This week in Reviews & criticism · updated Fri Oct 23 2026
Gaming hardware evolution and narrative-driven experiences dominated this week's coverage. The Evercade Nexus showcased meaningful handheld improvements with dual analogue sticks and enhanced displays, while the GamerCard struggled despite ambitious design ambitions. In software, genre trends shifted notably—tactics games reached a creative peak with acclaimed franchises and innovative entries attracting broader audiences, while action-adventure franchises offered compelling alternatives, with Castlevania's Metroidvania-roguelike blend and Uncharted's spinoff receiving particular praise. Meanwhile, streaming delays affected major properties, with The Witcher Season 5 pushed to 2027, prompting discussions about filling narrative gaps with alternative experiences until anticipated sequels arrive.
AI-written weekly briefing drawn from this topic's recent stories.
The upcoming survival horror game Seep draws heavy inspiration from The Forest, Resident Evil, and Dead Space, combining survival crafting, dismemberment mechanics, and strategic item management. Its design reflects a de…
The remastered version of The Wolf Among Us features multiple endings determined by key player choices, particularly during the final confrontation with the Crooked Man. Players can choose to kill him, arrest him, or fai…
The indie horror game Mouthwashing, praised as one of the best of 2024, has been added to Xbox Game Pass just in time for Halloween. Developed by Wrong Organ, the game blends surreal visuals with psychological terror abo…
THQ Nordic has released a pre-order trailer for Titan Quest 2, confirming its release date as January 19, 2027. The trailer showcases the game’s mythological themes, enhanced visuals, and expanded combat systems. Fans ca…
Phantom Blade Zero has surpassed previous benchmarks to become the most highly rated Chinese-developed game in history following the lifting of its review embargo. The action RPG has earned acclaim for its narrative dept…
In Baldur’s Gate 3, players must confront Shadowheart’s parents in the House of Grief, where choosing to kill or save them leads to drastically different story outcomes. The decision impacts her character arc and final e…
A comprehensive guide reveals that all trophies and achievements in Final Fantasy Resonance are obtainable on easy mode and do not require specific actions before completing the game. Post-game content includes all side …
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 features a gripping single-player campaign set during a revived Korean War, praised for its intense storytelling and cinematic presentation. The game’s combat mechanics are solid, offering …
At MCM London 2026, attendees had the chance to play demos of nine upcoming games, including the long-awaited Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, set for release on December 10. The demo highlighted refined puzz…
Retro Dodo's review of the Retroid Pocket Duo finds it well-built and comfortable, with dual 120Hz AMOLED screens and reliable 3DS emulation. The $269 Android handheld uses a Qualcomm Q-7790 chip, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage,…
The article rounds up 18 retro emulation handhelds that the author has tested over more than five years. It groups recommendations by price and features, including models such as the Retroid Pocket Nova, AYANEO Pocket Ai…
Team17 announced Little Prince Tyger, a roguelike platformer from French developer Saltitude Games inspired by William Blake's poem about a royal hunter on a dark fantasy quest. The game features 1,000 hand-designed leve…
The Evercade Nexus represents the brand's most significant evolution, featuring dual analogue sticks that expand compatibility with a broader range of classic games and future releases. The device includes a larger 5.89-…
Grant Sinclair's GamerCard, a thin portable gaming device priced at £149, attempts to honor the Sinclair legacy but ultimately delivers a frustrating user experience. The device's minimal 6.5mm thickness and lightweight …
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse combines classic Metroid exploration mechanics with the roguelike action platformer gameplay of Dead Cells to create one of October's most anticipated releases. Players control Rose Belmont a…
Frank Darabont's 2007 film adaptation of Stephen King's novella The Mist has arrived on free streaming through Roku, offering horror audiences a psychological descent far bleaker than King's original work. The film traps…
Naughty Dog's 2017 spinoff Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, directed by Shaun Escayg, stands as the strongest entry in the franchise despite sidelining protagonist Nathan Drake. The game successfully replaces Drake with suppo…
Netflix has quietly delayed the fifth and final season of The Witcher to 2027, moving it back from its previously anticipated 2026 release window. Seasons 4 and 5 were filmed back-to-back with showrunner Lauren Schmidt H…
Polygon ranks all six series finales from the long-running animated comedy, which has ended multiple times across its various networks and revivals. The show's creator David X. Cohen discussed the newest finale, titled "…
With The Witcher 4 not arriving until 2028 and the upcoming Songs of the Past expansion delayed until 2027, players seeking similar experiences have several options. The list features games that capture The Witcher 3's d…
Players concerned about Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave's massive scope can tailor their experience by focusing only on essential activities rather than completing every side quest and exploration task available. The game's…
A curated selection of new films available on streaming services this weekend includes horror, action, and documentary options across multiple platforms. Notable releases include Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma on M…
The tactics gaming genre is currently experiencing a creative peak with numerous acclaimed titles available and more on the horizon. Recent standout releases like Star Wars Zero Company, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, and…
An opinion piece examines Tony Stark's most memorable quote from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which originated in Robert Downey Jr.'s improvisation and fundamentally altered the trajectory of superhero filmmaking. The …
Grand Theft Auto 6 has received its Mature rating with official content warnings across multiple regions, including a notable distinction in how sexual content is labeled. The game's rating in New Zealand and Australia s…
Polygon breaks down the three major plot revelations in director Alejandro Iñárritu's latest film starring Tom Cruise, which plays with audience expectations through layered storytelling. The article examines how the fil…
Aniimo, a free-to-play game, offers numerous promotional codes that grant players bonus currency, level-up materials, and other rewards. This guide catalogs all currently active codes along with their specific rewards, r…
The article argues that some literary classics are ill-suited to film because their effects rely on the printed page. It points to Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves, whose footnotes, rotated text, and chaotic layouts…
The film Verity, adapted from Colleen Hoover's novel and directed by Michael Showalter, follows struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh as Jeremy Crawford hires her to complete his wife Verity's book series. While living at the…
The Coalition says split-screen co-op is central to the Gears of War series and remains a priority for E-Day. The game is a prequel set around Emergence Day and is currently in early access on PC and Xbox Series X, with …
The Anbernic RG DS Plus is a $95 dual-screen emulation handheld that the reviewer found to be an enjoyable way to revisit Nintendo DS games. Compared with its predecessor, it uses the same RK3568 chipset but has 1GB of R…
Xbox's 2026 has been marked by layoffs and studio departures, leaving fans uncertain about the brand's direction. October is positioned as a critical month, with Gears of War: E-Day and Call of Duty leading a strong line…
Polygon selects six Switch 2 games arriving in October 2026, including Order of the Sinking Star and Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen. The month also brings ports, upgrades for existing Switch titles, and a major multiplatf…
The article argues that Peppermint Patty has a strong claim to being Charlie Brown's best friend in Peanuts. It notes that her appearances often involve struggles at school or an unspoken crush on Charlie Brown, which he…
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve offers a strong 25-hour campaign and a promising multiplayer mode called Ace Combat Online. However, the online experience is bogged down by menus, microtransactions, and live-service mechani…
In a new Point It Out! video, Oli Welsh joins the crew to talk about Xbox CEO Asha Sharma's decision to dismantle the Halo team and shift the franchise to Activision. The discussion examines what the move means for the s…
After Netflix's August showcase and Game Informer's September deep dive, Rockstar has still left many GTA 6 details unexplained. The piece catalogs open questions about topics like review timing, the cast, GTA Online, an…
Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave launched for Switch 2 on Sept. 17. The article argues that the game's story uses Dagda's empire to critique nationalism and the refusal to face a violent past. It draws parallels between the …
ModRetro has partnered with OpenAI to promote the Codex coding agent, giving attendees at OpenAI's developer conference a transparent Chromatic handheld. The collaboration appears aimed at encouraging developers to creat…
Control Resonant's standout section is The Underpass, an underground area that appears roughly 15 hours into the game. It strips away the busy open world for a surreal space of floating platforms and exposed pipes, shift…
T. Kingfisher's Baldur's Gate 3 tie-in novel focuses on Astarion, with contributions from his original writer and voice actor. The review says Kingfisher captures the character's dark history and emotional depth, but the…
The article looks back at Doctor Who's "The Angels Take Manhattan," the episode that served as Amy Pond and Rory Williams' exit. It argues that the story uses the Weeping Angels in a more intimate, noir-influenced New Yo…
A new graphic novel adaptation of Ready Player One is written by Scott Peterson and illustrated by Meredith Laxton. It is described as staying closer to Ernest Cline's original novel than Steven Spielberg's 2018 film, wh…
Polygon highlights six PlayStation 5 games arriving in October 2026, including Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition and Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. The month's lineup spans multiple genres, from a Star Wars racer to a kungf…
Polygon ranks five memorable lines from science fiction films released in the 2020s. The article calls the Dune movies a major achievement while noting that superhero sci-fi has had fewer successes this decade, despite h…
Polygon’s review calls Reality Fracture one of the strongest Magic: The Gathering sets in years, largely because its cards are fun to open and powerful enough to rebuild Commander decks. Each play booster includes two Ec…
This comparison pits two affordable dual-screen retro handhelds against each other: the ANBERNIC RG DS Plus at $95 and the Retroid Pocket Duo Lite starting at $149. The article examines their design, build quality, displ…
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered holds a 94 Metascore on Metacritic, placing it first among 2026 new releases. That score comes from eight PC reviews, while early reviews for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Switch 2 are sim…
Polygon's early impressions of The Witcher 3 Remastered say the update improves abilities and combat but leaves the original's rough, unfinished qualities intact. After roughly six hours on PlayStation 5, the game still …
Roland Emmerich’s 1994 film Stargate is now available to watch for free on YouTube. The movie sends Egyptologist Daniel Jackson and Colonel Jack O’Neil through a portal to a distant world modeled on ancient Egypt. The ar…
The 1991 NBC revival of Dark Shadows is available in full on YouTube at no cost. The 12-episode series follows governess Victoria Winters as she arrives in Collinsport, Maine, and becomes entangled with the Collins famil…
Polygon recommends five detective novels that maintain suspense from beginning to end. The list includes Anthony Horowitz’s Magpie Murders, which pairs a fictional mystery with an editor’s search for its missing final ch…
This list highlights nine Far Side comics in which Gary Larson portrays cats as villains or victims. The strips show cats ignoring owners, destroying property, and attacking people, contrasting with Larson's more sympath…
The seventh episode of Lanterns suggests John Stewart can sustain Green Lantern constructs without wearing a ring. Earlier, John created a living bird that continued to exist after he returned the ring and was knocked un…
In the penultimate episode of HBO's Lanterns, John Stewart uses Hal Jordan's ring to create a digital copy of Hal's consciousness. The Hal-ogram opens a vault in Rushville, revealing supplies and a portal-making black sp…
Control Resonant shifts the story to Dylan Faden in a paranormal-affected Manhattan while leaving the Oldest House mostly behind. The article contends that the Oldest House functioned as a character in the first Control,…
In Wardogs, flying a helicopter is portrayed as one of 2026's most anxiety-inducing gaming tasks. Bulkhead brought in an aeronautical engineer to give the helicopters realistic weight and a skill curve players can improv…
Time Extension has published a reader-driven ranking of Castlevania games as the franchise reaches its 40th anniversary. The list is based on votes from readers and is intended to help newcomers decide where to start, wi…
This list recommends detective shows for viewers who enjoy HBO’s Lanterns. It notes that Lanterns blends superhero elements with a murder mystery centered on Hal Jordan and John Stewart. The recommendations include True …
Polygon ranks ten standout fight sequences from the Jujutsu Kaisen anime. The article argues that the series uses combat to reveal how characters think under pressure, turning cursed techniques into tactical problems. It…