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Sony reveals PlayStation Experience fan event games, developer lineup

By Michael McWhertor on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

Sony plans to bring more than 20 playable games to its community-focused PlayStation Experience event in Las Vegas this December, Sony Computer Entertainment announced on the PlayStation Blog. Those titles include upcoming games like Bloodborne, Mortal Kombat X, Destiny's first expansion The Dark Below and Telltale's episodic Game of Thrones. The company also revealed a partial list of developers who will be in attendance at the show. Interestingly, some of the devs making their way to PlayStation Experience — Capcom and Killzone developer Guerrilla Games — don't have a game on the list of confirmed playable software, which is expected to grow. The PlayStation Experience event takes place the weekend after Spike is expected to hold its annual video game awards show, which was...
Culture
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Watch Colbert on GamerGate, including Anita Sarkeesian interview

By Colin Campbell on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

As Polygon reported earlier, The Colbert Report ran a segment on GamerGate tonight, including an interview with Tropes vs. Women in Video Games creator Anita Sarkeesian. Colbert took the opportunity to drop in some pretty good gags about gaming culture, while picking up on the issues raised by feminist critics of sexism in gaming and a few of the arguments used by GamerGaters. Here's the clip ...
Cover Story
Issue 01

Oct. 27, 2014

The Plan to Reinvent Call of Duty

By Matt Leone

Go behind the scenes to see how Sledgehammer Games spent the past three years building Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Read more

Check out the new cutscenes for Halo 2 Anniversary

By Ben Kuchera on Oct 29, 2014 10.29.14

  • Return of the Obra Dinn, from the creator of Papers, Please

  • Far Cry 4 in action

  • Hyper Light Drifter is decadent, cryptic and classy

  • Hands-on with LittleBigPlanet 3

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BattleCry trailer shows how Bethesda's free-to-play combat arena is progressing

By Colin Campbell on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

BattleCry is Bethesda's first free-to-play game. I played a demo at E3 and enjoyed its stylized World War I-without-machine-guns look, its interesting combat characters and its range of weapon options. It's an online multiplayer action game for PC in which up to 32 players battle in team-based combat. Developer BattleCry Studios promises that it's "very different from what a lot of other people are doing in this space." Anyway, here's a look at the game via a teaser trailer released today. The beta is coming next year, though visitors to PAX Aus 2014 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre this weekend will get a chance to play.
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NBA 2K15's terrifying facial scans are perfect for Halloween masks

By Samit Sarkar on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

If you're looking for a last-minute Halloween costume, 2K Sports has you covered. The people behind NBA 2K15 are poking fun at themselves and their game with a collection of eight Halloween masks based on face scans gone awry. NBA 2K15 generated some bad publicity at its launch earlier this month for the grotesque creations that its new face scanning technology produced. The scanning engine, which works on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One using the PlayStation Camera or Kinect, respectively, is a temperamental piece of software that can be difficult to use in less-than-ideal conditions. My colleague Owen Good, for example, spent a lot of time in a futile effort to get the scan to work in his living room, and was so frustrated that he called the scanning feature a "tedious, painful disaster."...
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This War of Mine offers up a haunting trailer

By Colin Campbell on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

This War of Mine has been on Polygon's watch-list all year, mainly due to its unique take on conflict and its distinctive, evocative narrative style. Due to arrive on Nov. 14 for $19.99, today's launch trailer offers a look at how the game follows a group of civilians trying to survive in a war-torn city as they struggle with a lack of supplies and the constant menace of violence. Created by Warsaw-based 11 bit Studios, best known for the Anomaly series, it takes the point of view of civilians and the victims of conflict. This War of Mine will be available on Windows PC, Mac and Linux.
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Sega brings Valkyria Chronicles to PC on Nov. 11

By Michael McWhertor on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

Sega's PlayStation 3 role-playing game Valkyria Chronicles will make its way to Windows PC on Nov. 11, the company confirmed today. The game will be available for download for $19.99 — £14.99/€19.99 in the U.K. and Europe — through digital services like Steam. The PC release will contain the downloadable content released for the PS3 version of Valkyria Chronicles, including the Hard EX Mode, Edy's Mission "Enter the Edy Detachment," Selveria's Mission "Behind Her Blue Flame" and Challenge of the Edy Detachment. Valkyria Chronicles takes place in a fictional version of 1930s Europe, where players fight to save the country of Gallia from a group known as the Empire. The critically acclaimed Valkyria Chronicles was originally released for PS3 in 2008. Sequels were released for...
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Best Buy ignores time zones for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare launch

By Colin Campbell on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

Like many retailers, Best Buy is opening up a bunch of its stores at midnight on Nov. 3 for the launch of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. But the company is pulling a fast one on the whole notion of time zones. Because, even if you are in Central, Mountain or Pacific time zones, the stores are opening at midnight Eastern Time. That means, anyone buying Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare from a Best Buy on the west coast can get it at 9 p.m. on Nov. 2. The electronics retail giant is opening 800 stores. Buyers do not need to have placed a pre-order. Best Buy is also offering a special Call of Duty trade-in on old titles in the military shooter series, worth up to $30 in value. Specific details are here.

Marvel details nine comic book movies including Infinity War two-parter

By Brian Crecente on Oct 28, 2014 10.28.14

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Xbox Live Gold members get vikings, piñatas and more free in November

By Samit Sarkar on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be treated to three free games next month, starting with the Xbox One debut of the indie title Volgarr the Viking, Microsoft announced today. Xbox One-owning Gold members will be able to get Crazy Viking Studios' brutally difficult action game free from Nov. 1-30. Volgarr the Viking launched on Windows PC via Steam in September 2013. Non-Gold subscribers will be able to buy the Xbox One version for $9.99. Microsoft noted that Volgarr the Viking is the free Xbox One game for November in certain regions only, including the U.K. and North America. Customers in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Russia and Taiwan will instead receive the full version of the Xbox One launch title Powerstar Golf. Xbox Live Gold subscribers on Xbox 360...
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5 Comments

Tengami's pop-up world hits Wii U next month

By Brian Crecente on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

Origami-inspired iOS game Tengami is making the leap to Nintendo's Wii U on Nov. 13, the developers tell Polygon. The game will sell for $9.99 on the eShop. "We spent the last couple of months carefully porting the game over to the Wii U, as well as integrating Wii U specific features such as posting and sharing to Miiverse, as well as collectible Miiverse stamps," said developer Nyamyam's Jennifer Schneidereit. In the game, players guide an origami samurai through a rice paper world of puzzles, wolves and folding tea houses. Check out our early interview with Schneidereit from 2012 for a bit more on the game.
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Fear-tracking video game seeks funding for consoles, Oculus Rift

By Brian Crecente on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

Nevermind, a game that virtually drops a player into the terrors of a trauma patient and uses the player's heart rate to tweak the difficulty, didn't quite hit its Kickstarter goals at the beginning of the year. Fortunately, developer Erin Reynolds project was picked-up by Intel, which is now fully-funding a version which will use the company's RealSense Camera to monitor heart rate and feed it to the game. But Reynolds still wants to bring her alternative game to the broadest audience possible, so she launched a second Kickstarter campaign earlier this month. This one seeks funding to bring the title to the Xbox One, Oculus Rift and to add in "many more sensors" and perhaps a few more levels. As off today the team is about half-way to their $75,000 goal with three days to go.
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Steam Halloween sale arrives with Dead Space, Darksiders and more

By Colin Campbell on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

The Steam Halloween sale is on, offering a cryptful of gaming deals. There are 37 different game and bundle offers, with games reduced by as much as 85 percent, including titles such as The Typing of the Dead: Overkill Collection ($8.49), Sanitarium ($1.99), Fallout 3 ($2.49), Rise of the Triad ($3.74), Spore ($12.49), Dead Space Pack ($8.74), The Binding of Isaac Collection ($1.32), F.E.A.R. Collection ($13.74), The Evil Within Season Pass ($9.99) and Darksiders Franchise Pack ($8.99). The sale runs through Nov. 3.
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Assassin's Creed Unity time-warps into World War II craziness

By Colin Campbell on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

As everyone knows, Assassin's Creed games aren't just historical fiction, they're also about time anomalies. Assassin's Creed Unity is no exception, as this bizarre time travel trailer shows. Basically, main character Arno warps out of revolutionary Paris right into the thick of a World War II air-raid. Assassin's Creed Unity will be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC on Nov. 11.
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Call of Duty goes live-action once more to promote Advanced Warfare

By Brian Crecente on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

In this latest bit of promo for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, the game forgoes pure graphics for something a bit more real, a live-action, CGI mashup. The live action trailer was directed by Peter Berg and stars Taylor Kitsch and Emily Ratajkowski. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare hits Nov. 4, aka U.S. Election Day. Make sure to check out our big cover story on the game for more details about how it's trying to reinvent the franchise.

Opinion

Bound Women: Why games are better without a damsel to save

by Claire Hosking

Feature

Rebel Galaxy, the newest game from the men behind Diablo and Torchlight

by Charlie Hall

Active Discussions

Anime, Cartoons, Comics! Plight Vol. 3, No 1.2: No More Games.

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in Meta by Roope Leppänen

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in Pokemon Omega Ruby/Pokemon Alpha Sapphire by KajunBowser

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in Off-topic by Shaun McIlroy

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DriveClub PlayStation Plus Edition officially postponed 'until further notice'

By Michael McWhertor on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

Evolution Studios' PlayStation 4 racing game DriveClub has been out for close to a month, but its online component has been rocky and unreliable. Today, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida issued a formal apology for the game's technical problems and confirmed that DriveClub PlayStation Plus Edition is now postponed "until further notice." DriveClub launched on PS4 on Oct. 7, and developer Evolution Studios hasn't been able to provide a reliable online experience since then. The game's PlayStation Plus Edition, a sampling of DriveClub's cars and tracks, was expected to hit alongside or near the retail release. But given the core game's flaky online performance, the trial version of DriveClub hasn't been delivered as promised. Sony Computer Entertainment...
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Kentucky Route Zero's latest interlude requires a phone … a telephone

By Charlie Hall on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

The team at Cardboard Computer is at it again with another esoteric interlude between episodes of Kentucky Route Zero. KR0's first episode was released in early 2013, and since then only three of the five promised episodes have been published. But between each release the team has shared a special, free experience with their fans. The first was a tour of a virtual art museum, called Limits and Demonstrations. The second, called The Entertainment, was a theatrical experience built for the Oculus Rift. This interlude? Well... we're not quite sure what this one is yet, but we know it's a three-parter. First, there's a phone for sale on eBay. "This phone only dials one number correctly," the listing reads. "I do not recall how I arrived at that discovery. Dashiell had piercing tinnitus...
News
38 Comments

Wii U sales skyrocket, and Nintendo expects more thanks to Super Smash Bros.

By Dave Tach on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will bolster console sales, continuing a trend that began earlier this year with the release of Mario Kart 8 and increased sales as much as 200 percent, Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata said during a financial results briefing today. In May 2014, Nintendo announced a $456 million annual operating loss for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014. Not for the first time, the company described Wii U hardware, whose cumulative sales totaled 6.17 million at the time, as having a "negative impact on Nintendo's profits," for several reasons including software sales. By late October, Nintendo announced that Wii U sales topped 7 million units and credited strong Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS sales for a surprise profit. Must Read H...
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1 Comment

Robot toy car company looks to Skylanders, EA as it adds more game to its tracks

By Brian Crecente on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

Anki, the company behind real-world, toy battle-car racing game Anki Drive, is bringing on the former creative director of Skylanders and an Electronic Arts former VP of marketing to work to make their high-tech racetrack more fun. Joby Otero, former creative director for Skylanders, will join the company as its chief creative officer and Craig Rechenmacher, former Electronic Arts VP of marketing and business development, will join as its chief marketing officer, the company announced today. Anki Drive features computer-powered, and sometimes computer-controlled, toy cars that can either be raced around a track by a player or driven by an AI. The toys also include virtual weapons used to spice up the races. The new hires will be ushering in changes that include adding new character...
News
1 Comment

Nintendo eyes expansion of digital payment on New Nintendo 3DS

By Emily Gera on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

Nintendo is looking into the possibility of expanding its Suica e-money payment system to its New Nintendo 3DS, the company confirmed today. The smart card, which was introduced earlier this year in Japan, has so far only been available for monetary payments relating to Nintendo's Wii U console. Before the introduction of these e-money payments, the company had only supported digital payments over credit cards and prepaid cards. According to company president Satoru Iwata the "barrier has been cleared" for other consoles to adopt digital payment systems — particularly consoles that feature content for under 500 yen (roughly $5). "From this summer, we commenced public transport e-money payments, starting with JR East's 'Suica,' on Wii U," Iwata said. "By the introduction of this...
News
6 Comments

The Swindle, a stealth-action adventure from Big Five, is back from the dead

By Colin Campbell on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

The Swindle from Size Five Games is a procedurally generated steampunk-themed 2D action game about breaking into buildings, hacking systems, stealing cash, and running away. Developed by the maker of Gun Monkeys and the BAFTA-winning Privates, it's tentatively penciled in for release in spring 2015, with platforms yet to be decided. Developer Dan Marshall had actually announced and then cancelled The Swindle in 2013, but decided to take another swing this year. "I think of The Swindle as a stealth game for the rest of us," said Marshall in an email interview with Polygon. "I'm tired of games making me sneak up behind people and hoping they don't turn around. "This is much more a case of being spotted is an inevitability rather than a fail state. Once you're seen, the game changes...
News
30 Comments

Why Nintendo's New 3DS didn't arrive in Europe and the U.S. first

By Dave Tach on Oct 30, 2014 10.30.14

The New Nintendo 3DS arrived first in Japan this year in an attempt to boost "slow moving" hardware sales in that market, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said during a financial results briefing today. Nintendo 3DS hardware sales decreased in the first half of 2014, according to Iwata, because Nintendo "could not release any million-selling titles for the platform in the Japanese market." The subsequent release of two versions of Yokai Watch 2 and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate in Japan have sold more than 2 million copies each. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS has sold 1.88 million units, and Iwata expects that to cross the 2 million threshold "shortly." The New 3DS launched Oct. 11 in Japan and won't arrive in Europe or the U.S. until 2015 at the earliest. The upgraded device sold...
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