Saturday, October 26, 2019

Mobile Games Hotspot: New 'Pokemon Go' Content Incoming; 'Mario Kart Tour' Steers Into Halloween

TECH

Mobile Games Hotspot is a curated weekly roundup of the top stories in gaming on-the-go.

The Pokemon Company looks to the future as details on new features coming to Pokemon Go and Pokemon Masters in 2020 have been outlined. Niantic's Pokemon Go will build upon its Trainer Battles, the current battle system in which players form teams to fight against other players. A new mode, currently named Go Battle League, will focus on global matchmaking where users around the world will duel to rise through a new ranking system. Details on how the two modes will tie together are yet to be revealed, but entry to the Go Battle League will involve walking around in the real world and account for total distance traveled. More details are set to be unveiled ahead of the mode's official launch, slated for early 2020.

DeNA's Pokemon Masters, meanwhile, is also gearing up for a busy five months that will address common fan concerns regarding insufficient content, lack of appealing rewards, difficulty and poor usability. An improved reward system is set for November while December brings an update to the UI and game performance. There will also be new events to help players obtain new sync pairs (duos featuring a trainer and their respective Pokemon creature).

In January, sync pairs will continue to be expanded upon, specifically in ways players train and develop them. Training events will also get a revamp. February will bring new single-player content while March will celebrate six months since launch with a planned celebratory event. Story events will also be updated.

Here's what else is happening in the world of mobile games:

Haunting Mario Kart Tour Event

With the Tokyo Tour's two-week run officially over, a new Halloween-themed event has arrived in Mario Kart Tour, with which Luigi has finally arrived as a playable character. Waluigi, Baby Luigi, a witch-themed Rosalina and two versions of King Boo (one original, one based on his appearance in Luigi's Mansion) were also added to the roster. New spooky-themed tracks added include the Super Nintendo's Ghost Valley 1, Nintendo DS' take on Luigi's Mansion and the DS map Waluigi Pinball. Time Trials also return, challenging players to complete a solo race within a specified amount of time.

Popular MMORPG Comes to Mobile

Black Desert Online, the popular MMORPG launched in 2016 in North America, is making the jump to mobile. Android users can download Black Desert Mobile starting Thursday. The free-to-play version brings with it an impressive graphical look. The mobile version of the game has been available in Korea, Japan and Taiwan since February, 2018. Apple users can rest assured: the game is expected to launch on their devices on Dec. 12. 

Storyscape Brings New X-Files, Titanic Tales to Life

Storyscape, a new visual novel from publisher FoxNext Games, has launched on both the App Store and Google Play. The game features four unique stories, including a tale set on the Titanic and another that takes place within the X-Files universe. New stories are planned as post-launch content.

More to Play on Apple Arcade

Another week, another round of new Apple Arcade games. This time, four new games make the cut, bringing the total number of games to 73. The new releases include the multiplayer-enabled Ballistic Baseball, the trippy puzzler Manifold Garden, the nostalgic PAC-MAN Party Royale and the family-friendly and adorable Things That Go Bump.

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