menu_open Columnists
Josh Broadwell

Josh Broadwell

Polygon

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Grand Theft Auto 4 was Rockstar at its best: unpredictable

Grand Theft Auto 4 was Rockstar at its best: unpredictable

By the time Grand Theft Auto 4 launched in 2008, Rockstar had carved itself an unassailable niche and a reputation for innovation. And yet for all...

17.10.2026 2

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

6 Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave characters who need to be in the next Smash Bros game

6 Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave characters who need to be in the next Smash Bros game

Now that the dust is slowly settling around Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, my thoughts are turning elsewhere — namely, which of the dozens of...

15.10.2026 4

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

GTA 6's nudity sure sounds hopelessly outdated

More GTA 6 leaks are spilling out, despite Rockstar's best efforts, and one of the bigger ones seems to be Jason's penis. Well, I...

09.10.2026 10

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Overwatch's huge new Sombra rework is 10x better than expected

It's extremely rude of Blizzard to prove me wrong. I, like many others, was all set to scoff at Overwatch's latest Sombra rework. Moving the...

09.10.2026 9

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave doesn't have to be a slog

I admire Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave approach to bigness. What stood out to me during the review period and since is how many ways it lets you...

04.10.2026 10

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Every tactics game needs a rewind button

The rewind and blessings features in Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave have convinced me this is the way more video games should handle difficulty...

26.09.2026 9

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Fire Emblem: Three Houses fans need to play Dietrich in Fortune's Weave

Are you playing Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave? Do you like Three Houses lore? What about computerized ghost elephants? Likable characters with...

25.09.2026 10

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave punishes you for playing favorites

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave plays a mean trick on you. No matter who you pick first, it starts you out with a handful of really good characters....

24.09.2026 10

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave's support conversations are terrific, actually

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave's support conversations are sparking a bit of unrest among folks who've dived into the massive RPG. Some...

21.09.2026 200

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is way easier if you play a second route

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave lets you clear the whole game by playing just one route — or none at all if you're a real sicko and ignore...

19.09.2026 10

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave returns to the series' best-ever era

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave might have all the trappings of a modern Fire Emblem, with its Engage-like personal skills and the social elements...

19.09.2026 10

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

5 years ago, Double Fine boldly tried to reimagine the AAA machine

Psychonauts 2 turns five years old this month. Its existence, and Double Fine's story, are inextricably tied to Xbox for better, as Microsoft...

25.08.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

25 years ago, Golden Sun heralded the twilight of an era for RPGs

They just don't make games like Golden Sun anymore. After Camelot and Nintendo released the much-lauded RPG for the Game Boy Advance in August...

09.08.2026 20

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Pokémon Pokopia's new DLC made me realize you really do have to hand it to Palworld

I like Pokémon Pokopia's Bubbly Basin as a whole. The marine aesthetic is lovely. Post-apocalypse Cerulean City hit me in the feels, water types...

07.08.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

10 places I wish GTA 6 was set instead of Fake Miami

GTA 6 is set in Vice City. I get why. Of all the GTA locales over the decades, we've seen Vice City a handful of times, none of which were enough...

05.08.2026 20

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Overwatch's revamped story just went somewhere it’s never gone before

You're supposed to like your parents, and they're meant to like you too, or at least treat you well. Popular media rarely questions what...

02.08.2026 20

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Stardew Valley's influence on cozy games is finally coming to an end

Cozy games have ossified, and it's mostly thanks to Stardew Valley. These days, regardless of a cozy game's setting, you know exactly what...

30.07.2026 50

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Splatoon Raiders is a solid first step into the inky shooter games

Splatoon might look all cutesy and approachable, with its turf wars and stylish squid kids. (And no, that's ink, not blood.) And sure, it's...

25.07.2026 40

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Don't believe the haters about 2025's most divisive strategy game

I've fallen down the Anno 117: Pax Romana rabbit hole this year, despite the negative buzz around it. Steam reviews and the Reddit consensus hold...

22.07.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

GTA 6's immaculate fashion finally lets a man drag himself out of the gutter

Rockstar caught my eye when it opened pre-orders for GTA 6 with a look at some of the game's various clothing options. Not so much Lucia's....

22.07.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Overwatch's Quick Play Hacked weekend turned me into a 6v6 wanter

Overwatch 2 (now just Overwatch again) was my first experience with Blizzard's hero shooter, so I never quite understood the fuss about how the...

21.07.2026 20

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Cities: Skylines is getting some serious competition later this year

The calendar of upcoming game releases is absolutely stacked with major launches leading up to GTA 6, but my list of most anticipated games just got a...

15.07.2026 20

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

7 years ago, Nintendo unleashed an irresistible anime soap opera on the world

When you think "soap opera," visions of hokey classics like Days of Our Lives probably come to mind. Or maybe some memories of Downton...

13.07.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

After 2 years, Marvel Rivals finally made Black Widow fun to play

Marvel Rivals' Black Widow rework is here — finally. The erstwhile spy's been in an odd, controversial place since the hero shooter...

11.07.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Don't be surprised if Xbox goes full Marvel with Halo and Fallout

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma's big company reset came with a promise to re-invest resources into ventures that would boost Xbox revenue — alongside...

10.07.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

We need more games like The Last of Us 2 and fewer stories for 'everyone'

No RPG needs to be longer than 40 hours Superhero fatigue isn't a real thing, Marvel just makes bad movies now When I think about the last 10...

05.07.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

35 years ago, Square achieved something even modern RPGs rarely do

Final Fantasy 4 is a big deal. Not just because it was the series' first Super Famicom-slash-Super Nintendo installment. Not for the debut of the...

05.07.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

After Civ 7's big updates, I'm convinced its future is bright

A couple of majorCivilization 7 updates this year have transformed the 4X game, mostly for the better, and reignited my hope for its future. Firaxis...

03.07.2026 40

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Please stop feeding PS5 Pro trailers into YouTube's 1080p wood chipper

Ubisoft published a new Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced trailer showcasing how the game looks on PS5 Pro, and it reminded me how these 4K...

01.07.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

This 100-hour dark fantasy nightmare is the perfect obsession for Game of Thrones fans

Elden Ring is a family matter The fantasy saga is a genre most video games don't try to tackle, at least not on the scale of something like...

24.06.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

You can play one of 2025's best games for free on Steam this weekend

Two Point Museum, one of 2025's best and a top-tier strategy game, is free to play on Steam and Xbox now until June 22. On Two Point...

19.06.2026 20

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

The GTA 6 box art still tells us absolutely nothing

Rockstar revealed the GTA 6 box art ahead of the game's Nov. 19 release date, and while the reveal mainly served as a way to announce pre-orders...

19.06.2026 20

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Overwatch's Shion is way too hard for me to play right now

Overwatch's kickass gangster robot Shion is kicking my ass. Hard. I knew what to expect from the newest flanker's kit after seeing game...

18.06.2026 20

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Nintendo might break a long-standing tradition with the Ocarina of Time remake

Nintendo might do something it hasn't done for years: launch a major first-party game for the holidays. Once upon a time, the final three months...

17.06.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Let's rank all the Summer Game Fest waiting room music

Stranger Than Heaven's combat is so good it (almost) makes up for that Tupac reveal The one thing every big Summer Game Fest showcase had in...

12.06.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

The Ocarina of Time remake raises big questions about the future of Zelda

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation’s Gold Saucer will be a Queen’s Blood paradise, director confirms Nintendo announced The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of...

09.06.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

The Switch walked so the Switch 2 could run

The Switch 2 is one year old, and it's had quite the first 12 months of life. It was, perhaps, not as flashy or overwhelmingly exciting as its...

09.06.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Subnautica 2's latest update continues a worrying trend

Unknown Worlds pushed the latest Subnautica 2 hotfix, and aside from the usual bug squashing, this one's all about making aggressive fish less...

04.06.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

I'm glad Subnautica 2 refuses to let you kill things

Subnautica 2 instantly made waves with its early access debut, and while most of its big features are welcome improvements over the first game,...

16.05.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

The worst Indiana Jones game pulled the wool over my eyes 30 years ago

If you spend any time online, you might've witnessed a bit of a kerfuffle over the Super Mario Galaxy Movie. One side said kids deserve only...

19.04.2026 40

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

C'mon Atlus — Where the heck is Persona 6?

Ten years, one remake, multiple ports, a pseudo-sequel, and several spin-offs have happened since Persona 5 launched, so it feels reasonable to ask...

28.03.2026 40

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Sorry Kliff, but Damiane should've been Crimson Desert's main character

Reaching Crimson Desert's third chapter was a turning point in my relationship with the game. That's when you unlock Damiane, the...

25.03.2026 60

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Resident Evil Requiem's cheapest cameo almost made me quit the game

I have a high bullshit tolerance threshold when it comes to video games, which is pretty much a necessity if you want to enjoy them. Oh, you ate a...

06.03.2026 70

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

You need to be playing Deadlock right now

Why is Valve making another MOBA when Dota 2 still exists? When is Deadlock releasing? How can I get an invite to play Deadlock? Reason 1: Deadlock is...

01.03.2026 50

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Overwatch's best new hero is also its plainest

12.02.2026 40

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

I’m begging Obsidian to give Grounded 2 an ophidiophobia filter

02.02.2026 30

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Now's the best time to swarm all over Grounded 2

21.01.2026 50

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

Animal Crossing: New Horizons' interior design just isn't good enough anymore

18.01.2026 70

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

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 to...

31.12.2025 50

Polygon

Josh Broadwell

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 90

Polygon

Josh Broadwell