Yearly Archives: 2020
X-Men Legends Revives a Major Marvel Comics Mystery
Marvel Comics has announced X-Men Legends, a new ongoing series featuring the return of many classic X-Men creators and characters. The debut issue will even revive one of the biggest mutant mysteries of all time.
Not to be confused with the popular video game series, X-Men Legends is an anthology book where each issue features a different creative team flashing back to an iconic era in X-Men history. Issue #1 reunites X-Men veterans Fabian Nicieza and Brett Booth for a '90s-era story featuring Mr. '90s himself, Adam-X the X-Treme, and the mystery of the elusive third Summers brother.
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Art by Brett Booth. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption]
While not the first time in recent years Marvel has launched a '90s-inspired X-Men book, Legends is notable for being set firmly in the regular Marvel Universe. Previously, X-Men Forever featured writer Chris Claremont continuing his classic run where he left off in 1991's X-Men #3 as an alternate universe story, while X-Men '92 was set in the world of X-Men: The Animated Series. But with X-Men Legends, each story is part of regular X-Men continuity and will have direct ramifications on the contemporary X-books.
Marvel's press release teases, "X-MEN LEGENDS will deliver startling tales month after month that dive into the rich history of the X-Men to tie up loose ends, resolve long-standing plot danglers, and reveal shocking truths that will change the past and future of the X-Men!"
Fans who were following the X-Men comics in the '90s will probably remember that mystery was a major recurring plot thread in several X-books, after Mister Sinister accidentally let slip that Cyclops and Havok have at least one more brother. Early on, fans speculated Gambit was the mystery mutant in question. But once Adam-X burst onto the scene, he quickly became the frontrunner in the Third Summers Brother race. His apparent origin story established Adam as the son of Katherine Summers and Shi'ar Emperor D'Ken.
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Unfortunately, when Nicieza left the X-Men line in 1996, that storyline was cut short and Adam-X's connection to the Summers family was eliminated. But as CBR reports, Nicieza later confirmed to he always intended Adam-X to be the third Summers brother.
Nicieza wrote, "ADAM X was INTENDED to be the illegitimate offspring of D'Ken and Kate Summers. Taken from D'Ken and raised on a farming planet. BUT--and it's a big but--since I never had the opportunity to tell the entire story, what I intended is worth the screen it's printed on."
The mystery of the third Summers brother wasn't definitively solved until 2005's X-Men: Deadly Genesis, which revealed the long-lost third brother to be Vulcan, a mutant who spent his childhood in Shi'ar captivity and whose very existence was wiped out of Cyclops' memory by Professor Xavier. Separately, Claremont revealed Gambit to be the third Summers brother in his futuristic, non-canon series X-Men: The End. With X-Men Legends reviving Adam-X and the Summers family drama, it's possible there will actually be four Summers brothers going forward. It's worth remembering that 2019's Powers of X already alluded to there being more than three Summers brothers.
X-Men Legends #1 is slated for release in February 2021. Marvel isn't revealing what other eras the series will revisit, but we do know future X-Men Legends creators include Claremont, Louise Simonson, Larry Hama and Peter David. Claremont is also revisiting an iconic X-Men story as he and artist Salvador Larroca craft a new prequel to Days of Future Past.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/25/awesome-x-men-animated-series-secrets-from-the-brand-new-artbook"]
For more retro superhero fun, read up on 9 Marvel Comics mysteries that took years to be solved.
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Art by Brett Booth. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption]
While not the first time in recent years Marvel has launched a '90s-inspired X-Men book, Legends is notable for being set firmly in the regular Marvel Universe. Previously, X-Men Forever featured writer Chris Claremont continuing his classic run where he left off in 1991's X-Men #3 as an alternate universe story, while X-Men '92 was set in the world of X-Men: The Animated Series. But with X-Men Legends, each story is part of regular X-Men continuity and will have direct ramifications on the contemporary X-books.
Marvel's press release teases, "X-MEN LEGENDS will deliver startling tales month after month that dive into the rich history of the X-Men to tie up loose ends, resolve long-standing plot danglers, and reveal shocking truths that will change the past and future of the X-Men!"
Fans who were following the X-Men comics in the '90s will probably remember that mystery was a major recurring plot thread in several X-books, after Mister Sinister accidentally let slip that Cyclops and Havok have at least one more brother. Early on, fans speculated Gambit was the mystery mutant in question. But once Adam-X burst onto the scene, he quickly became the frontrunner in the Third Summers Brother race. His apparent origin story established Adam as the son of Katherine Summers and Shi'ar Emperor D'Ken.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-x-man-ever&captions=true"]
Unfortunately, when Nicieza left the X-Men line in 1996, that storyline was cut short and Adam-X's connection to the Summers family was eliminated. But as CBR reports, Nicieza later confirmed to he always intended Adam-X to be the third Summers brother.
Nicieza wrote, "ADAM X was INTENDED to be the illegitimate offspring of D'Ken and Kate Summers. Taken from D'Ken and raised on a farming planet. BUT--and it's a big but--since I never had the opportunity to tell the entire story, what I intended is worth the screen it's printed on."
The mystery of the third Summers brother wasn't definitively solved until 2005's X-Men: Deadly Genesis, which revealed the long-lost third brother to be Vulcan, a mutant who spent his childhood in Shi'ar captivity and whose very existence was wiped out of Cyclops' memory by Professor Xavier. Separately, Claremont revealed Gambit to be the third Summers brother in his futuristic, non-canon series X-Men: The End. With X-Men Legends reviving Adam-X and the Summers family drama, it's possible there will actually be four Summers brothers going forward. It's worth remembering that 2019's Powers of X already alluded to there being more than three Summers brothers.
X-Men Legends #1 is slated for release in February 2021. Marvel isn't revealing what other eras the series will revisit, but we do know future X-Men Legends creators include Claremont, Louise Simonson, Larry Hama and Peter David. Claremont is also revisiting an iconic X-Men story as he and artist Salvador Larroca craft a new prequel to Days of Future Past.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/25/awesome-x-men-animated-series-secrets-from-the-brand-new-artbook"]
For more retro superhero fun, read up on 9 Marvel Comics mysteries that took years to be solved.
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.Star Wars: Darth Maul Was Original Villain of George Lucas’ Sequel Trilogy
George Lucas has revealed that Darth Maul would have been one of the main villains of his Star Wars sequel trilogy, had his continuation of the story ever made it to the big screen.
As Screen Rant reports, Reddit user bothanspy89 posted a page from The Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005 book that hit shelves earlier this week, detailing some of the ways that Lucas' Star Wars sequel trilogy would have differed from Disney's version of Episodes VII, VIII, and IX. The excerpt reveals that Darth Maul would have returned as the Big Bad of the galaxy far, far away alongside Darth Talon.
"Darth Maul trained a girl, Darth Talon, who was in the comic books, as his apprentice," Lucas explains the latest Star Wars Archives volume, which covers the making of the prequel trilogy. "She was the new Darth Vader, and most of the action was with her. So these were the two main villains of the trilogy. Maul eventually becomes the godfather of crime in the universe because, as the Empire falls, he takes over."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/06/star-wars-the-complete-darth-maul-timeline"]
According to the new interview, the trilogy would have started a few years after Return of the Jedi, with Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker trying to rebuild the Jedi Order "from scratch" and training a future generation of heroes. The three films would have concluded with the late Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia Organa being revealed as the Chosen One.
"By the end of the trilogy, Luke would have rebuilt much of the Jedi, and we would have the renewal of the New Republic, with Leia, Senator Organa, becoming the Supreme Chancellor in charge of everything. So she ended up being the Chosen One," Lucas said, sharing more details about his abandoned plans for the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
While Lucas never got around to making his sequel trilogy, he did come close to making a live-action Star Wars series, years before Jon Favreau took on the task with The Mandalorian. Lucas commissioned no fewer than 50 scripts for Star Wars Underworld, a series set between Episodes III and IV that would have explored the criminal underbelly of the galaxy during the reign of the Empire.
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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
The Pathless Review
There's a narrative reason for why this game is called The Pathless, but the name is also a reference to how it's supposed to be played. It's an open-world puzzle game with emphases on exploration and skilled traversal, and you are meant to wander and experience its world as you find it, rather than as a series of checklist objectives. The Pathless' vast, puzzle-filled nature creates a nice, quiet space for running through the woods, lining up some tricky shots with your bow, and losing yourself in the moment.
In The Pathless, you are a woman simply known as the Hunter. You've come to liberate a ruined land, empty of all human life save for a masked villain called the Godslayer. The land's protector deities, known as The Tall Ones, have transformed into villainous beasts that roam the wilderness. With the help of your eagle, an avatar of the eldest god, you must free the spirits and save the land. The plot is limited--aside from a few sparring exchanges between the Hunter and The Godslayer, the general tenor is simply, "keep going."
To free the Tall Ones, you must collect their seals and reactivate monuments scattered around their domains. Each of the four regions is a beautiful, sprawling wilderness, with sweeping plains, peaceful rivers, and high rocky peaks. Hills and valleys are sparsely dotted with signs of life, past and present--friendly animals, ruins, and giant skeletons. There are just enough setpieces in each area so that there's always a new objective on the horizon, without making the world feel crowded or even populated. When you're running from place to place, you feel like you're in nature--not a wasteland or a ruin, but somewhere untouched. It feels quite serene to run through.
Continue Reading at GameSpotThe Pathless Review
There's a narrative reason for why this game is called The Pathless, but the name is also a reference to how it's supposed to be played. It's an open-world puzzle game with emphases on exploration and skilled traversal, and you are meant to wander and experience its world as you find it, rather than as a series of checklist objectives. The Pathless' vast, puzzle-filled nature creates a nice, quiet space for running through the woods, lining up some tricky shots with your bow, and losing yourself in the moment.
In The Pathless, you are a woman simply known as the Hunter. You've come to liberate a ruined land, empty of all human life save for a masked villain called the Godslayer. The land's protector deities, known as The Tall Ones, have transformed into villainous beasts that roam the wilderness. With the help of your eagle, an avatar of the eldest god, you must free the spirits and save the land. The plot is limited--aside from a few sparring exchanges between the Hunter and The Godslayer, the general tenor is simply, "keep going."
To free the Tall Ones, you must collect their seals and reactivate monuments scattered around their domains. Each of the four regions is a beautiful, sprawling wilderness, with sweeping plains, peaceful rivers, and high rocky peaks. Hills and valleys are sparsely dotted with signs of life, past and present--friendly animals, ruins, and giant skeletons. There are just enough setpieces in each area so that there's always a new objective on the horizon, without making the world feel crowded or even populated. When you're running from place to place, you feel like you're in nature--not a wasteland or a ruin, but somewhere untouched. It feels quite serene to run through.
Continue Reading at GameSpotTake-Two Agrees $994 Million Deal to Acquire Codemasters
Take-Two has agreed a $994 million deal to acquire racing game specialist Codemasters in Q1 2021.
Take-Two Agrees $994 Million Deal to Acquire Codemasters
Take-Two has agreed a $994 million deal to acquire racing game specialist Codemasters in Q1 2021.
No, Cyberpunk 2077 PC Ray Tracing Isn’t Exclusive to Nvidia Graphics Cards
Nvidia has confirmed that ray tracing in Cyberpunk 2077 on PC will not be exclusive to its graphics cards, after rumours began to spread.
In an interview with WCCFTech, Nvidia spokesperson Brian Burke responded to a question about stories circulating on the internet suggesting that ray tracing will be exclusive to the manufacturer's slate of GPUs.
"Cyberpunk 2077 uses the industry-standard DirectX Ray Tracing API. It will work on any DXR-compatible GPU," Burke said. "Nothing related to Cyberpunk 2077 ray tracing is proprietary to NVIDIA."
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This puts the rumours to bed that only Nvidia card owners would be able to experience Ray Tracing in Cyberpunk 2077. If you own a DirectX Raytracing-compatible GPU, regardless of its make, you'll be able to enjoy the shiny stuff in CD Projekt Red's next big game – although we know that some of the ray tracing effects will be exclusive to PC as a whole when the game launches.
In other Cyberpunk 2077 news, CD Projekt Red's stock recently dropped by 25% in two months. Dark Horse Direct also debuted an exclusive art print in October showing the pop star Lizzy Wizzy, who is played by the artist Grimes in-game.
Cyberpunk 2077 launches on December 10, 2020, for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Google Stadia.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/25/cyberpunk-2077-developer-qa"]
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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
No, Cyberpunk 2077 PC Ray Tracing Isn’t Exclusive to Nvidia Graphics Cards
Nvidia has confirmed that ray tracing in Cyberpunk 2077 on PC will not be exclusive to its graphics cards, after rumours began to spread.
In an interview with WCCFTech, Nvidia spokesperson Brian Burke responded to a question about stories circulating on the internet suggesting that ray tracing will be exclusive to the manufacturer's slate of GPUs.
"Cyberpunk 2077 uses the industry-standard DirectX Ray Tracing API. It will work on any DXR-compatible GPU," Burke said. "Nothing related to Cyberpunk 2077 ray tracing is proprietary to NVIDIA."
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cyberpunk-2077-pc-ray-tracing-screenshots&captions=true"]
This puts the rumours to bed that only Nvidia card owners would be able to experience Ray Tracing in Cyberpunk 2077. If you own a DirectX Raytracing-compatible GPU, regardless of its make, you'll be able to enjoy the shiny stuff in CD Projekt Red's next big game – although we know that some of the ray tracing effects will be exclusive to PC as a whole when the game launches.
In other Cyberpunk 2077 news, CD Projekt Red's stock recently dropped by 25% in two months. Dark Horse Direct also debuted an exclusive art print in October showing the pop star Lizzy Wizzy, who is played by the artist Grimes in-game.
Cyberpunk 2077 launches on December 10, 2020, for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Google Stadia.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/25/cyberpunk-2077-developer-qa"]
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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
Marvel’s WandaVision: New Images and Plot Details Revealed
We've learned a little more about Marvel's WandaVision, and how it aims to take the Marvel movie template, and turn it into 6 hour-long sitcom episodes.
A new report from EW explains that the show will cycle through homages to multiple eras of classic TV, beginning with a full black-and-white episode filmed in front of a studio audience. Set after Avengers: Endgame, Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) are living as a married couple in the suburban town of Westview, trying to hide their powers – but before long their perfect world begins unravelling for reasons still unknown.
Kathryn Hahn plays Agnes, the couple's nosy neighbour, and Teyonna Parris will play the grown-up Monica Rambeau (although it's not yet clear how Rambeau will fit into the sitcom storyline). New images from the show appear to hint that there will be a pregnancy storyline of some kind, too:
Head writer Jac Schaeffer explains that, “The show is a love letter to the golden age of television. We’re paying tribute and honoring all of these incredible shows and people who came before us, [but] we’re also trying to blaze new territory.” Schaeffer and director Mat Shakman even went so far as to ask sitcom legend Dick van Dyke for advice on how to make the show authentic.
But the show will also feature the character development and action expected of MCU stories. As Parris puts it: “I was like, ‘Oh, I thought we were doing a little show,’ but no, it’s six Marvel movies packed into what they’re presenting as a sitcom."
We already know that the show will mix classic sitcom with action movie tropes, and we've now heard a hint that the show will allow Scarlet Witch to show off "the full capabilities of her telekinetic powers". Given that the character has, in the comics, rewritten the history of the Marvel universe, that could be a fairly dramatic event.
Olsen also explained that Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige won her over by discussing specific Scarlet Witch comic book stories with reference to the show, but wouldn't say which ones as they'd essentially be spoilers. We've already concluded that this show will act as the MCU's House of M storyline based on the trailers – here's an explanation of what that could mean.
In a video interview, Bettany sums up the show by saying that it's an "elegantly put together puzzle piece", adding that "as bonkers as it looks, everything make will make sense. It's a really strong piece of writing." We know that this show will lead directly into the events of Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, so it appears that the mystery at the heart of the show will become a key part of the wider MCU story in its new phase.
The show has now wrapped production, and is scheduled to launch on Disney+ in December 2020 - although an exact date has not yet been set.
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Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Head writer Jac Schaeffer explains that, “The show is a love letter to the golden age of television. We’re paying tribute and honoring all of these incredible shows and people who came before us, [but] we’re also trying to blaze new territory.” Schaeffer and director Mat Shakman even went so far as to ask sitcom legend Dick van Dyke for advice on how to make the show authentic.
But the show will also feature the character development and action expected of MCU stories. As Parris puts it: “I was like, ‘Oh, I thought we were doing a little show,’ but no, it’s six Marvel movies packed into what they’re presenting as a sitcom."
We already know that the show will mix classic sitcom with action movie tropes, and we've now heard a hint that the show will allow Scarlet Witch to show off "the full capabilities of her telekinetic powers". Given that the character has, in the comics, rewritten the history of the Marvel universe, that could be a fairly dramatic event.
Olsen also explained that Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige won her over by discussing specific Scarlet Witch comic book stories with reference to the show, but wouldn't say which ones as they'd essentially be spoilers. We've already concluded that this show will act as the MCU's House of M storyline based on the trailers – here's an explanation of what that could mean.
In a video interview, Bettany sums up the show by saying that it's an "elegantly put together puzzle piece", adding that "as bonkers as it looks, everything make will make sense. It's a really strong piece of writing." We know that this show will lead directly into the events of Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, so it appears that the mystery at the heart of the show will become a key part of the wider MCU story in its new phase.
The show has now wrapped production, and is scheduled to launch on Disney+ in December 2020 - although an exact date has not yet been set.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.Marvel’s WandaVision: New Images and Plot Details Revealed
We've learned a little more about Marvel's WandaVision, and how it aims to take the Marvel movie template, and turn it into 6 hour-long sitcom episodes.
A new report from EW explains that the show will cycle through homages to multiple eras of classic TV, beginning with a full black-and-white episode filmed in front of a studio audience. Set after Avengers: Endgame, Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) are living as a married couple in the suburban town of Westview, trying to hide their powers – but before long their perfect world begins unravelling for reasons still unknown.
Kathryn Hahn plays Agnes, the couple's nosy neighbour, and Teyonna Parris will play the grown-up Monica Rambeau (although it's not yet clear how Rambeau will fit into the sitcom storyline). New images from the show appear to hint that there will be a pregnancy storyline of some kind, too:
Head writer Jac Schaeffer explains that, “The show is a love letter to the golden age of television. We’re paying tribute and honoring all of these incredible shows and people who came before us, [but] we’re also trying to blaze new territory.” Schaeffer and director Mat Shakman even went so far as to ask sitcom legend Dick van Dyke for advice on how to make the show authentic.
But the show will also feature the character development and action expected of MCU stories. As Parris puts it: “I was like, ‘Oh, I thought we were doing a little show,’ but no, it’s six Marvel movies packed into what they’re presenting as a sitcom."
We already know that the show will mix classic sitcom with action movie tropes, and we've now heard a hint that the show will allow Scarlet Witch to show off "the full capabilities of her telekinetic powers". Given that the character has, in the comics, rewritten the history of the Marvel universe, that could be a fairly dramatic event.
Olsen also explained that she won over Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige by discussing specific Scarlet Witch comic book stories with reference to the show, but won't say which ones as they'd essentially be spoilers. We've already concluded that this show will act as the MCU's House of M storyline based on the trailers – here's an explanation of what that could mean.
In a video interview, Bettany sums up the show by saying that it's an "elegantly put together puzzle piece", adding that "as bonkers as it looks, everything make will make sense. It's a really strong piece of writing." We know that this show will lead directly into the events of Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, so it appears that the mystery at the heart of the show will become a key part of the wider MCU story in its new phase.
The show has now wrapped production, and is scheduled to launch on Disney+ in December 2020 - although an exact date has not yet been set.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Head writer Jac Schaeffer explains that, “The show is a love letter to the golden age of television. We’re paying tribute and honoring all of these incredible shows and people who came before us, [but] we’re also trying to blaze new territory.” Schaeffer and director Mat Shakman even went so far as to ask sitcom legend Dick van Dyke for advice on how to make the show authentic.
But the show will also feature the character development and action expected of MCU stories. As Parris puts it: “I was like, ‘Oh, I thought we were doing a little show,’ but no, it’s six Marvel movies packed into what they’re presenting as a sitcom."
We already know that the show will mix classic sitcom with action movie tropes, and we've now heard a hint that the show will allow Scarlet Witch to show off "the full capabilities of her telekinetic powers". Given that the character has, in the comics, rewritten the history of the Marvel universe, that could be a fairly dramatic event.
Olsen also explained that she won over Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige by discussing specific Scarlet Witch comic book stories with reference to the show, but won't say which ones as they'd essentially be spoilers. We've already concluded that this show will act as the MCU's House of M storyline based on the trailers – here's an explanation of what that could mean.
In a video interview, Bettany sums up the show by saying that it's an "elegantly put together puzzle piece", adding that "as bonkers as it looks, everything make will make sense. It's a really strong piece of writing." We know that this show will lead directly into the events of Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, so it appears that the mystery at the heart of the show will become a key part of the wider MCU story in its new phase.
The show has now wrapped production, and is scheduled to launch on Disney+ in December 2020 - although an exact date has not yet been set.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.