News
9 CommentsSonic Forces’ first gameplay looks like the 3D Sonic games you know
Sega today revealed the first gameplay footage of Sonic Forces, the “modern Sonic” game previously known as Project Sonic or Sonic 2017.
Aside from a graphical upgrade, Sonic Forces looks similar to the kinds of 3D games that Sonic fans have seen before — Sonic Colors, which was released on the Wii and Nintendo DS in 2010, comes to mind. The camera sits behind the titular hedgehog as he races through city streets; the player mostly holds up on the analog stick while jumping occasionally.
Things appear to be going poorly for our furry blue friend, as the city he’s exploring is under attack by Death Egg Robot sentinels. The giant robots seem to be destroying the landscape by hand, but are also shooting fireballs that explode all around Sonic. He gets around on his speedy feet, and also...
News
13 CommentsSonic Mania delayed to summer
Sonic the Hedgehog fans will have to wait a little longer for the character’s next 2D adventure. Sega announced at SXSW today that Sonic Mania has been delayed from its spring release window to sometime this summer.
While that may be bad news for impatient Sonic enthusiasts, it will likely result in a better product. And to dull the pain of the delay, Sega revealed a new stage for Sonic Mania, Flying Battery Zone, in a brief gameplay trailer.
Flying Battery Zone appeared previously in Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles.
Sonic Mania, which is being developed by Headcannon and PagodaWest Games in collaboration with Sega and Christian Whitehead, is coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One.
For a look at why Sonic Mania is one of Nick Robinson’s...
Cover Story
Issue
26
February 27, 2017
What the game industry thinks of Nintendo’s Switch
We talk with third-party developers and industry executives about what to expect.
Read moreNews
53 CommentsOutlast 2 denied rating in Australia because of sexual violence
Outlast 2 has been refused a rating by the Australian Classification Board because of a scene depicting sexual violence. Without a rating, the game cannot be sold in that country.
The original Outlast, which was released on Windows PC in 2013. The asylum-based horror game reviewed well, including here at Polygon. The sequel takes place in Arizona and includes the original’s camcorder-based night vision feature. Players take on the role of Blake Langerman who, along with his wife, Lynn, are investigating the murder of a pregnant woman.
From our preview at last year’s PAX East:
On the surface, Outlast 2 is about finding your wife. It's almost certainly about uncovering the mystery of the misery in the Arizona desert. It's also about staying alive, because this farm from hell isn't...
News
252 CommentsMass Effect: Andromeda’s character animations continue to be mocked online
Mass Effect: Andromeda will be released on March 21, but pre-release copies are already in the hands of critics and streamers. That’s not good news for BioWare, as people are having a field day capturing moments in which the in-game animation system breaks down. The facial animations, in particular, aren’t looking great.
This isn’t the first time the game’s animations have proven to be a problem before launch. But the reports, videos and gifs that show off the game’s flawed animations have increased since review copies have been released.
Reports are varied about how bad the issue is, and how much it affects players’ enjoyment of the game, but it does seem like the animations could have used a bit more time to be perfected.
You can watch the game’s first hour if you’d like to get a...
Latest Xbox One Forum Activity View all posts
News
1 CommentInjustice 2 adds Firestorm to lineup
The Injustice 2 roster just got a little hotter with the addition of Firestorm, the 27th character confirmed for NetherRealm Studios’ DC Universe fighter.
A new trailer for Firestorm shows what the Nuclear Man is capable of in battle: plenty of fireball and flame-based attacks, naturally. It appears that Firestorm will also be capable of an alternate or buffed form, which is evident when the character shifts the color of his flames from red to blue. That’s also illustrative of the character’s dual personality; the Firestorm in Injustice 2 is composed of the minds of Jason Rusch and Martin Stein, who “are only beginning to master their abilities,” according to the developer.
In the gameplay trailer above, watch as Firestorm beats up on Green Arrow and Catwoman. The latter gets some extra...
News
6 CommentsKenny Loggins’ ‘Danger Zone’ and Archer are coming to Rock Band
Sterling Archer, star of the FXX animated series Archer, is coming to Rock Band 4 as part of a free update for the rhythm game, developer Harmonix announced today. Archer’s addition to the game is tied to the debut of the show’s upcoming eighth season, Archer: Dreamland, and the addition of a new downloadable song, Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone.”
While Archer will be free for Rock Band 4 owners, if they want to play “Danger Zone,” that will cost them $1.99. Archer and the infamous Top Gun tune will be available for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Rock Band 4 on March 16.
Archer: Dreamland debuts April 5 on FXX.
Harmonix said in a news release that bringing Archer to Rock Band 4 “presented a unique challenge for the art team.” The developer created a custom cel-shader in an...
News
13 CommentsDestiny’s next update revives weekly Nightfall strike’s XP boost
Destiny’s weekly Nightfall strike hasn’t been the same since Destiny: The Taken King, but the most important reward from the activity is finally returning in the game’s final update, developer Bungie announced today during a Twitch livestream.
Age of Triumph is the final major content update between now and the expected launch of Destiny’s sequel this fall. It will bring back a crucial element of the Nightfall experience: the 25 percent buff to all experience gains that players received upon finishing the strike. Destiny veterans will be delighted to hear that Bungie is also bringing back the blue flames that licked Guardians’ helmets in social spaces — a beloved visual effect broadcasting to the world that a player had completed that week’s Nightfall strike.
Those facets of the...
News
35 CommentsCapcom bundles up its Disney Afternoon NES classics for PS4, Xbox One and PC
Next month, Capcom goes barreling down your 90’s-kid memory lane with The Disney Afternoon Collection on PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One. It's a six-game anthology of the 8-bit adaptations of four beloved Disney cartoons.
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers and its sequel, Darkwing Duck, DuckTales and DuckTales 2, and TaleSpin, all of which first appeared on the Nintendo Entertainment System in the early 1990s, are included. These are not remastered, so bask in the 8-bit sprites and chiptunes of days gone by.
The collection launches April 18 for $19.99. It will also offer some new content and options, including boss rush and time-attack modes, plus a rewind feature that allows players to start over just before a mistake was made rather than replay an entire level. A museum mode also will...
News
4 CommentsSeveral thousand get temporary bans as For Honor battles experience-farming exploit
About 1,500 people have gotten three-day bans and another 4,000 have been warned as Ubisoft moves to contain the so-called "AFK Farming" exploit in its fighting game, For Honor.
The exploit rather crudely takes advantage of doing nothing within a match yet still earning end-game rewards and level progression. "AFK farming" entails keeping a character moving somehow during a match (typically by hooking a rubber band to the thumbstick) without playing.
Anyone who finishes a match is eligible for bonuses and some specific challenges, called "orders" set participating in or completing certain types of matches, or with certain fighters, as a condition to receive even more XP.
Writing on the For Honor subreddit, For Honor's development team explained both the bans and the offending conduct....
News
4 CommentsDestiny player completes yearslong quest to glitch through Vault of Glass
In its two and a half years of life, Destiny has cultivated a passionate, dedicated fan base, the most die-hard members of which can be found on Reddit. To be clear, we’re not just referring to the popular Destiny subreddit, but a related one that was created shortly after the game launched: r/RaidSecrets.
The RaidSecrets subreddit was designed “specifically for discussing secrets, glitches, tricks, and explorations in Destiny.” Now, more than two years after RaidSecrets’ founding, one man has achieved a feat that many people thought impossible: He glitched his Guardian all the way to Atheon’s throne room in the Vault of Glass, Destiny’s first raid.
This dedicated raider, who goes by djxyz0 online, has been on a mission with the rest of the r/RaidSecrets crew to see if it’s possible to...
Video
12 CommentsWatch the first hour of Mass Effect: Andromeda
Mass Effect: Andromeda is nearly here: The game launches on March 21. Polygon has already spent considerable time with BioWare’s latest alien romance simulator (with a side of action gameplay), and we’ve recorded our first hour with Andromeda above.
Watch us get introduced to Commander Ryder, the new hero of the fourth Mass Effect game. It’s the first time fans will play as someone other than Commander Shepherd, but we think they’re going to like her ... or him, depending on which choice they make. (We went with the lady Ryder.)
Although customizing Ryder typically takes way, way longer than our video suggests, thanks to all those options, we jump into the game itself for a taste of how Andromeda plays. As we wrote in our preview late last month, there’s a lot to figure out about the...
News
11 CommentsSystem Shock 3 is coming to consoles, thanks to new publisher
System Shock 3 is heading to PC and consoles with help from Starbreeze, the Swedish publisher whose catalogue ranges from Payday 2 and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons to 2018’s Psychonauts 2.
The company announced that it’s investing $12 million in the project, currently in development at Otherside Entertainment. Starbreeze is one of several big names, attached to the long-awaited System Shock game, narrative design veteran Warren Spector (Deus Ex) chief among them.
Starbreeze’s investment enables Otherside Entertainment to retain all rights of the System Shock 3 property while benefiting from the publisher’s marketing and promotional muscle. The distribution-only partnership is similar to the one Starbreeze has with Double Fine Productions, makers of Psychonauts 2.
System Shock 3...
News
1 CommentOverwatch’s new hero Orisa goes live on consoles and PC next week
Orisa, the new Overwatch hero that’s been in testing on Windows PC for the past two weeks, will be live and playable in all versions of the game starting on Tuesday, March 21, Blizzard Entertainment announced today.
Blizzard also released a new behind-the-scenes look at Overwatch’s 24th hero today, which you can watch in the video above. Blizzard dives into the origin and design philosophy of the character, and talks about her earliest iterations. Orisa is the third post-release character to join Overwatch after Ana and Sombra.
Orisa is the creation of an 11-year-old robotics engineering prodigy, Efi Oladele. Designed as a peacekeeping robot, Orisa is technically the game’s youngest hero. Blizzard describes her role as “the central anchor of her team” who can protect her teammates with...
News
7 CommentsResident Evil: Revelations coming to PS4, Xbox One later this year
Capcom will re-release Resident Evil: Revelations on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One later this year, the company announced via Twitter today. The dual ports of the Nintendo 3DS game will arrive sometime this fall in North America and Europe. Capcom says Revelations will be available both physically and digitally.
Resident Evil: Revelations was originally released on Nintendo 3DS in 2012. The following year, Capcom released high-definition ports of the game for PlayStation 3, Wii U, Windows PC and Xbox 360. In addition to high-def visuals and improved lighting, the console and PC ports of Revelations added a new difficulty mode, new playable characters and more.
It’s not clear what, if anything, Capcom plans to add to the PS4 and Xbox One versions of Resident Evil: Revelations, but 4K and...
News
2 CommentsRocket League getting free new mode with an electrified ball
Developer Psyonix will release a new mode for Rocket League next week that will mix up how players score goals and will introduce a new concept — damage — thanks to an electrified ball.
Rocket League’s new mode, Dropshot, is coming March 22. Instead of bouncing the ball into a goal (or basket) to score points, in Dropshot players will have to break through the floor of the arena to form goal openings and scoring opportunities.
Dropshot matches will take place in a new hexagonal arena called Core 707. Players will have to use the electrified ball to smash holes into the floor of that stadium. Here’s Psyonix’s official description of the new mode and stadium.
Regular goalposts are nowhere to be found in the new stadium, so players must create their own dynamic scoring areas by using an...
Video
13 CommentsTake a look at Battlefield 1: They Shall Not Pass
Last week, I spent a few hours in the company of Battlefield 1's new expansion, They Shall Not Pass. As you can see from the video above, there's no let-up from the frenetic and bloody action of the core game.
With close-quarters combat a major component of this DLC, it's an extremely challenging, die-a-lot offering, even for the most accomplished of players.
This multiplayer release introduces a key component missing from the original game: the French Army. When most of us think of World War I, we tend to picture the Western Front, much of which took place on French land.
Electronic Arts / DICE
Battlefield 1: They Shall Not Pass
This addition is entirely satisfying, with French voices, uniforms and weapons adding a sense of authenticity to the often...
Penny Arcade Expo
11 CommentsToeJam & Earl is coming to Nintendo Switch
Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove, the long-awaited fourth installment in a series more than 25 years old, is coming to Nintendo Switch when it launches this year. We got our hands on it (although not the Switch version) at PAX East in Boston, and starting it up was like booting up a dusty old Sega Genesis, except with a huge graphics upgrade.
From the shape of that first island, to the speed and rhythm with which the famous Funkotronians walk, the latest entry in the ToeJam & Earl franchise feels like a loving reboot of what made the 1991 original so much fun.
ToeJam & Earl was a franchise that seemed to lose its way over the years, straying far from the isometric exploration that many found so endearing. The development team went back to the series’ roots, even including a level zero,...
News
9 CommentsCities: Skylines celebrates birthday with free DLC
Cities: Skylines has sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide, publisher Paradox Interactive said on the game's two-year anniversary, and it will celebrate with some free DLC.
The free content will be a building pack called "Pearls From the East." It's three new buildings, the Panda Zoo, the Chinese Temple, and the Shanghai Pearl Tower. They will be made available "soon," Paradox said.
Mariina Hallikainen, the chief executive of Cities: Skylines developer Colossal Order, thanked the game's vibrant community for its long support. "Seeing how many people have rallied around it, and seeing the incredible community sharing their cities and mods has been so rewarding and inspiring," she said in a statement.
Cities: Skylines sold one million copies by April 2015, a month after its launch.
C...
Culture
4 CommentsShadow of War already has a fan-favorite NPC, and a tribute video to him
In what may be a first, an NPC from an alpha build of a game has gotten an official tribute video from its maker, five months before launch. Welcome to the Az-Laar meme.
Az-Laar is the beefy, gate-crashing Kool-Aid Orc from Middle-earth: Shadow of War's gameplay preview earlier this week. Enlisted as a "living battering ram" in a siege, Az-Laar unexpectedly became a fan favorite for his oratorical skills (at 2:51 of the video) and for tearing the head off an enemy (at 4:59).
Alas, he perished, dunked in siege oil and deep-fried like a state fair treat (at 8:36). YouTubers posted their condolences to Az-Laar in the video's comments, enough that the Shadow of War YouTube account noticed. They’re stirring up the masses on Twitter, too.
Az-Laar's doom appears to be an unavoidable...
Active Discussions
Polygon Weekly: March 13 - March 19, 2017
in Off-topic by James Elliott
I played 3 hours last night...Am I the only one that thinks...
in Mass Effect: Andromeda by MarcintheCloud
Anime, Cartoons, Comics! Plight Vol. 4 No. 10: An Alternative Memory
in Off-topic by Cobaltios
Nintendo, often dismissed as being "kiddy", has actually made the best console for adults
in Nintendo Switch by silellak
Notifications and Flags
in Meta by KAllenBoone