Polygon.com - Analysis

26 Years Later, Peppermint Patty's Final 'Peanuts' Strip Is Still Her Most Memorable Quote

Thomas Hindmarch — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 08:30:14 GMT

Here's an interesting fact about Peanuts: Peppermint Patty has a full canonical name, which was only ever mentioned once. It’s Patricia Reichardt, as per the strip for Jan. 15, 1972. She was named after Peanuts creator Charles Schulz's secretary Susan Reichardt, although six real-time years passed between Patty's introduction and the single strip in which she gives her surname.

September.2026 Is Officially the Busiest Month in Years for Millions of Gamers

Giovanni Colantonio — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:33:45 GMT

It’s been the biggest mystery of the year: What video game publisher will have the guts to go up against Grand Theft Auto 6 this November? An empty fall release date schedule left some major questions as players waited to see where anticipated games like Marvel’s Wolverine and Control Resonantwould land. June’s Summer Game Fest, Xbox Games Showcase, and PlayStation State of Play offered an early answer to that question: No one. Months later, November still remains wide open for GTA 6 as it appears that every major holiday video game will instead try to launch in September. Good luck to everyone on both sides of the controller, because September is about to be a 200 car pile-up.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword Reviews Say Capcom Has a Fourth Hit on Its Hands this Year

Josh Broadwell — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 17:00:14 GMT

If you thought Capcom's blistering hot streak in 2026 was bound to end, you might be right. But it's not ending with Onimusha: Way of the Sword. The samurai action game revives Capcom's long-dormant series after 20 years (discounting remasters), and it bucks a big trend from the last five years. Parrying definitely matters in Way of the Sword, but this game is no Soulslike.

GTA 6 Is Officially the Bloodiest GTA Game Yet

Patricia Hernandez — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 16:53:48 GMT

Grand Theft Auto 6 aims to be a more grounded, realistic experience than the rest of the franchise. The game still has a sense of humor, but the overall vibe is much more serious. One of the major things contributing to that tone shift is the way GTA 6 handles violence.

The Blood of Dawnwalker Reviews Say The Witcher 3 Finally Has a Worthy Successor

Giovanni Colantonio — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 16:31:03 GMT

It's been 11 years since the launch of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and no fantasy RPG has quite been able to match CD Projekt Red's magnum opus yet. We'll be reminded of that on Sept. 29 when a remastered version of the 2015 game lands, but developer Rebel Wolves may have just stolen a bit of CD Projekt Red's thunder a few weeks early. Reviews are in for The Blood of Dawnwalker, and critics are digging the bloody new vampire RPG. (And that should come as no surprise considering that the studio behind it was founded by The Witcher 3's director, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz.)

55 Years Later, Lucy's Best Quote In 'Peanuts' History Proves She's The Real Star

Thomas Hindmarch — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 20:00:13 GMT

Almost 27 years later, it's still considered a missed opportunity that Charles Schulz never let Charlie Brown successfully kick the football. This annual gag in Peanuts, where Lucy would hold a football for Charlie Brown to kick before pulling it away at the last second, has inspired responses from generations of humorists. Everyone from Peter Griffin to Spider-Man has been depicted as helping Charlie Brown finally get one over on Lucy.

October 2026 Has Way Too Many Games Trying to Escape GTA 6

Giovanni Colantonio — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 13:00:14 GMT

A few months ago, I warned readers that a tidal wave of new video games was coming in September. That came off the heels of a loaded State of Play showcase that put release dates for games like Marvel’s Wolverine and Silent Hill Townfall on the map. It looked like just about every video game was sticking to September to get a safe buffer from Grand Theft Auto 6 in November.

Netflix's New 26-Minute GTA 6 Release Is Already the No. 1 Movie on Streaming

Matt Patches — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 19:00:16 GMT

We may never know who paid who in the Netflix-Rockstar deal that brought 26 minutes of carefully edited Grand Theft Auto 6 PlayStation 5 gameplay footage to the streaming platform (or for how much… but I bet it was a lot). What we do know is that the plan worked: Rockstar wanted to eventize the release of a trailer that would resonate with longtime fans — or perhaps dormant gamers nostalgic for GTA — and Netflix wanted the explosion of subscriptions, even in the short term.

8 Incredible Details In GTA 6's Extended Look That Blew Us Away

Patricia Hernandez — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 17:51:39 GMT

In 26 minutes, Rockstar quietly justified Grand Theft Auto 6's 13-year development timeline. The game's visuals achieve a level of visual fidelity where the transition between cutscene and playable game is sometimes barely perceptible.

Critical Role Teases a Game-Changing D&D Choice for One Beloved Player

Aimee Hart — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 17:06:06 GMT

The beauty of Dungeons & Dragons is that, whether you love combat or role-playing, you can always expect your actions to have consequences. Critical Role’s Campaign 4 cast is no exception, as the latest episode shows the members of our new Seekers trailer quickly learning that the decisions they made during the Convergence era of episodes does indeed have far-reaching repercussions.