In each episode of Quality Control, a Polygon writer talks to a critic about a new game, movie or piece of gear. In this week’s special episode, Charlie Hall invites Gamers With Jobs’ Allen Cook to talk about Gen Con 2018. This year marked the 51st time that tabletop gamers from around the world have gathered together for Gen Con. What began as a celebration of hardcore wargaming in Geneva, Wisconsin, has blossomed into the United States’ largest tabletop gaming convention. Email: qualitycontrol

Finally available on Nintendo Switch is the remastered version of Okami, which was previously available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Okami HD follows the Japanese sun goddess, Amaterasu, who takes on the role of the white wolf Shiranui in order to restore a land to its full glory. A game with such beautiful visuals and a whole gameplay mechanic designed around brushstrokes deserves a stunning remaster — and now Okami HD is available on the Nintendo eShop. Also in the eShop this week is the

They’ve started with a recap of the Dota Pro Circuit series, titled “Dota Pro Circuit Rewind 2018,” and will continue with Kanner’s famous “Down-Low” series that sums up teams’ year in Dota 2. The Dota Pro Circuit Rewind is already up on the official Dota 2 YouTube. It’s about 20 minutes long and briefly recaps every event of the Pro Circuit, including highlights from many events. Kanner started The International Down-Low series in 2015 to great reception, as both newcomers and fans wanting to k

Everyone has something to say about The International each year, from analysts to the teams themselves and even the panelists at the event itself. But if you want to give it ago, the annual Compendium gives you that opportunity. If you think you have what it takes to reach that level of predictions, pick up your Battle Pass and get picking. Open up your Battle Pass and go to the Compendium section:When that’s open, you’ll land on this page — click “Predictions” on the upper tab:And you should la

The Summit 9 concluded Sunday night, and apparently Valve had their eyes on the event. We’re not sure if this is the last patch, but it certainly is a patch, and indeed a patch very close to The International with many huge changes to mostly heroes. Necrophos also got some nerfs, and Pudge’s Meat Hook must be used sparingly in the early game with a huge cooldown increase. Plus, daily heroes aren’t as “broken” anymore as they only get one mango instead of two, likely to the joy of some pros. Gene

If you’re a Dutch Dota 2 player, you’ll have a little more foresight about what sort of loot you’re getting — with some catches. In a recent update, Valve enabled Dutch players to see what type of loot they’ll get out of a box before they buy it. A screenshot by Reddit user /u/Larhf shows one item highlighted, despite not opening it. The request required that in-game loot items be non-transferable, as transferable loot items violated the Dutch Betting and Gambling Act. Days later, trading was re

There’s always time for some casual Dota 2, and Beyond The Summit is bringing it between the Dota Pro Circuit and The International. Dota Summit 9 sees the return of a fan-favorite tournament, with serious gameplay but a super-casual content and commentary vibe. The losers are placed in a lower bracket and play the bracket out from there. Teams/Groups:Evil Geniuses (North America, Direct Invite)(North America, Direct Invite) Fnatic (Southeast Asia, Direct Invite)(Southeast Asia, Direct Invite) O

But the past is the past, and Team Liquid kept their eyes on The International. Post-Aegis, Pro-CircuitAs the first-ever Dota Pro Circuit started up this past year, the anti-champ fix didn’t do the trick. Or, at least, it wasn’t enough to stop Team Liquid from showing up from the start of the season. First, Virtus Pro gave them their first defeat in literally months, followed up by Liquid’s tournament elimination by Secret. For one, Virtus Pro and Team Secret are still shaping up to be tough con

After a long bout of silence from Valve, the Dota Plus paid subscription system is providing a slew of new features to those who opt in. They’ve added extra new quests to accomplish, and you can show off your Plus Hero Badge and Relic progress on your profile. With this new Dota plus feature, I’m watching a game live and can see both sides in real time (have a friend on both teams). The Profile screen now shows your Plus Hero Badge and RelicsYou can read the full patch, including the non-Plus cl

The International 8’s Battle Pass continues to be up-to-date, but another group of subscribers has expressed their discontent with their paid content. Those with access to subscription feature Dota Plus were promised features at least matching old Battle Pass standards, but recent issues and lack of communication with Dota Plus features prompted a wave of complaints on Reddit. One custom game enthusiast noted that guides can often break custom game items. “Dota Plus members will have access to t

It’s pretty much an RPG Battle Royale, or Dota 2 if it were a Battle Royale all along. The map is procedurally-generated, with the rooms you’ll encounter being different every time you step into the Underhollow. Great news for below-par Dota 2 players: You don’t need to actually win Underhollow, or even kill one enemy, to start racking up Battle Points. Here’s how you can grab Battle Points:Cheese Slices — Cheese wedges will appear randomly throughout the game, rewarding you with 25 Battle Point

While the red panda has no relation to the giant panda, the black-and-white conservation icon, they’re both called “pandas” because they have pretty similar diets: bamboo, hence their name. So here are the red panda cosmetics currently purchasable and usable in the game. And angry red pandas are still kinda red pandas, so they’re cute. That is the spirit of a red panda: Cute, bouncy, smol. Anyway, if you really like red pandas and want to help, the Red Panda Network is the most well-known effort

The International 8’s qualifiers out of the way, and the Dota Pro Circuit is completely done. Now, this means Icefrog and the Dota 2 development team finally have a little bit of breathing room to make Dota 2 in their vision, through their previously-announced regular balance changes. This time, there are a lot of flashy heroes getting fixed up in time for the big tournament. Take Enigma, for instance, whose AOE damage-dealer Midnight Pulse has been buffed, making him a plenty more viable pick.

If you thought the OpenAI Shadow Fiend bot was brutal, the team responsible hopes you’re ready for more. The OpenAI team, which receives funding from entrepreneur Elon Musk, posted a blog revealing its “Five” iteration of the program, allowing five-versus-five Dota 2 matches by the bots. They’ve also announced a showcase match in San Francisco in which “top players” will take on the OpenAI Five teams. The team then offered the bot to any high-skill players who wanted to train, stream or play aro

We’re keeping track of every qualifier’s schedule, so swing by our main hub to see them all, for every region! With eight teams already qualified, ten more need to prove themselves as worthy of the Aegis of Champions this August. Thousands of teams have played through their respective regional Open Qualifiers, and few have earned spots in their region’s Main Qualifier. Alpha Red has another chance after their GESC Thailand showing, and the three-fifths expat team under respected brand Fnatic may

The International 8 is upon us, and it’s time for the first step in the road to Vancouver. With eight teams already qualified, ten more need to prove themselves as worthy of the Aegis of Champions this August. Thousands of teams have played through their respective regional Open Qualifiers, and few have earned spots in their region’s Main Qualifier. Europe has sent the best of the best, with TI7 champions Team Liquid having secured their spots. The Final Tribe and Kinguin have made their mark th

No worries about missing your favorite pub stars and legacy squads in action, North Americans and NA fans elsewhere — we’ve put together the whole schedule for NA qualifiers below. With eight teams already qualified, ten more need to prove themselves as worthy of the Aegis of Champions this August. Thousands of teams have played through their respective regional Open Qualifiers, and few have earned spots in their region’s Main Qualifier. With veterans across this qualifier’s roster, it’s going t

As The Flying Courier is compiling schedules and format explainers for every Regional Main Qualifier this year, this one is for China! The International 8 is upon us, and it’s time for the first step in the road to Vancouver. With eight teams already qualified, ten more need to prove themselves as worthy of the Aegis of Champions this August. Thousands of teams have played through their respective regional Open Qualifiers, and few have earned spots in their region’s Main Qualifier. The China qua

With eight teams already qualified, ten more need to prove themselves as worthy of the Aegis of Champions this August. Thousands of teams have played through their respective regional Open Qualifiers, and few have earned spots in their region’s Main Qualifier. In South America, the competition is smaller, with only six teams in the running — all from Open Qualifiers. InfamousMidas ClubPaiN GamingSG e-sportsThunder PredatorTorus GamingFORMATQUALIFYING SPOTS: OneEVENT FORMAT: This event will have

The North American qualifiers will be pushed back a day after the Dota 2 game coordinator went down, according to a statement from Faceit. Originally specified to take place on June 14th, the tournament will now take place from the 15th. Since all Dota 2 tournament matches take place on dedicated servers, even custom lobbies rely on Valve’s servers to run. Combined with Faceit’s bots, which automatically create, enter and track lobbies to smooth out the process, a downed server spells disaster.