News
11 CommentsLightning Returns guidebook-exclusive DLC put on sale, Square Enix apologizes
By Alexa Ray Corriea at 2:00p 12.30.13
Downloadable content for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 that was advertised as an exclusive to players who purchased the V Jump strategy guide was briefly on sale last week "by mistake," according to posts on the official Lightning Returns Twitter and webpage.
The DLC, a costume and weapon set modeled after Final Fantasy 7's Aerith Gainsborough, was intended as a retailer exclusive in Japan with the guidebook. Three weeks after the game's launch, the costume was included in a DLC pack available to all players through the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 online stores.
The costume was available for three days before being taken down. Players with the PS3 version of Lightning Returns who purchased the DLC pack can still re-download the costume if its data was deleted, but the option is...
News
53 CommentsBattlefield 4 players experiencing 'intermittent connectivity issues'
By Samit Sarkar on Dec 30, 2013 12.30.13
Battlefield 4 players on a number of platforms are currently suffering "intermittent connectivity problems," and developer EA DICE is aware of the problem, according to a banner atop the game's forums on Battlelog.
"We are continuing to monitor some intermittent connectivity issues affecting some players across various platforms. Thank you for your patience. We will update this with further information as available," the update reads.
It's unclear how widespread this problem is, but the connectivity issues are separate from the numerous problems with various versions of Battlefield 4 itself, as detailed in DICE's top issues tracker. The studio is currently investigating outstanding problems such as a "bug accounting for a large amount of crashes on [Xbox 360]," a "desynchronized...
News
11 CommentsThese are the biggest cyber threats to online gamers
By Dave Tach at 8:04a 12.30.13
The company, which was founded in Russia in 1997, maintains a global network of offices and analysts. Its internal figures cite 300 million users worldwide using its technology to protect against attacks and viruses.
Alongside its antivirus software, Kaspersky also tracks threats. According to its data, video game software has increasingly become a target of attacks during the last several years. A Kaspersky report published in December 2013 identified 11.7 million attacks on gamers in 2013.
In the wake of that report, Polygon spoke with Christian Funk, a senior virus analyst at Kaspersky Lab about its research and the single biggest threat to gamers in 2013.
The first threat and motivations
Kaspersky identified its first gaming-focused Trojan horse more than 10 years ago. The...
News
2 CommentsTokyo New World Record: Operation Abyss survives CyberFront collapse
By Jenna Pitcher at 6:59a 12.30.13
PlayStation Vita role-playing game Tokyo New World Record: Operation Abyss will still see a release in Japan, defunct publisher CyberFront announced, although the rest of its scheduled catalogue will be cancelled.
Originally, the Experience-developed Tokyo New World Record: Operation Abyss was slated for a Jan. 23 release but it is now floated with a "to be announced" launch date, according to a notice of schedule change posted on the publisher's official website.
The intended release dates for Saints Row 4 and Europa Universalis 4 for Windows PC and WRC 4 FIA World Rally Championship 06 for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in Japan have been cancelled and will no longer be published by CyberFront in the region.
CyberFront, publisher of numerous western games in Japan...
News
4 CommentsSamurai Warriors 4 may see a western release
By Jenna Pitcher at 4:31a 12.30.13
Tecmo Koei's hack-and-slash game Samurai Warriors 4 may see a western release, the game's producer Hisashi Koinuma revealed on Twitter.
"Yes. Perhaps, next summer," he tweeted, responding to a fan's question asking if the game will be made available to western gamers.
Known as Sengoku Musou 4 in Japan, the latest installation in the series is expected to launch in the country on March 20 for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. All previous numbered titles in the franchise were released to western markets, with the most recent, Samurai Warriors 3, launching late 2010 on the Nintendo Wii in North America.
Samurai Warriors 4 includes more than 50 characters, which consist of new ones along with all warlords featured in past Samurai Warriors games. The story of Samurai Warriors 4 c...
News
11 CommentsFinal Fantasy 14 housing prices lowering over the next few months
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Dec 28, 2013 12.28.13
Square Enix will lower housing prices in its massively multiplayer online title, Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn, due to a "prodigious amount of gil in circulation" in the game's legacy worlds, producer Naoki Yoshida announced.
According to Yoshida, Square Enix has always wanted to "ensure that plots would be evenly distributed, avoiding a situation in which the wealthiest players could easily buy up all available plots of land." However, after a survey of the game's economy across multiple servers, the team found that the wealthiest players had "considerably higher" amounts of in-game money than imagined.
"In each legacy world, there are more than 10 players in possession of over one hundred million gil," Yoshida wrote. "Even in non-legacy worlds, there are a significant number of...
Top Games
-
Spelunky
- Platforms: Win, XBLA, PS3, PS Vita, Win
- Publisher: Mossmouth
- Developer: Mossmouth
- Release Date: 07/04/2012
-
Saints Row 4
- Platforms: Win, 360, PS3
- Publisher: Deep Silver
- Developer: Volition
- Release Date: 2013-08-20
-
Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
- Platforms: iOS, Android
- Publisher: PopCap Games
- Developer: PopCap Games
- Release Date: 08/15/2013
-
Gone Home
- Platforms: Win, Mac, Linux
- Publisher: The Fullbright Company
- Developer: The Fullbright Company
- Release Date: 08/15/2013
-
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn
- Platforms: PS3, Win, PS4
- Publisher: Square Enix
- Developer: Square Enix
- Release Date: 08/27/2013
News
2 CommentsMonster Hunter Frontier GG headed to Japan Spring 2014
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Dec 28, 2013 12.28.13
Capcom will release an update in Japan for its massively multiplayer online Monster Hunter game, Monster Hunter Frontier G, in Spring 2014, according to a Famitsu article translated by Siliconera.
The update, known as Monster Hunter Frontier GG, will introduce new weapon types and more. Content will be available on the game's current platforms: PlayStation 3, Wii U, Windows PC and Xbox 360.
Earlier this year, Capcom announced that it would bring Frontier G to PlayStation Vita as well; the port is expected in 2014. No plans to bring Monster Hunter Frontier G or its update to other regions have been announced.
Culture
25 CommentsGuinness World Record-breaking video game collection has more than 11,000 titles
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Dec 27, 2013 12.27.13
The Guinness World Record for the largest video game collection has found a new recipient: 31-year-old Buffalo resident Michael Thomasson's collection currently boasts more than 11,000 titles, earning him a two-page feature and due honors in the recently-released Guinness World Records 2014 Gamer's Edition.
Thomasson started his collection after receiving his first Colecovision game, Cosmic Avenger, at the age of 12. He sold off his collection twice — once in 1989 to raise funds for a Sega Genesis and again in 1998 to pay for his wedding — but has rebuilt it to what he estimates is a $700,000 to $800,000 treasure trove. According to Thomasson, he has averaged purchasing two games a day since the second sale, budgeting out $3,000 a year for games and trying to never pay full price...
News
2 CommentsWar Thunder dev begins second wave of expansion's closed beta
By Samit Sarkar on Dec 27, 2013 12.27.13
War Thunder developer Gaijin Entertainment has begun the second wave of the closed beta for Ground Forces, the upcoming tank-based expansion for the military combat game, the studio announced today.
Some players from the first wave, which took place earlier this month, are automatically invited into the second wave. The other way to get in is to pay for it by purchasing one of four limited-edition collector's packs of tanks that are available on Gaijin's store. The packs, which give players access to the M4A2 and/or T-34 tanks, cost between $49.99 and $99.99. Those who don't want to pay will have to wait for the open beta, which will be available in 2014; the aforementioned packs, which offer exclusive content, won't be available once the open beta begins.
Gaijin also posted a series...
Report
26 CommentsMeet the people who keep some of your favorite games running
By Brian Crecente on Dec 27, 2013 12.27.13
The inability to keep gamers connected online hampered everything from the launch of major video games like SimCity, GTA Online and Battlefield 4, to console services like the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live and, just this week, Nintendo's online network.
Server issues were even among the problems that thwarted a successful rollout of HealthCare.gov.
As Electronic Arts' recently promoted CEO, Andrew Wilson, told Polygon in a November interview, all of mankind is transitioning to a digital world, and that transition brings with it some major issues.
"As all of mankind right now transitions to a digital-type world and a digital-type experience, and you think about the scale and the load that comes from all of mankind transitioning and getting access to information through digital...
Opinion
28 CommentsThere's no right way to write a best-of list
By Chris Plante on Dec 27, 2013 12.27.13
You know them even if you've never actually read them. They're the tacit terms-of-service contracts we blindly agree to the first time we speak in superlatives. The first rule is not to write the rules, so I will begin by breaking that one. I plan on ignoring them all anyway.
Now, I'm speaking about games here, but the given medium can be interchanged with anything, really: movies, music, installation art, salt shakers, gaping head wounds. With that, I humbly present the rules of annual best-of list making:
The video games on your list must have been released for the first time within the calendar year
The video games on your list must be finished products, preferably cast in carbon or another element with a comparably long half-life
The video games on your list must be true video...
News
15 CommentsFirst crop of Rockstar Verified GTA Online jobs debuts
By Samit Sarkar on Dec 27, 2013 12.27.13
Grand Theft Auto 5 players have been able to create their own Grand Theft Auto Online jobs for some time now, and developer Rockstar North collected the cream of the crop for the first set of Rockstar Verified jobs today.
Earlier this month, Rockstar released the beta version of creation tools that allowed players to design their own deathmatches and races in GTA Online. Since then, players have produced more than 1 million jobs, and Rockstar has now picked 10 of the best ones — six races and four deathmatches — from the total. It's not just a nice honor to become a Rockstar Verified job; once a job is picked for that tag, it becomes playable by everyone on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, not just on the platform where it originated.
The 10 jobs in question take place in varied...
News
6 CommentsAtelier Ayesha Plus hitting Vita in Japan March 27
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Dec 27, 2013 12.27.13
Developer Gust's role-playing game Atelier Ayesha Plus will hit PlayStation Vita in Japan March 27, according to the latest issue of Dengeki PlayStation, as reported by Japanese news blog Re: Gigen.
The game, an upgraded port of PlayStation 3 title Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk, will cost 5,800 yen and come bundled with all add-on content released for the PS3 original. The Vita version will also include an additional hard mode where enemies have increased health and some balance tweaks to combat. A limited edition version will be available for purchase that includes a crystal Atelier-themed paperweight.
Currently there is no word on a North American release for Atelier Ayesha Plus on Vita; however, the series has set a precedent for coming west. Vita ports of both PS3 titles A...
Video
1 CommentNatural Doctrine delayed until March 19 in Japan
By Jenna Pitcher on Dec 27, 2013 12.27.13
Natural Doctrine, Lollipop Chainsaw publisher Kadokawa Games' first title from the company's internal studio, is being delayed until March 19, 2014 in Japan, the developer announced on its official website.
Originally, the fantasy strategy role-playing game was to launch in Japan on Feb. 22, 2014 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. Information about a western release is yet to be announced.
Kadokawa Game Studio recently released a trailer for Natural Doctrine, teasing a little more about the game's antagonists and protagonists through a series of renders and a battle against a dragon. Set in fortified castle town of Feste and its surroundings, the story of Natural Doctrine focuses on resource war between goblins, trolls, humans, lizardmen and humanoids.
The title...
News
61 CommentsSony pulling online support for Gran Turismo 5, Resistance games in 2014
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Dec 26, 2013 12.26.13
Sony will shut down online servers for a handful of games in 2014, including PlayStation 3 racing simulator Gran Turismo 5, according to recent changes made to the company's online support pages.
Beginning March 28, 2014, online features for Resistance: Fall of Man, Resistance 2 and Resistance 3 on PlayStation 3 will be shut down as well. Gran Turismo 5's online features will be unavailable as of May 20.
Additionally, as of Jan. 28, MAG and two PlayStation 3 SOCOM games, Special Forces and Confrontation, will no longer have accessible online features. MAG and SOCOM: Confrontation, since they do not have offline modes, will no longer be playable at this time.
All other titles with decommissioned online services will still be playable in their respective offline modes. A full list of...
News
3 CommentsHere's how to upgrade your current-gen games to next-gen
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Dec 26, 2013 12.26.13
Below is a list of all next-gen upgrade offers that are still active and how to redeem them. Games included in the following the offers feature seven cross-generation multiplatform titles released this fall: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts, FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, NBA 2K14 and Need for Speed Rivals. Brawler Injustice: Gods Among Us is only part of the offer on PlayStation platforms.
Amazon
Xbox One gamers can trade in the Xbox 360 versions of a handful of titles to get their Xbox One counterparts for as little as $9.99 per upgrade. Amazon will accept Xbox 360 games purchased from its website or elsewhere for an $25 bonus credit toward the same title on Xbox One on top of the 360 game's trade-in value. To take advantage of the deal, go to this page...
News
36 CommentsPlayStation Plus offers BioShock Infinite, DmC, more in January
By Samit Sarkar on Dec 26, 2013 12.26.13
Sony is kicking off 2014 with a bang when it comes to the PlayStation Plus Instant Game Collection, with free downloads of some of 2013's best games.
Throughout January, six games will be added to the library of free games for Plus subscribers. Klei Entertainment's Don't Starve will become the third free PlayStation 4 game on Plus, following November's offering of Resogun and Contrast at the console's launch.
PlayStation 3 owners will be able to check out Ninja Theory's DmC: Devil May Cry, Irrational Games' BioShock Infinite and Starbreeze Studios' Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. And two PlayStation Vita titles round out the lineup: Smart As... from Climax Studios and XDev Studio Europe, and Team17's Worms: Battle Islands.
You can check out all the games in the PlayStation Plus video...
Deals
7 CommentsGameStop's Winter Sale features GTA 5, Gran Turismo 6, more
By Samit Sarkar on Dec 26, 2013 12.26.13
GameStop began a four-day Winter Sale today, with price drops on dozens of titles across consoles, handhelds and Windows PC such as Grand Theft Auto 5 and Gran Turismo 6.
Here are some of the highlights:
16 GB PlayStation Vita Memory Card: $19.99
Battlefield 4, FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, NBA Live 14, Need for Speed Rivals (PlayStation 4, Xbox One): $49.99
Battlefield 4 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC): $39.99
Call of Duty: Ghosts (PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One): $49.99
Gran Turismo 6: $39.99
Grand Theft Auto 5: $39.99
Tearaway: $19.99
The sale runs from Dec. 26 through Dec. 29. Check out the full list of discounts on GameStop's website. Amazon is also matching many of the deals, such as the price drops of at least $10 on the PS4 and Xbox One games listed above.
Culture
8 CommentsHere's a sneak peek at the Borderlands live action film starring Handsome Jack
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Dec 26, 2013 12.26.13
Charismatic villain Handsome Jack is the subject of Manifest Film's live-action movie based on Gearbox Software's Borderlands franchise — according to the latest teaser trailer released for the project.
Headed by director and writer Anthony Pietromonaco, Jack's Exodus takes the man Borderlands fans love to hate and drops him in the perilous environment of Pandora, packed with roaming Psychos ready for a kill. According the film's official website, the story picks up after the events of Borderlands 2 and follows a respawned Jack as he tries to reclaim his reign over the Hyperion Satellite. Jack will encounter a cast of characters that have made appearances in Gearbox's series — including one very special ninja master assassin, Zero.
The film's page notes that Jack's Exodus is a fan...
News
0 CommentsPinball Arcade season pass discount now live on PS4
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Dec 26, 2013 12.26.13
A discounted season pass including tables for FarSight Studios' Pinball Arcade is now available on PlayStation 4, according to an update on the PlayStation Blog.
The game, which launched on Dec. 17, features a Season One pass that includes all pinball tables released for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions of Pinball Arcade. This pack of 20 tables was initially planned to launch for PS4 at a discount for players who already own the tables on PS3 or Vita. However, some players were unable to access the discount and FarSight Studios issued a fix on Tuesday for the error.
FarSight Studios' announced the game for PS4 back in May. The next-gen version includes lightning and shadow effect upgrades and runs at 60 fps, according to the developers. The game is also slated to...
Video
6 CommentsKingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix revisits familiar lands
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Dec 25, 2013 12.25.13
A new trailer for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix offers an updated look at the compilation's content.
The HD 2.5 Remix is a remastered version of several games in the franchise: Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re:coded and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix. The game was announced during the D23 Fan Expo in Japan. Watch the trailer above to see Sora, Donald, Goofy and more visit old friends and familiar worlds.
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix will launch in 2014 for PlayStation 3. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix, which included Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories and the cutscenes from 358/2 Days, was released for PlayStation 3 on Sept. 10.
News
22 CommentsDestiny originally featured a third-person only viewpoint
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Dec 25, 2013 12.25.13
Bungie's upcoming sci-fi space epic Destiny began its life not as a first-person shooter, but a third-person only game, technical art director Ryan Ellis recently told Game Informer.
Ellis has been part of the development team, which began with only four staff members, since the game's beginning. According to Ellis, Bungie has "maintained the core" of what Destiny is, but still changed much of its original design.
"We actually at one point were third-person only," Ellis said. "There [are] some third-person elements in the game still. That's important for gameplay, but also to show off your cool moves and show off the cool armor that you get.
"We wanted to make a kick-ass action game, and we decided first-person was the right place to do that."
Ellis also talks about the game's...
Active Discussions
More Pokémon Discussions: Redux
in Pokemon X/Pokemon Y by Cobaltios
Polygon Daily Off-Topic: The Final Days (Mon 30 Dec)
in Off-topic by Shaun McIlroy
The Polygon Friend Safari Pokémon Tournament: December 2013 Edition
in Pokemon X/Pokemon Y by WieldsTL
Do you all like the PS4 analog stick design?
in PlayStation 4 by The_Icon
Anime, Cartoons, Comics! Plight Vol. 1, No. 12: We wish you a merry Crisis. We wish you a merry Crisis. We wish you a merry Crisis. And a happy New 52!
in Off-topic by zombie711