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The Keanu Reeves renaissance (Keanussance?) is upon us, and we are here for it. Keanu has been kicking butt in action movies for decades now but it seems like he’s more ubiquitous than ever these days. Outside of your John Wicks, he’s popped up in Toy Story 4 as Duke Caboom (Canada’s greatest daredevil and stuntman) and played an insufferable parody of himself in Netflix’s Always Be My Maybe. But Keanu’s biggest surprise appearance was at E3 2019, when he not only took the stage to reveal Cyberpunk 2077’s release date, but also the that he was playing a major character in the game: the literally-named Rockerboy Johnny Silverhand.

And so, not just in anticipation of Cyberpunk 2077, but in celebration of a beloved actor who keeps so busy he might as well live on our screens permanently… or just for the hell of it, really, let’s take a look back at a brief history of every one of Keanu Reeves’ many, many video game appearances.

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Click through the gallery above or scroll down for the full list!

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Video Game Adventure(s)

Way back in 1989, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure was first adapted into a PC adventure game, and we got our first glimpse of a digitized Keanu as Ted “Theodore” Logan and his counterpart Bill S. Preston, Esq. as they traveled through time on various adventures and accidentally learning things in the process.

In 1991, Bill & Ted’s adventures continued with the release of new video games on the Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, and Atari Lynx – each one a totally unique experience. While the latter two took cues from the Bill & Ted animated series, the NES version was very clearly an 8-bit rendition of real-life Keanu Reeves. Pay attention to these characters because this goofy time-traveling buddy comedy franchise is actually getting a new sequel this year in Bill and Ted Face the Music… which probably won’t be getting a video game adaptation, which is totally bogus – but it would be most excellent if it did.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Following the success of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the 1992 Francis Ford Coppola adaptation of the classic vampire novel, official video game tie-ins were released for a whopping nine platforms between 1993 and 1995. All of these starred Keanu’s character from the film, Jonathan Harker, though Keanu’s likness varied wildly between titles. The lower-resolution renditions of Keanu looked more like Han Solo (or, in some cases, Aladdin), while the SEGA CD had full-motion video clips ripped straight from the film.

Thankfully, Jonathan Harker’s costume of “white shirt and dark vest” was reminiscent of Ted Theodore Logan’s iconic attire, which helped reinforce the fact that players were looking at a small version of Keanu Reeves. Especially when re-enacting their favorite moments from the movie, like when Keanu roundhouse-kicked all those zombies.

Johnny Mnemonic: The Interactive Action Movie

This entry is actually more of a PSA – if you’re watching this video looking for Keanu Reeves games, DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. 1995 saw the release of an interactive FMV adventure game based on Johnny Mnemonic, the William Gibson short story that inspired the Keanu Reeves movie with the same name, but it didn’t star Keanu Reeves. The role of Johnny Mnemonic was instead played by Christopher Gartin, who could probably play Keanu at bat mitzvahs, but is best known for replacing Kevin Bacon in Tremors 2: Aftershocks.

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Enter The Matrix

The Matrix seems like it should’ve spawned countless video games, but somehow, it only got three official tie-ins and, bafflingly, only one of them focuses on Keanu’s character Neo. 2003’s Enter The Matrix was directed by The Wachowskis, featured some of the stars from The Matrix Reloaded, and directly intersected with the events of the films, but didn’t actually allow players to play as Neo – much to the chagrin of fans who wanted to reenact their favorite action scenes starring the six-foot-one Lebanese Hollywood dreamboat roundhousing a bunch of Hugo Weavings and creepy albino twins.

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Fans finally got to wear the mantle of the One True Keanu in 2005’s The Path of Neo, which was the straightforward Matrix game that people had been waiting for since the movie came out.

Constantine

The hockey-loving thespian portrayed the DC comics demon hunter on the big screen, which of course then got digitized onto all of our small screens in Constantine: The Video Game. The game itself was as okay as you’d expect, just like Keanu’s spiky-haired mess of a character model.

John Wick

Tragically, Keanu stopped appearing in video games and we were forced to play hundreds of games that didn’t star the world’s sexiest motorcycle riding action star until 2014, when Pay Day 2 DLC introduced John Wick as a playable character, the first of many of Keanu’s in-game appearances as the infamous vengeful dog widower.

Later, in 2017, gamers got a chance to get inside the action star’s head, literally, when The John Wick Chronicles put the Johnny Mnemonic star in a virtual reality adventure – a VirKeanual Reeves-ality simulator if you will. No? Okay.

Next, Fortnite got an unofficial John Wick skin in 2018, known as “The Reaper,” which Epic Games tried to pretend was not Keanu Reeves, in spite of everyone knowing it was very clearly Keanu Reeves.

A year later, probably to prove that they weren’t ripping off Keanu Reeves and/or to make more money, Epic Games released an official John Wick skin, revealed with a trailer in which the actual licensed Keanu Reeves skin squared off against his unlicensed doppleganger.

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Then, last year, 2019, lovingly known as the year of The Keanu, Keanu’s adventures took a turn for the turn-based in John Wick: Hex, an action-strategy game developed by Mike Bithell, the indie developer of Thomas Was Alone, which was a game that starred rectangles (presumably because Keanu was unavailable).

Cyberpunk 2077

And, now, in 2020, we’re getting Cyberpunk 2077 — an AAAA open-world RPG that lets players live out their ultimate fantasies of having a crazy futuristic adventure while the cybernetic ghost of Keanu Reeves is embedded in their brains.

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We got a chance to talk to Keanu about his role in CD Projekt Red’s upcoming sci-fi epic, or you can check out what happened to his character in the years between the tabletop Cyberpunk 2020 and the digital world of 2077.

Developer Techland has announced that it has delayed the launch of Dying Light 2. The zombie survival game was originally due to release Spring 2020, and Techland has offered no indication as to when it now plans to release the game.

Hey Survivors!
Here’s the Dying Light 2 Development Update. pic.twitter.com/CKMkAe2eD7

— Dying Light (@DyingLightGame) January 20, 2020

Posted on Twitter, a statement from CEO Paweł Marchewka said: “We were initially aiming for a Spring 2020 release with Dying Light 2, but unfortunately, we need more development time to fulfill our vision. We will have more details to share in the coming months, and will get back to you as soon as we have more information.

Dying Light 2 had never been given a firm release date, but the Spring 2020 window was fast approaching. By not providing an updated release date or window, Techland has freed itself from time constraint and, in theory, given itself indefinite time in order to bring Dying Light 2 to the standards that the team is chasing. While internally things are no doubt more complicated, it’s clear that the team has decided more time is required to work on the project.

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This is the fifth game to be delayed within under a week; the last few days have seen slips from Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Iron Man VR, Marvel’s Avengers, and Cyberpunk 2077, the latter two having being delayed a few months beyond their initial planned dates.

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Dying Light 2 is still looking promising, despite the delay. When we last saw it at E3 2019 we discovered that its branching story may mean you only see 50% of its content in your first playthrough.

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Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

HBO has officially cancelled Confederate, the next series from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

Speaking to TVLine, HBO president Casey Bloys confirmed that the network would not be moving forward with the controversial TV show, described as a drama that “chronicles the events leading up to the Third American Civil War.”

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Confederate was pitched as a series that would present an alternate timeline for history, in which the southern states successfully seceded from the Union and created a nation where slavery “evolved into a modern institution.” The show received strong backlash following its original announcement.

Amid growing criticism, HBO stepped in to defend the show, though Bloys admitted that the initial announcement had been “misguided” and they “could have done a better job with the press rollout” in light of the sensitive subject. A short while later, the project was seemingly put on the back burner.

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In the meantime, Benioff and Weiss have moved on to several other projects, as the in-demand duo stepped down from their planned Star Wars trilogy to follow-up on a number of new commitments in their schedule after signing a “historic deal with Netflix.”

As for the Game of Thrones universe, there are still a whole bunch of spinoffs and series’ currently in the works, including a prequel series called House of the Dragon, based on George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood fantasy novel, though we might have some time to wait for that release.

For more, check out our explainer on when House of the Dragon takes place and some of the events we might see in the prequel.

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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

A dad spent a weekend building a custom pad for the Xbox Adaptive Controller so his daughter could use it to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on Nintendo Switch.

Rory Steel, who is the head of Jersey Digital Academy, tweeted his progress as he created a custom rig attached to the controller that Microsoft designed to “meet the needs of gamers with limited mobility.”

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His plan was to build a controller that made playing the Nintendo Switch accessible to his daughter, who Steel told Channel 103 has “fine motor neurone issues.”

He started with some electronic parts purchased from eBay and the Xbox Adaptive Controller.

This weekends project. Make a @Nintendo #switch accessibility controller for my daughter using @Microsoft #adaptiveController and some @eBay parts. pic.twitter.com/YHN38SG9dZ

— Rory Steel (@JerseyITGuy) January 18, 2020

He added a solid base for all the electronic parts that sits above the Xbox Adaptive Controller. That base holds two joysticks: one moving the playable character, the other moving the camera.

Controller success! Buttons tomorrow as I need a slightly larger drill bit than standard. Off the @BandQ then trials being in the morning. #accessibility @Nintendo #switch @Microsoft #adaptiveController pic.twitter.com/gxQPjZlP20

— Rory Steel (@JerseyITGuy) January 18, 2020

After getting more parts from a hardware shop, Steel added 16 buttons that go around the outside of the base, each with a different function.

That’s enough for tonight. Some serious soldering and wire management tomorrow morning for some game testing in the afternoon. My daughter is desperate to try but we’ve kept it a secret from her brother who’s been itching to play #ZeldaBreathoftheWild. @Nintendo @Microsoft pic.twitter.com/bgIC9h9aH3

— Rory Steel (@JerseyITGuy) January 18, 2020

After some “serious soldering and wire management,” Steel moved onto testing and then filmed his daughter’s reaction as she finally got to play Breath of the Wild.

Finished! Ava gives my homemade #accessibility controller V1.0 the thumbs up. She can play @Nintendo #BreathoftheWild on her #switch like her friends now. All thanks to @Microsoft #adaptiveController #XAC @brycej @ArranDyslexia @shanselman pic.twitter.com/dOhGnUFZa0

— Rory Steel (@JerseyITGuy) January 19, 2020

Steel’s weekend project has been noticed by head of Xbox Phil Spencer, who tweeted in response, “Incredible. And what a smile.”

He’s since been approached by Microsoft and Logitech, who want to help him build a higher-tech version 2.0 of his custom controller that could be used by other people with mobility impairments.

Steel told Channel 103 that he’s going to take the companies up on their offers, but adds “the project was always supposed to be something that anyone across the world could use. What I still want to do is a low-tech version, so people at home can have a go.”

We named the Xbox Adaptive Controller the most innovative piece of tech in 2018. Microsoft even went so far as to ensure the packaging it comes in is accessible for people with limited mobility.

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

Falcon Northwest, one of the most enduring names in custom-built gaming PCs, is celebrating. 2019 marked the 20th anniversary of its Talon mid-tower desktop, and the company released a new take on the design to make sure everyone knows it’s still looking good even after all these years. The 2019 Talon, which launched last November, is a pristine and powerful reminder that custom pre-built desktops can look sharp and deliver sharp performance.

Of course, that may be because the build I tested had more power than even the most intense gamer really needs, including AMD’s Ryzen 3950X processor and a pair of Nvidia GTX 2080 Super GPUs. Even configured with something more reasonable, though, the system’s design and build quality are undeniable across the board. For a novice PC builder like me, the 2019 Talon is a reminder that, with the high price tag, elite custom systems deliver a level of hardware polish most of us can only dream of.

Before I start, I want to give you a short outline of the specific system I tested.

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 16-core (3.49GHz)
• Graphics: 2 Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super Founder’s Edition GPUs connected with an Nvidia GeForce 3-slot NV Link bridge
• Memory: 32GB Gskill 3200 MHZ RGB DDR4
• OS: Windows 10 Pro
• Storage: 2 1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 Drives
• Rear Ports (Motherboard): 7 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 4 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 1 x 1Gb Ethernet, 1 x 2.5Gb Ethernet, 1 x Optical, five 3.5mm audio ports
• Top Ports (Case): 2 x USB-A 3.0, 1 x USB-C 3.1, audio out.
• Connectivity: 802.11ax (via Motherboard), Bluetooth
• Dimensions: 8.75” x 15.5” x 17.25”
• Price: $5,228 (Before shipping)

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Design & Features

The Talon is, by definition, an ATX mid-tower design. At 8.75” wide x 15.5” deep x 17.25” high, it skews slightly to the smaller side of the spectrum, but still requires a decent amount of space. Its size will catch you by surprise during set-up, though, as it’s surprisingly heavy.

To be the big differentiating factor for the Talon is the design of the mid tower PC case. The clean front panel is angled on either side to avoid too much boxiness. The black aluminum on the top and front – also the sides if you prefer metal panels to glass – looks clean and should match well with most desk setups and gear.

Speaking of the top panel, the Talon has four ports on top: Two USB 3.0, a USB-C 3.1 port, and the usual 3.5mm audio out. It’s all pretty standard, except for a small eccentricity: One of the USB ports was extremely tight, to the point where some cables and dongles could feel stuck, and required a lot of force to remove. As someone who’s constantly swapping things out of those ports, it was a little unnerving.

The more interesting (and practical) design magic happens when you start looking to the inside. The side panels, which you can swap between aluminum and tinted glass, open fully on both sides to provide full access to the interior. The doors are held shut magnetically, so it’s quick and easy to open a panel and get inside.

If you opt for glass, you’ll be treated to a fanciful, but understated light show. In this system, the Talon had nearly the maximum amount of RGB flash possible: Three RGB fans, Two RGB DDR4 DIMMs, plus the falcon logo on the cooling system. In a PC Gaming space where everything lights up, the lighting has a chill, subdued vibe rather than a red alert battlestation assault on the senses, especially when looking at it through tinted glass. As someone who both likes RGBs and thinks they can get a little gaudy, this struck a fine balance for me.

Once you open it up, you can see that it’s a bit of a full house in there. All the components – two GPUs, motherboard, two Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 drives, plus fans and cooling – are all neatly laid out in a very precise manner. The memory mirrors the logo on the Asus Crosshair VIII motherboard to create an aesthetically pleasing symmetry. That said, the space looks smaller than it is because of the PSU shroud, which also helps hide a lot of the cables and keeps a tight focus on the most interesting parts of the system.

No matter what configuration you choose, the Talon is built around its Asetek 680LS liquid cooling system, which, as I mentioned, sits front and center over the CPU. Asetek, a company that helps OEMs design their liquid coolers, doesn’t sell its parts directly to consumers, so while it is an off-the-shelf part, it isn’t something you or I would have access to when building at home. In general, the cooling works phenomenally well, keeping the heat down in almost every circumstance.

Let’s talk about configurability, post-build. While removing and replacing the cooler is easy enough, there isn’t much need to think about swapping out the motherboard or CPU, as doing so is tantamount to building a new PC in the same case. That said, the easy access afforded by the magnetic doors makes it incredibly easy to replace anything else – particularly the RAM or graphics card. If you’re building a more modest system – putting in 3.5” SSDs instead of M.2 drives, adding cards to PCIe slots, etc. – it should be relatively simple to get in and out without much hassle. Of course, if you start messing with Falcon’s cable management, there’s no guarantee that your system will ever look as good again. Just sayin’. (Clearly I’m telling on myself, here.)

When looking at pre-builts, no matter what’s inside – but especially with high-end systems – there’s always the nagging wonder if you could build it yourself for cheaper.  Even if you have the building skills to replicate what Falcon does here, the answer is not as clear as one might think. A cursory inventory of the off-the-shelf parts, not including a case or cooler, since those parts are bespoke, came out to $3,912. Assuming you buy similarly high-end parts, and you’re probably looking at a roughly $4,500 machine. So do custom parts, a three-year warranty, and high-quality labor make up the difference? If you’re already reaching that high a spend, I think it does.

Software

Like other custom-builders, Falcon Northwest doesn’t weigh its PCs down with much in the way of bespoke software. Because this system featured an Asus ROG motherboard, it came with Aura Sync, Asus’ RGB config software, which allows you to customize the lighting in your system. FalconNW set up the software in advance so all of the components were synced on first boot, which is very convenient.

Less exciting is Asus’ audio mixing program, RealTek audio control. While it does provide some advanced mixing options, it can be finicky and make simple things like plugging in a pair of headphones needlessly complicated. This isn’t really the fault of the system, of course, but it’s something to think about when choosing a motherboard.

Gaming

This Talon 20th Anniversary Edition has some of the best components that money can buy. So how do they stack up against the competition? Here’s what we found.
Benchmarks

• Price (as tested): $5,228.00
• GPU: RTX 2080 Super Founder’s Edition x 2
• Unigine Heaven 4.0: 8,153
• Far Cry 5: 107
• Hitman (2016): 108
• Rise of the Tomb Raider: 152
• 3DMark Time Spy: 20,167
• 3DMark Fire Strike: 33,541
• PCMark 8: 5,355

Given the price, it makes sense that the Talon delivers strong numbers in every test we tried. As I mentioned, in this configuration, this should be about as powerful a PC as you can jam into a mid-tower. I’m not 100 percent sure it clears that bar, but I’ve been very happy with the result of every performance challenge I put it through.

Some might argue that a PC this powerful really isn’t necessary for gaming. That you may make better use of its full powers if you’re streaming or editing video. On paper, there is some truth to that, but with next-gen consoles coming and obscenely demanding games like Red Dead Redemption 2 already here, I say that today’s “overpowered” is going to seem more like “Ultra-capable” 12-18 months.

Beyond the benchmark tests, I played a variety of games of all shapes and sizes to get a sense of how this rig handles different types of gaming. These are just some of the games I played:

• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
• Control
• The Witcher 3
• XCOM 2
• Teamfight Tactics

In every case, I played these games with all the graphics sliders turned all the way up, and still found myself getting high frame rates at both 1080p and 1440p. Modern Warfare runs at a locked 60 frames per second in both campaign and multiplayer, even with Ray Tracing on. The powerhouse, Control, ran at a surprisingly stable frame rate between 85-90fps at Ultra settings in DirectX11, and oscillated between 30-40fps in DirectX12 at the “high” ray tracing setting. (It held a much more pleasant 60fps if you dropped the ray tracing effects down to “medium.”)

It ran my Esport game of choice, Teamfight Tactics, at a 120-125fps for multiple games, without breaking a sweat.

Though I don’t have a proper 4K display to fully push the system to its limits, I’m confident based on the testing that the Talon will be able to run pretty much any game in 4K that’s properly optimized. (Though who knows what will happen if you jack up all the sliders on Red Dead Redemption 2 at that resolution and ride into the sunset.)

The Talon runs fairly cool and quiet under most circumstances. Other than when booting up or launching a game, I rarely noticed more than a small hum from the fans. Though it runs within a normal range, temperature-wise, I did notice the system getting very hot to the touch when playing a resource-intensive game for long stretches. I could feel the heat radiating off the glass panel sides after playing for a few hours, but there was never an issue with the PC overheating to the point where it impacted performance

Purchasing Guide

The Falcon Northwest Talon 20th Anniversary Edition is available now through the Falcon Northwest website. As I mentioned, getting one with the same specs as the one I used for this review will run you back a hefty $5,228. However, since Falcon machines are custom-built, you can create many, many configurations to fit your budget, the absolute cheapest of which starts at $2,298 with an Intel 4-core i3-9100 4.2 GHz processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB graphics card.

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With Black Widow finally set to star in her own solo MCU movie this year, super-spy-turned-assassin Natasha Romanoff has never had a bigger spotlight. What better time for Marvel Comics to launch a new ongoing Black Widow series. We can exclusively reveal that Marvel will be debuting a new volume of Black Widow in April, written by Kelly Thompson (Captain Marvel) and drawn by Elena Casagrande (Catwoman) and with cover art from Adam Hughes.

Marvel’s solicitation for Black Widow #1 teases:

Bestselling Eisner-nominated writer Kelly Thompson (CAPTAIN MARVEL; DEADPOOL) and rising star artist Elena Casagrande (CATWOMAN) launch a new BLACK WIDOW series that changes everything! Natasha Romanoff has been a spy almost as long as she’s been alive. And she’s never stopped running, whether she was working for the good guys…or the bad. But Natasha’s world is about to be upended. Beyond San Francisco’s Golden Gate lies a mystery that only the Marvel Universe’s greatest spy can solve. Don’t miss the heartbreaking thrill ride of 2020!

While Natasha has remained active in the Marvel Universe in recent years, even following her apparent death in 2017’s Secret Empire, it’s been a while since she’s starred in an extended solo series. We were able to chat with Thompson via email to learn more about this new book and whetehr Thompson feels she’s cracked the code for an ongoing Black Widow comic.

Thompson told us, “I think Black Widow is an incredibly rich character in that she works well in a lot of different genres, but that can also make her a little tricky – if you try to do too much with her instead of committing to a clear vision I think you can run into trouble. I’m very interested in the duality of Natasha… so look for that to be a recurring theme in this first arc as she struggles against that and leans into it.”

While the Marvel Universe will be a very busy place in 2020, especially with the buildup to the Empyre crossover this spring, Thompson says Black Widow is designed to be an accessible, standalone book. “We have some high profile guest stars (and of course some impressive villains) but this story has to stand on its own for a lot of reasons that will become clear immediately in issue one… which starts off feeling like a classic Natasha story and then quickly becomes quite unlike any story we’ve ever seen for her before.”

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According to Thompson, that theme of duality extends to the book’s visual style. Thompson teases “something we never get to see with Natasha… a softer side is maybe the best way to describe it? Elena is a super talent, but I think this is her strongest work to date. It’s incredibly bold and confident…which is exactly what a Nat book demands.”

Marvel is mostly keeping the plot of Black Widow under wraps for now, though they did indicate the first major story arc involves a group of villains forming an alliance with the shared goal of destroying Natasha Romanoff. However, Thompson says not to expect a story in the vein of Batman: Knightfall or Spider-Man: The Gauntlet, nor will all the villains be traditional Black Widow antagonists.

“What I can say is that while a couple of them are the villains you might expect in a Black Widow story, there are some curve balls in there too. I can also tease that the villains have a very unique approach to trying to take Nat out. And, as villains are wont to do, ultimately not all of them agree.”

The new series will draw at least some inspiration from the upcoming movie, as both Russian super-soldier Red Guardian and Natasha’s fellow Red Room recruit Yelena Belova will play a role in the book. Thompson admitted she was initially reluctant abut including Red Guardian, but the combination of editor Sarah Brunstead and seeing David Harbour in costume changed her mind.

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Thompson said, “Red Guardian and Yelena were characters I was on the fence about using, in part because while The Red Room and all of Black Widow’s history will always be important, I was interested in moving away from that stuff. Not because I don’t like it but just because I feel we’ve already seen it before. But I found a way that really made sense to include Red Guardian and Yelena that excited me… so that felt like the best of both worlds. Especially when it comes to Yelena I’m pumped about that development (and not just because I think actress Florence Pugh is incredible!).”

While many Black Widow stories have dealt with Natasha’s shadowy past and her often less than trustworthy memories, Thompson is adamant the new series will look forward, not back, as it chronicles this hero’s journey.

“We’ve all seen it before a bunch of times – in great stories and less great stories – I see no need to go there again. This story does play with memory and the very fabric of who Natasha is… but I think we’re doing it in a twisty new way that’s going to be a real emotional (and physical) journey for her and at the end of our first arc expect to see her left in a very different state than where she began…and I believe a bit of a different role than we’ve ever seen for Natasha before. It’s risky but I’m excited and with the incredible team we have on board I’m feeling confident we can pull it off. This is a story I’ve had in mind for Nat for years – it’s the kind of story – as fan – that I’ve always wanted to see.”

Black Widow #1 will hit stores in April 2020.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/14/marvel-studios-black-widow-legacy-featurette”]

For more big comic book news, find out the best-selling comics of the 2010 decade, see why DC is teasing the final battle battle between Batman and the Joker and learn why Empyre could offer a glimpse of the MCU’s future.

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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.

Disintegration, the new FPS from Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto and his studio V1 Interactive, will launch its first multiplayer beta on January 28 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

This is a closed beta, so you will need to be chosen to participate. You can sign up for a chance to get into the beta here on the Disintegration website.

The Disintegration beta will feature two modes and maps, as well as seven different “Crews,” which are different character roles featuring unique loadouts. The main hook of Disintegration’s multiplayer is its “Gravcycles,” which enable you to hover above the battlefield. While you’re shooting enemies mid-air, you’re also controlling ground units.

Check out the gameplay video above to get a closer look at at Disintegration’s multiplayer gameplay. The game also has a single-player campaign.

Joining Lehto at V1 Interactive is SOCOM director and co-creator Mike Gutmann. The studio is relatively small, as it describes itself as an indie outfit comprised of around 30 developers.

Disintegration is published by Private Division, the independent games label run by Grand Theft Auto parent company Take-Two. Private Division also published Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds and Assassin’s Creed creator Patrice Desilets’ new game, Ancestors.

Today’s spotlight deal is the Oculus Quest, which is back in stock on Amazon and still includes all three episodes of Vader Immortal for free. Apple AirPods are still 20% off (although not for long), there’s an incredible one-day sale on a very highly rated HDR-capable 75″ Vizio 4K TV, and an easy way to binge watch Star Trek: Discovery for free.

Free Vader Immortal with Oculus Quest VR Headset (Back in Stock on Amazon)

The Oculus Quest has been one of the hottest selling gaming peripherals over the holidays and it’s sold out practically everywhere. Although you can get it from Oculus directly, it ships out at in March. Amazon is the only vendor with an earlier ship date. For a limited time, purchase an Oculus Quest and you’ll get all three episodes of the Vader Immortal VR game.

There are many reasons why the Quest is the best VR headset to get right now. It’s completely untethered with no external sensors to set up, it’s powerful enough to play games like Vader Immortal, Beat Saber, and Pistol Whip, and it’s far less expensive than all the other newer generation VR headsets that have been released. An Oculus Link beta software is also out in the wild, which allows you to connect the Quest to a PC using a Type C cable and use it like a regular VR headset powered by your gaming PC.

• Get the 64GB model on Amazon for $399
• Get the 128GB model for $499

Newest Apple AirPods 2 Wireless Earphones for $129

It’s a bitter fight to the end to get Apple to drop prices on their very popular Apple Airpods. Today, the AirPods have dropped 20% off down to $129, which is the lowest price that we saw on Black Friday. These are truly wireless earphones with no cord connecting the two ear pieces. It also includes a charging case.

• Get it on Amazon for $129

Today Only: 2019 75″ Vizio P-Series Quantum P759-G1 4K Smart HDTV for $1199

The Vizio Quantum P-series is a higher end model over the M-series and a good choice for real image quality enthusiasts. Like the M-series Quantum it features full HDR support, a full-array LED backlight, and has SmartCast Smart TV functionality, but that’s where the similarities end. This TV boasts 200 local dimming zones, 1,100 nits of brightness, and a 240Hz refresh rate, perfect for sports, gaming, and anything else with fast movement.

• Get it on Amazon for $1199

1 Month Free Trial to Commercial-Free CBS All-Access (Normally 1 Week)

This is really simple to pull off. Create an account, select the No Commercials option, and at checkout, apply code “JANUARY”. Gain access to popular exclusive shows like Star Trek: Discovery and The Good Fight. Aftewards, you can renew for only $5.99/mo (or $9.99/mo for the ad-free option), or just cancel before your trial ends. The trial normally is for 7 days, and this 1 month extension usually only happens two to three times a year.

• Use code “JANUARY” to get a 1 month trial to CBS All-Access

Dell XPS 13 Touch 13-Inch 4K Intel Core i5 Laptop with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD (Lighter Than Macbook Air) for $849.99

Guaranteed you will not find another laptop with 4K touch display for this price.

• Use code “LTXPS133AFF” to get it at Dell for $849.99

EVOO Gaming 17-Inch 1080p 144Hz Intel Core i7-9750H GTX 1660 Ti Gaming Laptop with 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, RGB Mechanical Keyboard for $999

 If you’re looking for a 17″ gaming laptop, it’s hard to find a deal better than this. This EVOO laptop comes equipped with a 9th gen Intel Core i7 processor, RTX 2060 video card (which is better than the GTX 1060 or GTX 1660 Ti, and almost comparable to the GTX 1070), 16GB of memory, and a very generous 1TB solid state drive all for under $1K. It even sports a 144Hz refresh rate, THX tuned display and speakers, and an RGB mechanical laptop keyboard.

• Get it at Walmart for $999

$10.99-$12.99 Online Courses at Udemy

This sponsored deal is brought to you by Udemy.

Education isn’t cheap – and it’s usually very expensive – so don’t pass on this chance to get some accredited instruction for a really low price. Udemy courses run from $100-$200, but for a few days they start at $10.99. Udemy is one of the largest online course sites in the world, and there are tons of courses on relevant topics like computer programming, game design and development, tutorials on Photoshop, Maya, Premiere, and more.

• Online Learning Courses for $11-$13 at Udemy

WD Elements 8TB USB 3.0 Hard Drive for $114.99

This is the lowest price yet for an 8TB external hard drive. Even for those of you who don’t need this much storage, you might want to reconsider for 2020. The next gen games are going to be huge, especially if they’re going to be stuffed onto 4K discs, so you better get ready now. If it’s more than what you want, the 12TB model is also on sale.

• Get it on Amazon for $114.99

Just in Time for Super Bowl LIV: HDTV Deals With Bonus Gift Cards Are Back at Dell

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Dell offer free gift cards on top of HDTV discounts… not since Black Friday, actually. Because Dell matches the lowest prices found at competitors before factoring in the gift card, this is usually the cheapest way to score a specific TV model. The promotional gift card can be used on almost everything at Dell (computers, monitors, electronics, consoles, video games, etc) and carries a 90-day expiration.

• 65″ LG OLED65B9 4K HDR OLED Smart HDTV with $150 Gift Card for $1799 at Dell
• 55″ LG OLED55E8 4K HDR OLED Smart HDTV with $150 Gift Card for $1429 at Dell
• 75″ Sony XBR75X900F 4K HDR Smart HDTV with $400 Gift Card for $1698 at Dell
• 65″ Sony XBR65X900F 4K HDR Smart HDTV with $300 Gift Card for $1098 at Dell
• 55″ Sony XBR55X950G 4K HDR Smart HDTV with $250 Gift Card for $998 at Dell
• 86″ LG 86UM8070 4K Smart HDTV with $200 Gift Card for $1897 at Dell
• 75″ LG 75UM7570 4K Smart HDTV with $150 Gift Card for $999 at Dell
• 50″ Vizio V505-G9 4K Smart HDTV with $100 Gift Card for $289.99 at Dell
• 43″ LG 43UM6910 4K Smart HDTV with $25 Gift Card for $229.99 at Dell

Xbox One X Bundles Back Down to $349 on Amazon

The two most popular Xbox One X bundles are back down to Black Friday pricing. Score $150 off the normal retail price of the Xbox One X, plus get Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order or the entire Gears of War series for free. If you opt for the Gears of War bundle, you even get a limited edition themed console and matching controller.

• Get the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Bundle on Amazon for $349
• Get the Gears 5 Limited Edition Bundle for $349
• Get the NBA 2K20 Limited Edition Bundle for $341.92

Out 3/14: Nioh 2 Special Edition Now Up for Preorder (Includes Season Pass)

We rated Nioh an “Amazing” 9.6/10 and have high expectations for the sequel. This PS4 exclusive is out in two months and the Special Edition just went up for preorder this week. The Special Edition includes the game with steelbook case, season pass, and an art book for only $20 more than the base edition. Preorder it now and you’ll automatically be adjusted for any and every price drop the game might see before its release.

• Preorder the Special Edition on Amazon for $79.99
• Preorder the Standard Edition for $59.99

Homall Racing-Style Gaming Chair for $85.48

Clip the 5% off coupon on the product page to get the price of this chair down to the lowest it’s ever been on Amazon. This chair features leather upholstery with high density foam fill, included lumbar and headrest pillows, adjustable arm rests, up to 180-degree reclinability, quiet rubber casters, and a gas-lift that can support up to 300lbs. This is one of our picks for best gaming chairs of 2020.

• Get it on Amazon for $85.48

Binge The Mandalorian with Disney Plus Free Trial

Disney+ offers a 7-day free trial for you to decide whether or not you want to sign up for the service. The excellent Mandalorian Season 1 TV series is over. Considering the fact that it’s only comprised of eight 30-minute episodes, it’s super easy to run through it during the trial. The live action Aladdin just launched on D+, and The Lion King is coming later this month.

Afterwards you’ll be paying $6.99 per month (or better yet, get a  $69.99 annual subscription). You can also sign up for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ all for $12.99 per month. The included Hulu subscription is with limited commercials but there is a way to get ad-free Hulu.

• Sign up for Disney Plus

More Deals From Today:

• PS4 Slim with God of War, Last of Us, Horizon Zero Dawn for $249.99 at Best Buy
• 4-Pack Panasonic Eneloop Rechargeable Batteries for $17.14 on Amazon
• Buy 2 Get 1 Free on Select Video Games on Amazon
• EVOO 14″ Intel Celeron N Windows Laptop for $179 at Walmart
• EVOO 11.6″ Dual-Core Windows Laptop for $89 at Walmart
• The Dark Knight Trilogy in 4K UHD for $11.99 at Microsoft
• Seagate Barracuda 8TB Internal SATA Hard Drive for $129.99 at Newegg
• Star Wars The Black Series Luke Skywalker Helmet for $67.19 on Amazon
• 20% off Sale at Nike (use code “ALLYOU“)
• Lenovo Tab M8 8″ 1080p Tablet for $124.99 at Lenovo
• Kingston DataTraveler 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive for $3.99 on Amazon
• 65″ Hisense 65H6570F 4K Smart HDTV for $349.99 at Best Buy
• Fast & Furious 7-Movie Collection (Blu-ray) for $20.75 on Amazon
• God of War: The Card Game for $28.99 on Amazon
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Blu-ray) for $10 on Amazon

Video Game Deals:

• Splatoon 2 (Switch) for $41.99 on Amazon
• Arms (Switch) for $41.99 on Amazon
• Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition (Switch) for $41.99 on Amazon
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch) + $10 Best Buy Credit for $59.99
• Our World is Ended (Switch) for $19.99 at Gamestop
• Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (PS4 or Xbox) for $29.89 on Amazon
• Dragon Quest: Echoes of an Elusive Age (PS4) for $24.99 on Amazon
• FIFA 20 (PS4 or Xbox) for $26.66 on Amazon
• Injustice 2: Legendary Edition (Xbox) for $15.17 on Amazon
• Man of Medan (PS4 or Xbox) for $19.89 on Amazon
• Nier Automata (PS4) for $24.99 on Amazon
• Sid Meier’s Civilization VI (Switch) for $19.93 on Amazon
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (PS4 or Xbox) for $39.99 on Amazon
• The Outer Worlds (PS4 or Xbox) for $32.33 on Amazon
• Enter the Gungeon (PC) Free with Twitch Prime Membership

More Deals for January:

• LEGO Technic Compact Crawler Crane (920 Piece) for $79.99 on Amazon
• 55″ Vizio M-Series Quantum 4K HDR QLED Smart HDTV for $358 at Walmart
• Blue Microphone Yeti with Ghost Recon: Breakpoint for $99.99 at Best Buy
• 20% off Thousands of Used: Like New Items at Amazon Warehouse
• Aukey 2-Port USB Car Charger (2-Pack) $10.50 on Amazon (use code “OIIY7T8O“)
• Anker 2-Port USB Type C PD Car Charger for $17.99 on Amazon
• Aukey USB Type C PD Car Charger for $11.19 on Amazon
• Aukey 10,000mAh USB PD Power Bank for $20.99 on Amazon (use code “5UST2ZYM“)
• Anker Soundcore Mini Bluetooth Speaker for $16.99 on Amazon
• HTC Vive Pro Complete Kit for $1199 on Amazon
• Dell XPS 13 Touch 4K i7 with 2TB SSD  for $1399 at Dell (use code “LTXPS132AFF“)
• Samsung 32″ Curved 1080p Gaming Monitor for $149.99 at Walmart
• Spigen USB Type C to Apple Lightning Cable for $9.79 on Amazon
• Sony XBR75X900F 75″ 4K HDR Smart HDTV for $1698 on Amazon
• Newest Apple MacBook Pro 16″ Intel Core i9 Laptop for $2499 on Amazon
• Razer Tiamat 7.1 v2 Gaming Headset for $79.05 on Amazon
• MOTILE 14″ AMD Ryzen 5 Laptop for $319 at Walmart
• Sony XBR85X850G 85″ 4K Smart HDTV for $1998 at Walmart
• AmazonBasics AAA Rechargeable Batteries 12-Pack for $10.19 on Amazon
• Dell UltraSharp U2717D 27″ 2560×1440 IPS Monitor for $269.99 at Dell
• Buy 1 Dozen Donuts, Get Another 1 Dozen Free at Krispy Kreme
• Netgear Nighthawk AC1750 WiFi Router for $63.88 on Amazon
• LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Express 801-Piece Set for $63.99 on Amazon
• God of War Nendoroid for $19.99 on Amazon
• eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 11S Robot Vacuum Cleaner for $169 on Amazon
• Sony PS4 DualShock Controller in Black for $39.99 at Walmart
• Sony PS4 DualShock Controller in Glacier White for $39.99 at Walmart
• Sony PS4 DualShock Controller in Green Cambo for $39.99 at Walmart
• HP 25MX 25″ 1080p 144Hz 1ms FreeSync Gaming Monitor for $154.99 at Walmart
• 1 Month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $1 (New Customers) at Microsoft
• Gold’s Gym 20 Pound Weighted Vest for $19.99 at Walmart
• Philips Sonicare Essence Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush for $19.95 on Amazon
• Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM Portable Bluetooth Speaker for $39.99 at Best Buy
• Anker PowerWave Qi Wireless Charger for $11.99 on Amazon (use code “AKA25241“)
• LEGO Overwatch D.Va and Reinhardt for $23.99 on Amazon
• Razer Huntsman Elite Gaming Keyboard for $159.99 on Amazon
• LEGO Overwatch Watchpoint: Gibraltar for $58.99 on Amazon
• Apple Watch Series 3 GPS 38mm for $179.99 at Costco
• Apple Watch Series 3 GPS 40mm for $209.99 at Costco
• $60 Under Armour Gift Card for $50 at PayPal
• SNES Classic Edition for $69.99 at Nintendo
• NES Classic Edition for $49.99 at Nintendo
• SecretLabs TITAN 2020 Series Gaming Chair for $374 at SecretLabs
• $50 Nintendo eShop Gift Card for $45 at Costco
• Beats Studio3 Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones for $189.99 at Best Buy
• Game of Thrones Seasons 1-8 Collectors Edition Blu-ray $198 on Amazon
• TurboTax Deluxe + State 2019 for $39.88 on Amazon
• TurboTax Premier + State 2019 for $54.99 on Amazon
• Rick and Morty Seasons 1-3 on Blu-ray for $34.99 on Amazon

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Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends 25% of his pay on stuff he posts.