Before Super Mario Maker was even a thing, Sony had already released a handful of LittleBigPlanet games across multiple PlayStation systems. If you’re not familiar with this established series, it lives by its “play, create, share” motto, encouraging user-generated content to fuel gameplay experiences.

With this in mind, one talented member of the LittleBigPlanet 3 community on PlayStation 4 has found a way to recreate Nintendo’s Mario-themed level-maker game. Although the platforming physics are rubbish and the visuals are limited to the Super Mario Bros. NES theme, it’s still quite an impressive feat. In saying this, we doubt we’ll be seeing Sackboy in Super Mario Maker anytime soon.

In the month of February, we saw an average of 300,000 phishing attempts across Microsoft’s browsing platforms daily. Our security experts expect these attempted scams to become increasingly more prevalent through the April 15 Tax Day, especially in the two weeks leading up to it, when about 25 percent of people file their taxes. The phishing campaigns we’ve seen aren’t just in the U.S., though; we’ve also recently uncovered similar tactics in Canada, Brazil and India. It’s important for users across the globe to follow best practices and stay vigilant.

With less than a month until the filing deadline in the U.S., we are urging the public to take the following simple steps to avoid tax scams – especially during the last-minute rush to file taxes.

• Watch for suspicious emails. Be suspicious of all links and attachments, especially when the email seems “off” or unexpected – like an unexpected email from your credit card company, or financial institution. Phish-y emails often include spelling and grammatical errors, or will ask you to send personal information. In these cases, you can apply additional scrutiny on the sender, the content, and any links and attachments. If you know the sender, for example, you can double-check with them before opening or downloading the file.

• Carefully inspect URLs. Hover over links to verify that the URL goes to the website where it’s supposed to direct you. Is it pointing to the site you expected? URL shorteners provide a lot of convenience, but can make this inspection difficult. If you’re unsure, rather than clicking a link, use search engines like Bing to get to the tax-related website you’re looking for and log in from there.

• Be wary of any attachments. If you haven’t just made a purchase for tax software, don’t be tricked by getting an email with an invoice from a tax preparation company. Sending fake invoices for services is one of the top methods attackers use to trick people into opening a malicious attachment that could automatically execute malware on your computer. Malicious attachments could also contain links that download and execute malicious programs. We’ve seen PDFs that contain innocuous-looking links that lead to people accidentally downloading malicious software designed to steal credentials, like usernames and passwords.

• Don’t rely on passwords alone. Scammers take advantage of weak or stolen passwords used across multiple websites, so don’t just rely on your password to keep you safe. When possible, always use multi-factor authentication like the Microsoft Authenticator app for managing your sign-ins for Microsoft accounts and others, and Windows Hello for easy and secure sign-in to your Windows 10 device. These solutions enable biometric authentications like your face or fingerprint to quickly and safely sign in across devices, apps and browsers without you having to remember passwords. Did you know that with a Microsoft Account, you can securely and automatically sign-in to other Microsoft cloud-based applications including Bing, MSN, Cortana, Outlook.com, Xbox Live (PC only), Microsoft Store and Office?

• Keep software current. Run a modern operating system, like Windows 10 or Windows 10 in S mode, with the latest security and feature updates, in tandem with next-generation anti-malware protection, such as Windows Defender Antivirus.

Microsoft security solutions can proactively inspect links and attachments, as well as block phishing documents and other malicious downloads to help protect users, even if they accidentally click a phishing link or open a malicious attachment. We expect tax scams to be on the rise in the next several months as global tax deadlines approach so our experts will be on the lookout for new campaigns.

Here’s a couple of examples of what we’ve seen just in the last few weeks: two documents named irs_scanned_551712.doc and Tax(IP.PIN).doc. You’ll notice that the security tools built into Microsoft Office caught these and displayed a warning at the top. Before enabling content like these, ensure that the sender is a trusted source, and notice things like missing or misspelled words.

Be on the lookout for scams like we’ve described here. There will undoubtedly be more schemes that crop up. Stay vigilant! Learn how to report phishing scam websites through Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer and suspicious email messages through Outlook.com, Outlook 2016, or Office 365.

Keep these tips and tricks handy, and share with your networks so we can increase awareness of and stop the spread of Tax Day scams! For more information about Microsoft Security, please visit microsoft.com/security.

Angelos

Hopefully by now you’ve seen that Visual Studio 2019 is now generally available. As you would expect, we’ve added improvements for web and Azure development. As a starting point, Visual Studio 2019 comes with a new experience for getting started with your code and we updated the experience for creating ASP.NET and ASP.NET Core projects to match:

If you are publishing your application to Azure, you can now configure Azure App Service to use Azure Storage and Azure SQL Database instances, right from the publish profile summary page, without leaving Visual Studio. This means that for any existing web application running in App Service, you can add SQL and Storage, it is no longer limited to creation time only.

By clicking the “Add” button you get to select between Azure Storage and Azure SQL Database (more Azure services to be supported in the future):

and then you get to choose between using an existing instance of Azure Storage that you provisioned in the past or provisioning a new one right then and there:

When you configure your Azure App Service through the publish profile as demonstrated above, Visual Studio will update the Azure App Service application settings to include the connection strings you have configured (e.g. in this case azgist). It will also apply hidden tags to the instances in Azure about how they are configured to work together so that this information is not lost and can be re-discovered later by other instances of Visual Studio.

For a 30 minute overview of developing with Azure in Visual Studio, check out the session we gave as part of the launch:

As always, we welcome your feedback. Tell us what you like and what you don’t like, tell us which features you are missing and which parts of the workflow work or don’t work for you. You can do this by submitting issues to Developer Community or contacting us via Twitter.

Niantic’s smartphone money vacuum Pokémon GO has reportedly achieved another impressive milestone, with estimates now suggesting it has surpassed a whopping $2.5 billion in revenue.

The figure comes from Sensor Tower, which also reports that the game had reached $1.8 billion in revenue by its second anniversary last July. With $700 million safely tucked away so far during its third year, and three months left to go until that third anniversary comes around, it looks like the app is about to have another incredibly successful year – even by its own lofty standards.

The app grossed an estimated $205 million during the first quarter of 2019, which Sensor Tower notes was a 40% year-over-year increase from that same period in 2018. The $2.5 billion total suggests that player spending stands at an average of around a staggering $4 million per day.

The US accounts for approximately 35% of total revenue, with Japan just behind on 29%. Germany is in third with a much more distant 6%.

Do you play regularly? Have you been playing ever since it launched back in 2016? Tell us below.

China’s long slog through foreign and domestic game approvals continues, as the number of games approved for release in the country since its content crackdown nears 1,000.

China, a major market for mobile and online games, began tight gatekeeping of video game releases in the country starting last year, as the new State Administration of Press and Publication sought to weed out games that didn’t abide by the government’s values, or games deemed addictive to minors.

The slow process of getting games licensed and released in China is cause for concern for domestic developers, but even more so for foreign game companies that would like to capitalize on the explosive Chinese game market.

Since the freeze on game approvals lifted in December last year, 959 games have been approved for release. A report from Niko Partners states that backlogged domestic games get priority over foreign-made games.

While 30 foreign games were released in the last month, there had been no foreign-produced games released in the prior 12 months due to the freeze. All games require a Chinese publisher.

Niko said Q1 2019 saw 795 titles approved (foreign and domestic) in total versus 1,931 approved a year prior. The large difference is mainly due to China blocking release of poker and mah-jong games, amid the government’s concern over real-world money being used in this genre, Niko said.

The sluggish approval process has caused a slowdown in the Chinese games market, but Niko said it expects growth to pick up as the approval process gains momentum.

Larger Chinese publishers are only recently seeing major game releases, such as Perfect World Entertainment’s Perfect World Mobile, which quickly topped China’s top-grossing charts following its release in March.

Still, foreign games with huge Chinese market potential have yet to see release, including Epic Games’ Fortnite.

However, domestic game company Netease has been able to fill the Fortnite-sized hole in the Chinese market with the new and completely and totally original battle royale game, FortCraft.

Well, they’ve done it again. With Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, FromSoftware has succeeded in creating a game that pairs highly technical risk/reward combat and ultra-tough foes to craft a game that is at times very challenging, but always extremely rewarding. Much like their previous games in the Dark Souls series, Sekiro can be a tough nut to crack for new players, and even Dark Souls veterans like myself will be forced to unlearn almost all of the strategies that made them successful in those titles. After 20 some-odd hours and a dozen mini-bosses and bosses under my belt, I feel like I’m still learning the ropes. In an effort to help ease you into this wholly unique gaming experience, I thought it would be helpful to share some tips I’ve picked up during my time with Sekiro.

Scout Your Surroundings

While Sekiro is more of a straightforward action game than the Dark Souls series, it’s also got some heavy stealth elements baked in. Like most stealth games, it pays to take some time to scan the area you’re approaching to figure out enemy patrol routes and ensure there are no surprises waiting for you. Once you get the lay of the land, you can go in and figure out the best route for taking out maximum enemies while reducing your risk as much as possible. Even in areas with seven or eight enemies, you can plot out a route that allows you to stealth attack many of them.

Always Rely on Stealth

As I mentioned above, it pays to scout out areas in order to find the best approach. More often than not the best approach is a stealthy approach, as you’re limited to a set number of hits from your healing gourd and (more importantly) lives. The vast majority of the time, there’s a stealthy option available to you. When I’m not sure how to approach a situation, I look to use my grappling hook to gain a height advantage. In addition to offering more options for dropping down and insta-killing your foes, it also provides a better look at the battlefield than you’ll get on the ground. The stealthy approach is always the best play for bosses, too. Since they all require two assassinations to take down, it pays to perform an instant one right off the bat.

Whittle Away That Vitality

Much of Sekiro’s combat mechanic revolves around poise, as maxing out your enemy’s poise meter gives you the opening you need to perform an assassination (that is, when the red dot appears). However, there are times when trying to keep the pressure up and working their poise is just too tough. In these cases, your best bet is to steer clear of the boss, instead working to get off one or two quick hits before dodging away. This will gradually whittle down their vitality, which in turn will keep their poise from regenerating. And eventually, if you take their Vitality down far enough it, opens them up for an instant kill. This is especially true for bosses!

Don’t Be Afraid to Run Away

As the saying goes, sometimes the best offense is a good defense. Or, in Sekiro’s case, the best offense is straight up running away from a fight. You see, when you leave an area, enemies will stop chasing you and reset to their original positions. This means that sometimes your best bet is to go in, take out one or maybe two enemies, and hightail it out of there before going back to rinse and repeat once your foes have calmed down. This is especially true for boss battle areas, as it will allow you to take out all of the lesser enemies before facing off against the boss. At times, it also pays to run away if you hit the next XP level, so you can upgrade your skills instead of running the risk of losing half when you die.

Embrace the Grind

In many ways, Sekiro is a lot like the Dark Souls games. One way in which they are distinctly different, however, is the way you use the experience you earn. In Dark Souls, experience you gained could be put into different categories like Strength or Vitality that helped you create a build that fit your style of play. In Sekiro, those experience points are instead spent on a variety of skills, from different types of combat attacks to different prosthetic-based moves to latent abilities that will make your battles easier. In both types of games, the best way to earn experience and improve your character is to occasionally grind the same area over and over again to load up on experience points. There’s nothing wrong with spending an hour taking out an easy group of five or six enemies, running back to the Sculptor’s Idol, resting, and then doing the same thing again. Trust me, that time investment will pay off in a big way as you progress through the game.

Sometimes Blocking is Best

Early on in Sekiro, as you’re learning the basic combat, you’ll be taught how to time your blocks to deflect your enemy’s attacks and give you a wide opening for an easy (and powerful) counterattack. While this is all well and good, it can at times be too tempting to go for these grandiose deflections when your best bet is just to hold down the block button and let your enemy flail away at you. I found that constant blocking worked particularly well against a lot of the bosses, as it gives you a chance to learn their moveset with minimal risk. In fact, sometimes you’ll just want to withstand a barrage of attacks and let your enemy tire himself out so you can slash away for a few seconds to take down their health.

When in Doubt, Take a Break

While it probably sounds counterintuitive, sometimes the best way to beat a boss in Sekiro is to put down the controller and walk away for a bit. Studies have shown that our mammalian brains are able to solve puzzles and complex tasks after having some time to think about them. Speaking from experience, there is nothing more satisfying then banging your head against a boss wall, then taking an extended break and coming back to beat it on the first or second try. Sometimes your brain just needs a little time to work things out, particularly some of the complex combat patterns that the bosses offer. You know how you have “A ha!” moments when you stop thinking about a topic and focus on some other task for a bit? It’s a lot like that.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is available now in the Microsoft Store for Xbox One and is enhanced for Xbox One X. Click here for purchase details.