Articles

Zelda creators unpack the 'exercise in suffering' that inspired Tears of the Kingdom

Since the 1980s, the Legend of Zelda series has always been an experimental testing ground for Nintendo. Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64 introduced lock-on aiming in melee combat, which became a genre-spanning staple of modern gaming. Twilight Princess on Wii introduced motion controls that added a new level of immersion to the role-playing experience. It wasn't until Breath of the Wild in 2017 that Zelda's sales would finally catch up to its blockbuster ambitions, but crafting a world that offers boundless player freedom was no straightforward task. source https://www.polygon.com/keza-macdonald-super-nintendo/

Star Wars' Super Bowl Trailer is the most disappointing thing I've seen this year

In a few months, The Mandalorian and Grogu will be leaving the small screen to venture off into your local theater. Our first look at the dad-and-son duo since last seeing them in The Mandalorian season 3 teased the return of the Razor Crest, new allies with the appearance of Sigourney Weaver, epic cage fights, but not much else. Still, with such a big jump from TV to cinema, you'd expect Lucasfilm and Disney to have brought their A-game with the teaser for The Mandalorian and Grogu at the Super Bowl. That did not prove to be the case. source https://www.polygon.com/star-wars-the-mandalorian-and-grogu-superbowl-trailer-disappointment/

Pokémon Super Bowl ad features a Lady Gaga and Jigglypuff duet

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon series, and a new star-studded Super Bowl ad featuring a duet with Jigglypuff and Lady Gaga has kicked off the celebrations. The commercial featured other celebrities, like comedian Trevor Noah, Blackpink singer Jisoo, Never Have I Ever actor Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, and more discussing their favorite Pokémon. source https://www.polygon.com/pokemon-super-bowl-commercial-lady-gaga-jigglypuff/

D&D’s version of ‘Avengers: Endgame’ was supposed to close 5e, but we’ll never see it

If you’ve played enough of Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition’s published adventures, you may have noticed a recurring detail: mysterious black obelisks popping up in different locations (including Chult, Icewind Dale, and Phandalin) whose true purpose is unclear. More than a simple Easter egg or a 2001: A Space Odyssey reference, these clues were meant to set up a major final adventure that never came to fruition. And now, we know why. source https://www.polygon.com/dnd-5e-final-adventure-time-travel-obelisks-vecna/

Madden’s most complicated spinoff deserves a comeback story

This year’s Super Bowl matchup between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks isn’t about two elite quarterbacks going to war. It’s a coaching battle. On New England’s side, Mike Vrabel reversed last season’s 4-13 record and helped turn Drake “Drake Maye” Maye into a star in his second year. For Seattle, Mike Macdonald finally capitalized on Sam Darnold’s untapped potential to get the Seahawks back to the big game for the first time in over a decade. Star players and highlight-reel catches are fun, but you don’t get them without great coaching. source https://www.polygon.com/nfl-head-coach-comeback/

Tamon’s B-Side review: This surprise hit anime is perfect for Kpop Demon Hunter fans

Seven months after its release, KPop Demon Hunters still dominates the Netflix charts , but if you’re growing even the slightest bit tired of Huntr/x and their addictive music, there’s a new anime show seemingly created just for you. This new anime has already outranked Jujutsu Kaisen , according to one fan poll , meaning now is the perfect time to get onboard. source https://www.polygon.com/tamons-b-side-streaming-crunchyroll-jujutsu-kaisen-kpop-demon-hunter/

The gaming 'friendslop' race to make the next Peak is here

End-of-year retrospectives deemed 2025 the year of the friendslop game, but if recent announcements are any indication, the era of cheap, comedic, and crude multiplayer games is only getting started. Left and right, indie developers are rushing to cash in on the 'friendslop' trend dominating Steam charts and Twitch streams alike. source https://www.polygon.com/friendslop-games-are-good-actually/