Polynauts Central (18/9 Archived)

Posted by Shaun McIlroy on September 18, 2012 06:22 am 1703

2cqgwmd_jpg_medium

Thanks to BreadKnight for todays header!

It's Tuesday, September 18th and this is Polynauts Central - coming to you live from Polygon on The Verge.

After a brief intermission I've returned to the world of the Information Superhighway Internets!

Request from me folks. In order to help keep threads full and bountiful can I ask that from now on you search for existing threads before creating a new anime one. We've got at least three made within the last seven days which have splintered that audience amongst those threads instead of being.

Conversation's good, great even - but those threads will gain more traction if its bundled together in one awesome thread. Chaosbirdomage started the original weekly thread in response to criticisms that there was too much of a focus on anime here in Polynauts Central; so why not speak amongst yourselves and see if you want to take turns rotating who writes it up in a collaborative effort.

Now, apparently there's a whole world outside of this topic so I'll do my best to investigate what exactly that entails on your behalf. That journey begins right now.

  • For comics, manga and anime and if want a nice organised place to talk about those, then head on over to Crisis on Infinite Polygons Issue #5 for BreadKnights' all-in-one thread.
  • If you want to talk game related art - or even art in general but be sure to head over to the thread by Paradox Me called The Polygon Gallery of Fine Arts and grab yourself some cheese, olives and a glass of wine.
  • If you want to talk about, or discover new music then Shinta has a thread for you simply called Music.
  • If you want to talk about any movies or television shows with fear of spoilers then go to PrinceLUDA21's Polynauts The Movie: Episod3-D thread.
  • Zombie711 feels that snacks should have a thread. Won't somebody go talk waffles with him?

FROM POLYGON

1: 'Borderlands 2' review: firing range by Arthur Gies

Gearbox has taken a fresh look with Borderlands 2 at the often weak connective tissue linking the pile of divergent ideas that defined its predecessor. The story is developed and surprisingly thoughtful, and systems link together more. The result is a better game in almost every regard and, interestingly enough, a more ambitious one. However, a clearer vision from the start doesn’t prevent Borderlands 2 from straining in several design directions at once.

2: Replacement Wii U GamePads available 'for a fee' by Tracey Lien

Nintendo won't be selling additional Wii U GamePads when the console launches on November 18th, but if a user damages the GamePad that comes with their console they can have it replaced "for a fee", a Nintendo spokesperson told Polygon.

When pressed for details on the replacement service, Polygon was told that users would be able to obtain replacement GamePad controllers from Nintendo Consumer Service for a fee, although the exact amount and process involved was not stated.

3: 'Dragon Age 3: Inquisition' announced by BioWare by Samit Sarkar

Inquisition has been in progress for "about two years now," according to executive producer Mark Darrah. It will run on an RPG engine based on EA DICE's Frostbite 2 engine, new technology that will allow BioWare to "deliver a more expansive world, better visuals, more reactivity to player choices, and more customization."

4: GAME promotional to offer 50 percent extra trade-in value toward Wii U by Emily Gera

An upcoming GAME promotional offering 50 percent extra trade-in value on consoles and handheld devices toward the Wii U is intended to launch in-stores throughout the United Kingdom, with further details slated to come in the following days, VideoGamer.com reports.

5: Bohemia Interactive asks you to sign petition to get imprisoned 'ARMA 3' developers home by Emily Gera

"What I would like to do is to make you aware, if you're not already, of a community created support website for Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar - HelpIvanMartin.org The website contains information about their arrest, links to news reports and an on-going petition to raise voices in protest at the arrest and charges."

Buchta and Pezlar have been held in Greece since September 9th after being accused by Greek authorities of taking photographs of military installations. Yesterday the two developers released a joint statement calling the arrest a "misunderstanding."

FROM THE POLYNAUTS FORUMS:

1: Little Big Planet [vita] might be the killer game you were waiting (for) by dummysystem

..sort of, because Gravity Daze already earned this title.

But thanks to Sony and its street date broken, we had the game since friday. If you have played LBP2 [PS3], this one is somehow similar. (Click through for his thoughts)

2: On The Future of Gaming: Other Worlds by DocSeuss

People have always been fascinated with the concept of other realities. From the Chronicles of Narnia to the Matrix, the idea that there are other worlds, real or fictional, has permeated human consciousness. It makes sense, of course. We've mapped all continents, seen much of the planet's unique wildlife, and know of all human cultures. To put it simply, there just isn't that much more out there to explore, but we humans are, by our very nature, explorers. We crave discovery. We crave the new. Most of us will never have the opportunity to drive the latest Lamborghini, rob a bank, solve a crime, or save the world, but through virtual reality, we can explore any experience in any time or place, real or imagined.

3: Polynauts Community Features: Beating your personal HYPE TRAIN by Shaun McIlroy

So, Polynauts. I'm attempting to help take our Polygon Community in new directions, one which some community members tend not to venture into for one reason or another. That direction? Writing community features.

Here's my proposal. Each week I'll ask you a question. That question might ask you for anything up to 300 words on a specific subject area, and I'll then put everything together in the Poly-wobbly-wimey device and we'll have ourselves a feature. Think of it as a 'Best of Polynauts', if that description works for you then it works for me too! Just email your thoughts over to the Polynauts email account.

What's this weeks topic?

"Games which met your personal hype-train head on, and then some."

4: So, You Want to Make Games? by GunFlame

Some of you folks around here are gunning for the chance to make games for a living. Being able to make money while doing something you are passionate about is always going to be a smart move. Right now, gaming is booming, many people want to give it a whirl, many people are going to school and doing what they think they need to do to get the job that have worked hard to get. This is not industry specific stuff of course, grab any sector and it’s the same. So why is there still such a lack of information regarding game industry jobs?

FROM THE VERGE:

Adrianne Jeffries returns with yesterdays'90 Seconds on The Verge'.

POLYNAUTS COMMENT OF THE DAY (17/9):

It was one that no-one expected…

PaddyStardust (6 Recommends)

Every day there will only be one comment from the previous thread. It's decided based upon the most recommends an individual receives for their comment; should two people have the same rating then both comments will be posted.

Okay, there we have another weekends worth of catch-ups folks. Remember to sound off in the comments below and share any awesome news you find today. As always check out the @Polygon feed on Twitter to keep up to date, or feel free to hit me up at @shaunmcilroy if you want to chitchat throughout the day.

NOTES:

New to the Polygon Community? Please take time to read the Community Guidelines as laid out by the editorial team here at The Verge. Particularly take note here: "Foul language: Cussing, swearing, or just plain nasty: all of the above are not cool here." That goes for NSFW material as well folks - Mods DO police this place remember.

If you're a fan of the image up top and want to submit your own, remember to keep them coming in for this section of Polynauts Central, GIF's included, at this link. Finally, if you want to submit a header image for Crisis on Infinite Polygons you can do that on this thread.