2017 was a very good year for video games across the board, but the platforming genre had a particularly strong showing this year. There were excellent platformers, disappointing platformers and platformers that sold shockingly well. Return of the KingsSuper Mario Odyssey, my personal game of the year and Polygon’s collective #3, rethought what a Mario platformer should be in a post-Breath of the Wild world. Nintendo took lessons learned from Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, continuing i

2017 was a very good year for video games across the board, but the platforming genre had a particularly strong showing this year. There were excellent platformers, disappointing platformers and platformers that sold shockingly well. Return of the KingsSuper Mario Odyssey, my personal game of the year and Polygon’s collective #3, rethought what a Mario platformer should be in a post-Breath of the Wild world. Nintendo took lessons learned from Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, continuing i

For our Game of the Year 2017 special, all of these and more are in full display, as we put our heads together to name the winners in some oft-forgotten categories. What was the best game to play this year while lying on the floor and dying slowly? Watch us name the winners in our special episode above — we even make sure to mail out everyone’s very special trophies during the show. The Polygon Show will be available for you to listen to every Friday on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher. If you like w

An intrepid explorer actually left galactic space in the game’s vast map, and was still rescued from the void by the famed Fuel Rats. Enter the Fuel Rats. Three Fuel Rats came to the rescue, in what was called Operation Beyond The Void. The Fuel Rats livestreamed the rescue, which concluded on Dec. 23 with a successful outcome. There is a ton more detail in this very long thread, which is full of gung-ho cheer and gratitude to the Fuel Rats.

An intrepid explorer actually left galactic space in the game’s vast map, and was still rescued from the void by the famed Fuel Rats. Enter the Fuel Rats. Three Fuel Rats came to the rescue, in what was called Operation Beyond The Void. The Fuel Rats livestreamed the rescue, which concluded on Dec. 23 with a successful outcome. There is a ton more detail in this very long thread, which is full of gung-ho cheer and gratitude to the Fuel Rats.

We at The Polygon Show are known for our serious conversation, intellectual banter and philosophical banter. For our Game of the Year 2017 special, all of these and more are in full display, as we put our heads together to name the winners in some oft-forgotten categories. Watch us name the winners in our special episode above — we even make sure to mail out everyone’s very special trophies during the show. The Polygon Show will be available for you to listen to every Friday on Apple Podcasts an

Jeff Kaplan, the director of Overwatch also known for tongue-in-cheek videos where he answers players’ questions, has been sitting contentedly in front of a roaring holiday fire on Twitch for about the past three hours. But there was no human in that show, just a crackling fire and some holiday standards. The stream is up to nearly 40,000 concurrent viewers right now and is the top promoted stream on Twitch’s front. Update: Kaplan survived the nearly 10-hour stream. An archive of the whole thing

Jeff Kaplan, the director of Overwatch also known for tongue-in-cheek videos where he answers players’ questions, has been sitting contentedly in front of a roaring holiday fire on Twitch for about the past three hours. That’s all he’s doing, and viewers are gobbling it up. That’s all he’s doing, and he has a five-figure viewership. But there was no human in that show, just a crackling fire and some holiday standards. The stream is up to nearly 40,000 concurrent viewers right now and is the top

But goddamn if Dragon Ball Fighter Z hasn’t charmed the pants off me. Here is the opening cinematic for the game, launching Jan. 26, 2018 on PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One. It is as straight, fine cut Arc System Works an intro as there ever was, still working within the Dragon Ball millieu: relentless guitar and thrash vocals; motion blur and electrified explosions; and plenty of >;-) smirks with the occasional constipated face, as Dragon Ball FighterZ introduces the roster. This is the

Years ago — at most 27 — one young Ultima fan “rented” (his words) Ultima 6 from a computer store in town and, um, didn’t erase the game after installing it to his PC. @RichardGarriott wilt thou pardon me for not paying full price for Ultima VI? Richard Garriott, in character as the Lord British persona, replied with benevolent forgiveness. His latest game is Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues, billed a spiritual successor to the Ultima series. Garriott’s mention of New Britannia in the abov

Years ago — at most 27 — one young Ultima fan “rented” (his words) Ultima 6 from a computer store in town and, um, didn’t erase the game after installing it to his PC. @RichardGarriott wilt thou pardon me for not paying full price for Ultima VI? Richard Garriott, in character as the Lord British persona, replied with benevolent forgiveness. His latest game is Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues, billed a spiritual successor to the Ultima series. Garriott’s mention of New Britannia in the abov

Announced back in August, Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night and Persona 5: Dancing Star Night are coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in 2018. The two games follow Persona 4: Dancing All Night, which launched in 2015 for PlayStation Vita. From the videos, it looks like these titles launch May 24, 2018. It’s not clear what the western launch plans or timeframe are for these two. Just soak up the energy and the excitement of the commentators as the kids dance the Moon Night away.

Announced back in August, Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night and Persona 5: Dancing Star Night are coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in 2018. The two games follow Persona 4: Dancing All Night, which launched in 2015 for PlayStation Vita. From the videos, it looks like these titles launch May 24, 2018. It’s not clear what the western launch plans or timeframe are for these two. Just soak up the energy and the excitement of the commentators as the kids dance the Moon Night away.

But goddamn if Dragon Ball Fighter Z hasn’t charmed the pants off me. Here is the opening cinematic for the game, launching Jan. 26, 2018 on PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One. It is as straight, fine cut Arc System Works an intro as there ever was, still working within the Dragon Ball millieu: relentless guitar and thrash vocals; motion blur and electrified explosions; and plenty of >;-) smirks with the occasional constipated face, as Dragon Ball FighterZ introduces the roster. This is the

A video game museum in Oakland has asked the U.S. Copyright Office to grant an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act for purposes of preserving defunction MMO games. The rules already provide exemptions for the purposes of video game preservation, but they only apply to games that do not require an online server — the basis of a massively multiplayer online game. “Online games have become ubiquitous and are only growing in popularity,” the MADE reasoned. MADE wants an exemption for o

A Normal Lost Phone and its sequel, Another Lost Phone, are two mystery games that unravel inside the confines of someone’s smartphone. Playing A Normal Lost Phone and its sequel felt like tiptoeing through an ethical minefield. In both of the Lost Phone games, there’s a similar level of intimacy I had to develop to complete each story. Their struggles are surprising, and surprisingly real; I’ve had friends go through similar issues to those of the Lost Phone characters. Maybe that sounds odd, b

While most of the major discount events have come and gone, there are still plenty of great deals available. Microsoft is currently marking down dozens of games in the Microsoft Store, including some of the best games of the year like Destiny 2 and What Remains of Edith Finch. If you’re not in the market for games, there are console deals available, like a Nintendo Switch with a free carrying case at Walmart. New ReleasesLife is Strange: Before The Storm Episode 3 on The Microsoft Store and Play

Using supplemental media to flesh out smaller elements of the main Star Wars stories is nothing new to this franchise. [spoilers for The Last Jedi and Star Wars Battlefront 2’s campaign ahead]In the opening moments of The Last Jedi, the Resistance takes part in a bombing run to destroy a First Order dreadnought. By telling these stories, the Star Wars universe can develop new heroes and villains for its fans to help expand its already massive universe. Looking for more Star Wars news? Check out

A Normal Lost Phone and its sequel, Another Lost Phone, are two mystery games that unravel inside the confines of someone’s smartphone. Playing A Normal Lost Phone and its sequel felt like tiptoeing through an ethical minefield. In both of the Lost Phone games, there’s a similar level of intimacy I had to develop to complete each story. Their struggles are surprising, and surprisingly real; I’ve had friends go through similar issues to those of the Lost Phone characters. Maybe that sounds odd, b

A video game museum in Oakland has asked the U.S. Copyright Office to grant an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act for purposes of preserving defunction MMO games. The rules already provide exemptions for the purposes of video game preservation, but they only apply to games that do not require an online server — the basis of a massively multiplayer online game. “Online games have become ubiquitous and are only growing in popularity,” the MADE reasoned. MADE wants an exemption for o