Jenna Stoeber
polygon.com
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Past articles by Jenna:
We get crafty in Clay-O-Rama, a messy, hands-on tabletop RPG
On a special Summer Camp-themed episode of Overboard, we play Clay-O-Rama, a Dungeons & Dragons expansion from the ‘80s where you craft a figure out of clay and then test its mettle. → Read More
When emulators were legit
Steve Jobs went to bat for emulators at Macworld 1999, in a bid to expand the Mac’s game selection. The Connectix Virtual Game Station, which emulated Playstation games, was doomed from the start — but it almost changed the entire game industry. → Read More
Cheating used to be fun
From pinball machines to the Konami Code to modern-day Pokemon games, cheating has come a long way. It used to be a fun, communal practice among friends. Now cheating is a big business, with all the downsides that comes with that. → Read More
Elden Ring wants you to stop hitting yourself
FromSoftware have made the funniest game in years by sticking to a dark, grim aesthetic and then giving everyone big hats. From absurd humor to outright environmental jokes, comedy in games doesn’t get better. → Read More
The weirdest video game reference in The Matrix Resurrections
There are a LOT of video game references in The Matrix Resurrections but this is maybe the most obscure. Neo’s jaunts on the treadmill represent the most important and difficult animations in games: the walking cycle → Read More
Time loops are a weird genre for an anxious time
From 12 minutes to Deathloop to the Outer Wilds, what’s the deal with all these time loop games? And tv shows and movies? Well, I have an answer, but you’re not going to like it. → Read More
How to make Metroid Dread soup
Samus doesn’t talk much in Metroid Dread, and it turns out there’s a reason for that! A bad reason, based on trying (and failing) to make the game scary. Metroid Fusion hit the horror tone perfectly, so why does the EMMI fall short of SA-X? → Read More
A spoiler-free review of Inscryption
The newest work from Daniel Mullins Games, creator of Pony Island, this spooky roguelike combines escape room puzzles and deck-building — along with some surprise meta elements — for a captivating experience. → Read More
Polybius, gaming’s oldest urban legend, is mostly Atari’s fault
Fans of Marvel’s Loki might have spotted an arcade cabinet labeled Polybius, a reference to one of gaming’s earliest urban legends — one that is based on a lot of Atari’s work. → Read More
The wrong person won Squid Game
Netflix’s Squid Game undercuts the radical potential of the battle royale genre by combining it with a most-dangerous-game style emphasis on personal responsibility. The result is a story that’s profoundly more depressing than most battle royale stories. → Read More
Game-over screens: are they a bummer?
From Dark Souls’ YOU DIED to the stark “DEATH” screen in Death’s Door, game over screens are some of the most iconic parts of games. So how do game devs make them less frustrating to see? → Read More
What if we had liked Super Mario Bros.: The Movie?
A peek into an alternate reality where Charlize Theron plays Samus, Luigi is a gay icon, and nobody watches comic book movies. → Read More
We were never going to like Super Mario Bros.: The Movie
Tiny-headed goombas, rampant fungus, and the only canon last name for Mario Mario and Luigi Mario. Super Mario Bros.: The Movie had it all – and yet we still never gave it a chance. Are we wrong, or is society? → Read More
Monster Hunter Rise should let me hunt Pennywise
Monster Hunter Rise provides a lot of great beasts to hunt, like the Khezu and Magnamalo. But if I could add anyone to the roster, it would be Pennywise the Clown from Stephen King’s It and I am entirely prepared to back up that statement. → Read More
One weird trick animators use to make movement look fast
Animators from Cuphead to Sonic to Street Fighter to Overwatch use a retro-style animation technique called smears to sell fast action. You’ve really got to see them to believe them; they might look weird, but they make motion feel snappy and appealing. → Read More
The secret backbone of animation
How big a height difference is there between Resident Evil’s Lady Dimitrescu and Marvel’s Spider-man, and why does that matter? Game animation relies on a secret skeleton for all its movements, and it has a much bigger effect on character design than we might think. → Read More
How video games are easing our phobias, one spider at a time
From the Abby’s acrophobia in The Last of Us 2, to the claustrophobic feeling of cramming yourself into a locker during Alien: Isolation, games are great at replicating the physical sensation of fear. → Read More
Join Polygon for a 56-hour charity stream!
Hades, Fall Guys, Jackbox 7 – we’ve seen some great games this year, and to celebrate, we’ll be playing the best of the best for 56 hours straight. Join Polygon for a non-stop charity stream as we raise money for Innocence Project! → Read More
Every game needs a pet-the-dog mechanic
But that doesn’t mean literally petting the dog. I talk to the creator of the “Can You Pet the Dog?” Twitter account, Tristan Cooper, and the Creative Director for Hades, Greg Kasavin, about why this meme is so satisfying — and so much harder than it seems. → Read More
Best movies of 2020, and where to watch them
Here are our picks for the best films of the year so far, and where to stream them on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and other services. From Oscar-worthy dramas, great documentaries, superhero movies, cult hits, and underrated picks, there’s something for everyone. → Read More