menu_open Columnists

Polygon

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Critical Role's animated intros are a master class in storytelling

If there's one thing guaranteed to get Critical Role fans hyped, it's a dramatic new opening for the company's incredibly popular actual-play...

yesterday 10

Polygon

Aimee Hart

Why one-shot tabletop RPGs should start full throttle

“Okay, so you’re tied to a chair inside a run-down trailer,” the game master told me. “The woman standing in front of you punches you in the...

yesterday 10

Polygon

Tasha Robinson

Let's get some even weirder PS5 colors while we're at it

After five years, the PlayStation 5 is getting experimental with color. While we've gotten special edition designs and colorful faceplates in the...

yesterday 10

Polygon

Giovanni Colantonio

I'm excited for Resident Evil Requiem because it looks nothing like Resident Evil Village

Like every other survival horror enthusiast on the face of the Earth, I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on Resident Evil Requiem . I'm...

yesterday 10

Polygon

Claire Lewis

Thrill of the refill: I love it when a boss gets a second health bar

It’s probably happened to you: After bashing your head against a particularly difficult boss in a video game, you realize you’ve been duped. As you...

yesterday 10

Polygon

Michael Mcwhertor

J.J. Abrams is the king of dramatic entrances

In a glossy 2019 interview with The New York Times, J.J. Abrams said the quiet part out loud. “I’ve never been great at endings,” the director...

yesterday 10

Polygon

Jake Kleinman

Why King Bumi’s big reveal makes Magic’s Dramatic Entrance unforgettable

In season 1 of Avatar: The Last Airbender , few moments land harder than the reveal that the ancient, mad king of Omashu is, in fact, Aang’s...

yesterday 10

Polygon

Corey Plante

Fortnite's Stick of Truth is ruining the South Park collab

After months of rumors, Fortnite has finally gone on down to South Park, and, well, it kind of sucks. To be fair, Fortnite fans have enjoyed some...

yesterday 20

Polygon

Chris Hayner

Is GTA 6 basically a PS5 exclusive at this point?

Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to launch this November for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. A PC port of Rockstar's highly anticipated open-world sequel...

yesterday 20

Polygon

Patricia Hernandez

My first encounter with Mass Effect was watching Shepard die

The first time I met Mass Effect’s Shepard, I watched him die. Before fully getting into BioWare’s space opera circa 2013, a year after the...

yesterday 10

Polygon

Austin Manchester

The expensive 'smart' future of Lego has fans riled up

Smart bricks and minifigs are coming to Lego, and the implications are exciting, but equally alarming. For months now, diehard fans have been...

07.01.2026 6

Polygon

Patricia Hernandez

Forget Kratos, I want the God of War studio to revive one of its best games next

Could 2026 be the year that we get a new God of War game? For the past year, rumors have swirled that Sony's Santa Monica Studio is cooking up...

07.01.2026 2

Polygon

Giovanni Colantonio

Star Wars desperately needs a win — can Disney’s most reliable director deliver?

07.01.2026 20

Polygon

Jake Kleinman

A major Star Wars power shift is upon us, but Dave Filoni has the Force to pull it off

After 13 years as Lucasfilm’s president, it was only a matter of time before Kathleen Kennedy handed over the reins of Star Wars. Under the...

07.01.2026 10

Polygon

Aimee Hart

Apple's Neuromancer show should be an anime

The term “cyberpunk” conjures images of futuristic cityscapes, simulated realities, and technologically advanced cyborgs. While this sci-fi...

05.01.2026 10

Polygon

Debopriyaa Dutta

The incredible catharsis of Stranger Things’ final episode

[Ed. note: This article contains full spoilers for the series finale of Stranger Things.] Something has seemed wrong since, let’s say, some time in...

05.01.2026 10

Polygon

Jake Kleinman

11 small games that could become huge in 2026

This year is primed for major game releases, like Marvel’s Wolverine and Grand Theft Auto 6 , and we here at Polygon just detailed our 50 most...

05.01.2026 7

Polygon

Austin Manchester

Yuna is one of Magic’s strongest Final Fantasy cards — and tells her story through mechanics

05.01.2026 3

Polygon

Corey Plante

The games we played the most in 2025

​ Listen, Game of the Year discussions are always fun. Everybody wants to know what the best games of the year are, but I find myself really...

05.01.2026 2

Polygon

Polygon Staff

Horror finally moved out of Get Out’s long shadow this year

Jordan Peele’s 2017 movie Get Out changed a lot of things. Chief among them was inventing — certainly unwittingly, and perhaps unfairly — a new and...

31.12.2025 2

Polygon

Oli Welsh

Avatar without James Cameron feels impossible, unless this one director replaces him

Avatar: Fire and Ash left me thinking about Shakespeare. Not because James Cameron’s dialogue is up there with the Bard’s (sorry, Spider), but...

31.12.2025 4

Polygon

Matt Patches

The year's biggest movies told us to eat the rich again. We still aren't listening.

There’s a familiar theme running through a lot of 2025’s genre movies, including its biggest box-office hits. It's an idea that stretches all the...

31.12.2025 1

Polygon

Tasha Robinson

Overwatch 2 finally justified itself as a sequel in 2025

When Blizzard released Overwatch 2 in 2022, the game launched with a new playstyle, three new heroes, and what seemed like few noteworthy changes...

31.12.2025 1

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Mario Kart lost its grip on the kart racer throne in 2025

Since the dawn of time — or 1992, I suppose — Mario Kart has been the quintessential kart racer. Whether we’re talking a college dorm party or a...

28.12.2025 1

Polygon

Austin Manchester

My 2025 GOTY was Tears of the Kingdom on Switch 2

I didn't like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom much when Nintendo first released it in 2023. It was dull, I incorrectly thought. It was...

28.12.2025 5

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 haters are now waiters at its table of success

A game with as much hype as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is bound to attract haters. Unlike most games, however, the beloved French RPG has birthed...

28.12.2025 2

Polygon

Patricia Hernandez