Polygon
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Latest Reviews
What is on offer in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is a delight. I don’t think it will make me any better at playing Nintendo’s old 8-bit games, but the challenges it presents are cleverly and cleanly designed. The collection lets me approach a small bunch of familiar NES classics...
I, like many others, used to describe the Megami Tensei series as “Pokémon for adults,” but I no longer believe that shorthand is entirely accurate. Megami Tensei is Pokémon for the ruthless, those able to exchange compassion and attachment for the cold reality of spiritual warfare. Shin Megami Tensei 5:...
Animal Well
Find a friend or two, and make a blood oath to solve as much of Animal Well as possible among only yourselves, without getting help online. The true magic of this game is sharing discoveries and theories with friends; having a faceless internet person tell you the mystery of the...
Minter’s intense, techno-driven remix of the classic vector-graphic Atari arcade cab — in which enemies crawl up a 3D tube toward your craft, clinging to its outer lip — is simply one of the greatest shmups of all time. There’s something about staring down the playing field into the void...
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Mario vs. Donkey Kong was directly inspired by Donkey Kong ’94 and features many of its mechanics, including the lock-and-key system and the Super Mario Bros. 2-style treatment of enemies. It’s a very solid puzzler, but it’s just not as inspired in its design as the older game. Until Nintendo...
Banishers is a spooky, loving tale about two incredible people. I cried a few times, both for these two characters I grew to adore, and for the very sad stories of others just trying to make it in a difficult world. While the combat is not spectacular, and the graphics...
House Flipper 2
While I encountered a few bugs and a little bit of jankiness as I made my way through the game, I consider it to be an acceptable trade-off when it comes to being so engaged and delighted by something I waited so long to play. Empyrean has earned my loyalty...
Return to Moria isn’t the worst offender in a sea of bad survival games, and there’s certainly enjoyment to be found exploring Khazad-dûm’s depths if you’re with friends — but as a mainly solo dwarf, progress is slow, combat is frustrating, and exploration features far too much backtracking in the...
RoboCop: Rogue City
Despite its performance problems, RoboCop: Rogue City’s heart is in the right place. It’s trying to be the RoboCop 3 we should have gotten, featuring the return of original RoboCop actor Peter Weller as Detroit’s cyborg supercop. But it’s the mechanical half of Rogue City that’s often a letdown, with...
Mortal Kombat 1
With Mortal Kombat 1, NetherRealm has made an admirable effort to refresh its gameplay mechanics and differentiate its latest entry from the recent trilogy of games. On some fronts, particularly around the story, audiovisual presentation, and accessibility, it’s a huge step forward. But some very visible elements, especially online play,...
I played through The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood once, but it’s clear that it’s a game with a lot of different paths and outcomes. Though fate may be determined, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood’s ever-branching story has many conclusions.
Aliens: Dark Descent
Aliens: Dark Descent is at times ambitious, often to delight, but occasionally to indiscretion. While some may desire a more intimate and terrifying Alien Isolation sequel, this isometric tactical challenge is rich in consequence and reward. This may not be the most coherent or exceptional Alien video game we’ve seen,...