more content will be added in the 5.0 update, though Square Enix says some Shadowbringers features are being withheld until future patches. The Eden’s Gate raid will be added in version 5.01, for example, while a New Game+ mode will land in update “5.1 or later.”

For the full patch notes, you can check out the Final Fantasy XIV blog. You can also take a look at our list of Shadowbringers’ biggest changes for FFXIV. Also bear in mind you can grab a previous Final Fantasy XIV expansion for free right now. That promotion is to celebrate the impending release of Shadowbringers, which launches on July 2 and enters early access on June 28 for those who pre-order. On PS4, the expansion costs $40 / £37 / AU $68, while PC players will need to fork out $40 / £30 / AU $60 for the standard edition.

IO Interactive has released its first DLC location for Hitman 2. The new level, named The Bank, is set in New York City, and it’s out now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

The location also comes with a new campaign mission called Golden Handshake, along with accompanying special contracts. In addition, the DLC pack includes new challenges, trophies/achievements, and mastery progression levels, as well as the corresponding rewards.

The Bank is included in Hitman 2’s expansion pass, which costs $40 / £32.79 / AU $60. However, the add-on is not available to purchase by itself–you’ll need to fork out for the expansion pass if you want to play it.

Hitman 2 launched in November to a positive critical reception. We liked Agent 47’s latest outing, with critic Edmond Tran awarding the game an 8/10 in our Hitman 2 review. “The addition of other minor mechanical changes–like concussive weapons, a picture-in-picture enemy activity alert, and visible security camera sightlines–help to improve Hitman 2 overall as a dense and accessible stealth assassination game,” he wrote.

“But the new locations are the real stars, impressive and inventive sandboxes ripe for picking apart with exciting experiments. Hitman is about experiencing the anticipation of seeing whether a plan will work when you try it for the first time. It’s about feeling the tension of briskly walking away from a bad situation, hoping you can lose the suspicious guards. It’s the satisfaction of knowing the machinations of a level so well that when a target moves into a particular place at a particular time, you have the perfect way to intervene. Hitman 2 is a familiar experience, but in the Hitman world, familiarity is an incredible strength.”