Month: September 2021

Strap on your RayBans and leather jackets, because it’s finally time to reenter the Matrix. The first trailer for the long-awaited fourth film in the series is here. It’s got blue pills, red pills and martial arts galore, but we have two questions above all else. First, how are Neo and Trinity still alive? And second, what’s up with that rubber ducky?

Let’s break down this new footage and why it suggests the conflict between man and machine is taking a very different turn in 2021. Watch the video at the top of this page, or read on for the article version. And also be sure to check out everything we’ve learned from the Matrix Resurrections teaser website.

The Matrix Rebooted

The early shots show us an older yet inexplicably still living version of Keanu Reeves’ Thomas Anderson (aka – the Cyber Messiah Neo), living inside the latest version of The Matrix with only faint memories of his old life. Later in the trailer, Neo encounters Trinity at a coffee shop, and we see both of them struggling to figure out why the other seems so familiar.

The Matrix itself looks far more peaceful and futuristic than the grungy, turn of the century metropolis we saw in the older movies. Based on the ending of The Matrix Revolutions, humans and machines have formed a peace treaty and the Matrix has been rebooted to become less of a totalitarian hellscape. But if Neo himself is any indication, that doesn’t necessarily mean most humans are aware they’re living inside a simulation.

If anything, the elevator scene shows just how enthralled the average person is with technology and social media. How can anyone free their minds from the Matrix if they can’t even log off Reddit? We can probably guess what sort of social commentary director Lana Wachowski is making with this sequel.

How Are Neo and Trinity Alive?

So how are Neo and Trinity alive when we saw them both die in the climax of The Matrix Revolutions? For one thing, we don’t know if either of them still has a physical body outside of the Matrix. Is it possible Neo’s communion with the Machine intelligence somehow allowed his mind to escape into the Matrix as his body died?

This shot shows Neo with a very strange reflection in the mirror. It could suggest Neo and Trinity have both hijacked someone else’s body, just like Agent Smith and his colleagues used to do.

Speaking of which, we do see a shot of an Agent taking over a police officer’s body. Even if the new alliance between humanity and machines still exists, it seems the Matrix still needs these remorseless programs to keep the peace.

The trailer features another brief shot of someone waking up in the real world inside their pod. It’s hard to tell if this character is Neo, Trinity or someone else entirely, but perhaps we’ll learn the machines were somehow able to revive Neo’s body and plug him back in.

After all, Neo is the most thinly disguised Christ metaphor this side of Zack Snyder’s Superman. His death was always going to be followed by a resurrection.

The New Cast of The Matrix 4

The trailer introduces several of the new cast members for the sequel. Early on, we meet Neil Patrick Harris’ therapist character, who helps Thomas Anderson deal with his troubling dreams and keeps him supplied with a steady dose of memory-wiping blue pills. Those pills are called Ontolofloxin. Ontology is a branch of philosophy that deals with existence and the nature of reality. Prime Matrix material, in other words.

Later, we meet Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s character, a man who looks and speaks an awful lot like a young Morpheus. Assuming this is Morpheus, one of the big mysteries in the sequel is why Neo’s old friend and mentor has been reborn in a new form rather than aging like Neo and Trinity have. According to The Matrix Online MMORPG, Morpheus died after the events of the original trilogy, but at this point we have no idea if Resurrections is treating the game as part of the official canon.

Echoing the original film, this Morpheus gives Neo a red pill to help awaken his mind and counteract the blue pills. His line “Time to fly” is a callback to the first movie, both the line “Mescaline, it’s the only way to fly” and the fact that Neo alone is able to transcend the physical laws of The Matrix enough to literally fly.

Morpheus also refers to, “the only reason you’re still here, why you’re still fighting.” Is this implying that Neo willingly reentered the Matrix in order to find and rescue Trinity?

We also see a new take on the iconic dojo fight between Neo and Morpheus. This time, instead of saying “I know kung fu,” Neo tells Morpheus “You don’t know me.”

The trailer also introduces Jessica Henwick’s character, another martial arts whiz who may or may not be working alongside Morpheus. At one point we can see both characters fleeing down a hallway while an Agent shoots at them.

Interestingly, Morpheus’ clothing is dominated by the color red here, whereas Henwick’s character has a distinctive blue streak in her hair. Does this mean Henwick’s character is morally opposed to pulling humans out of the Matrix? The red vs. blue motif can be seen all over the trailer, from the blue color of the therapist’s glasses to the red of Morpheus’ suit. But unlike the original trilogy, the conflict between red and blue and enlightenment vs. security may not be so clear-cut. Maybe escaping the Matrix isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, especially if the love of your life is still inside.

Late in the trailer, we also meet Jonathan Groff’s character. This man seems to be aware of the Matrix and of Neo’s past. Could he be the Architect in a new form? Possibly not, as a clip seen on WhatIsTheMatrix.com shows Groff’s character enduring the same mouth-erasing torture Neo faced in the original movie. Whomever he is, this character appears to be human.

Easter Eggs in the Resurrections Trailer

The trailer includes a handful of other Easter eggs and nods to the original movie.

Neo sees a black cat again, mirroring the scene where he learned about the true meaning of deja vu.

There are several references to Alice in Wonderland, including the use of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” in the soundtrack and Henwick’s character sporting a rabbit tattoo.

And as for that rubber ducky that seems to be Neo’s only companion? This could be a reference to a computer programming concept known as Rubber duck debugging, where a programmer reviews their own code by explaining it, line by line, in the simplest terms possible to a rubber ducky. Don’t forget that before becoming a techno-superhero, Thomas Anderson was a computer programmer and hacker. Like Morpheus once said, no one can be told what the Matrix is, and this is a puzzle Neo has to solve for himself.

Finally, it’s worth pointing out the one thing that’s conspicuously absent in the trailer. While we see brief glimpses of the film’s many action scenes, we don’t see any slow-motion Bullet Time sequences. Are those scenes being saved for the final movie, or has even Lana Wachowski decided Bullet Time’s day is done?

That’s all we found in the new trailer. Let us know if we missed anything in the comments below! The Matrix Resurrections hits theaters and HBO Max on December 22. For more on the sequel, check out how someone’s reverse engineered the movie’s website to let you choose what teaser you watch.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Marvel Comics has revealed the latest major update to the Marvel Unlimited subscription service. The Marvel Unlimited app has been relaunched, ushering in both a major technical overhaul and the debut of a brand new line of “Infinity Comics.”

According to Marvel, these Infinity Comics have been created specifically with high-resolution digital screens and the vertical, scrolling format in mind. 27 Infinity Comics are available at launch, including a brand new incarnation of the anthology series X-Men Unlimited. As with previous volumes, each issue of X-Men Unlimited will feature a different creative team and tell a standalone story with a different lead character. The first issue is written by the “Head of X” himself, Jonathan Hickman, who is also debuting the long-awaited miniseries Inferno later this month. Declan Shalvey (Moon Knight) is the artist on X-Men Unlimited #1.

Marvel is promising the Infinity Comics library will grow to over 100 comics by the end of the year. Other creators involved include Skottie Young, Dax Gordine, Alyssa Wong, Nathan Stockman, Kelly Thompson, Gerry Duggan, Lucas Werneck and Jeffo. The full list of Infinity Comics titles revealed includes:

• X-Men Unlimited
• Giant-Size Little Marvels
• Captain America
• It’s Jeff
• Black Widow
• Amazing Fantasy
• Deadpool
• Shang-Chi
• Venom/Carnage

“The goal for Marvel Unlimited has always been to provide the best digital experience for our fans by giving them direct access to all of their favorite Marvel comics. With this relaunch, we’re bringing fans an even richer experience with Marvel stories designed in a vertical format for the first time,” said Marvel Entertainment President Dan Buckley in a statement. “Our new Infinity Comics give our creators a chance to tell stories in entirely new ways, and we’re looking forward to connecting our fans to those stories in the months to come.”

Marvel Unlimited has also been given a significant technological upgrade with this relaunch. Along with the redesigned interface and improved search functionality and app stability, users now have the option to download as many comics as they want for offline viewing (previously the downloads were limited to 12 books at a time).

“These updates and a focus on personalization will allow us to reach a new generation of Marvel fans and enhance the experience of current fans,” said Doug Vance, VP of Product and Marketing, DMED Technology. “When we redesign apps like this from the ground up, we align with business goals of our different partners and subsidiaries of The Walt Disney Company with the ultimate goal of growing our audience and digital subscriptions while also delivering an even more visually immersive experience.”

As before, Marvel Unlimited is available as either a monthly subscription ($9.99 a month) or annually ($69.99 per year for a standard subscription or $99.99 per year for the Plus tier). The service currently features roughly 29,000 Marvel books, with new releases being added as soon as three months after their original publication.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

If there’s one thing that developer Sloclap has shown that they have a unique mastery over in the world of video games, it’s martial arts. If 2017’s hand-to-hand-combat-focused open-world RPG, Absolver wasn’t a convincing enough case, their upcoming beat-em-up, Sifu, certainly aims to prove that few do kung-fu better than the Paris based studio. After getting a 30-minute developer-driven demo, I’d find it hard to argue against the point.

Sifu is a game that’s obviously inspired by classic Asian martial arts movies, with its laser focus on being a single outnumbered martial artist facing off against a group of thugs and goons and scraping by not only with your skill, but also your environmental awareness and ingenuity. I know what you’re thinking: “But Mitchell, that’s like… every beat-em-up or action game.” But it’s different here, and it comes down to a couple of key things.

For one, Sifu’s martial arts combat is smooth as butter. Not only are the animations super fluid, but the way strikes flow naturally into parries, which can then transition seamlessly into grabs and throws, perfectly mimics the style of a classic kung-fu movie. Even more importantly, though, is the role that the environment plays in combat, which we’ll get to in a bit.

On a fundamental level, Sifu’s combat very quickly brings to mind the Batman Arkham games and most specifically, Sleeping Dogs, but there are some key differences. For one, at its core is a structure meter that governs both your own and your opponents’ ability to block. By continuously landing attacks, you’ll deplete their structure meter, eventually opening them up to a takedown or execution. The same is true for you as well. Block too often, and your meter will decrease until eventually your guard is opened up. You can parry by timing a block just as an opponent strikes, which will stun and open them up for strikes or a directional throw. You can throw enemies into walls, down stairs, through guardrails, over railings, and so on and so forth, making it a vital technique. There’s also a focus gauge that allows you to slow down time and target specific body parts that each cause a different effect when hit.

There’s a ton of destructibility in play as well. In one part, the player was picked up and slammed through a partition, which then allowed him to pick up a wooden piece of it and use it as a weapon. Bottles can also be picked up and thrown, and even objects on the floor like ottomans can be kicked towards enemies to knock them off their feet. Despite it being a developer-led hands-off demonstration, the combat still managed to have a very improvised look to it, with the player having multiple options to deal with enemies at any time.

What really struck me the most about the combat, though, was how contextual and reactive everything was. By positioning himself next to a counter and luring the enemy in, the player was able to dodge a strike, and then slam the enemy’s head into the counter for a quick knockout; pieces of furniture will get destroyed as combatants get knocked through them; bad guys will either surrender as you take out their friends, or become enraged and become even more dangerous when they’re the last one left. I saw a lot of fighting over the course of the demonstration, and yet every scrap had a unique feel to it thanks to the unique placements of objects, hazards, and how the player was able to turn a bad situation around by using the environment to their advantage.

The demonstration also touched briefly upon unlockable skills and upgrades, which can be purchased from shrines, but what’s interesting is that your upgrades and skills are lost upon death, which almost moves Sifu into a roguelite territory. But I wouldn’t go that far, as the randomization elements that are key to that genre don’t seem to be present in Sifu. There is, however, that element of single-run progression versus permanent progression. Instead of spreading your points out and buying a bunch of skills to help you in your current run, you could instead opt to pool the points into one skill and work towards unlocking it as a permanent upgrade that persists on all future runs. It’s an interesting choice and I’m curious to see how else the roguelike elements manifest and develop over the course of the game.

I was impressed by virtually everything I saw of Sifu. The combat looks exquisite, the roguelite elements are intriguing, and the ways in which it brings to mind classic asian martial arts movies should be exciting to any fan of the genre. Sifu releases on February 22, 2022 for PS4/PS5 and PC.

Mitchell Saltzman is an editorial producer at IGN. You can find him on twitter @JurassicRabbit

LEGO has revealed a new Super Mario 64 playset that takes the form of one of the game’s iconic Question Mark blocks, with a hidden secret centre.

Announced on LEGO’s website, the new playset is a fold-out version of Super Mario 64’s famous Question Mark block. When opened up, fans will find four distinct levels from the game: Peach’s Castle, Bob-omb Battlefield, Cool Cool Mountain, and Lethal Lava Trouble. The set weighs in at 2064 pieces with both the block itself and each of its levels buildable.

In addition to the various Mario stages within the set, there are also microfigures of different characters from across the game that can be placed around the set. A number of them can be seen in the playset’s official trailer, including Mario, Princess Peach, King Bob-omb, and a selection of Cool Cool Mountain’s penguins.

Pablo Gonzalez, Senior Designer at the LEGO Group spoke further about the set and why its inclusion within the wider Mario LEGO collaboration felt important to the company. “It’s difficult to imagine the Super Mario Universe without the classic game’s iconic levels full of discovery and secrets. With this amazing set, we’re building on the exciting play experience of LEGO Super Mario, both to bring a bit of nostalgia for those who played the Super Mario 64 video game, but also to introduce these wonderful levels to a whole new audience of Super Mario fans.”

The new set is the latest in a number of sets created in a partnership between Nintendo and LEGO. Previous releases in the series have included LEGO’s own take on Bowser’s iconic Airship. The collaboration also produced an interesting take on a LEGO-based co-op mode when the Luigi Starter Set launched earlier this year.

Fans will be able to get their hands on the upcoming Question Mark Block set from official LEGO retailers and the LEGO website when it releases on October 1. The set will then become available at other stores around the world in 2022. LEGO has set a recommended retail price for the set at 169.99 USD/EUR.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.