Polygon - 2015 in reviewhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/42931/favicon.ico2015-12-31T18:00:02-05:00http://www.polygon.com/rss/stream/104002872015-12-31T18:00:02-05:002015-12-31T18:00:02-05:00The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone is an even better Game of the Year choice than the main game
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<p><em>Every year the Polygon staff chooses 10 excellent games to award our<a href="http://www.polygon.com/a/game-of-the-year-2015"> Game of the Year honors</a>, but that means some games we love don't quite make the cut. As with last year, we're running a series of opinion pieces by members of the Polygon staff explaining why certain games earned top marks from them even if they didn't make our staff-wide Game of the Year list.</em></p>
<p><em><strong>Disclaimer:</strong> This article includes <strong>minor spoilers</strong> about characters and plot points in The Witcher 3 and Hearts of Stone.</em></p>
<p><em><a href="http://www.polygon.com/game/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/9333">The Witcher 3</a></em>'s first expansion, <em>Hearts of Stone</em>, is a master class on how to create meaningful, valuable downloadable content. It has all the strength of the <em>The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt</em> behind it (as well as the developer's considerable dedication to improving...</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/31/10681554/witcher-3-the-real-goty-hearts-of-stone-also-exceptional">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/31/10681554/witcher-3-the-real-goty-hearts-of-stone-also-exceptionalJake Lear2015-12-31T17:00:02-05:002015-12-31T17:00:02-05:00The Witcher 3 is the best open-world game of the year
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<p><i>Every year the Polygon staff chooses 10 excellent games to award our Game of the Year honors, but that means some games we love don't quite make the cut. As with last year, we're running a series of opinion pieces by members of the Polygon staff explaining why certain games earned top marks from them even if they didn't make our staff-wide Game of the Year list.</i></p>
<p>2015 was a big year, with a lot of really, really big games. I'm not just talking about budget — there were a larger-than-usual number of massive, open-world games, from mega-franchises, all of which were easy to sink hundreds of hours into. In 2015, we had <em>Assassin's Creed Syndicate</em>, <em>Fallout 4</em>, <em>Batman: Arkham Knight</em>, <em>Metal Gear Solid 5</em> and more — all great games (some of which...</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/31/10692894/witcher-3-2015-best-open-world-game">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/31/10692894/witcher-3-2015-best-open-world-gameDanielle Riendeau2015-12-31T14:00:02-05:002015-12-31T14:00:02-05:0021 statements about Batman: Arkham Knight (and life)
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<p>Dispatches from the living room</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/31/10695442/batman-arkham-knight-game-of-the-year">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/31/10695442/batman-arkham-knight-game-of-the-yearChristopher Grant2015-12-30T17:00:02-05:002015-12-30T17:00:02-05:00Tales from the Borderlands is terrific, and 'Telltale fatigue' is a bad reason to skip it
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<p>"This is totally uncool. Why must the universe punish the good?"</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/30/10690764/tales-from-the-borderlands-game-of-the-year-2015-opinion-telltale">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/30/10690764/tales-from-the-borderlands-game-of-the-year-2015-opinion-telltaleSamit Sarkar2015-12-30T14:30:02-05:002015-12-30T14:30:02-05:00The worst video games of 2015
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<p>For the past ten days, we've looked at a lot of games from the past year that we really, really liked. Whether or not they actually made our top 10 (<a href="http://www.polygon.com/2015/12/28/10236420/why-undertale-rules">here's looking at you, <i>Undertale</i></a>), 2015 was filled with strikingly good games.</p>
<p>But not all games can be winners. Not all games, for that matter, can be <i>good</i>. As a counterpoint to our best-of coverage, we're looking back at some of the year's most unfortunate releases. Based on a combination of Polygon's staff experiences, aggregated review scores and consumer response, we present to you our alphabetized, unranked list of the Worst Games of the Year.</p>
<h3><a href="http://www.polygon.com/game/afro-samurai-2/37758">Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma Volume One</a></h3>
<p>If you're the kind of masochist who's into trying notably bad games, good luck even finding <i>Afro...</i></p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/30/10689844/the-worst-video-games-of-2015">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/30/10689844/the-worst-video-games-of-2015Allegra Frank2015-12-29T15:13:41-05:002015-12-29T15:13:41-05:00Halo 5 is the best multiplayer Halo game in years
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<p><em>Every year the Polygon staff chooses 10 excellent games to award our Game of the Year honors, but that means some games we love don't quite make the cut. As with last year, we're running a series of opinion pieces by members of the Polygon staff explaining why certain games earned top marks from them even if they didn't make our staff-wide Game of the Year list.</em></p>
<p>For more than half of my life, I have been playing and loving Halo multiplayer. My formative years are riddled with Halo memories; I remember sneaking sessions of the M-rated <em><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="/game/halo-combat-evolved/1801">Halo: Combat Evolved</a></em> on my childhood best friend's Xbox at age 11 (we told our moms the Spartans were robots, and the bloodstains were just oil). I spent my middle school summers playing <a href="https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/games/halo-2/xbox/service-records/players/babylonian007">roughly 1,300 games...</a></p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/29/10684860/halo-5-guardians-game-of-the-year-2015-opinion-multiplayer">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/29/10684860/halo-5-guardians-game-of-the-year-2015-opinion-multiplayerNick Robinson2015-12-28T09:00:02-05:002015-12-28T09:00:02-05:00Why Undertale rules and why my co-workers are dummies for not including it in the Top 10
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<p><em>Every year the Polygon staff chooses 10 excellent games to award our<a href="http://www.polygon.com/a/game-of-the-year-2015"> Game of the Year honors</a>, but that means some games we love don't quite make the cut. As with last year, we're running a series of opinion pieces by members of the Polygon staff explaining why certain games earned top marks from them even if they didn't make our staff-wide Game of the Year list.</em></p>
<p><i>Undertale</i> was my favorite game released in 2015 and, despite my best efforts and effusive recommendations to the rest of the staff, it failed to make our top 10 — heartbreakingly, it clocked in at #12. If I could chalk it up to a single reason, it would be that I work almost exclusively with no-taste clowns who love bad things.</p>
<p>If afforded a second reason, it would be this: <i>U...</i></p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/28/10236420/why-undertale-rules">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/28/10236420/why-undertale-rulesGriffin McElroy2015-12-25T13:00:01-05:002015-12-25T13:00:01-05:00Ori and the Blind Forest has the most powerful opening to any game in 2015
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<p>It's unforgettable, and not enough of you have experienced it for yourselves</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/25/10660112/ori-and-the-blind-forest-has-the-most-powerful-opening-to-any-game-in">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/25/10660112/ori-and-the-blind-forest-has-the-most-powerful-opening-to-any-game-inPhilip Kollar