Since its release back in August 2018, World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth has been mired in issues with its core progression, class design, and other smaller controversies. Players took issue with everything from the way its Horde versus Alliance story was told to small changes introduced in each patch that felt unnecessary. Coupled with Activision-Blizzard unexpectedly laying off eight percent of its employees, it's been a rocky year for World of Warcraft.But there's still plenty of reasons to be excited. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down game director Ion Hazzikostas to discuss the current state of WoW, what Blizzard got wrong and how it's fixing that, and what the next 8.2 major update looks like.PC Gamer: So the next major patch is 8.2, Rise of Azshara. What can you tell me about that?Ion Hazzikostas: Not too long after this, we're going to have a large info dump for the community and the [public test realm] for Rise of Azshara will start and that's when we'll pull … [Read more...] about Blizzard: There are ‘things to learn’ from the mistakes of Battle for Azeroth
How much formula for an 8 month old
50 game releases to look forward to in 2019
It's perhaps a little far into the new year already to be offering you a preview of what's to come - sorry about that - but piecing together a full picture of coming attractions in 2019 hasn't been easy. After a first quarter packed with big releases and dominated by EA's would-be juggernaut Anthem, the picture is quite hazy, with big names being scarce and release dates - even of the very loosest variety - even scarcer. Nintendo has a very busy year ahead (Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem, Luigi's Mansion, another Pokémon, potentially Metroid Prime and Bayonetta) but Sony's plans for PS4 are vague at best, and we would be shocked to see the likes of Death Stranding this year. It will be a long while before Microsoft's studio acquisition spree pays off, too, leaving Gears 5 and not much else to wave the Xbox flag. On the third-party side, we can be sure of seeing EA's next Star Wars game, and Ubisoft will surely have something as yet unannounced up its sleeve, while Cyberpunk 2077 … [Read more...] about 50 game releases to look forward to in 2019
How to get into World of Warcraft
Other MMOs often excel at just one or two things, but World of Warcraft is a jack of all trades. Its raids are gruelling, quests are varied and exciting, and each expansion, like the recently released Battle for Azeroth, brings whole new systems that really shake up the core formula. After years of additions and so much history, it's no surprise getting into World of Warcraft can be tough, even if you played years and years ago. This guide will help you take your first steps.There's a lot to consider as you fully immerse yourself in WoW, but not all of it has to be tackled right away. Take your time and enjoy the process. Unlike other games, World of Warcraft isn't just about the destination. It's a hobby that, if you really enjoy it, you may well end up returning to for hundreds of hours over the course of years. So don't rush.Before you begin, there's a couple of ways you can jump into World of Warcraft that each have their own drawbacks. First, if you're brand-spanking-new, you … [Read more...] about How to get into World of Warcraft
How video game reboots have evolved from Mega Man Legends to God of War
The greatest challenge in reinventing an established franchise these days frequently comes down to retaining the series’ essence within the parameters of the contemporary blockbuster format. Developers frequently pull elements like crafting systems or skill trees into these reinventions, because they know those mechanics tickle their fans’ endorphins. This isn’t to say that revamping an aging franchise is always easy or a guaranteed success, but at least developers have some comfortable blueprints from which to work. Consider Sony Santa Monica’s God of War, which returns this month after a lengthy hiatus in a PlayStation 4 sequel named, simply, God of War. That this new game shares its title with the 2005 PlayStation 2 adventure that kicked off the franchise speaks to a fundamental desire by Sony to establish this less as a sequel and more as a new beginning. God of War combines its own legacy with the modern blockbuster format, to tremendous critical acclaim. … [Read more...] about How video game reboots have evolved from Mega Man Legends to God of War
The 500 best games of all time: 500-401
As Polygon's recent fifth birthday approached, we started thinking about what we could do to celebrate it. And what's more fun than ranking the 100 best games of all time? 500? So we did. We started by setting rules upfront. We asked everyone to vote based on innovation, polish and durability, rather than simply personal taste. We cut games released in 2017 to eliminate recency bias. And we left out sequels that we deemed too similar to the games that came before them. Then we voted, but we knew we had gaps in our knowledge on staff. So in addition to gathering votes from the Polygon team, we worked with a group of external and freelance writers to pull in their input: Kahlief Adams, Susan Arendt, Katherine Cross, Jon-Paul Dyson, Benj Edwards, Cara Ellison, JC Fletcher, Jenn Frank, Harold Goldberg, Janine Hawkins, Blake Hester, Laura Hudson, Henry Lowood, Jeremy Parish, Carolyn Petit, Andrea Rene, Jaz Rignall and Gary Whitta. Collecting all those votes together, we then combed through … [Read more...] about The 500 best games of all time: 500-401