Dailyposts

Nintendo’s making a huge splash ahead of Black Friday with the first big discounts on Switch consoles. Both the regular model and the Switch OLED are $75 off for a limited time, selling for $224.99 and $274.99, respectively. These price cuts are in effect for the seasonal bundle that includes $79 worth of extras like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and three months of Nintendo Switch Online service for online multiplayer, cloud saves, access to retro games, plus access to the Nintendo Music mobile app . Neither console has gotten a serious discount following their respective launches, save for retailer-specific promos that typically sold out in hours, or required subscriptions to Costco. To avoid cutting prices, Nintendo has instead opted to enrich the value of console bundles by include games or trials to its online service, but now we have actual price cuts without losing out on the added goodies. Whether these discounts return after Cyber Monday remains to be seen, though it wouldn’t be s

Wild Area is another premier event in Pokémon Go , which is meant to mimic the location with the same name from Pokémon Sword and Shield . With a special fixation on electric- and poison-type Pokémon (and thus bringing Gigantamax Toxtricity out to play), there are a lot of event perks and interesting factors for this weekend-long celebration. The event is bringing back previously exclusive powerful Legendary Pokémon, like Origin Form Dialga and Palkia, as well as Primal Groudon and Kyogre . It also introduces mighty Pokémon , which are more likely to be bigger in size, having higher stats, and are a bit harder to catch. Pokémon Go Wild Area habitat schedule Between the start and end of the Go Wild Area event , the habitats will alternative between Electric and Poison Hour, like so: Time Habitat 10-10:59 a.m. Electric 11-11:59 a.m. Poison 12-12:59 p.m. Electric 1-1:59 p.m. Poison 2-2:59 p.m. Electric 3-3:59 p.m. Poison 4-4:59 p.m. Electric

Each week on Polygon, we round up the most notable new releases to streaming and VOD, highlighting the biggest and best new movies for you to watch at home. This week, Smile 2 , the sequel to the supernatural horror debut from director Parker Finn, leers its way onto VOD following its theatrical debut in September. If supernatural horror isn’t your bag, why not give sci-fi horror a try? Alien: Romulus , Evil Dead director Fede Álvarez’s new installment in the venerable Alien franchise, slithers onto Hulu this week alongside the Nick Jonas-led comedy drama The Good Half and the historical drama Firebrand starring Alicia Vikander. There’s a whole lot more to choose from on streaming this weekend, including the historical survival drama Blitz on Apple TV Plus; The Piano Lesson starring John David Washington ( Tenet ); Shrek director Vicky Jenson’s latest animated adventure, Spellbound , on Netflix; Blink Twice on MGM Plus; and several other new releases. Here’s everything new t

Joining the likes of Metroid 2 , Kirby’s Dream Land , Link’s Awakening , and tons of other amazing Game Boy games, Nintendo Switch Online’s retro catalogue now includes another classic: Donkey Kong Land . It’s nominally a Game Boy adaptation of Donkey Kong Country for the SNES, but the game actually has a slightly different story, changes to enemies, and some entire levels that aren’t in Country . Grab a vine and join the thrills in the Land of Kong. Donkey Kong Land is now available to play for #NintendoSwitchOnline members! #GameBoy pic.twitter.com/OBYq0Faoh4 — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) November 22, 2024 The main reason why I love Donkey Kong Land — and, while we’re here, Donkey Kong Land 2 and 3 , which will probably be on Nintendo Switch Online soon at the rate these retro games are getting added — is the way that the Donkey Kong Country soundtrack got adapted for the Game Boy’s sound chip. The rearrangements of these classic catchy songs are very impre

The mobile version of Final Fantasy 14 will “faithfully recreate the storyline” of the long-running MMO for mobile users, the game’s director and producer, Naoki Yoshida, said in a recent video Q&A . Like other “classic” MMOs , Final Fantasy 14 Mobile will go back to the beginning —  well, kind of — starting from A Realm Reborn and progressing through storylines introduced in later expansions. “Players who are already familiar with Final Fantasy 14 will be able to relive the story on mobile,” Yoshida said, “while newcomers will have the opportunity to embark on a new adventure and experience the narrative in its entirety.” Yoshida explained that since the world of Final Fantasy 14 has progressed across multiple patches and expansions, “a vast amount of content and narrative has already been developed.” Yoshida said that Square Enix and mobile developer Lightspeed Studios “plan to release this content gradually and at a steady pace. We may adjust the release schedule base

Like all Dragon Age games, Dragon Age: The Veilguard has a robust cast of companions with whom you build relationships (and possibly romance ) throughout the game. But The Veilguard also focuses a lot on the relationships between the companions — in a way that deliberately sets the game up for potential devastation and a much more intense decision for the player than in Dragon Age: Inquisition .  [ Ed. note: This post contains huge endgame spoilers for Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Inquisition . Like, seriously big.] In the big penultimate quest , you have to pick a party member to lead a second distraction team. And that companion will die, no matter what. Afterward, the entire party feels the effects of that companion’s death. And because it comes at the end of the game — unlike a similar decision in the first Mass Effect — it really stings, because you’ve spent tens of hours with this character.  It’s pretty damn heartbreaking. And very intentionally a far cry from how a

Fields of Mistria ’s one big problem is that its day cycle is really quick — time moves fast, and before you know it, it’s 2 a.m. and you’ve passed out in the mines. The big new update released on Nov. 18 doesn’t adjust the cycle at all, but it has one new feature that I’ve found pretty helpful: animal mounts. If you’ve met certain requirements, you’ll be able to unlock a purple horse called Mistmare. After a windstorm, Hayden will ask for help in finding his weathervane, and while you look for it, you’ll stumble on a new statue. That’s where you’ll unlock Mistmare for 100 essence. There are customization options that’ll come later, but the benefits of Mistmare are immediate. She’s a horse, and horses are faster than humans. You can ride her anywhere outside, which is wildly helpful for getting around Fields of Mistria ’s big map more quickly. Again, it doesn’t solve the game’s problem with short days, but I’ve found myself passing out much , much less when I stay too late in the mi

So you’re going to watch Wicked , the big movie musical based on the second highest-grossing Broadway musical of all time , based on Gregory Maguire’s 2000 novel Wicked , based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz . (And only partly influenced by the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz , which, unlike Baum’s books, isn’t in the public domain.) That’s a pretty complicated lineage for anything hitting the screen, and you may have some questions. Or maybe you think you don’t have questions, because you don’t quite realize what you’re getting into here — and you aren’t alone, based on some of the responses people have had after watching the movie. We can help. How long is Wicked, and does it have a post-credits scene? Let’s get that out of the way first: It’s two hours and 40 minutes long. And nope, there’s no post-credits scene, mid-credits scene, dancing animated characters during the credits — nothing fun like that. Once the big halftime number plays, you’re free to go c

Earlier this week, Trademark Films dropped a trailer for The Grim and The Dark: The Search for John Blanche . The new documentary — starring, of all people, Napoleon Dynamite actor Jon Heder — follows a descent into the grimdark culture of Warhammer and “the artists, writers, and creators who thrive in it,” according to the studio’s announcement.  The film seems targeted both at Warhammer diehards and newcomers alike, as the trailer opens on Heder searching for “the center of grimdark and everything gnarly,” while the camera comically zooms out to reveal he’s standing in front of a massive statue of a Space Marine . The film’s description implies Heder’s search began due to a “chance encounter at a game store,” but the admiration for the art of wargames comes through in the trailer’s cinematic composition and editing. Shots of miniatures and core texts are interspersed with interview clips and medieval architecture (rightfully) framing Warhammer and the culture around it as esoter

Black Friday is a wonderful time of the year to be a gamer, or to shop for gamers in your life, because prices plummet on 2024’s best games, as well as on controllers, gaming gift cards, and sometimes consoles, too. While the official Black Friday deals will kick off before the sun comes up on Nov. 29, retailers have gotten into the habit of launching many of its deals early — and by early, we mean now. We have a big roundup of the best early Black Friday deals that covers a wide range of products, from board games and books to electronics. This one’s just about gaming. What’s cool about these early deals is that, in many cases, they are actually the same low prices as we’ll see on the big day. Some retailers like Best Buy and Target even offer price matching through the end of the year (or close to it) if you notice a lower price on a product you bought already during the holiday shopping season. Stay tuned for a big update coming Friday, Nov. 22, followed by more new deals this w

Black Friday is both a discrete date — Friday, Nov. 29, to be exact — and in the case of holiday sales events, it’s also a state of mind. And for Amazon specifically, it’s officially a full “ Black Friday Week ” starting Nov. 21, which also means Thanksgiving is now less than a week away, consequently. Every year, Black Friday-related deals have been popping up earlier and earlier, and this year, we’re already seeing a lot of great discounts across Amazon, Target, Walmart, and more. Early highlights available now include the Showa-era Godzilla movies on Blu-ray for 50% off (with similarly huge discounts happening for many other Criterion Collection films), 30% off a digital Switch code for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom , and the RTX 4070-powered Asus ROG Ally handheld for just under $500. We’ll be updating this regularly leading up to actual Black Friday, so be sure to check back for more of the latest deals. Looking for more? Check out all of Polygon’s favorite e

Black Friday has come early this year, with Amazon kicking off its official “ Black Friday Week ” on Thursday, Nov. 21. (Heads up for our US readers: that also means Thanksgiving is now officially less than a week away.) We’ve already rounded up the best early Black Friday deals , but this post focuses strictly on Magic: The Gathering deals, of which there are some good ones — especially around Murders at Karlov Manor , the murder mystery-themed set that launched earlier this year, and Outlaws of Thunder Junction , Magic ’s first western set. For newcomers, there’s no better time to pick up a starter bundle or pre-made Commander decks to immerse yourselves in one (or more!) of Magic ’s many worlds. For more veteran players, or for players who are hosting a night of Magic games, the booster boxes offer a chance to pick up packs of sets that you can open en masse and increase your odds of getting some of the rarer sets — or just throw your own booster draft tournaments. If you’re lo

As players of the massively popular Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition adapt to the new-and-improved D&D 2024, they’ve found many of their favorite subclasses left on the cutting room floor in the name of streamlined design. Polygon has sung the praises of this new update on multiple occasions, but even the most adaptable D&D player is hesitant to leave behind a precious character whose subclass didn’t get an official update. Fear not, dear adventurer, as a team of third-party designers have crafted Subclasses Revivified .  The supplement includes nearly 70 updated subclasses — including 10 Cleric Domains, nine Wizard schools, six fighter subclasses, and more — encapsulating every official subclass left out of the new Player’s Handbook. Rather than force players to abandon their PCs or reconstruct their character with builds that didn’t quite fit, this 109-page text offers D&D fans the chance to revivify their 5e characters.  Created by 14 independent tabletop desig

Upon hitting Adventurer Rank 20, you’ll unlock Genshin Impact ’s Battle Pass . The Battle Pass uses a separate leveling system that requires you to complete simple daily and weekly quests. Our Genshin Impact Battle Pass guide explains how the Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass works and whether it’s worth buying. How the Genshin Impact battle pass works Each quest you complete will reward a set amount of Battle Pass EXP, and it takes 1,000 BP EXP to go up one level. The quests will require you to do things like fight a Trounce Domain bosses three times or log in and do your daily four Commissions. Most active players will level up their Battle Pass just by playing normally, but you can only earn 10,000 BP EXP a week. The pass maxes out at 50 levels. Battle Passes typically stick around for about six weeks before they refresh with the launch of a patch. Sojourner’s Battle Pass (free) versus Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass (paid) There are two versions of the Battle Pass. The Sojourner’s Battle

In Fields of Mistria , there are quite a few romanceable characters that you can woo by giving gifts to. You’ll run into these characters in your day-to-day and those wanting to rush to that romance will need to know exactly what to give them. It should be noted that while there are romance candidates who will speak a bit flirtily to you, there is currently no dating or marriage in this early access stage of the game . Romance candidates have special cutscenes that unlock once you reach a certain number of hearts with them, but that’s it for now. More cutscenes, dating, marriage, and even having children are all features planned for future updates. As of the patch 0.12.0 update, you can invite romance candidates to the Shooting Star Festival on Summer 28 if you have four or more hearts with them, but you cannot progress past having six hearts with them. (Note that in order to do this, you’ll need to complete the “Beautification Project” quest first.) Below we list out all of the a