Ben Kuchera
polygon.com
Ohio, United States
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Past articles by Ben:
Alien: Isolation is the Alien game fans deserve, and it’s currently free on PC
Alien Isolation returns to the series roots as a horror movie instead of focusing on the war film aesthetic of Aliens, and that makes it stand out in the gaming world. It’s a hard game to finish, but a fascinating game to try, and it’s currently free on PC. → Read More
The essential racing games of Xbox Game Pass
Getting into racing games can be an intimidating process, but Microsoft’s Game Pass makes exploring the genre a simple, risk-free process. If you’re curious about taking your first steps into racing games, these five picks will give you a great start to a very fast world. → Read More
Returnal’s gunplay makes delightful use of PS5’s DualSense controller
Returnal makes full use of PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller, and the most interesting implementation of force feedback happens when you fire your gun. → Read More
Nobody is the compelling, morally repugnant answer to John Wick
John Wick is the story of a man who’s suffered a terrible loss, which morally justifies his decision to kill a huge number of people. That moral clarity is part of the fun of the film. Nobody, on the other hand, stars Bob Odenkirk as a hero who wants, enjoys, and seeks out violence and murder. This is a story of entitled, enabled male rage, and the people who suffer because of it. → Read More
I want to skip ahead to all games having both cross-save and cross-play
More games are getting some support for cross-play or cross-saves, but implementation can be very different with each game. It feels like chaos right now, but the good news is that we’re headed in the right direction. → Read More
Pac-Man 99 is a confusing, seductive blast of strategy
You can’t beat the level, but you can outlive everyone else in Pac-Man 99, a battle royale game where speed, strategy, and the ability to adapt are everything. → Read More
The essential Xbox Game Pass games
Microsoft is all about its ecosystem with the launch of Xbox Series X and the continual improvements made to its Game Pass Ultimate subscription. But with so many games to try, where do you start? Don’t worry, we have you covered. → Read More
Diablo 2: Resurrected helped me love my brain
What do you do when you can’t remember where your own house is? Cope as best you can, and explain what’s going on using Diablo games. → Read More
Diablo 2: Resurrected is the game I remember, until it isn’t
Diablo 2: Resurrected shocked me in the first opening minutes of play. It looked exactly as I remembered it, which is a neat trick for a game with this many graphical improvements. → Read More
The 10 Star Wars games every fan needs to play
Star Wars has had a rich history in video games, but trying to find the games most worth your time can feel like an impossible task. Let us help with this list of 10 must-play games to get you started. → Read More
In Outriders the cover is for your enemies, not you
Outriders looks like a cross between Gears of War and the Division, but don’t be fooled into thinking it plays like a cover shooter. If you want to survive, you’ll want to bring the fight to the enemies, not hide while you wait to heal. → Read More
Star Wars: Republic Commando review: Who needs the Jedi?
Republic Commando was the rare Star Wars game to take the focus away from the Jedi, and it paid off. This re-release of the 2005 original on Nintendo Switch and PS4 proves that well-told Star Wars stories are always welcome. → Read More
Your actual blinking eyes are your best defense against a bad death in Before Your Eyes
How do you tell the story of your own life in a way that’s fair, and makes sense? Before Your Eyes is a PC game that suggests that easiest way to do so is through the eyes. The release date is April 8. → Read More
The Nintendo Switch needs to be more powerful
Nintendo’s golden goose is already falling behind, and it’s only going to get worse as the gulf in power between the Switch and the rest of the market, at 4K resolution, increases. The Switch hardware needs more power, and it needs it yesterday. → Read More
Netflix promotes DOTA anime with a blast from the game’s past
Basshunter is still playing a little Dota in the latest trailer for the Netflix anime DOTA: Dragon’s Blood, reminding nostalgic fans of a simpler time when grown men didn’t know the difference between bots and humans and wrote songs about it. → Read More
Every Mario game available on Nintendo Switch, ranked
Mario has found a welcoming home on Nintendo Switch, which may have the largest collection of Mario games ever put together on one piece of Nintendo hardware. Here is every Mario game available on the platform, at least until the end of the month, in order of quality. → Read More
Wanted Raccoon offers promising stealth espionage raccoons, tons of glitches
Wanted Raccoon is the latest game in the ‘animals being jerks’ genre, and while it shows a lot of promise in its premise and stealthy action, the glitches make the game hard to play for more than a few minutes at a time. → Read More
id Software offers hints about Doom Eternal’s PS5, Xbox Series X upgrade
id Software’s Marty Stratton opens up about planning for scalable systems, and making sure the upcoming PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X ports of Doom Eternal deliver what fans expect: choices about how to play. → Read More
Where does Doom go next?
The latest DLC for Doom Eternal, The Ancient Gods — Part Two, will end the current story arc of the Doom Slayer, but what comes next? We talk to two of the creative minds behind the series at id Software to find out what’s Doom ... and what’s not. → Read More
Loop Hero review: an unexpected parable about parenting
Loop Hero mashes up and remixes so many genres it’s hard to keep count, created a game that’s both mysterious and satisfying in equal amounts. The release date was March 4 on Linux, Mac, and Windows PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. → Read More