Polygon - 2014 Year in Reviewhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/42931/favicon.ico2015-01-05T14:10:31-05:00http://www.polygon.com/rss/stream/71593602015-01-05T14:10:31-05:002015-01-05T14:10:31-05:00How Polygon makes its GOTY list
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<p>Putting together a list of the top 10 games of the year is inherently a futile task.</p>
<p>Not only is it a concrete, objective way of quantifying something that's inherently subjective, but games today are so disparate that you can end up weighing the relative merits of a sprawling sci-fi first-person space opera versus a two-hour wander around a mansion in Oregon. It's nonsensical.</p>
<p>So why do it? Well, as silly as they are, we still like putting these sorts of lists together and you enjoy reading them and frankly, that's enough for us. But also, Game of the Year lists provide a helpful way of surveying the year, honoring those games everybody loved and highlighting those that some people may have missed.</p>
<p>But how to make that list? Well,...</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2015/1/5/7494953/how-polygon-makes-its-goty-list">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2015/1/5/7494953/how-polygon-makes-its-goty-listJustin McElroy2014-12-31T17:28:35-05:002014-12-31T17:28:35-05:002014 in review: the worst depictions of women in gaming this year
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<p>The industry made a tiny little half-step in the right direction where the representation of women was concerned in 2014. </p>
<p>There were a few great woman protagonists (like Amanda Ripley from <a href="/game/alien-isolation/36025" class="sbn-auto-link"><i>Alien: Isolation</i></a>) and solid side characters (like Amita from <em><a href="/game/far-cry-4/37183" class="sbn-auto-link">Far Cry 4</a></em>, Ilona from <em><a href="/game/call-of-duty/4929" class="sbn-auto-link">Call of Duty</a></em>). <em><a href="/game/dragon-age-inquisition/3378" class="sbn-auto-link">Dragon Age: Inquisition</a></em>, Polygon's choice for <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/12/31/7474647/polygons-games-of-the-year-2014-1-dragon-age-inquisition">Game of the Year 2014</a>, had more memorable, strong women characters in one game than we sometimes see in an entire year of gaming. We covered this ground in our recent <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/12/29/7451699/2014-best-women-characters-dragon-age-alien">best women characters of the year piece</a>.</p>
<p>But, that's a tiny half-step up from a status quo that's still pretty dire, where so many women characters are damseled, window dressing or playing to tired stereotypes. And there was plenty of that...</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/31/7470867/worst-women-characters-2014-shadow-of-mordor-gta-grand-theft-auto">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/31/7470867/worst-women-characters-2014-shadow-of-mordor-gta-grand-theft-autoDanielle Riendeau2014-12-31T17:04:42-05:002014-12-31T17:04:42-05:002014 in review: The Last of Us: Left Behind was the best two hours of the year
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<p>The guidelines for Polygon's Games of the Year selection process prevented me and my colleagues from voting for <em><a href="/game/the-last-of-us-left-behind/15802" class="sbn-auto-link">The Last of Us: Left Behind</a></em>.</p>
<p>I say that as one explanation for why <em>The Last of Us: Left Behind</em> did not appear in our top 10 games of the year list. The particular regulation that forbade us from voting for <em>Left Behind</em> stipulates that game of the year choices must be "full games" or expansions — not smaller downloadable add-ons.</p>
<p><em>Left Behind</em>'s DLC status may render it ineligible for traditional game-of-the-year lists, but it's one of the finest gaming experiences I had in 2014.</p>
<p>[<strong>Warning:</strong> The following contains spoilers for <em><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="/game/the-last-of-us/3040">The Last of Us</a></em> and <em>The Last of Us: Left Behind</em>.]</p>
<h2>A risky move</h2>
<p>Naughty Dog already delivered the best...</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/31/7475891/the-last-of-us-left-behind-best-two-hours-dlc">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/31/7475891/the-last-of-us-left-behind-best-two-hours-dlcSamit Sarkar2014-12-31T15:00:02-05:002014-12-31T15:00:02-05:002014 in review: the year that sucked for everyone but Nintendo
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<p>If I had to throw my stones on one side of the pond, I'd be inclined to agree with some of my colleagues: 2014 was a real <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/12/21/7413619/2014-in-review-the-year-that-sucked">armpit of a year</a>.
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<p>But we're not here to dwell on game failures, or studio closures, or toxic culture, or any of the other negatives — no, none of that, not again. Instead, I'd like to earnestly clasp my fingers together, tilt my head and pleasantly inquire, "Have you heard the good news about Nintendo?"</p>
<p>Nintendo killed it in 2014. To the depth and breadth and height Mario's soul can reach,<span> let me count the ways. </span><span><br></span></p>
<h3>Climbing the charts</h3>
<p>Early 2014 started off with<a href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/1/29/5356772/nintendo-falls-short-of-hardware-and-software-sales-forecasts"> tepid numbers </a>from Nintendo. The company was still reporting losses from 2013, even with strong figures from killer titles such as <i>Super Mario 3D World </i>a...</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/31/7463827/nintendo-2014-year-in-review">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/31/7463827/nintendo-2014-year-in-reviewMegan Farokhmanesh2014-12-31T13:00:02-05:002014-12-31T13:00:02-05:00Polygon's Games of the Year 2014 #1: Dragon Age: Inquisition
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<p>A good video game is one that you can think about while you are soaking in the bath.</p>
<p>You can steep yourself in the suds and allow your mind to float off into a particular game world, to solve its puzzles or strategize scenarios or merely imagine what might happen next in the story.</p>
<p>A good video game accompanies you, even when you are far away from whatever device you're using to play it. It creates a fictional ambience, a perfume that floats around you for weeks on end.</p>
<p><a href="/game/dragon-age-inquisition/3378" class="sbn-auto-link"><i>Dragon Age: Inquisition</i></a> is one such game. It is an alternative dreamscape of power, treachery, combat, exploration, magic and love. It is a sufficiently convincing universe of otherness that consumed my time when I was playing, and my attention when I was not.</p>
<p><q class="right">I...</q></p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/31/7474647/polygons-games-of-the-year-2014-1-dragon-age-inquisition">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/31/7474647/polygons-games-of-the-year-2014-1-dragon-age-inquisitionColin Campbell2014-12-30T16:00:02-05:002014-12-30T16:00:02-05:00Polygon's 50 admirable gaming people of 2014
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<p>Who are the people who contributed to gaming the most in 2014? Who made the positive changes that helped make it such an extraordinary year?</p>
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<p>This is Polygon's list of 50 people who we think made a difference in the past 12 months<strong></strong>. Whether through acts of creativity, community, perseverance, bravery or brilliance, they grappled with the challenges of the day and made the world of gaming better.</p>
<p>Some of the people on this list are individuals who act on their own, but most are part of a larger team. Our recognition of these individuals is also a recognition of their teams and their supporters.</p>
<p>Polygon's editorial crew worked together to create this list. We know it's not perfect, but it fairly represents us and our view of gaming...</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/30/7379031/polygons-50-gaming-heroes-of-2014">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/30/7379031/polygons-50-gaming-heroes-of-2014Colin Campbell2014-12-30T14:00:02-05:002014-12-30T14:00:02-05:00The year of GamerGate: The worst of gaming culture gets a movement
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<p>2014 was the year I had to reach out to local law enforcement to explain that a group had threatened to <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/23/4253014/swatting-911-prank-wont-stop-hackers-celebrities" target="_blank">"SWAT" me</a>, an act that consists of sending a false report to the police in the hopes that a SWAT team is sent to a specific address. This led to a conversation with my children about what to do if the police stormed in due to such an attack.
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<p>It's been a stressful year.</p>
<p>GamerGate began as an attempt to shame and harass a female developer, and has since spread to include many other targets, including this outlet. The guise is always "ethics," but the weapons are always terror. Addresses are posted online, anonymous threats are made, and lately members of the group have been shown up at people's workplaces.</p>
<p>The threat is clear: We...</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/30/7460777/gamergate-2014-just-the-worst">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/30/7460777/gamergate-2014-just-the-worstBen Kuchera2014-12-30T13:30:01-05:002014-12-30T13:30:01-05:00Polygon's Games of the Year 2014 #2: Wolfenstein: The New Order
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<p>In the wrap-up quote for <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/5/20/5718792/wolfenstein-the-new-order-review">my review of <em>Wolfenstein: The New Order</em></a>, I stated that the game's humanity is what makes it something truly memorable, and really, that's what I've continued to come back to over the course of 2014.</p>
<p>It's been a great year for shooters, many of which tried new things for the genre — things that pushed in directions that have left what I think will be a lasting mark on the genre. <a href="/game/wolfenstein-the-new-order/12750" class="sbn-auto-link"><i>Wolfenstein</i></a> didn't do that, though. In many ways, it's almost rebelliously old-school: armor pickups, boss fights, no recharging health, <span>an ever-expanding cornucopia of firearms. It is unabashedly what it is.</span></p>
<p>But it's more than the games that came before it, that serve as such clear progenitors to <i>The New Order</i>'s basic mechanics. There's...</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/30/7465767/polygons-games-of-the-year-2014">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/30/7465767/polygons-games-of-the-year-2014Arthur Gies