Quality Control

Senior reporter Charlie Hall and guides editor Dave Tach host in-depth conversations each week about the latest games, movies, comics, and gear reviewed and recommended by the Polygon team. Produced by Polygon and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Episodes

A special episode with Justin McElroy

January 7, 2019 • 28 mins

After 192 episodes and millions of downloads, Polygon's Quality Control is going on hiatus. To celebrate we brought back creator Justin McElroy. Until the next time we've got a game, a movie, or anything at all to talk about, thanks to you at home for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

December 13, 2018 • 21 mins

Managing editor Chelsea Stark stops by to discuss her review of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Just Cause 4

December 6, 2018 • 18 mins

Just Cause 4 is good. Right up until it isn't. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Battlefield 5

November 29, 2018 • 25 mins

Polygon's review of Battlefield 5. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Pokémon: Let's Go! the audiobook

November 14, 2018 • 13 mins

An audiobook version of Polygon's Pokémon: Let's Go! review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Fallout 76 beta

November 8, 2018 • 31 mins

This week on Polygon’s Quality Control podcast, we’re joined by Jenna Stoeber and Tara Long. Between the two of them, they’ve spent dozens of hours in the Fallout 76 beta, so who better to bring onto the show to discuss it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Return of the Obra Dinn

October 31, 2018 • 21 mins

Charlie Hall sits down with Polygon's senior reporter Colin Campbell to discuss the latest game from indie developer Lucas Pope, Return of the Obra Dinn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Red Dead Redemption 2

October 25, 2018 • 53 mins

All about Red Dead Redemption 2. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Blackout, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s battle royale mode

October 16, 2018 • 31 mins

In this week’s Quality Control podcast, we discuss the newest edition to the Call of Duty franchise, a battle royale mode called Blackout. It’s available as part of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. At a glance, it looks like many other battle royale games on the market. But, in motion, there’s a lot more nuance to the experience. I sat down with our Austen Goslin. Between the two of us, we’ve spent hundreds of hours inside PlayerUnknown...

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Inching forward with Mega Man 11

October 10, 2018 • 23 mins

This week on Polygon’s Quality Control podcast, Mike McWhertor joins Dave Tach to discuss Mega Man 11, which is available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows. In this episode, you’ll learn about Mega Man lore, how Mike played the game — and what Capcom seems to have figured out across a bunch of franchises lately. Much of the discussion centers around what Mike wrote recently in his Mega Man 11 review. Lea...

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

October 3, 2018 • 25 mins

In the latest episode of Polygon’s Quality Control podcast we grapple with the Greco-action game Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Guests include Colin Campbell and Simone de Rochefort. https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2018/10/1/17920288/assassins-creed-odyssey-review-ps4-xbox-one-windows-pc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

What is the best starting Pokémon?

September 26, 2018 • 25 mins

At the beginning of every Pokémon game, players must make a Sohpie’s Choice-like decision to ally themselves with a single, cuddly fighting animal. While their stable will undoubtedly expand, it is that creature who will be their intimate companion on the long road to becoming the very best. Like no one ever was. Today’s formal debate brings three Pokémon experts to the fore, including Polygon’s Allegra Frank and Ryan Gilliam as ...

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

September 19, 2018 • 29 mins

This week on Polygon’s Quality Control podcast, Chris Plante and Dave Tach join host Charlie Hall to discuss Shadow of the Tomb Raider. How did the franchise get to now, and what's it like to play through an introspective look at the narrative roots of Lara Croft herself? You can read Polygon's full review right here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Spider-Man PS4 and the joys of the most AAA game

September 12, 2018 • 28 mins

This week on Polygon’s Quality Control podcast, Chelsea Stark joins Dave Tach to discuss Spider-Man on PS4. In this episode, you’ll learn about why Chelsea and Dave like the game so much, even if they come just short of loving it. Much of the discussion centers around what Chelsea wrote recently in her Spider-Man review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Destiny 2: Forsaken (is really good)

September 7, 2018 • 41 mins

Ryan Gilliam returns to Quality Control, joining Dave Tach to talk about Destiny 2: Forsaken. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Polygon's new reviews

September 4, 2018 • 34 mins

In this episode of Quality Control, Chris Plante and Charlie Hall explain the future of Polygon's reviews. Games have changed since we launched Polygon. We’re changing with them. We believe that a new strategy, focusing on criticism and curation, will better serve our readers than the serviceable, but ultimately limited reviews rubric that, for decades, has served as a load-bearing pillar of most game publications. Learn more a...

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

WoW: Battle for Azeroth today (and yesterday and tomorrow)

August 29, 2018 • 37 mins

In this week’s episode of Quality Control, Dave Tach and first-time guest and World of Warcraft veteran World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth. This week, you’ll learn about Ryan’s history with the game, which doesn’t span from vanilla WoW, but still lets him say things like, “back in my day.” A lot of our discussion centers around what Ryan wrote recently in his review, “Battle for Azeroth continues World of Warcraft’s legacy as a...

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Monster Hunter: World comes to PC

August 24, 2018 • 22 mins

This latest incarnation of the Monster Hunter franchise carved off many of the series traditional rough edges, but the console version for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One didn’t always impress fans with its performance. The PC version, which launched more than six months later, has been a fixture on the Steam best seller’s list all month long. Patrick is our resident expert, so we wanted to ask him about his experience and also talk abo...

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

The weird joy of We Happy Few

August 15, 2018 • 24 mins

In this week’s episode of Quality Control, Dave Tach and Charlie Hall talk about We Happy Few. Press play to learn about the game’s history from Kickstarter to Early Access (where the original concept changed pretty dramatically) to its recent release on PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One (which at launch reflects the changes that the game’s earliest players asked for). We Happy Few is the story of what comes after the fall o...

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

The best board games from Gen Con 2018

August 9, 2018 • 35 mins

On this week's episode of Quality Control, Charlie is joined by Gamers With Jobs' Allen Cook to discuss Gen Con 2018. Here's all of the very best board games from the largest tabletop convention in the United States. https://www.polygon.com/gen-con https://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/1302125 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen

Watch

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

Betrayal Weekly

Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

The Joe Rogan Experience

The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Hey Jonas!

Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.

Advertise With Us

Quality Control

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}A special episode with Justin McElroy

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Just Cause 4

Battlefield 5

Pokémon: Let's Go! the audiobook

Fallout 76 beta

Return of the Obra Dinn

Red Dead Redemption 2

Blackout, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s battle royale mode

Inching forward with Mega Man 11

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

What is the best starting Pokémon?

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Spider-Man PS4 and the joys of the most AAA game

Destiny 2: Forsaken (is really good)

Polygon's new reviews

WoW: Battle for Azeroth today (and yesterday and tomorrow)

Monster Hunter: World comes to PC

The weird joy of We Happy Few

The best board games from Gen Con 2018

Popular Podcasts

A special episode with Justin McElroy

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate