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Lucifer Season 6 Review

Below is a spoiler-free review of Lucifer Season 6, which debuts on Netflix on Sept. 10.

The sixth and final season of Lucifer has come to its appropriately epic and bittersweet end, one that — in many ways — gives the fans what they truly desire.

That’s impressive, considering Netflix took on a lot when it heeded the fan-run campaign and picked up the admittedly odd show after it was canceled by Fox. How do you wrap up a show where characters live for eternity in Heaven, Hell, or elsewhere? How much fan service do you provide the fans who literally saved it? After the way Netflix ended the similarly toned The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, I admit I had little faith. However, I, like Ella Lopez, found some things to restore it.

At the close of Season 5, Lucifer and his twin brother, Michael, battled at the L.A. Coliseum to decide which would become the new God. Ultimately, Lucifer and company defeated the duplicitous Michael and Lucifer seemed poised to ascend. Yet as Season 6 dawns, Lucifer isn’t quite so sure he’s ready to leave Lux and all his friends behind. Meanwhile, Chloe — who’s agreed to be God’s consultant in Heaven — can’t seem to hang up her detective persona. This becomes clear in Episode 1, “Nothing Ever Changes Around Here,” when they find themselves smack-dab in yet another whodunit while trying to have a last-night-on-Earth date.

But don’t worry, Season 6 doesn’t slip right back into a murder-of-the-week format. It experiments!

While last season saw Lucifer try musical and film noir episodes, this season features a cartoon episode reminiscent of Community’s “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” and a clips episode that eschews the monotony of the format for some insightful (and hilarious) perspective shifts. They make for some fun changes of pace in a genre that often relies on gimmicks.

And hey, gimmicks aren’t necessarily a bad thing; genre shows often do well with them. Just look at Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Wynonna Earp, The Magicians, and even The X-Files. Lucifer’s work well, too, thanks in large part to the cast’s natural chemistry and the show’s sense of humor.

But one big challenge this season had was giving love to its supporting characters, arguably just as cherished by fans as Deckerstar, and here’s where it succeeds most. Season 6 sees a lot of Ella — always a bonus — and gives her more to do than play sidekick. Maze and Eve have some great scenes together, including a fun episode that revisits Eve’s past. Meanwhile, Linda contemplates her time as a celestial therapist, while Dan deals with being in Hell. It would’ve been a shame to nix Dan entirely after he spent five seasons going from Detective Douche to a likeable guy, so it’s nice to see the show catching up with him.

Amenadiel has perhaps the most poignant arc. Last season, he decided to enroll in the police academy, motivated in part by racial disparities he’d seen while trying to help Caleb, a Black teen bullied by cops and gangs alike, in Season 4. Actor DB Woodside has been open about the racist treatment from police he’s faced in his life, and told EW the episode with Caleb had been one of his favorites.

Amenadiel has perhaps the most poignant arc.

So, while Lucifer ignores the pandemic, it does revisit police brutality and racial injustice without mentioning specific real-world reckonings. It rightfully points out that Chloe, a white woman whose dad was a cop, wouldn’t have the same experience on the force as Amenadiel, an angel perceived on Earth as a Black man. As a white-passing Latina, I do not experience police harassment the way Black and Brown people do, so my ability to gauge how well this arc works is limited. What I do appreciate is that Lucifer didn’t back down on or forget the issue, chalk it up to “a few bad apples,” or cheerily wrap it up, the way shows might have in the past. It treats it as the ongoing, systemic problem that it is.

As for the main arc, the crux is obviously Lucifer’s upcoming job change, and it doesn’t come easy. There are new and old faces that come with whirlwinds of chaos, plus numerous Easter Eggs from seasons pasts. All told, it makes for a mostly satisfying conclusion, despite some timey-wimey plotting and unanswered questions. Will hardcore fans like it? It likely depends on what they see as the best endings for Deckerstar and company. Like Lucifer himself, it’s a little exasperating, but still a good time.

Alan Wake Remastered Announced, Coming This Year

Alan Wake Remastered, a refreshed 4K version of the 2010 game and its two expansions, is on the way from Epic Games. The remaster will launch this fall on PC via the Epic Games Store, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

According to a press release, the remaster will include the core 2010 game, plus The Signal and The Writer DLC, along with a new commentary track from creative director Sam Lake. This also marks the first time the game will be available for PlayStation owners–it was previously exclusive to Xbox 360 and PC. Lake announced the remastered version of the game in an open letter to fans on Alan Wake and Remedy fan site The Sudden Stop.

Alan Wake centers on the titular horror writer as he searches for his missing wife across the Pacific Northwest town of Bright Falls. The third-person shooter pairs your standard weapons with a flashlight, which you have to use to weaken the supernatural monsters by shining lights on them. It was inspired by mystery and thriller series such as Lost and Twin Peaks, and the works of Stephen King. It received a follow-up, the more arcade-like, combat-focused Alan Wake’s American Nightmare, in 2012.

A remaster of Alan Wake is kind of a big deal for developer Remedy Entertainment, particularly right now. First, the game became something of a cult hit when it was released on Xbox 360, taking Remedy away from its more action-focused roots with Max Payne into the realm of a psychological thriller. But Remedy made the game as an Xbox exclusive, and for quite a few years, Microsoft owned the publishing rights to the property–so an Alan Wake 2 never materialized, and Alan’s story was never fully resolved.

Remedy acquired the Alan Wake rights from Microsoft in 2019, the same year it released action title Control–a game that proved to be a big hit for the studio. Control had its distant origins as another Alan Wake follow-up and carries similar paranormal themes. The game imagines a government agency that investigates and secures supernatural events, objects, and people, which you uncover as its new supernaturally powerful director, Jesse Faden. When Control was released, it included hidden Easter eggs that suggested connections to Alan Wake’s unfinished story, but Control’s final story DLC, named AWE, made the connection explicit. Control and Alan Wake exist in the same universe, and what’s more, the stories are intricately connected. Whatever comes next for Control, it seems it’ll include whatever’s next for Alan Wake.

So returning to Alan Wake at this moment, as Remedy works on whatever’s next for these two big properties, seems pretty pointed. Remedy has already said its next game is in the shared Control-Alan Wake universe. This feels like it could be providing fans with a refresher course on what happened in Alan Wake, so they’re ready for Remedy’s next big offering–which suggests it might be soon that we start to hear about what’s next for Alan and Jesse. Alan Wake Remastered also includes a new commentary track from Sam Lake, which might include some further insights about how Remedy means to bridge the two stories even further.

Even if Alan Wake Remastered doesn’t shine more light on the future for the series, though, this should be an excellent opportunity to revisit Remedy’s cult classic. The original title still holds up pretty well even a decade later, but having access to it on new consoles and with improved graphics should allow Alan Wake to scare a whole new batch of players.

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Watch Hellblade 2 Developer Ninja Theory Burn Senua’s Clothing For Research

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 developer Ninja Theory has been revealing tidbits of information about the upcoming game, and the latest tweet from the studio shows just how far it’s willing to go to achieve fashionable accuracy.

“Sometimes to create, you must first destroy,” Ninja Theory tweeted as someone at the studio took a blowtorch to some leather material that looks similar to the costume that Senua actress and video editor Melina Juergens wore recently.

It’s not a video of the office pyromaniac in action–probably–but a demonstration of how Ninja Theory plans to use real-world assets in its games, creating a library of scorched materials that it can reference when needed. “It’s high-quality scans like this that will help us reach an amazing level of detail in our games,” the developer explained in a separate tweet that showed off the digital replica.

Ninja Theory showed off some behind-the-scenes footage from Hellblade II at the Xbox Games Showcase in June, which founder Tameem Antoniades said came from a “chunky slice” of the game that had been developed exclusively so far for PC and Xbox Series X|S.

It’s still early days though, and Ninja Theory is looking to create something more ambitious than a simple sequel so Hellblade II won’t be arriving anytime soon. For more on the game and the impressive amount of prep work being done for it, you can watch Juergens undergo warrior training as part of her process to make Senua more authentic.

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Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning’s Fatesworn DLC Gets New Image

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, the 2012 RPG from Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling’s since-shuttered 38 Studios, is still getting new DLC almost a year later.

The latest expansion is called Fatesworn, and it’s now in the “final stages” of production, the game’s Twitter account announced recently. Acknowledging that it’s been a “long time coming” for any updates on Fatesworn, the developer revealed a new look at the Gale Crossing location in the Fatesworn expansion. This looks like an idyllic little town in the forest.

“Centuries ago, Gale Crossing was an integral stop on the bustling trade route known as the Sativa Road, a treacherous passage over the mountains that brought wealth and industry to a region once considered unlivable,” reads a line from its description. “But all good things must come to an end. After series of catastrophic foreign wars, the price of Sativa Fiber dropped dramatically, devastating the Sativa industry and gutting the region’s importance as a source of this once-valuable reagent. Despite these tragedies, Gale Crossing remains a crucial junction for travelers hoping to pass safely through the Eldrith Mountains.”

“After the fall of the Sativa Road, residents of Gale Crossing continued to rely on outsiders for their survival. Courageous travelers and merchants still hoped to pass through the mountains as a more direct alternative to shipping by sea, but the vast infrastructure for such treks began to disintegrate quickly without attention and maintenance. High Sativa prices had driven the boom times, funding improvements along the trade route, supplying Gale Crossing and smaller camps with the equipment to support travelers and their teams. Without this money, the mountain passes soon returned to their natural state, deadly and impassable.”

THQ Nordic now owns the Kingdoms of Amalur series and is publishing it going forward. A release date for Fatesworn has not been announced yet.

Kingdoms of Amalur is a fantasy RPG that came from the minds of author R.A. Salvatore, Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, and Ken Rolston of Elder Scrolls fame.

GameSpot’s original Kingdoms of Amalur review from 2012 concluded it had top-notch combat but was held back by generic characters and world-building. The game came to Nintendo Switch back in March 2021. A new Re-Reckoning Edition of the game is also available, featuring all DLC and upgraded and enhanced visuals.

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Hideo Kojima Seems to Be Teasing the New Matrix Movie

Legendary game designer Hideo Kojima seems to be teasing the new Matrix movie on Twitter, but it’s not entirely clear why.

18 years have passed since the release of Matrix Revolutions, the series’ last installment. However, with the franchise set to revive itself with the release of The Matrix Resurrections in theatres and on HBO Max this December 22, fans are currently scouring the internet for new content about the film.

Kojima himself seems to have stepped away from the world of games for a moment to answer their call by teasing the movie in a tweet featuring the Warner Bros Pictures What Is the Matrix website. Alongside thematrix.com, both sites have recently been updated with video loops that show the franchise’s iconic green code animating vertically down the screen.

As you might have guessed, fans have already begin speculating as to whether Kojima has something to do with the new Matrix film, or if a tie-in game might be in the offing. It seems more likely that he’s simply acting as an ‘influencer’ in this instance, or is just an interested fan like the rest of us – but there is still the mystery of why the website has been changed now.

Until recently, WhatIsTheMatrix.com looked rather different. As Reddit user Lego_496 shared in an r/matrix thread, the promotional website (which has been used on and off since the marketing for the original Matrix movie) featured advertisements and links to Blu-Ray copies for previously released films from the franchise.

Many fans will be hoping that the change to both websites has come as part of a promotional campaign that launches the film’s first official trailer. Following an earlier leak, behind-closed-doors footage of The Matrix Resurrections was shown at CinemaCon, and officially revealed the film’s title, but we’ve seen nothing publicly since.

Guests at the event were reportedly shown details about returning cast members and previewed action shots featuring some signature style Matrix action. Despite growing anticipation from fans, Warner Bros decided at the time not to make the footage shown off at CinemaCon available to the public. You can find a range of the details reportedly shown off at the event in the short video below:

In other Matrix 4 news, IGN recently reported on details surrounding why Lilly Wachowski, the co-director of the original Matrix trilogy, decided against returning to the franchise to helm its newest entry. Wachowski explained that she found the idea of “going backwards” in her career “expressly unappealing” and noted that she struggled to find the motivation to return to the franchise following some major shifts in her personal life.

For more information on The Matrix Resurrections, make sure to check out our dedicated page for the film where you’ll find a range of clips and news from across the title.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN who often wishes he could stop objects in mid-air. You can follow him on Twitter.

Halo Infinite Makes A Major Change To Radar After The Beta

After Halo Infinite‘s long-awaited first beta, the team at 343 Industries has been hard at work gathering and processing player feedback from the play test. Now, in one of 343’s characteristically long and in-depth blog updates, the studio is sharing some of that feedback and how it’s being implemented–including updates to Infinite’s contentious radar changes.

343 first hinted that Infinite would be shaking up Halo’s classic motion tracking radar all the way back in 2017, when similar changes were introduced in Halo 5. In that game, the changes were only introduced in Ranked mode, limiting the motion sensor to only show players who were sprinting or shooting, rather than all walking-speed movement. While the changes made sense for competitive Ranked play, a similar iteration in the Halo Infinite beta wasn’t well-received by play testers.

Now Playing: Halo Infinite Technical Preview Livestream

“The Combat Sensor, or radar, that sits in the bottom left of your HUD followed a different set of rules than previous Halo titles,” the Halo Infinite multiplayer team explained in the blog post. “It only displayed enemies when they were sprinting or shooting, which was more in line with Halo 5’s ‘Threat Tracker.’ We knew that this implementation was going to feel different, maybe even a little contentious, and that’s why we wanted to get feedback on it as soon as possible in the Tech Preview.”

The outcome of the play testing is that 343 is going to revert to a much more traditional radar for Halo Infinite, with the blog post saying “most players” preferred the old style radar for social matches. “We’ve updated the Combat Sensor to feel more like the ‘Motion Tracker’ of old, which shows all movement besides crouch-walking, and should have that ready for folks to test in the next flight,” the post promises.

The post goes through a whole lot more detail on player feedback that’ll be implemented into the game, with some changes due before the next beta test, some in time for the game’s launch on December 8, and some scheduled to arrive post-launch. Check out the rest of the feedback in the full blog post.

If you want to try out Halo Infinite before its full launch in December, there’s still time to sign up as a Halo Insider for the next beta, which will feature 4v4 Arena and Big Team Battle.

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Aussie Deals: Sizeable Percentages Off Outer Worlds, Demon’s Souls, Dead Island, and More!

I’ve got quite the eclectic mix of bargains here today. The co-op afficionados are covered (Overcooked 2, Dead Island, Lego Harry Potter). Same deal with anybody looking to swap their current four walls with broader horizons (The Outer Worlds, Spidey Miles Morales, BioShock Infinite, AC Valhalla). Oh, and there’s also something for the rarer individual who just can’t get enough pandemic (66% off Plague Inc.). Sick game. Liked it more when it was less relatable.

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Adam’s an Aussie deals wrangler who spends too much of his income on the bargains he finds. You can occasionally find him @Grizwords.

Tripwire CEO John Gibson Steps Down Following Controversial Comments on Texas Anti-Abortion Law

Following his comments supporting the Texas anti-abortion law, Tripwire CEO John Gibson has stepped down from the company behind such games as Maneater and Chivalry 2.

Tripwire announced the news alongside confirming that co-founding member and current vice president Alan Wilson will now act as interim CEO. In its statement, Tripwire shared that Gibson’s views do not reflect the company as a whole and that “his comments disregarded the values of our whole team, our partners and much of our broader community.”

“The comments given by John Gibson are of his own opinion, and do not reflect those of Tripwire Interactive as a company,” Tripwire wrote. “His comments disregarded the values of our whole team, our partners and much of our broader community. Our leadership team at Tripwire are deeply sorry and are unified in our commitment to take swift action and to foster a more positive environment.

“Effective immediately, John Gibson has stepped down as CEO of Tripwire Interactive. Co-founding member and current Vice President, Alan Wilson, will take over as interim CEO. Alan has been with the company since its formation in 2005 and is an active lead in both the studio’s business and developmental affairs.

“Alan will work with the rest of the Tripwire leadership team to take steps with employees and partners to address their concerns including executing a company-wide town hall meeting and promoting open dialogue with Tripwire leadership and all employees. His understanding of both the company’s culture and the creative vision of our games will carry the team through this transition, with full support from the other Tripwire leaders.”

The previously mentioned comments from Gibson were Tweeted out on September 4, with the ex-CEO writing he was “proud of #USSupremeCourt affirming the Texas law banning abortion for babies with a heartbeat.”

“As an entertainer I don’t get political often,” Gibson continued. “Yet with so many vocal peers on the other side of the issue, I felt it was important to go on the record as a pro-life game developer.”

Following his Tweet, developers who have worked closely with Tripwire, including Shipwright Studios – who worked on both Maneater and Chivalry 2 – and Chivalry 2’s lead developer Torn Banner Studios, spoke up against Gibson’s statement. Shipwright Studios even went so far as to say it was canceling its existing contracts with Tripwire under the “current leadership structure.”

The anti-abortion law in question is one that the US Supreme Court recently refused to block and one that forbids the majority of abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. This includes those pregnancies that were from rape or incest. Furthermore, those who sue clinics that are performing abortions could be awarded $10,000 per illegal abortion if found guilty.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Best Open World Games To Play Right Now

Not every open-world game is created equal, however, with classics such as Grand Theft Auto 5 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild standing out against alternatives that rely too much on “stuff to do” and ever-bigger worlds than making the open world suit the experience. That can make it difficult to find the best open-world games, especially on newer consoles that have so many to choose from. We rounded up some of the very best ones, accounting for the world itself being a big reason for their inclusion–games with tremendous stories that happen to have open worlds, such as Nier: Automata, were left off for this reason. We’ve also geared this mostly toward newer games that are easily accessible today.

For more games to check out on the current consoles, check out the best PS5 games, best PS4 games, best Xbox Series X|S games, best Xbox One games, and the best Nintendo Switch games. You can also check out the best PC games if you want to game with a mouse and keyboard.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage Moves Forward, Now Releases October 1

The release date for Venom: Let There Be Carnage has moved forward two weeks. The sequel to Sony’s 2018 hit Venom will now arrive in theaters on October 1.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage was previously set to arrive on September 24, but two weeks ago it was pushed back to October 15, following a surge in COVID-19 infections in the US. However, Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has opened to impressive US box office results, showing that big movies can still perform well in the theater. There are several other high-profile films also set to have theatrical-only releases in October, including No Time to Die, Halloween Kills, and The Last Duel.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, who is infected with the alien symbiote Venom. Woody Harrelson plays the serial killer Cletus Kasady, who is controlled by the evil symbiote Carnage, and the cast also includes Michelle Williams, Reid Scott, and Stephen Graham. The movie is directed by Andy Serkis.

Sony’s next film based on a Spider-Man character will be Morbius, which arrives in January 2022, having been delayed from July last year. It stars Jared Leto as the “living vampire” Dr. Michael Morbius.

For more, check out GameSpot’s guide to the biggest upcoming movies of 2021.