The Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker novelization has reportedly revealed that Rey's father was actually a "not-quite-identical clone" of Emperor Palpatine. An excerpt from an advanced copy of the Star Wars tie-in book, written by Rae Carson, recently emerged online (h/t ScreenRant) and shed new light on Rey's backstory, as it exposed her father to be a failed clone of the all-powerful Sith Lord. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/03/star-wars-emperor-palpatine-is-a-clone-in-the-rise-of-skwalker-explained-ign-now"] The passage pertaining to the revelation was posted on Reddit by a user who shared a photograph of the text, which reads: "The heretics of the Sith Eternal toiled, splicing genes, bolstering tissue, creating unnatural abominations in the hope that one of these strandcasts would succeed and become a worthy receptacle. The heretics would do anything, risk anything, sacrifice anything, to create a cradle for their god-consciousness. "Nothing worked. But their efforts were not entirely in vain. One genetic strandcast lived. Thrived, even. A not-quite-identical clone. His 'son.' But he was a useless, powerless failure. Palpatine could not even bear to look upon such disappointing ordinariness. The boy's only worth would lay in continuing the bloodline through more natural means." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=star-wars-every-jedi-and-every-sith-ever&captions=true"] It was previously revealed that Palpatine's spirit was thrust into a clone body, though it wasn't strong enough to maintain his power. However, this new extract adds an extra layer of understanding, as it reveals that the Sith Eternal strived to locate a new vessel for Palpatine's essence while one of the other failed strandcasts "thrived" to become Rey's father. It was heavily teased before the release of The Rise of Skywalker – even by director J.J. Abrams himself – that Rey's backstory, and who her parents were, would be explained, despite the events of The Last Jedi having left some fans disappointed over the previous build-up to Rey's origins being halted by the not so earth-shattering revelation that her parents were "nobodies," junkers who sold their young daughter for drinking money. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/08/whats-next-for-star-wars-after-the-rise-of-skywalker"] Last year, reports indicated that The Rise of Skywalker would be the longest Star Wars film ever, clocking in at 155 minutes, but before the film landed in theatres the new official runtime of 141 minutes was announced, suggesting that some more material had been cut in an effort to condense the film; this was further evidenced by a Reddit user who posted a complex thread alluding to a "JJ Cut" of Episode IX that supposedly hit around the three-hour mark. Regardless of whether or not that JJ Cut exists, it seems that we should expect a few more twists and turns to come out of The Rise of Skywalker novelization, hitting shelves on March 17, as it is said to include some "expanded scenes and content not seen in theatres, as well as a few surprises — all culled from deleted scenes, never-before-seen material, and input from the filmmakers." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"] For more on the Skywalker Saga, find out how The Rise of Skywalker's Visual Dictionary answers some of the plot's key questions, take a look at a few images of leaked concept art from Colin Trevorrow's axed Duel of the Fates film, and read all about George Lucas' secret cameos in recent Star Wars films. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Foldable phones are officially a trend now and while we’ve seen devices that fold in half vertically and horizontally, TCL has shown us something completely new with its rollable phone. At first glance, this handset looks mostly like any traditional 6.75-inch smartphone you would have in your pocket, but you can pull it apart to expand it into a 7.8-inch tablet. It’s a different spin on foldable phones as it keeps the expanded OLED display tucked away inside the phone itself. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=tcl-rollable-phone&captions=true"] We only saw a dummy mockup of the rollable phone during our meeting with TCL, but the company tells us it has a working prototype with a working screen and even a motor that takes care of expanding the phone for you. Out of all the foldable phones we’ve seen so far this one was the most appealing to us because it feels and looks like a regular smartphone when it's not expanded. It’s the closest thing we’ve seen to the Global Link communicator from Earth: Final Conflict and we hope to see a working prototype soon. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=tcl-tri-fold-phone&captions=true"]

Triple Changer

TCL also showed off a second foldable device that features a tri-fold display. It looks like a folding phone straight out of Westworld and its one of the first devices we’ve seen with two separate hinge mechanisms. Basically, you start off with a 6.65-inch phone that unfurls like a paper menu into a 10-inch tablet. Since you have one part of the screen that folds into the device and the second part that wraps around it you can use it in a variety of modes as a regular phone, a two- or three-screen tablet, and even a laptop. The last mode basically has you fold the device in a way that the middle third of the screen is sitting at an angle while the side that lays flat for you to type. We got our hands on a prototype that works and it was amazing to see the screen quickly adapt between us using one, two, or three screens. That said, when fully folded up this prototype is as thick as two or three smartphones stacked together, which is a lot to put in your pocket. We hope TCL refines this prototype into something thinner and slighter as its one of the most versatile foldable devices we’ve seen so far. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam

Ghost of Tsushima will be released on June 26. Announced on the PlayStation Blog, Sucker Punch's new game also got a new story trailer, and details of the special, collector's and digital deluxe versions of the game. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/05/ghost-of-tsushima-story-trailer"] The story trailer shows off the game's hero, Jin Sakai, as well as his uncle Shimura – who is the lord of Tsushima – and Khotun Khan, the leader of the invading Mongol army. As for those various editions of the game, you can get a good look at each one, and their contents, in the gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ghost-of-tsushima-collectors-digital-deluxe-and-special-editions&captions=true"] Both the special and digital deluxe versions of the game come in at $69.99, and collector's edition at $169.99 (UK and AU prices not available at time of writing). If you preorder any edition of Ghost of Tsushima, you'll get a digital mini soundtrack and Jin avatar, as well as a new PS4 Dynamic Theme based on the game's box art, which you can see in the tweet below:

Anyone who pre-orders any edition of #GhostOfTsushima will get access to a digital mini soundtrack and Jin avatar, as well as a new PS4 Dynamic Theme based on our box art pic.twitter.com/xMHdW376XP

— Ghost of Tsushima June 26 (@SuckerPunchProd) March 5, 2020

It's been a long time waiting for Sucker Punch fans – Ghost of Tsushima was announced at Paris Games Week in 2017, and it was unclear when we'd get the game until last year's Game Awards, when were were teased with a 'Summer' release window. Ghost of Tsushima will likely be the last major Sony exclusive for PS4, ahead of the release of PS5 in Q4 this year. We'd quite like an Infamous sequel from Sucker Punch after that, if you please. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=9-sequels-that-would-make-ps5-a-force-to-reckon-with&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Weirdly, IGN's old Executive Editor of News, Andrew Goldfarb, wrote the blog post he based this story on. Follow him on Twitter (Joe, not Andrew, he's got enough followers).

Lucifer star Tom Ellis has reportedly finalised a new deal to return as the title character in a possible sixth season of the supernatural series on Netflix. This latest update, reported by TVLine, is devilishly good news for Lucifans, as it seems to indicate that the show's stars are signing on to extend their contracts ahead of a potential season renewal, as co-showrunners Ildy Modrovich and Joe Henderson were also reported to have inked new deals last week. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/01/new-to-netflix-for-march-2020"] It is believed that Netflix recently entered talks with Warner Bros. to resurrect Lucifer beyond its planned fifth and "final" season, as fans have been campaigning for the show's continuation ever since it was cancelled by Fox after just three seasons on the air. The fifth season of Lucifer was originally set to be a 10-episode run but Netflix significantly expanded the episode count while the show was still in production, ordering six additional episodes to take the grand total up to 16, split across two parts on the streamer. The episode expansion signified that the writers required more scope to tell the story and wrap up all of the threads from the fourth season of the series, loosely based on Neil Gaiman's depiction of the Devil from the Sandman comic book and its spinoff Lucifer. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-netflix-original-movies-and-tv-shows&captions=true"] Meanwhile, veteran actor Dennis Haysbert recently joined the cast of Lucifer to play God in the show's expanded fifth season. His role as the Almighty could potentially give his two sons, Lucifer and Amenadiel, more opportunities to bond together as a family. In our review of Lucifer Season 4, we commended the characters' individual storylines, saying "a shorter season spins a tighter arc in which all threads wind together for a finale that either serves as a bittersweet conclusion or leaves the door open for a fresh, new chapter." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Yoshinori Kitase, the director of the original Final Fantasy 7 and producer of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, thinks "it would be a waste" to not use the game's characters again in some form.

Kitase said this during an interview with Japanese wrestler Kenny Omega for the official Square Enix YouTube channel. Omega brought up the fact that Kitase was the producer for The 3rd Birthday, which was the third and so far final game in the Parasite Eve series, released for PSP in Japan in 2010.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/30/the-top-25-scariest-games-of-this-generation"]

Omega then asked Kitase if he would like to see more Parasite Eve in the future. "The characters are very deep and rich, especially Aya Brea," Kitase said. "I don't know of any plans right now, but it would be a waste to not use those characters."

Clearly angling for a remake or another original game in the Parasite Eve series, Omega responded saying that, "horror games are very popular right now, and Parasite Eve had some RPG elements to it. It was very original and unique, so I think now is a good time… Parasite Eve has a very unique game style. There are no games like it right now."

Omega is likely referencing the fact that Capcom has seen a lot of success by remaking horror games such as Resident Evil 2 and the upcoming Resident Evil 3.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=15-games-we-want-on-playstation-classic&captions=true"]

Parasite Eve started out life as a 1995 sci-fi novel written by Hideaki Sena. Square made a video game released in 1998 that acted as a sequel to the novel, while at the same time, two Parasite Eve mangas and a film adaptation were released. In 1999, Parasite Eve 2 was released, and the spin-off game The 3rd Birthday came out much later in 2010.

The games follow a New York police officer called Aya Brea who has to fight a powerful entity called Eve and the horrific creatures she controls as she tries to take over Earth. The first game was particularly unusual, especially for a survival horror game, as it has some RPG elements.

This includes active-time combat, similar to the original Final Fantasy 7, during which time can be paused and actions take up certain amounts of time. Parasite Eve 2 dropped this in favour of real-time combat more typical of survival horror games.

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Taika Waititi is set to write, direct, and executive produce two new animated series' for Netflix, both of which will be based on the beloved works of Roald Dahl. On Thursday, Netflix announced that the first series will be inspired by the whimsical world and colourful characters of the 1964 classic children's book while the other series will be a wholly original take on the Oompa-Loompas, otherwise known as the carolling characters who manufacture candy at Willy Wonka's infamous factory. The streaming giant promised that the new shows will "retain the quintessential spirit and tone of the original story while building out the world and characters far beyond the pages of the Dahl book for the very first time." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/11/27/netflix-to-adapt-roald-dahl-books-into-animated-event-series"] "Finding just the right creative partner to bring Willy Wonka, Charlie and the Oompa-Loompas to life in animation was a daunting task... until Taika walked into the room,"  Melissa Cobb, Netflix Vice President of original animation, said, per Variety. "Then, it was really obvious. If Dahl had created a character of a filmmaker to adapt his work, I'm pretty sure he would have created Taika."

"In the words of Willy Wonka himself – we are 'Delighted! Charmed! Overjoyed!' with Taika's appointment on this project," Gideon Simeloff, commercial and entertainment director for the Roald Dahl Story Company, added. "There is something undeniably Wonka-esque about Taika's creative flair and inimitable sense of humor and we cannot think of anyone more perfectly suited to leading the creative charge on these first of their kind, feature-quality Netflix shows."

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-netflix-original-movies-and-tv-shows&captions=true"] This announcement marks the beginning of an extensive partnership between Netflix and the Roald Dahl Story Company, who are teaming up to create a spate of "animated event series," reimagining more of Dahl's stories, including Matilda, The Twits, The BFG, and others. However, some of Dahl's stories have not been included in the agreement between the two companies, with such works as James and the Giant Peach and Fantastic Mr. Fox omitted from the list of potential new adaptations. Still, this deal could end up being a major coup for Netflix, as it comes at a time when the online streaming market is growing more crowded than ever before – with the likes of Disney+ having recently joined the ranks. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

The organisers of Gamescom, the world's largest gaming event, say that preparations for the show are continuing in the wake of COVID-19 (a.k.a. Coronavirus), despite a rash of cancellations and postponements across the events industry – including some that were due to take place at the Gamescom venue. A spokesperson for Koelnmesse, the organiser and venue for Gamescom, confirmed to IGN that it was monitoring the situation: "The consequences of the coronavirus, which is now occurring almost worldwide, also affect our Koelnmesse events. The health of all trade fair participants, customers and partners is paramount." Koelnmesse also pointed out that three shows due to be held at the venue – The International Hardware Fair, FIBO and IAW – have already been postponed. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=all-the-big-games-coming-in-2020&captions=true"] However, the organisation makes clear that all other planned shows, including Gamescom, remain in motion: "With a view to all other trade fairs planned in Cologne, we are in constant contact with our customers. For each individual event, we will evaluate the recommendations of the Federal Government regarding major events and, as before, we will make our decisions after careful consideration. In this respect, preparations for our upcoming events in Cologne are continuing." Fears about coronavirus transmission have already caused Taipei Game Show, and Game Developers Conference to be postponed, and many other shows have been affected by the outbreak. E3 has said it will also move ahead "full speed" with preparations for its June show, even reiterating that fact after LA declared a state of emergency. GDC was postponed after a similar message from the mayor of San Francisco. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

What would a portable PlayStation look like if it were designed at the height of Sony’s Walkman era? Well, a bit like Sony’s beloved portable music player combined with a Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP, according to the imagination of artist and designer Dan Clarke. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=sony-playman-concept-art&captions=true"] Clarke, who runs a website displaying his passion projects called Arkotype, has recently added the ‘Sony Playman’ to his creations. “In an alternate reality (That I've made up) Sony released a handheld console in the early 2000s called the Playman which featured a clamshell design and used the proprietary MiniDisc™ media format,” he explained on Twitter. The imaginary device features a 3.8 inch LCD screen, Memory Stick storage, digital control inputs and a slot-loader for the MiniDisc. A ‘Playman MD Remote’ with an LCD display shows additional game information, which is a nice call back to the days of Sony’s remote headphones. (The ‘compatible titles only’ disclaimer is also a nice in-universe touch). The design feels authentically Sony, so much so that you could probably fool a few people by claiming it was a secret scrapped project from 2001. Afterall, a MiniDisc-based PlayStation Game Boy is effectively what the PSP, released in 2004, was.

Some early scribbles, as you can see I got a bit obsessed with designing hinges. pic.twitter.com/yzbfaPgx0w

— Dan Clarke (@danclarke) February 25, 2020

Clarke shared further sketches on his Twitter account, showing early ideas for the design, as well as designs for the actual MiniDiscs that games would ship on.

More Playman MiniDisc™ Games. pic.twitter.com/aTtA320e5c

— Dan Clarke (@danclarke) February 26, 2020

For more Sony nostalgia, why not take a look at the best PS2 games of all time as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the beloved console. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/04/top-10-ps2-games-of-all-time"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

If you own a Valve Index VR headset then you can now preview two locations from Half-Life: Alyx. If you don't own one then the good news is that they'll be back in stock next week.

Valve released the two Half-Life: Alyx preview environments through SteamVR Home so all you need to do is download them from there. If you don't own a Valve Index then you can try asking someone who does own one to host a SteamVR Home session for you.

The first location is an alleyway inside City 17, the metropolis that was first introduced to the series in Half-Life 2. There are buildings on either side of you so you're going to feel pretty boxed in. However, the main feature can be seen if you look up and to the distance, as you'll be able to spot the towering Citadel looming over you. As Half-Life: Alyx is a prequel, the Citadel is currently in construction, whereas when it's seen in Half-Life 2 it's finished.

The second preview environment is Russell's laboratory. Russel is a new character being introduced in Half-Life: Alyx, so not much is known about him except that he's a member of the resistance.

His lab looks pretty makeshift, it comprises a few computers, lots of fans, and a fridge. It appears to be set up in the corner of a rundown apartment where some of the wall is missing, and the decorations are some aging wallpaper and a couple of rugs thrown over floorboards.

"The rendering technology available in SteamVR's native environments is different than that in Half-Life: Alyx, and the interactivity is significantly lower than what the game itself provides," Valve notes. "So while these scenes do not have quite as much fidelity as they will in the actual game, we think they are a faithful enough translation to provide a fun VR preview of the game's setting."

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/04/half-life-alyx-13-minutes-of-valve-commentary-ign-first"]

Alongside the release of these two preview environments, Valve has announced that after weeks of being out of stock, its Index VR system will be available to buy again on March 9, 2020, at 10am PST / 5pm GMT.

Valve says it expects the stock to run out quickly, but any orders that go through after that supply has run out will be fulfilled when more stock comes in over the coming months. So if you don't get an Index system from this next batch then you'll get it eventually, but probably not in time for Half-Life: Alyx's launch on March 23. You can always try buying another VR headset if you want to play the game on launch day.

Our Valve Index review gave it an 8.5 and said that it's "the best way to experience VR right now." As to Half-Life: Alyx, if you can't stand the wait then check out 19 minutes of gameplay, and pray that we'll have more Half-Life games on the way after this one.

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

A new camera hack for 2018's God of War has revealed that the game's main villain, Baldur, gives you the middle finger when you can't see him.

Well-known game hacker Lance McDonald - who's previously revealed secrets in P.T., Bloodborne, and Dark Souls 3 - has now turned his sights on God of War. He's already revealed one amusing easter egg inside the game that hasn't been seen before.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/04/12/god-of-war-review"]

It appears just after the opening fight between Kratos and Baldur. There's a moment when Baldur seems to be defeated, lying limp on top of Kratos, just after the pair have wrestled in the snow. Kratos then pushes Baldur off of him and sends him plunging off a cliffside. It's when Baldur is falling from that great height that McDonald spotted the easter egg.

Using a camera hack, McDonald reveals that Baldur raises both his middle fingers towards Kratos, flipping him off as he plummets. Very fitting for his character.

Absolutely laughing at this, can't wait to see what else is hidden in the game off-camera pic.twitter.com/V3r8dV4gMw

— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) March 5, 2020

McDonald spent all of yesterday finishing off the work on his God of War camera hack that he started last year. Now that it's complete, he's able to move the game's camera around freely, passing through walls, stopping time, and even exploring cutscenes. He says it works by "entering special button presses on the map screen."

With this first discovery, McDonald says he "can't wait to see what else is hidden in the game off-camera" - so watch this space.

In our God of War review, we gave it 10, saying that "God of War’s outstanding characters, world, and combat come together to form an unforgettable adventure." With any luck, we'll see a follow-up to God of War made for the PlayStation 5.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=9-sequels-that-would-make-ps5-a-force-to-reckon-with&captions=true"]

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.