It’s safe to say IDW Publishing’s new miniseries The Last Ronin is among the most hotly anticipated comics of 2020. Not only does this series reveal the bleak future of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe, a la The Dark Knight Returns, it’s the first collaboration in years from original TMNT creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.
Just how dark do things get for the Heroes in a Half-Shell? Which TMNT icons are still left standing in this totalitarian future? Read on to learn more about the surprising twists in store, but beware of full spoilers for Last Ronin #1 ahead!
The Last Ronin #1 slowly gives readers a sense of how the world of TMNT has evolved over the course of several decades. And it’s not good, to put it mildly. Decades into the future, New York City has become a totalitarian sci-fi hellscape straight out of Akira or Blade Runner. Outside the city’s walls is a radioactive wasteland. Inside, New York’s citizens are dominated by the Foot Clan, which has only grown more powerful since the days of Shredder. The new Foot Clan leader rules with an iron fist, relying on an army of cyborg soldiers and Stockman Tech creations to ensure the wealthy elite are never threatened by the 99%.
Art by Kevin Eastman & Esau & Isaac Escorza/ (Image Credit: IDW)
Who is this new Foot Clan leader? None other than Oroku Hiroto, grandson to the original Shredder. As we learn, Hiroto is the bastard son of Shredder’s daughter Karai. Somehow he’s succeeded where his grandfather failed, killing three of the four Turtles and extending his clan’s grip over the entire city. Issue #1 shows the last surviving Turtle infiltrating the city and trying to assassinate Hiroto, only to be severely wounded and forced to retreat to the sewers. Unlike Shredder, Hiroto seems content to let his minions do the heavy lifting. We also learn Hiroto is keeping his mother preserved in cryogenic sleep
Who Is the Last Ronin?
It’s easy to forget that IDW never actually revealed the identity of the series’ main protagonist prior to the release of The Last Ronin #1. This grizzled character has abandoned his original bandana in favor of an all-black look and wields all four trademark TMNT weapons. Between his grim demeanor and the fact that he seems to favor a katana in most of the numerous variant covers for issue #1, it’s a logical assumption Leonardo is the one trying to avenge his fallen brothers. But that assumption is wrong, as we learn on the final page of issue #1.
Nope, this isn’t actually Leonardo. Art by InHyuk Lee. (Image Credit: IDW)
It’s actually Michelangelo who outlived his brothers and now yearns to restore his family’s honor. Clearly, his days as the family’s designated Party Dude are long behind him. Michelangelo appears to be haunted by the ghosts of his brothers, as several scenes feature him conversing with characters who linger just off-panel. After failing to kill Hiroto, Michelangelo returns to the sewers and attempts to commit seppuku with the broken remnant of Leonardo’s sword, only to pass out before he can do the deed.
After a brief hallucination where he’s reunited with his fallen brothers in their old home, Michelangelo awakens to find another familiar face. April O’Neil has also survived, even if she doesn’t look to be in much better shape than Mikey. But the good news is that our hero has at least one ally in his war with the Foot Clan. Will we see other TMNT favorites pop up over the course of the series, like Alopex or Casey Jones. Is the new female Turtle Jennika part of this alternate future universe? We’ll have to wait and see in future chapters.
If you’ve been waiting for the price to drop on LG’s fantastic OLED TVs during Black Friday, your wait is finally over. Prices have dropped starting today and Best Buy is, in my opinion, the best place to get an OLED TV. In other deal news, there are three big games coming out very soon and all have been discounted by 17%: Watch Dogs Legion (out tomorrow), Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla (out November 10), and Cyberpunk 2077 (out December 10).
LG CX Series 65″ 4K OLED TV for $1849.99
Best Buy is the only vendor that offers an extended warranty with OLED burn-in protection!
LG’s CX series OLED is the best TV you can get right now. No traditional LCD backlit TV compares in image quality (even, IMO, the QLED TVs). Best Buy’s Black Friday pricing for these TVs has started today for the 55″, 65″, and 77″ models, and it has never been cheaper. Best Buy is the best place to purchase a TV for one big reason: they are the only reputable vendor that offers an extended warranty with OLED burn-in protection. The cost of a 2yr extended protection costs $170 for the 55″, $230 for the 65″ and $400 for the 77″ models. In addition, the return policy has also been extended to January 16.
______________________________ Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends roughly 1/4 of his income on stuff he posts. Check out his latest Daily Deals Article and subscribe to his IGN Deals Newsletter.
If the impending return of Animaniacs on Hulu isn’t enough to quench your ’90s cartoon nostalgia, maybe the Tiny Toons can help. The beloved animated series is also due for a comeback in the form of Tiny Toons Looniversity.
Warner Bros.’ press release teases “They’re tiny. They’re toony. They’re back for a reboot-y,” so Looniversity appears to be a reboot of the original Tiny Toon Adventures rather than a continuation (not that the series was ever very plot-heavy). Tiny Toon Adventures originally ran from 1990 to 1992 and chronicled the misadventures of a new generation of toon students studying under the classic Looney Tunes cast. It later became a mainstay of the Kids’ WB animation block alongside Animaniacs, Batman Beyond, and other ’90s favorites.
The original series was also notable for being the first collaboration between Warner Bros. Animation and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, and Spielberg will return to executive produce Looniversity. Sam Register, President of Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, and Amblin Television Co-Presidents Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank are also serving as executive producers. Erin Nash (of the Throwing Shade podcast fame) is serving as showrunner, and she and Nate Cash (Adventure Time) are co-executive producing the series.
“For many kids, Tiny Toons was their introduction to the world of Looney Tunes and, over time, Buster, Babs, Plucky, and all the characters grew to be just as beloved by an entirely new generation,” said Register in Warners’ press release. “The continuation of our great creative partnership with Amblin Television will bring these characters back for fans of all ages to enjoy.”
“These smart, hilarious and cheeky characters have left an indelible impression on the childhoods of so many,” said Falvey and Frank. “We’re thrilled to be able to continue our relationship with Warner Bros. Animation, HBO Max, and Cartoon Network to reimagine the Tiny Toons for new audiences, and we know that fans of the original series will be just as excited to share the show with their children as they will be to revisit a childhood favorite.”
Tiny Toons Looniversity has been given a straight-to-series order for two full seasons and will air on Cartoon Network and stream exclusively on HBO Max. No release date has been revealed yet, and it’s unclear whether any of the original voice cast will return.
While Sony was especially tight-lipped about the PS5 until recent months, fans spent the last few years digging deep into the internet and uncovering the next best thing to official announcements: patent filings. While they don’t always come to fruition, the information found in patent filings steps beyond speculation and into the realm of legitimacy — they come straight from the console manufacturer, after all, and imply some level of time and resource investment from Sony.
Several patents were filed in the years leading up to PS5 that gave console enthusiasts plenty to chew on, ranging from conventional tech like the DualSense design to more outlandish ideas like an emotionally intelligent, robotic gaming buddy.
Now, with a much clearer picture of Sony’s PS5 plans, we’re revisiting 11 such filings to see which ideas have been realized and which have yet to come to pass.
Sony’s Black Mirror pitch patent for a robot companion capable of tracking a player’s emotional state was filed in 2018. The “human-type pet-type” robot (which, what does that even mean? Is it a pet that looks like a human, or does it look like a pet but have human intelligence? Sony is really getting close to the Malcolm Horizon here) would communicate empathy through an “interactive function to talk with the user” or possibly through autonomous movement thanks to an internal motor. It would also be capable of acting as Player 2, as “the opponent team of a baseball game,” per Sony’s example.
Further, the robot would potentially be capable of turning off its empathy simulation and “react[ing] against the user” when it “feels unpopular.” This could be the result of telling it to “be quiet,” kicking it, or not charging it in a timely manner.
While the concept is bizarre, there is a practical reason Sony would explore such a technology: improved user engagement. According to the filing, Sony expects a shared viewing experience — yes, even with a robot — would enhance “motivation for playing a game.”
STATUS: UNCONFIRMED
This technology is seemingly still in the conceptual phase — where it belongs.
Modifying Gameplay Based on Biofeedback
Another patent filed by Sony in 2018 details a “sensing apparatus and method” that would theoretically attach to controller grips — or, as the filing suggests, be placed over “commonly-used buttons” — and collect biofeedback such as a user’s heart rate or how much they’re sweating. The system would then “modify [the] user experience” based on the collected data.
The patent details several interesting ways that this could be used in games, including decreasing the number of enemies when a user becomes too frightened in a horror game (or increasing enemy counts when the player is “not experiencing emotional arousal”) or creating moments of passive player choice – for instance, a character might enter a fight or flight situation and react based on the player’s biofeedback info.
STATUS: UNCONFIRMED
The PS5’s DualSense controller does not allow for the collection of biofeedback, and Sony has yet to announce a peripheral that does. The filing mentions an increased desire for immersion in games, specifically referencing head-mountable displays (i.e. VR headsets), so if this ever comes to fruition, it could be as a peripheral for PSVR.
Data-driven Game Help
This patent for an AI tool details technology that would use player data to provide in-game guidance for specific objectives. The AI would process your data alongside that of other players who previously completed whichever part of the game you’re stuck on, then present you with resources used by successful players to complete that specific objective.
STATUS: CONFIRMED
In Sony’s PS5 UI reveal video, the company seemingly confirmed the AI tool detailed above, though it’s unclear if the hints are being generated by other users – like the notes system in Dark Souls or Bloodborne – or the developers themselves. Sony says it will be implemented in “some PS5 games,” though accessing it will require an active PS Plus subscription. The game help system detailed by Sony allows players to receive objective-based hints right from “the PS5 Control Center”, in the forms of written clues, screenshots, and videos.
This patent filing details “scene tagging,” a system that automatically generates metadata — “where the recording or screenshot was taken, who was included… and what objects are found” — for user-created gameplay videos and screenshots. The system would improve the PS5’s search functionality around user-generated content and theoretically “allow viewers to experience the same events that were recorded.” The patent also details a way in which players could “race against the ‘ghost’” of the user who uploaded the gameplay.
STATUS: UNCONFIRMED
Sony has confirmed its commitment to making user-generated content accessible on PS5 with the DualSense’s Create button, but as of October the company has yet to detail any systems that allow you to view user-generated content and jump directly into that scenario.
The PS5 UI reveal video did, however, show off a new feature called Activities that allows players to jump into specific gameplay modes or events. While the demonstrated Activity in Sackboy: A Big Adventure was presumably created by the developer, it’s not a massive leap to imagine a future in which Activities could be created based on user-generated content. This could be how Sony plans to let players “experience the same events” that others record, but for now, this feature remains unconfirmed.
The PS5 Controller Design
Sony filed a patent for a new controller design in March 2019, which was approved later that year. The patent drawings showed a controller that looked similar to the DualShock 4.
STATUS: CONFIRMED
The drawings submitted with the patent were confirmed to be accurate when Sony officially unveiled its official PS5 controller, the DualSense, a year later.
Filed in February 2020, this patent details a way for PlayStation accessories — DualSense, DualShock, Move Motion controllers, PSVR, etc. — to detect specific users based on controller position, orientation, or other data. The system would then prompt that player to sign into their profile.
STATUS: UNCONFIRMED
This technology has not been announced by Sony and, barring a last-minute announcement, won’t be built into the DualSense at launch.
A New Way to Reduce Loading Times
The oldest patent on the list, filed back in 2012, details a “system and method… for dynamically loading game software for smooth game play.” The system would essentially identify a load boundary within a game environment, then track player movement so that it knew when that boundary was near. At that point, it would load the next environment into a “standby” memory module to create a seamless transition once the boundary is crossed, effectively eliminating the need for “hidden” loading areas like Mass Effect’s elevators or Tomb Raider’s narrow passages.
STATUS: UNCONFIRMED
Speedy loading times are one of Sony’s major selling points for PS5. Lead system architect Mark Cerny previously detailed how PS5’s SSD allows for significantly reduced loading times for next-gen games, though he made no mention of the methodology detailed above. It’s possible that the speed at which the PS5 SSD can load data — “roughly 100 times faster” than PS4’s HDD, according to Cerny — rendered the now eight-year-old idea redundant.
Sony has yet to announce any such feature for the PlayStation 5 or PlayStation Network. Some games already have similar systems in place, such as Forza’s Drivatars on Xbox.
The PS5 UI
Sony provided a potential first-look at the PS5 UI through a patent filed in 2017. The patent drawings showed a PS4-like interface that breaks content down into subdivisions for games, internet, music, and more.
STATUS: PARTIALLY CONFIRMED
Sony recently revealed the official PS5 UI, and while the general layout is similar, it’s decidedly different from what was detailed in the patent. Game tiles in the patent filing, for example, displayed game-specific stats, hints, and videos; in the actual UI, game tiles show Trophy progress, Activities, and game-related news.
However, it does share one noteworthy similarity: games and media are broken up into separate sections within the UI, as suggested in the patent.
Hardware-Based Backward Compatibility on PS5
Also in 2017, Sony filed a patent that would allow PS4, PS3, and PS Vita games to run on new hardware, regardless of the architectural differences between systems. While the filing makes no reference to a specific console, “new hardware” was presumed to mean Sony’s next-gen console, now known to be the PlayStation 5.
STATUS: PARTIALLY CONFIRMED
Sony has announced PS5 will be backward compatible with the vast majority of PS4 games, though it won’t have support for PS3 or PS Vita titles, as suggested in the patent.
Sony also explored ways to make past generations of PlayStation games backward compatible via cloud streaming, according to a patent filing. “These games can be run on a virtual machine that mimics the operating system associated with each game console,” a translation of the filing reads.
STATUS: UNCONFIRMED
The PS5 is not launching with cloud-based emulation for PS3, PS2, or PS1 games, though the technology may surface in the future — perhaps as part of Sony’s existing cloud-gaming service, PlayStation Now.
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The PS5 will be released on November 12 in the U.S., Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and South Korea; it’ll come to all other territories a week later, on November 19.
As we near the end of October, Black Friday 2020 news is starting to ramp up, and as usual, that means retailers have begun to “leak” their Black Friday ads previewing some of the best upcoming deals. The latest store to do so is Costco, a wholesale retailer that’s always one of the biggest players during Black Friday, offering extremely low prices on TVs, smart devices, tablets, and sometimes even gaming consoles. Leaked via BestBlackFriday.com, Costco’s Black Friday 2020 ad teases deals that will begin as early as November 5, running all the way through Thanksgiving weekend and into Cyber Monday. As usual, Costco stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day (November 26), but online-exclusive deals will be available that day.
Costco Black Friday 2020 schedule
Costco’s Black Friday deals are broken into several batches, with the first two batches beginning November 5 and November 20. These are available both online and in stores, though please note that some deals have an early start date (sometimes exclusive to online)–these are indicated in the ad. Thanksgiving Day will feature online-only deals, including some of the best gaming deals. The final batch will become available on Black Friday itself and run through November 30 (Cyber Monday).
November 5-19: First batch of online and warehouse savings
November 20-30: Second batch of online and warehouse savings
November 27-30: Final batch of online and warehouse savings
Costco’s best Black Friday 2020 deals
Costco has Black Friday deals in pretty much every category–you’ll find deals on everything from vacuum cleaners and dishwashers to Christmas trees and bags of chips. On the gaming and tech side, though, there are a few deals that caught our eye, which we’ve broken out below. Note that the ad doesn’t always indicate what the discount is and sometimes only gives the sale price–on 4K TVs, for instance, this could be because it’s a Black Friday-specific model.
There’s an underwhelming Nintendo Switch bundle that includes the console with a carrying case and PowerA wireless Switch controller for $370–though we can’t tell which carrying case it is, there doesn’t appear to be any sort of savings for buying this bundle. That said, we don’t expect to see any outright discounts on the Switch this year, and we may even see another shortage going into the holidays. (The Switch is still available to buy on its own for $300 at Amazon and other stores, though with delayed shipping.) Switch memory cards also feature in the ad, including $10 off the officially licensed SanDisk 128GB card.
PC gamers have some nicer deals to pick from, including a Razer gaming bundle that comes with a keyboard, mouse, mouse pad, and gaming headset for $130. The LG 38-inch ultrawide WQHD curved gaming monitor will also be down to $1,300 from $1,600. Outside of gaming, the Costco Black Friday ad promises discounts on select Apple products, including the iMac and MacBook Pro, along with deals on Samsung 4K TVs, security cameras, and smart devices. Check out some of the best Costco Black Friday deals below, and see the full ad scan for a full overview of what Costco will have on offer.
Gaming
Nintendo Switch bundle: Includes the console, a carrying case, and a PowerA wireless Switch controller for $370 | online-only, Nov. 26 (Thanksgiving Day)
Nintendo Switch SanDisk microSD cards: Get $10 off a 128GB microSD card or $20 off a 256GB microSD card | online-only, Nov. 20
Razer Gaming bundle: Includes the Ornata RGB gaming keyboard, the Viper optical gaming mouse, the Gigantus XXL mouse pad, and the BlackShark V2 X gaming headset for $130 ($150) | starts online Nov. 26, in stores Nov. 27-30
Tech and accessories
Samsung 65-inch Class 4K LED TV — $480 | in stores and online Nov. 20-30, early start Nov. 11
Samsung 70-inch Class 4K LED TV — $630 | online-only Nov. 20-30, early start Nov. 14
Samsung 70-inch 4K QLED TV — $1,000 | in stores and online Nov. 20-30
Save on select Apple products — iMac, MacBook Pro, and AirPods shown in photo | starts online Nov. 26, in stores Nov. 27-30
Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones — $250 ($300) | starts online Nov. 26, in stores Nov. 27-30
Jabra Elite Active 75T True Wireless Earbuds — $150 ($200) | starts online Nov. 26, in stores Nov. 27-30
Blink 5-Camera Security System — $80 off | starts online Nov. 26, in stores Nov. 27-30
Ring Video Doorbell Pro with 1-Year Protect Plus — $80 off | online-only, Nov. 20-30
Fitbit Versa 2 Smartwatch with extra band — $50 off | starts online Nov. 22, in stores Nov. 27-30
Google Nest Learning Thermostat with temperature sensor — $50 off | starts online Nov. 26, in stores Nov. 27-30
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 bundle — $1,250 ($1,550) | in stores and online Nov. 20-30
Meet AMD’s newest graphics card, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT and Radeon RX 6800.
AMD came out swinging throwing down the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT’s big specs that includes 16GB of DDR6 video memory, 2015MHz Game Clock and 2250MHz Boost Clock, and 128MB Infinity Cache. With all this power the AMD Radeon RX 6800XT aims to deliver 4K gaming at the highest settings and it will compete directly with the Nvidia RTX 3080.
The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT will be $649 and the Radeon RX 6800 costs $579, both cards will release on November 18th.
The Pathless, which is hitting PS5 on launch day, Nov. 12, alongside PS4, PC, and Apple Arcade, will be getting multiple physical editions, as well as a vinyl soundtrack release. It’s also now available to preorder digitally across all platforms.
Publisher Annapurna Interactive and developer Giant Squid have teamed up with iam8bit for one of the two physical releases for the game, available for preorder starting today and set for release on Dec. 8. They include:
The former can be preordered via iam8bit, while the physical PS5 edition can be bought from various retailers via Skybound Games.
Additionally, Annapurna and iam8bit have collaborated for a vinyl soundtrack for The Pathless, featuring Journey and Assassin’s Creed Syndicate composer Austin Wintory’s score. The vinyl includes 2 xLP gatefold jacket, cleansed blue and cursed red vinyl, album art by Elaine Lee, mastering by Townsend Mastering, and can currently be preordered from iam8bit.
Call of the Sea was one of the more intriguing reveals at Microsoft’s third-party showcase back in May. It’s a first-person puzzle/adventure game set on a tropical island, in which you play a woman in 1934 investigating clues left by a previous voyage that caused her husband to go missing. Call of the Sea promises “an emotional, charming character study of a woman on a journey of self-discovery.” That woman, aka Norah, the protagonist you play as, is voiced by Cissy Jones, who you’ll remember from her award-winning performance as Delilah in 2017’s fantastic Firewatch.
Take a look at the opening 18 minutes of the game running on Xbox Series X in the video above. Call of the Sea is due out before the end of 2020 for Series X, Series S, Xbox One, and Windows PC.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.
Raven Software co-founder Brian Raffel has revealed details on the development of the classic shooter, Heretic, including a comment from id Software’s John Carmack that helped the team home in on the game’s signature style.
IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey sat down with Raffel to discuss Raven Software’s broad history in the latest episode of IGN Unfiltered, along with discussions on Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Hexen, Heretic, Soldier of Fortune, and more.
Heretic has long been described as ‘medieval Doom’ or ‘fantasy Doom,’ and those are apt descriptions. When asked where the idea for Heretic came from, Raffel said, “The big story there is, [id] wanted to work with us. They wanted to do a fantasy game. It didn’t start out to be a ‘Doom fantasy.’ We started… typical D&D players, we first started designing the game and we got super deep into all this… you know… your Strength, Wisdom… all the usual stuff. And, of course, it’s a credit to John Carmack, here. He said, ‘Just do it like Doom, and add the fantasy flavor.'”
The fantasy setting isn’t the only notable departure from the Doom formula, however, as the game’s protagonist could also fly, a power Doom Guy could only dream of. “I have to call out Chris Rhinehart, who was one of our programmers at the time. Kind of a funny story about the flying… it’s so true, so many of these stories are these ‘happy accidents…’ Chris came up with the idea of moving the horizon line just up and down. It wasn’t a real calculation of flying, it was a hack… That was such a big event for us, and that gave us our unique flavor.”
While Heretic did get several follow-ups, whether they carried the Heretic or Hexen name, Raffel did comment on the possibility of a modern series entry or reboot. “Never say never… We get a lot of requests for it, for sure and, of course, I’d always love to do it. That’s for another day, I guess… We’ll see.”
In addition to his roles as Producer and Creative Director, Raffel humorously noted id Software co-founder John Romero bought the team at Raven their first work refrigerator, which was a big deal for them. “People don’t understand what game development was back then, but it was five guys in a basement. You go to Sam’s Club and get a case of Coke and chips, and you just sat at your desk all day… Those were fun days.”
For more interviews with the best, brightest, most fascinating minds in the games industry, check out be sure to check out every episode of IGN Unfiltered, which includes talks with The Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley, Master Chief co-creator Marcus Lehto, 343’s Bonnie Ross, Valve’s Robin Walker & Chris Remo, Respawn’s Stig Asmussen, and so many more.
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Brian Barnett writes wiki guides, deals posts, features, and much more for IGN. You can get your fix of Brian’s antics on Twitter and Instagram (@Ribnax).
