Video
0 Comments

Nick and Phil play Resident Evil Revelations 2 - Part 9

By Nick Robinson and Philip Kollar at 1:26a 03.11.15

Watch in 60fps on YouTube! We're doing a full Let's Play series on Resident Evil Revelations 2. You can catch up on Part 8 right here or jump back to our debut episode here. This time, we kick off Episode Three with some puzzles, some traps, and an abundance of what we've coined "Resident Evil Logic."
Deals
11 Comments

Titanfall's DLC is free right now on Xbox One and Xbox 360

By Michael McWhertor on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

The three downloadable map packs released for Respawn Entertainment's futuristic first-person shooter Titanfall are currently free on Xbox One and Xbox 360. While there's no official announcement yet about the generous giveaway of Titanfall's DLC from Microsoft, Electronic Arts or Respawn, it seems the free DLC may be related to the game's one-year anniversary. Titanfall was released on March 11, 2014 for Xbox One and Windows PC. Xbox One owners can download the add-on packs — IMC Rising, Frontier's Edge and Expedition — individually for free from the Xbox Games Store or grab the Titanfall season pass for $0.00. Xbox 360 owners can download each pack — IMC Rising, Frontier's Edge and Expedition — for free as well, but the previous generation version's season pass is still listed at...
Cover Story
Issue 04

Feb. 25, 2015

The second generation of Xbox Live

By Russ Pitts

A comprehensive look at the making of Microsoft's online service.

Read more

Let's Play Revelations 2 - Part 9

By Nick Robinson at 10:26p PDT 03.10.15

  • Meet the cast of Hotline Miami 2

  • Let's Play Revelations 2 - Part 8

  • Let's play the six most honored games from the 2015 IGF Awards

  • Let's Play Revelations 2 - Part 7

TV
10 Comments

Watch the first episode of PlayStation's Powers for free on YouTube

By Michael McWhertor on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

Sony's PlayStation original series Powers, the live-action TV show based on the comic book of the same name, is exclusive to PlayStation Plus subscribers. But if you're not already a member of Sony's subscription service, you can watch the first episode of Powers for free on YouTube. The first episodes of Powers, based on Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming's super-powered police procedural, hit PlayStation Network today. The series stars Sharlto Copley (District 9) and Susan Heyward (The Following) as Chicago homicide detectives who handle cases involving "powers" — individuals with super powers. The cast also includes Michelle Forbes, Noah Taylor and Eddie Izzard. Our review of the first three episodes of Powers says the PlayStation-exclusive series "shows significant...
News
5 Comments

Superman's dog Krypto is coming to DC's MOBA Infinite Crisis

By Michael McWhertor on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

Krypto the Superdog is the next champion coming to Warner Bros. and Turbine's multiplayer online battle arena game Infinite Crisis, the developer confirmed today. The genetically modified super-hound will join Kal-El and Kara Zor-El as the latest member of the Superman Family in the DC-themed strategy game on March 26. Turbine describes Krypto as a melee control character who "favors aggressive play and all-in tactics." His many dog-themed abilities include Fetch, which lets players throw a bone for Krypto to dash toward. His bone can reveal hidden areas and while he's mid-fetch, he's immune to disabling effects. Krypto can also use Vigilance, a skill that enhances other abilities; Man's Best Friend, which he can use to rush to defend his allies; On the Hunt, a devastating howl that...
1 Comment
Polynauts

Share your PC, PS4, Wii U and Xbox One screenshots with us

By Shaun McIlroy on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

One of the best things about this console generation is the ability to capture screenshots and share them with the world. We know that PC gamers have had this ability for the longest time, but now everyone can get in on the fun. Isn't that exciting? You love video games, well we love them too and we want to see your best screenshots. Now, for the sake of keeping things somewhat organised we've made dedicated threads for everyone to contribute as desired. PC Screenshots: Push your rig to its limit PlayStation Screenshare: One button to share them all Wii U Screenshare: It's a Mii, Mario! Xbox Screenshare: Press Y to save screenshot Let's see what you've snapped!
Movies
24 Comments

Reports: Tron 3 will start filming this fall in Vancouver

By Dave Tach on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

A third Tron film is set to begin production, according to reports from Badass Digest and VanCity Buzz. The sequel to Tron: Legacy is scheduled to begin filming Oct. 5 in Vancouver, VanCity reports, and leading man Garrett Hedlund will reprise his role as Sam Flynn. A "trusted source" told Badass Digest that Joseph Kosinski, who directed Legacy, will also return. The Tron science fiction franchise began with the 1982 film of the same name. In Tron, Jeff Bridges plays Kevin Flynn, a software engineer who runs an arcade. Things get weird when he's sucked into a mainframe computer's software. Bridges reprised his role in 2010's Tron: Legacy. An animated series, Tron: Uprising, began airing on Disney XD in 2012. Rumors of a third film have circulated for years. Even before Legacy's...
News
4 Comments

Dying Light gets a new hard mode, free content and a tease of what's to come

By Michael McWhertor on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

Techland is rolling out an update for its zombie survival game Dying Light this week that adds a handful of new features, including a harder difficulty setting and new in-game items, as part of a free patch. The developer also teased today a few unannounced features, including what appears to be the ability to drive the game's dune buggies right into a horde of zombies. Dying Light's hard mode patch comes with extra outfits for players to wear, more than 50 new weapons, like the Bone Splitter and Rune Hammer, and numerous gameplay tweaks and improvements, Techland says. The patch and its associated content will be available today, March 10, on all platforms throughout the Americas. This week's update drops for Xbox One and Windows PC gamers outside of the Americas tomorrow, March 11....

GDC 2015: News, panels, talks and more, live from San Francisco

By Samit Sarkar on Mar 02, 2015 03.02.15

Minimap
1 Comment

Minimap March 10, 2015: trolling for dollars, Star Wars, Microsoft shuffles, freaks and geeks

By Dave Tach on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

Welcome to Polygon Minimap, a daily audio tour through the latest news about video games, related technologies and culture. Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe to the podcast (RSS) Here's what we're covering today: THE BIG STORIES Monetizing trolling in a game that evaporates a year after it goes live Star Wars novel offers a crystal clear explanation for the wild new lightsaber Microsoft's Kudo Tsunoda now leading Xbox dev teams as part of organization shake-up Oxenfree is a mix of Freaks and Geeks, Poltergeist and the best teen films of the '80s THE BEST OF THE REST Hotline Miami 2 - Wrong Number review: a history of violence Ori and the Blind Forest review: the places you'll go What exactly is Microsoft's big idea for gaming? This is how you die alone: Hands-on...
Opinion
14 Comments

Killing as a default in games isn't the problem it once was, but it's still worth discussing

By Ben Kuchera on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

Discussing episodes of PBS's Game/Show is something I enjoy immensely, but the latest episode about killing and video games felt a bit flat to me. It seemed like it makes more sense looking back on games, not as a document that looks around where we are now. There are more than enough games that have nothing to do with killing on the market, and a game built around the idea of creation instead of destruction did well enough to earn its creator a house even Jay-Z envies. Most of us can point our friends and families toward dozens of games that don't rely exclusively on realistic violence. That being said, this episode does a great job of explaining why violence and killing is such an attractive thing for game designers. There are good reasons why killing is a central mechanic in games,...
Culture
6 Comments

This is what Netflix looks like running on an NES

By Michael McWhertor on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

Video streaming service Netflix is available on just about every modern device, from phones to PCs to video game consoles and handhelds. And now it runs (in a very limited capacity) on the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Netflix engineers Guy Cirino, Alex Wolfe and Carenina Motion hacked together a semi-working version of the service for the NES during the company's winter hack day. They managed to get a handful of frames from the intro to House of Cards up and playing on a "unmodified" NES, with "some assembly required," Cirino tweeted. There's also a very limited browsing interface. However, since the feed is showing a handful of unreleased Netflix originals, like Adam Sandler's in-production Ridiculous Six and Yuen Woo-ping's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2, it's pretty...
Latest Reviews
Top Games
All Games
0 Comments
TV
122 Comments

HBO is fighting Game of Thrones piracy in the best possible ways

By Ben Kuchera on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

We once called Game of Thrones "free-to-play" television, in that piracy was rampant but HBO didn't seem to care.That was a year ago, and a few things have changed. HBO cares, but the cable company is doing all the right things to fix things. "In an unprecedented move, Game of Thrones will premiere in over 170 countries and territories across the globe simultaneously with HBO’s U.S. airing on Sunday, April 12 at 9:00pm ET," HBO announced via press release. "The entire fifth season of the Emmy-, Golden Globe- and Peabody-winning series will be simulcast to HBO branded networks and broadcast partners across the world, creating a global television event week after week throughout the season’s 10-episode run." No more having to choose between waiting for the show in your market or...
News
2 Comments

Sid Meier on how Starships was designed to encourage players to channel their inner admiral

By Charlie Hall on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

There are many different branches on the science fiction tree, a fact that famed game designer Sid Meier knows just as well as anyone. The trouble is, not all of those branches are easy for the average player to understand."The danger with a space game," Meier told Polygon last week during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, "is that you kind of have to learn a whole new set of rules that don't make any sense to you until the designer tries to explain them. 'Well, in my game there's eight dimensions, light travels in a curved path,' and oh jeez, it's painful." So in designing his upcoming game Starships, a tactical space combat game for iOS, Mac and Windows PC set in the same universe as Civilization: Beyond Earth, Meier steered clear of "hard" science fiction and "weird"...

Feature

Rock Band 4 is coming, and Harmonix is bringing it back to basics

by Ben Kuchera

Feature

They wanted to make a phenomenon. They made $10 million. The story of Crossy Road.

by Dave Tach

Active Discussions

Anime, Cartoons, Comics! Plight Vol. 3, No. 9 – Web Comics Special Part Deux

in Off-topic by Sterling Smith

Polygon Daily Reset (Wednesday, Mar. 11)

in Off-topic by Shaun McIlroy

Polynauts Play: Final Fantasy 15: Episode Duscae

in Final Fantasy Versus 13 by Shaun McIlroy

Polynauts Play: Bloodborne

in Bloodborne by Shaun McIlroy

PC Screenshots: Push your rig to its limit

in Windows by Shaun McIlroy

Video
14 Comments

Here's an early look at Boss Key's Project Bluestreak running on Unreal Engine 4

By Michael McWhertor on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

If you were at PAX East this weekend, you might have had a first look at Project Bluestreak, the first game from Cliff Bleszinski and Arjan Brussee's Boss Key Productions. If not, here's your first in-engine look at the forthcoming first-person shooter running in Epic Games' Unreal Engine 4. Boss Key describes its free-to-play arena FPS as set "in a recovered apocalyptic sci-fi setting." According to Bleszinski, founder and CEO of the studio, the above multiplayer map is set in the future 100 years from now in the Grand Canyon, not Japan. The footage, the devs say, is a "pre-alpha" peek at the game. Project Bluestreak will be published by Nexon America. Full disclosure: Cliff Bleszinski's brother, Tyler Bleszinski, is the founder of Polygon sister site and Vox Media progenitor SB...
Movies
6 Comments

Pixar's Inside Out trailer gives life to the (apparently adorable) voices in our head

By Megan Farokhmanesh on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

Inside Out is a new animated film from Pixar that explores the emotions of a child named Riley through cute, cuddly personification. The film's latest trailer offers us a look at Joy (Amy Poehler), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Bill Hader) and more as they land themselves in trouble. After losing a few of Riley's memories, Joy and Sadness become lost in the depths of Riley's head. Inside Out hits theaters June 19. Check out the trailer above.
Quality Control
2 Comments

Violence and Hotline Miami 2 on today's Quality Control

By Justin McElroy on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

In each episode of Quality Control, Polygon managing editor Justin McElroy talks to a critic after they review a new game and allows them to add a little bit of extra context and insight. Why did they feel the way they did? What do they wish they had been able to discuss in more depth in their review? Also: Did they play it wrong? In this episode, we talk with Griffin McElroy about his review of Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number which you can find right here. We'd love to know what you think in the comments below! Read the review Subscribe to the podcast (RSS) Subscribe on iTunes Email: qualitycontrol at polygon dot com Music: Roller Mobster by Carpenter Brut // Goodwill by The Custodian of Records
News
23 Comments

Logitech's new mouse aims to satisfy the demands of pro MOBA and FPS players

By Brian Crecente on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

Logitech's latest performance mouse is a little bit MOBA, a little bit FPS. The Daedalus Apex G303 gaming mouse was born out of a blending of the best bits of Logitech's G302 multiplayer online battle arena mouse and its G502 Proteus Core mouse, popular with fans of first-person shooters. The mouse, which launched last week for $69.99, combines the lightweight design and improved buttons of the G302 with the optical sensor technology of the G502. Chris Pate, Logitech's product manager for gaming mice, said the new mouse came about thanks to their work with pro gamers. "We worked with pro MOBA gamers to create a mouse that is light, flat and has an incredible button click feel," he said. That led to the G302, a mouse that uses a small tension spring under the button keyplates to...
Virtual Reality
4 Comments

An exclusive look at The Gallery, and the best motion controls on Valve's VR hardware

By Ben Kuchera on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

The Gallery: Six Elements is an upcoming virtual reality game that's coming to the HTC Vive later this year, and may also be released on other platforms that offer motion controls. I was able to play through the demo during my time at GDC, and Cloudhead Games has been kind enough to share a complete play through of the short demo as well so you can see the game in action. The game itself is driven by the motion controls; I found myself in a rather roomy cage and was able to walk around, pick up items, examine them in my  hands and then see how they interacted with other objects. How it was designed The best way to play requires a large amount of space, my demo took place in a large white room where space was mapped perfectly to the game's environment. The developer will also include...
News
6 Comments

The original Danganronpa, Distrust, was too gruesome even for its creators

By Megan Farokhmanesh on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is a tough game to classify. It's about murder and despair, but with a black comedy twist and cheerful pop art elements that keep things from getting too heavy. But an early version of the game, dubbed Danganronpa Distrust, conveyed a more sinister tone — and was subsequently scrapped for being too gruesome, series writer Kodaka Kazutaka recently told Polygon via translator. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc for the PSP, the final version of the game, notably included a high school setting, hot pink blood and a black-and-white psychotic teddy bear named Monokuma as its antagonist. Early images from Distrust, however, paint a much darker picture: an execution by guillotine, a dirty warehouse with dark red spatters for its playground, and a drastically...
News
16 Comments

13 images

Descent Underground Kickstarter reboots the PC gaming classic

By Christopher Grant on Mar 10, 2015 03.10.15

The new Descent Underground Kickstarter campaign aims to reboot classic PC shooter Descent, and it's seeking $600,000 to do it Four months ago, Eric "Wingman" Peterson left Cloud Imperium Games, the development studio behind crowd-funding poster child Star Citizen, a decision he explained in this Reddit post: Frankly, it became an impossible task for Chris to manage his time and all the studios efficiently. So it was decided that for the good of the project we would need to consolidate the senior leads around Chris in the LA office. Which brings us to here. The situation was pretty obvious, my position would need to be in the LA office. Now Peterson is back with a new studio — the aptly named Descendent Studios — and a new project. Like Star Citizen, he's seeking crowd funding...
X
Log In Sign Up

If you currently have a username with "@" in it, please email support@voxmedia.com.

forgot?
forgot?
Log In Sign Up

Forgot password?

We'll email you a reset link.

If you signed up using a 3rd party account like Facebook or Twitter, please login with it instead.

Forgot username?

We'll email it to you.

If you signed up using a 3rd party account like Facebook or Twitter, please login with it instead.

Forgot password?

If you signed up using a 3rd party account like Facebook or Twitter, please login with it instead.

Try another email?

Forgot username?

If you signed up using a 3rd party account like Facebook or Twitter, please login with it instead.

Try another email?

Almost done,

By becoming a registered user, you are also agreeing to our Terms and confirming that you have read our Privacy Policy.

Authenticating

Great!

Choose an available username to complete sign up.

In order to provide our users with a better overall experience, we ask for more information from Facebook when using it to login so that we can learn more about our audience and provide you with the best possible experience. We do not store specific user data and the sharing of it is not required to login with Facebook.