Polygon's Reviews
I encounter other space explorers of my own kind. They are bizarre, likable clue-givers who provide moments of comic relief. I perpetrate no violence in this game. I am never required to fire a laser gun or grapple with enemies. (How few are the games, set in space, that absent themselves from combat.) Yet, the worlds I visit can be hostile, releasing their secrets with the greatest reluctance.
In the end, Chinese Parents is ultimately a tribute to, well, Chinese parents — their tremendous expectations on their children, the unconventional ways they express their form of tough love, and all the familiar eccentricities of Chinese parental love.
Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers is one of the best MMOs available for both fans and newcomers
For me, the story worked best when it wasn’t so loud and so blunt.
Nintendo’s level creator isn’t just for the creative among us
Great investigations and ancient horrors are hidden by frustrating action
All sports video games are educational in some way; even MLB The Show will teach me new things about hitting every year. But the video game that both educates me and develops me as a fan of the sport is really doing its job, regardless of the visuals and gameplay fidelity (which are still take-it-for-granted impeccable in F1 2019).
This is the same city, just seen from a very different perspective.
All of the above helps make The Sims 4’s new Island Living expansion the perfect oasis of escapism for me.
My Friend Pedro gives you the tools necessary to become an action hero
Cadence of Hyrule is the best Zelda spinoff ever made
Three Kingdoms delivers, in the sense that it gives me the gift of a genuinely absorbing historical fantasy.
The magic of Void Bastards is that, while it’s scary and dangerous and random, it’s also within my control.
The key to crafting an effective user interface, via video game or otherwise, is a careful balancing act of priorities both aesthetic and utilitarian. The location of the interface, how it functions, who is the user, and how is the interface meant to be seen are all questions and considerations that inform the shape and presentation of a plausible, functional user interface.
Despite that, I’m left with a sense of unfulfilled ambition. Shakedown: Hawaii presents itself as a unique real estate-centric twist on open-world action, but it seems satisfied to stick with a cheap rental.
It's like being handed a gigantic box of tools of all shapes and sizes before being asked to replace a lightbulb. Sure, I can always build a step stool by hand before knocking the lightbulb out of the socket with a hammer, use a potato to remove the now-broken pieces of glass from the light fixture, knit a glove to keep my hand safe while I install the new lightbulb, and screw that bulb in using a custom attachment on a power drill so it goes in with a single pump of the trigger … but why wouldn't I just stand on my tiptoes, unscrew the old bulb, and put the new one in?
Instead of getting to the bottom of these questions, most communities prefer to send me crisscrossing the gorgeous Oregon countryside and rolling mountains of Days Gone's open world on my motorcycle as I hunt down bounties, recruit survivors, and raze entire camps of raiders. Completing missions builds trust within these communities, which in turn unlocks better gear, a reward I find much more compelling than the idea of helping each camp's one-note characters.
The latest must-own Nintendo Switch game is SteamWorld Quest
Whether you’re a longtime fan or just looking for a story mode to grind, or even just interested in learning a little more about fighting games outside of simply mashing the buttons, there is something for everyone in Mortal Kombat 11 — or at least, everyone who can stomach the extreme violence and gore.
World War Z is an OK multiplayer game elevated by hilarious zombie physics