Polygon.com - Culture

Halo: Campaign Evolved restarts the Xbox vs. PlayStation console war

Ari Notis — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 20:50:38 GMT

They say war never changes. That's especially true for the console war, which has seen its latest development in the form of Halo: Campaign Evolved. For the first time in its 25-year history, a Halo game is officially playable on PlayStation at the same time as its PC and Xbox counterparts. But some players have claimed to see notable differences between these versions.

Splatoon Raiders players are conquering Awlmun Den in seconds

Giovanni Colantonio — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 15:30:12 GMT

There are two kinds ofSplatoon Raiders players. First, you have your casual fans who are perfectly happy toying around with whatever weapons and gadget mods they can get their hands on. (I’d more or less put myself in that class.) Then you have your absolute sickos who are playing a different game entirely. You can see that contrast at play in one of Splatoon Raiders’ toughest levels, which has already been outright trivialized by big-brained fans.

Halo: Campaign Evolved Sergeant Johnson mod replaces every human NPC

Ari Notis — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 21:33:37 GMT

Sergeant Avery Johnson famously survived the explosion of a Halo ring. He helped broker a tenuous peace between humans and elites. And now, thanks to the efforts of one enterprising modder, he's cloned himself a bajillion times.

Halo: Campaign Evolved won't let you boundary break, annoyed fans say

Ari Notis — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 20:00:12 GMT

Years ago, Bethesda famously marketed The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim with an enticing call to adventure: "If you see that mountain, you can go to it." But Halo did it first. In early Halo games, it was a rite of passage to try to escape the confines of its linear levels, exploring the mountains and buildings that bordered the pathways you were meant to stick to. So the fact that you seemingly can't replicate this trick in the new Halo: Campaign Evolvedremake has upset some long-time fans.

YouTuber Logan Paul’s new Pokémon ploy ends in embarrassment

Patricia Hernandez — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 19:40:38 GMT

You didn't think Logan Paul was done trying to artificially inflate the Pokémon trading card game market, did you? After breaking records with a $16 million Pikachu card sale, and a shameless attempt to ruin the manga community, the infamous YouTuber is back with yet another scheme. This time, Logan Paul wants the public to get excited about an esoteric Pokémon collectible from a Japanese magazine. It's not quite working out the way he'd hoped, though.

Palworld fans say one monster outshines its Pokémon version

Patricia Hernandez — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 19:21:05 GMT

Panthalus is hard to miss: The water elemental is by far the largest monster inPalworld. The Pal, which controversially appears to take inspiration from Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire legendary Kyogre, looks awfully familiar to Pokémon fans. Despite those similarities, developer Pocketpair designed the encounter so players who experience it won't dismiss it as a rip-off. If anything, the Panthalus fight is a perfect encapsulation of why Palworld has seen such explosive success.

Baldur's Gate 3 Honour Mode player loses 60-hour run with sex

Austin Manchester — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 18:18:50 GMT

Shortly after the game's official launch, Baldur's Gate 3 received Honour Mode, a difficult version of the game meant for experienced players. It restricts your playthrough to one save file, which is great for when you don't want to be tempted into save-scumming your way through dice rolls and dialogue choices. It's not so great for when one of those dialogue choices cuts your run short.

Elon Musk claims Grok will make a better Odyssey movie than Christopher Nolan

Patricia Hernandez — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:04:16 GMT

Like many chuds online, Elon Musk has some bones to pick with the box office smash hit The Odyssey. Musk, an accomplished ancient Greek scholar who is also known for his successful cave rescues, doesn't think Odyssey director Christopher Nolan rendered a realistic version of Homer's epic. Rather than spend his billions filming something better, Musk is going to use his proprietary artificial intelligence to set things right.

Jimothy the Raccoon is already in Skyrim and Stardew Valley

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 17:59:18 GMT

Everybody loves Jimothy, the Seattle-based celebrity raccoon. After going viral on Instagram, the adorable trash panda with an unusual gait has spawned countless memes and fan art. Now, after working his way into hearts and minds, Jimothy is coming to games like The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and Stardew Valley, thanks to the procyonid's biggest fans.

Halo Formula One and Ninja Warrior are taking the community by storm

Ford James — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 13:30:12 GMT

Forge has been a mainstay in the Halo series ever since (disregarding the fact Halo Infinitedidn't have it at launch before eventually adding it in 2022), although community creations rarely make waves outside the Halo bubble. Which is why, when an Instagram reel showed up in my algorithm of the Monaco Formula One circuit recreated in Halo, complete with racers on Mongooses hurtling through the Nouvelle Chicane, I was intrigued.