Image Composition: Ross Miller/PolygonRoss Miller (he/him) is Polygon’s Senior Commerce Editor for the summer. He has nearly 20 years of experience in media and was a founding editor of The Verge.We’ve formally said our goodbyes to October Prime Day, where we’ve spent countless collective hours sifting through literally thousands of deals to find a few hundred we think are worth your time across video games, board games, Lego, and more. And from there, we’ve noticed a few that stood out as the best of the best, according to our favorite tastemakers out there — you, dear reader.Looking at the most popular deals among our readers, it’s clear that folks are gearing up for the changing of the seasons. Board games like Azul, Mysterium, Whitehall Mystery, and Spirit Island have dominated — all perfect for the spooky season, some more literally than others. So, too, has the Hoto electric screwdriver, which is handy for any DIY plans, planned or otherwise. And as for the digital games, the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 deal is a clear favorite. Does this mean more people will soon become huge fans of Raiden? We can only hope.Here are the top Amazon October Prime Day deals according to Polygon readers. We say it every time and we truly mean it: y’all have have excellent taste.What Polygon readers bought for October Prime DayAzul$24$4040% off$24Azul is a board game where you work with friends to build an exquisite tile mosaic. The rules are simple enough to make it pick up and play but has endless strategic depth.Read More$24 at AmazonThe Complete Calvin and Hobbes Box Set$98$16039% off$98The story of a boy with a vivid imagination and his best friend (a stuffed tiger, naturally) defined many a childhood. This four-volume paperback box set features every Calvin and Hobbes cartoon that appeared in syndication, which ran from 1985 until Bill Watterson’s retirement at the start of 1996.Read More$98 at Amazon (Paperback)$125 at Amazon (Hardcover)Catan: Starfarers Duel$28$3520% off$28Catan: Starfarers Duel is the unlikely reboot of an obscure 2001 game called Starship Catan. This two-player variant has solid reviews, but the 75-minute playtime seems like it might be a bit of a tough sell for all but the most dedicated players.Read More$28 at AmazonHoto electric screwdriver (12 bits)$40$6134% off$40With a long-lasting battery, adjustable torque (be gentle with your screws!), and a ring-light if you need, Hoto’s USB-C rechargeable electric screwdriver is one of our go-to tools for opening up your games and gear. The kit comes with a USB-C cord, case, and 12 steel bits.Read More$40 at AmazonJust One$12$2552% off$12Just One, the hit word-guessing game, is a snappy little gem that can easily kick off a night of longer games with a bang. Or kick back with a few beverages and play it all night, your call.Read More$12 at AmazonLego Super Mario Piranha Plant$48$6020% off$48The sassy, carnivorous plant from Super Mario is now available as a 540-piece Lego set. The LEGO Super Mario Piranha Plant comes complete with gold coins and adjustable limbs to give it some extra personality.Read More$48 at AmazonThe Lord of the Rings Illustrated$47$7537% off$47The single-volume hardcover includes thirty color illustrations, maps, and sketches (all produced by the author) sprinkled throughout its 1,248 pages. Inside, you’ll also find a pair of removable, fold-out maps of Frodo’s journey and of Middle-earth produced by his son, Christopher.Read More$47 at Target$47 at AmazonLove Letter$13$1513% off$13Love Letter packs all of the spicy drama and intrigue of Bridgerton into a deck of just 16 cards. Similar to Coup, Love Letter is a game of secrets as you attempt to deduce the contents of other player’s hands and uncover the single princess card among them. An easy game to tote around just about anywhere.Read More$13 at AmazonMTG Doctor Who Commander Deck Bundle$129$18731% off$129No need to pick a favorite when we have all of time and space. Pick up all four ready-to-play Doctor Who themed Commander Decks for Magic: The Gathering: Timey-Wimey, Paradox Power, Blast from the Past, and Masters of Evil.Read More$129 at AmazonMTG Commander Masters Deck – Planeswalker Party$60$10040% off$60Legendary Planeswalker Commodore Guff is the emcee of the Planeswalker Party Commander Deck, a ready-to-play, 100-card blue-red-white that boasts two foil legendary cards and a two-card Collector Booster Sample Pack “containing 2 special treatment cards from the Commander Masters set, including 1 Rare or Mythic Rare.”Read More$60 at AmazonMTG The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Set Boosters Box$114$17033% off$114Legendary Planeswalker Commodore Guff is the emcee of the Planeswalker Party Commander Deck, a ready-to-play, 100-card blue-red-white that boasts two foil legendary cards and a two-card Collector Booster Sample Pack “containing 2 special treatment cards from the Commander Masters set, including 1 Rare or Mythic Rare.”Read More$114 at AmazonMetal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1$20$4050% off$20Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 brings together the first Metal Gear Solid for the PS1 and its two PS2 sequels, Sons of Liberty and Snake Eater, in addition to the original Metal Gear, Metal Gear: Snake’s Revenge and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. This collection is available for Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.Read More$20 at Amazon (PS5)$20 at Amazon (Switch)Mysterium$30$5545% off$30Mysterium, a favorite of the Overboard crew, will have you set up for a seance in no time. Up to 7 players can become psychics and interpret cryptic clues to solve crimes. Perfect for the spooky holiday!Read More$30 at AmazonSpirit Island$40$7043% off$40Everything you’ve heard about Spirit Island is true. We consider it at once one of the best cooperative games and one of the best solo games, so there’s no bad time to play. Take on the role of spirits fighting against colonizers. If you’re looking to upgrade your Spirit Island experience, the Jagged Earth expansion is on sale, too.Read More$48 at Amazon (Base Game)$40 at Amazon (Jagged Earth)Splendor Duel$28$307% off$28Finally, Splendor Duel turns the beloved gem-buying game Splendor into a taught little two-player experience knife fight of a strategy game.Read More$28 at AmazonTwilight Inscription$52$6520% off$52Twilight Inscription is a roll-and-write strategy game, featuring the space cats of the Twilight Imperium franchise. Playable solo, or with up to eight players, this clever game summarizes the epic galactic conquest of Twilight Imperium into a single afternoon.Read More$52 at AmazonWhitehall Mystery$30$313% off$30Whitehall Mystery is an overlooked gem of a hidden movement game, where one player secretly plots their course on a hidden map and everyone else tries to hunt them down. The theming here is key, however, as it puts players on the hunt for a mysterious murderer in Victorian London. It’s a fast-moving experience that rewards repeating the game after switching up roles at the table.Read More$30 at AmazonLooking for more deals? Check out all of Polygon’s favorite October Prime Day 2024 deals right here, and subscribe to our newsletter below to get great deals delivered to your inbox every week.
Related Posts
We pretty much expected this one, but we’re still glad to see it confirmed. Starfield’s first expansion, Shattered Space, has been officially dated, thanks to a new teaser that dropped during Gamescom 2024 Opening Night Live.Shattered Space remained mysterious for much of its life, and it wasn’t until the Xbox Showcase in June that we got a first look at it. Now, we only need to wait a little longer to actually play it.To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings Shattered Space arrives September 30 on PC, and Xbox Series X/S. We know that it won’t be Starfield’s only expansion, and we also know a fair bit about the setting and some of the content in Shattered Space itself.As seen in that initial reveal trailer, the upcoming add-o…
Read moreFollowing Chris Barrett having been replaced as director of the Marathon reboot earlier this year, a new report is claming that the veteran developer was fired from Bungie following an internal investigation into misconduct.According to Bloomberg, Barrett was let go by the studio this spring following allegations of inappropriate behaviour from “at least eight” female employees at the company.To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings The report alleges that Barrett befriended women from different departments at the studio, and sent them a “barrage of text messages that blurred the lines between professional and personal.”It cites Bungie’s investigation as having found that the developer “called lower-level female employees attractive, asked them to play tru…
Read moreX-Men ’97 was pretty good, ey? Well, you might be sad to learn the behind-the-scenes process was apparently a bit of a clusterfrag, which kind of describes the usual state of affairs at Marvel as of late, unless this time around nobody seems to be interested in burying the hatchet. Season 1 and 2 showrunner Beau DeMayo, who was fired a while back, is now promising to shine more light on what went down after Marvel and Disney talked of “egregious” findings in August.Via Deadline, DeMayo now has taken to OnlyFans (yes, really) “to call BS on the Kevin Feige-run Marvel and Bob Iger-led Disney.” Buckle up, as this saga might be a long one.To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings “The rumors being spread around me online are lies, and they are offensive, but mo…
Read moreObi-Wan Kenobi, an okay show that was carried by Ewan McGregor’s strong lead performance, was meant to be a limited Disney Plus series. To this day, Lucasfilm still hasn’t announced plans to do more, but that isn’t stopping both McGregor and Hayden Christensen from campaigning to return to a galaxy far, far away.Ewan McGregor is receiving his own star at Hollywood’s Walk of Fame today, Thursday 12, and ahead of the event, he talked to Variety about his career, paying special attention to his surprisingly long run as Obi-Wan Kenobi, first as one of the leads of the Star Wars prequels, and years later in the Disney Plus show that reunited him with Hayden Christensen.To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings After expressing his love for Alec Guinness’ work as…
Read moreJust a few days ago, Pathea Games finally revealed what’s next for the My Time At Portia and My Time at Sandrock series, and of course, the third installment will be another open-world simulation game; My Time at Evershine. The sequel looks to be one of Pathea’s most ambitious projects yet, and once again, it’s requesting the support of its fans via Kickstarter to help it reach and exceed the expectations of both the developer and upcoming players.When it comes to funding its projects, Pathea Games shared that it has a seven to eight million dollar budget for the game (with My Time at Sandrock previously having a $12 million dollar budget altogether, including Kickstarter pledges); the Kickstarter project allows the developer to accrue additional funds from fans who wish …
Read moreStarfield’s Shattered Space expansion arrives in exactly a week’s time as I write this, with a September 30 relese date having been pencilled in a little while ago. If you’re delving back into the game this week ahead of going to see what on Earth’s up with House Va-ruun when the DLC, a new mod boasts some fitting threads that should help you get in a great serpent mood.Bethesda’s recently ramped up the hype machine for the expansion, putting out a deep-dive video that goes through the set-up for its main story, which involves House Va’ruun’s capital city of Dazra having been devastated by “the vortex incident”, leaving you to swoop in and help pick up the pieces in the usual quest-doing fashion.To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings If you left that thi…
Read moreThe first major content patch for Space Marine 2 is here, and it’s bringing a bunch of major content additions and small tweaks that should help remedy much of the game’s less-liked quirks and absences. These include, but are not limited to, 1v1 duels between friends, and changes to the PvP spawn system to make spawn camping harder.The patch notes, released on the Focus Together publisher website, list out all these changes in full. Major additions include the aforementioned one-vs-one mode which allows two players in the same squad to duke it out aboard the battle barge, but also private lobbies for the Operations mode which will allow you to queue up with a single friend and a bot, or all on your lonesome with AI squadmate support.To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manag…
Read moreYou know Palworld? That game that recently got a PS5 port and definitely had nothing else of note happen involving it? Well, developer Pocketpair has signed a licensing agreement with Krafton for a mobile version of it to be made.In case you’ve been living under a rock with your pals, news of this deal arrives not long after Nintendo and The Pokemon Company filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair over Palworld, alleging that the game “infringes multiple patent rights”. There’s been a lot of speculation as to how it might play out, but as of right now, all we can do is wait and see.To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings Anyway, in the interim, Pocketpair is still chugging along with its plans for Palworld, having now announced that it’s signed a licensing agre…
Read moreAlmost no one is denying anymore that Marvel Studios has hit a bit of a slump in recent times, yet it’s also managed to put out some bangers and utterly demolished the box office this summer with Deadpool & Wolverine. This explains why Sebastian Stan is defending the hell out of the House of M still.The veteran Marvel actor, widely known as Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier, has recently been promoting his work in The Apprentice – the movie where he plays Donald Trump – and he’s taken every opportunity to push back against MCU haters and mean critics because he believes these movies and shows are “a big part of what contributes to this business and allows us to have smaller movies as well.”To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings Regardless of your f…
Read moreThere’s a film about some folks putting on a production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in GTA Online, and it’s actually gonna be coming out in a manner which means that if, like me, you’re mildly curious about it and live in the UK, you’ll be able to go and see it as the flim gods intended later this year.The film, in case you missed it taking the world by storm a bit last week, is called Grand Theft Hamlet. It’s a documentary. No, no, sit back down, you might still like it even if it’ll be a bit different to watching The Boss Baby and The Godfather Part Three, which I know have been your two favorite flicks for a good while now.To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings Distributor Tull Stories has confirmed that the film will be rocking up in theartres across the…
Read more