Mobile News, Videos & Reviews

Square Enix expands mobile offerings with Lara Croft Go

By Owen S. Good at 1:35p 06.16.15

The Go franchise of Square Enix's mobile division expands with Lara Croft Go, a stylized, cel-shaded mobile take on Lara Croft and her adventures. The game is coming to phones and tablets, though a specific date was not announced. Lara Croft Go "will be a turn-based experience, set in a long-forgotten world," Square Enix said. Hitman Go, which launched last year, has been a critical and commercial success for Square Enix.

Guitar Hero Live wants to immerse you in music with always-on Guitar Hero TV

By Samit Sarkar at 1:21p 06.16.15

To hear Activision and FreeStyleGames tell it, everything in Guitar Hero Live — which launches Oct. 20 on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, as well as unspecified mobile devices — is designed with an eye toward the present and the future.Guitar Hero Live is built to take advantage of modern internet-connected gaming hardware; built to capitalize on new monetization methods; built for the way people consume music in 2015, as opposed to when the series debuted a decade ago. During a pre-E3 demo of the game in New York earlier this month, it became clear that that's a double-edged sword. This demo focused on Guitar Hero TV, the half of Guitar Hero Live that isn't the standard campaign. GHTV is a live service with a full schedule of music "programming," and...

Issue 07

June 8, 2015

The race for VR

By Matt Leone

Exclusive coverage of some of the most exciting game studios working in virtual reality.

EA's next Star Wars title is a collectible card game for mobile

By Michael McWhertor on Jun 15, 2015 06.15.15

Electronic Arts has another Star Wars project in the works: It's a collectible card game meets role-playing game titled Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and it's coming to Android and iOS mobile devices later this year. EA Capital Games, the developer behind mobile game Heroes of Dragon Age, says Galaxy of Heroes "tap[s] into the fantasy of collecting characters and starfighters and [letting] people enjoy the fun of playing with them creatively." Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes will feature characters and vehicles from throughout the Star Wars universe, including the original and prequel trilogies, and animated series like Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars. In addition to Galaxy of Heroes, EA has Star Wars Battlefront, a new expansion for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and an unnamed...

The Walking Dead: Michonne coming from Telltale Games this fall

By Christopher Grant on Jun 15, 2015 06.15.15

Kicking off YouTube's E3 live coverage was a reveal for the newest project in Telltale Game's Walking Dead series, a three-episode miniseries titled The Walking Dead: Michonne. Telltale says that this story follows series favorite Michonne and "explores her untold journey during the time between issues #126 and #139 and "players will discover what took Michonne away from Rick, Ezekiel, and the rest of her trusted group... and what brought her back." "In many ways, Michonne herself is a reflection of the world of The Walking Dead. She is brutal and cold on the outside, but deep beneath what is broken, she remains hopeful, trying to claw her way out of the darkness that surrounds her," said Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead. "In our effort to bring the world of the comic and...

Fallout Shelter base-building game coming to iOS tonight (update: it's live now!)

By Samit Sarkar on Jun 14, 2015 06.14.15

Bethesda Game Studios is working on a mobile Fallout game called Fallout Shelter, the company announced today during Bethesda Softworks' pre-E3 showcase. The game makes you the overseer of your very own vault. You build out rooms from an anthill side view, à la XCOM. You'll control the residents of the vault, and can expand their number as well as the structure itself — by sending two of them into a room to procreate, of course. Bethesda Game Studios' Todd Howard noted that Fallout Shelter will be free-to-play, but promised that it won't contain paywall timers or require an internet connection. Loot comes in the form of lunchboxes, and you can buy additional ones in the game. Fallout Shelter will be available on iOS tonight; Howard made no mention of an Android version. You can check...

The Pip-Boy is fabulous in Fallout 4 — and it's real. (Update: Here's how you get one)

By Owen S. Good on Jun 14, 2015 06.14.15

Fallout 4's Pip-Boy is unlike anything you've seen before — in a game or in real life. The collector's edition of Fallout 4 includes an elaborate Pip-Boy cell phone case for the wrist. And yes, it will have an app. "As far as stupid gimmicks go, this is the best fucking one I've ever seen," said Todd Howard, the game's director. The Pip-Boy edition will come with the replica Pip-Boy, and stand and Capsule Case. The Pip-Boy edition will cost $119.99 US, £99.99 UK and €129.99. Here's it's description. This wearable device faithfully replicates the in-game model and comes complete with RobCo Industries stand, custom-printed capsule, adjustable foam cuff, rotating knobs and lights. Designed to accommodate a variety of smartphone devices with customizable foam inserts, the...

Minimap June 13: YouTube gaming, Tarantino, PS Mobile's last game, Bloodstained, Dota 2, Ryu in Smash Bros.

By Dave Tach on Jun 13, 2015 06.13.15

Welcome to Polygon Minimap, a podcast about the biggest news of the day. Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe to the podcast (RSS) Download this episode directly as an MP3 Minimap is your daily audio tour through the world of video games, related technologies and pop culture like comics, movies and TV. Here's what we're covering today: THE BIG STORIES YouTube launching its own dedicated gaming app and website, YouTube Gaming Double Dragon and other Technos brands acquired by Arc System Works (update) Scalebound and Crackdown for Xbox One skipping E3, will show up at Gamescom Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight will hit theaters this Christmas Oh Deer!, the last PlayStation Mobile game, will have a weird, short life Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Kickstarter closes with...

Review | More
Bloodborne
- Platforms: PS4
- Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
- Developer: From Software
- Release Date: 2015-03-24
Review | More
Destiny
- Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3
- Publisher: Activision
- Developer: Bungie
- Release Date: 2014-09-09
Review | More
Mortal Kombat X
- Platforms: PS4, PS3, Win, Xbox One, 360
- Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
- Developer: NetherRealm Studios
- Release Date: 2015-04-14
Review | More
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
- Platforms: Win, PS4, Xbox One
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Developer: MachineGames
- Release Date: 2015-05-05

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The big games of E3 2015

By Dave Tach on Jun 12, 2015 06.12.15

E3 2015 is just days away. Officially, it runs from June 16–18, although developers and publishers don't have to wait for then to start making news. But with so much expected to be announced, how do you keep it all straight? We're here to help. What follows is a list of the biggest games likely to become even bigger next week. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Call of Duty is returning to its most successful sub-franchise this year with developer Treyarch's Black Ops 3. Originally announced for a Nov. 11 release on PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One, it's also coming to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, thanks to developers Beenox and Mercenary Technology. Following in the footsteps of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Black Ops 3 is set in the future, where cybernetics change war. D...

YouTube launching its own dedicated gaming app and website, YouTube Gaming

By Michael McWhertor on Jun 12, 2015 06.12.15

YouTube is getting more serious about gaming. This summer, the video streaming service will launch YouTube Gaming, a new app and website dedicated to video game content: Let's Plays, livestreams, speedruns and more. "YouTube Gaming is built to be all about your favorite games and gamers, with more videos than anywhere else," YouTube Gaming product manager Alan Joyce said in an announcement. "From 'Asteroids' to 'Zelda,' more than 25,000 games will each have their own page, a single place for all the best videos and live streams about that title. You'll also find channels from a wide array of game publishers and YouTube creators." At an event from the company's LA studio today, YouTube's global head of gaming partnerships, Ryan Wyatt, talked about the growing importance of gaming for...

Bastion successor Transistor available now on iOS

By Griffin McElroy on Jun 11, 2015 06.11.15

Transistor, last year's spiritual successor to Supergiant Games' isometric action game Bastion, was stealth-launched today on the iOS App Store. The game, which casts you as a lounge singer with a talking sword in the middle of a computerized city, has been revamped for the new platform, featuring a touch interface for the game's unique turn-based battles as well as optional gamepad support. Transistor costs $9.99 on the iOS App Store, and will only function on iPhone 5, iPad 4, iPad mini 2 and all of their respective newer models. For more on Transistor, check out our review from last year, and the Overview posted below.

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Polygon's Destiny thread for the week of June 9th: Variks Still On That Pure Strength and Shank Burn Edition

in Destiny by alexiddqd

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Tales from the Borderlands episode 3 arrives June 23

By Samit Sarkar on Jun 11, 2015 06.11.15

Tales from the Borderlands developer Telltale Games expects to release the series' third episode, "Catch a Ride," starting June 23, the studio announced today. Here's the episode's synopsis straight from Telltale: After a dizzying escape from a very-near-almost-certain-death scenario (involving statuesque buttocks), Rhys and Fiona find themselves looking for another piece of the puzzle that will lead them to the untold riches of Vault key ownership. Lost in the mysterious jungle of an Atlas terraforming facility, Fiona finds help from an unexpected mentor, Rhys continues to share brain-space with the disembodied mind of a dead dictator, and love is in the air. Pursued by the ruthless criminal 'Queenpin' Vallory, and with very little help from Vaughn's accountancy skills (or stellar...

Why it took a year to release a 'free' version of Threes!

By Ben Kuchera on Jun 11, 2015 06.11.15

There is now a free version of Threes! released for iOS and Android devices. But the designer of the game, Asher Vollmer, wanted to be careful about how the ads were delivered. They had spent a year perfecting the game's mechanics, only to have the game cloned and a free-to-play version become just as, if not more, popular than the original. "I was pretty set on banner ads for a long time. Thanks to analytics, I could see that people would have the app open for twenty minutes per session on average," Vollmer told Polygon. "It seemed pretty straightforward to slap a banner ad at the bottom of the game. This all changed, however, when I opened Drop7 for the first time in a year and found out that Zynga had slapped some atrocious 'tap the duck to win big!'-style banner ads at the bottom...

Hearthstone's Tavern Brawl mode adds rotating weekly challenges

By Philip Kollar on Jun 10, 2015 06.10.15

Two days ago, Blizzard teased a new mode for its popular free-to-play card game, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. Today the developer has spilled the beans on what this addition actually is: tavern brawl, a new mode that will mix up the regular gameplay and decks currently available in the game. Tavern brawl mode will pit players against each other using special challenges, new rulesets or custom decks. Sometimes a tavern brawl will force players to use a specific preset deck, while other times it will task players with putting together a new deck based on unusual guidelines. There will be a new tavern brawl offered every week, but the events will only run Wednesday through Sunday. Players will not be able to select the mode on Mondays and Tuesdays, while the next event is being spun...

Minimap June 10: Halo 5, Black Ops 3, NBA Live 16, Dark Souls 3, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, Mirror's Edge

By Dave Tach on Jun 10, 2015 06.10.15

Welcome to Polygon Minimap, a daily audio podcast tour though the latest news about video games, related technologies and culture. Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe to the podcast (RSS) Download this episode directly as an MP3 Here's what we're covering today: THE BIG STORIES Halo 5's campaign stars multiple Spartans, and one ODST, in both single-player and co-op All Halo 5: Guardians maps free, Xbox Live Gold not needed for co-op Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 to launch on Xbox 360, PS3 as well NBA Live 16 announced, has a cover star but not a launch date Report: Dark Souls 3 hits ‘early 2016' Ubisoft wants the public to help playtest Assassin's Creed Syndicate, give feedback Obsidian chief creative officer and co-founder departs studio (update) Apple Design Awards 2015...

Apple Design Awards 2015 honor seven games, including Crossy Road and Vainglory

By Samit Sarkar on Jun 09, 2015 06.09.15

Video games made up more than half the winners of the Apple Design Awards 2015, with the honorees including the Frogger-esque title Crossy Road and the MOBA Vainglory, Apple announced yesterday. The Apple Design Awards are given annually in June during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). They are meant to "honor the remarkable developers who used their ingenuity, smarts, and savvy to build the year's best apps for iOS and OS X," according to the WWDC website. Five out of the 10 main winners this year were video games, as were both of the student winners. Here's the list of games: Crossy Road by Hipster Whale Does Not Commute by Mediocre Elementary Minute by Klemens Strasser (student winner) Jump-O by Gabriel Mathias Rocha and Victor Lappas Giménez (student winner) ...

You Must Build a Boat will turn you into a Match-3 RPG junkie

By Griffin McElroy and Nick Robinson on Jun 09, 2015 06.09.15

Watch on YouTube | Subscribe to Polygon on YouTube You Must Build a Boat is the sequel to EightyEight Games' tile-sliding puzzle title 10000000, and boy howdy, is it covering familiar territory. You're the owner of a humble seafaring vessel who must — you guessed it — improve the structural integrity of that vessel by diving into dungeons and securing the valuable resources within. Each run is super digestible and genuinely rewarding, making it the perfect game to play on your phone when you're waiting in line at the movie theater, or when you're at work and supposed to be working. You can watch Nick and I play through a bit of You Must Build a Boat above, and pick it up yourself on iOS, Android or Steam. Just be forewarned: The title is not a suggestion. If you play this game, you're...

Bizarre puzzle heads are staring at you, in Gnog

By Colin Campbell on Jun 09, 2015 06.09.15

Anyone who needs further convincing that Double Fine is a company that is interested in the weird and the wonderful need only look at Gnog, a puzzle game from Canadian developer Ko-op Mode.It's a series of huge monster faces wrought in distinctively bold art styles, like big toys. These are complex machines, of sorts, which are connected in mysterious ways. The player prods, pulls and fiddles until the puzzle is resolved. But the nature of the puzzle itself is usually a bit of a mystery. This is a game about play. "Playing the game is like discovering a weird toy you've never experienced," explains Ko-op's Saleem Dabbous. "You mess around with it at first and figure out what it's about, then you try to solve that puzzle." "Games are often looked upon as toys, but rarely is the...

June 8: Mega Man, Ready at Dawn, Quantum Break, Meat Boy, Smash Bros., Apple, Star Wars Battlefront

By Dave Tach on Jun 08, 2015 06.08.15

Welcome to Polygon Minimap, a daily audio podcast tour though the latest news about video games, related technologies and culture. Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe to the podcast (RSS) Download this episode directly as an MP3 Here's what we're covering today: THE BIG STORIES Mega Man Legacy Collection remasters first six games this summer The Order: 1886 studio Ready At Dawn hires Blizzard's COO, expands its business Quantum Break passing E3, next update hits at Gamescom Super Smash Bros. creator to talk fighting game updates in special pre-E3 presentation Epic's Fortnite coming to Mac, beta hits this fall Apple's iOS 9 getting six gaming-focused upgrades, including game DVR Native Watch Apps coming this fall along with a lot more ways to empower wrist gaming C-3PO...

Is Blizzard about to add a new game mode to Hearthstone?

By Philip Kollar on Jun 08, 2015 06.08.15

Last week, Blizzard announced that it will be bringing new hero portraits to Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft for real money. However, it sounds like that's not the only addition coming to the popular free-to-play card game in the near future. Over on the official Hearthstone Twitter and Facebook pages, Blizzard posted the following cryptic message and animated gif: Huh, that's new! #Hearthstone pic.twitter.com/zpA0McRqha — Hearthstone (@PlayHearthstone) June 8, 2015 The implication, of course, is that there will be a new game mode added to the game. Currently there are three primary ways to play Hearthstone: regular multiplayer matches with constructed decks, an arena mode where players draft a deck from random cards and single-player adventures against AI opponents. I...

Apple's iOS 9 getting six gaming-focused upgrades, including game DVR

By Dave Tach on Jun 08, 2015 06.08.15

iOS 9, the next version of Apple's operating system for iPad and iPhone, will include six gaming-focused features — three of which are new — Craig Federighi, Apple's SVP of software engineering, announced today during the company's annual WWDC keynote. The three new frameworks are as follows: GameplayKit, which helps create artificial intelligence and pathfinding Model I/O, which is designed to light 3D models ReplayKit, which will let users record and share gameplay Apple's existing, gaming-focused technology — SpriteKit, SceneKit and Metal — have all been enhanced, Federighi said. iOS 9 is scheduled for release later in 2015, with a first-ever public beta coming this summer. At the same keynote, Epic Games announced that Fortnite is coming to Mac, thanks to Metal's...

Bill Hader kicks off Apple keynote by beating up an Angry Bird, nearly killing Goat Simulator

By Dave Tach on Jun 08, 2015 06.08.15

Apple kicked off its WWDC 2015 keynote this morning with a video paying homage to video games available on its platforms, a man on fire and some music featuring a star of Community. And that doesn't even mention the star of the feature, Saturday Night Live veteran Bill Hader. It's a genuinely funny video — a rarity for these kind of things — and worth the four minutes it takes to watch.

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