CD Projekt Red debuted the first installment of its new ongoing video series, Night City Wire, offering an extended look at Cyberpunk 2077 ahead of its planned launch later this year. And the studio will have more to share shortly. At the end of the first episode for Night City Wire, CD Projekt Red confirmed the next episode will debut "in just a few weeks," but did not yet give a specific date. Thankfully, we got a ton of new Cyberpunk 2077 details to hold us over until then, and we also learned about a new Cyberpunk anime for Netflix set to debut in 2022. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cyberpunk-2077-night-city-wire-screenshots&captions=true"] Along with the first episode of Night City Wire, IGN went hands-on with Cyberpunk 2077 — here's what we thought after four hours of Cyberpunk 2077 hands-on, and why we can't wait to keep exploring Cyberpunk 2077's Night City. Cyberpunk 2077 was recently delayed until November, with the studio saying, "At the time we are writing these words, Cyberpunk 2077 is finished both content and gameplay-wise. The quests, cutscenes, the skills and items; all the adventures Night City has to offer - it's all there. But with such an abundance of content and complex systems interweaving with each other, we need to properly go through everything, balance game mechanics and fix a lot of bugs. A huge world means a huge number of things to iron out and we will spend the additional time doing exactly that." CD Projekt Red has previously confirmed Cyberpunk 2077 will be coming to next-gen consoles, and will be backward compatible on both PS5 and Xbox Series X. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/cyberpunk-2077-how-2-ign-editors-played-it-differently"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Update 08/06: CD Projekt Red has announced that the next episode of Night City Wire - the  stream that deep-dives new details about Cyberpunk 2077 - will air next week.

Join us on Monday, August 10 at 6PM CEST, at https://t.co/y8iUIM0gBv for episode 2 of Night City Wire! This time we'll share details about lifepaths, show you the types of weapons you will be using in the game, and discuss Refused's transformation into SAMURAI! #Cyberpunk2077 pic.twitter.com/n3LFFocbVI

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) August 6, 2020

On Monday, August 10 at 6pm CEST / 9am PT, Night City Wire will offer new details about lifepaths (essentially classes), different weapon types, and the transformation of Refused into Samurai. [poilib element="accentDivider"] CD Projekt Red debuted the first installment of its new ongoing video series, Night City Wire, offering an extended look at Cyberpunk 2077 ahead of its planned launch later this year. And the studio will have more to share shortly. At the end of the first episode for Night City Wire, CD Projekt Red confirmed the next episode will debut "in just a few weeks," but did not yet give a specific date. Thankfully, we got a ton of new Cyberpunk 2077 details to hold us over until then, and we also learned about a new Cyberpunk anime for Netflix set to debut in 2022. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cyberpunk-2077-night-city-wire-screenshots&captions=true"] Along with the first episode of Night City Wire, IGN went hands-on with Cyberpunk 2077 — here's what we thought after four hours of Cyberpunk 2077 hands-on, and why we can't wait to keep exploring Cyberpunk 2077's Night City. Cyberpunk 2077 was recently delayed until November, with the studio saying, "At the time we are writing these words, Cyberpunk 2077 is finished both content and gameplay-wise. The quests, cutscenes, the skills and items; all the adventures Night City has to offer - it's all there. But with such an abundance of content and complex systems interweaving with each other, we need to properly go through everything, balance game mechanics and fix a lot of bugs. A huge world means a huge number of things to iron out and we will spend the additional time doing exactly that." CD Projekt Red has previously confirmed Cyberpunk 2077 will be coming to next-gen consoles, and will be backward compatible on both PS5 and Xbox Series X. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/cyberpunk-2077-how-2-ign-editors-played-it-differently"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Cyberpunk 2077 got a brand new reveal today through the Night City Wire, a digital livestream event diving deeper into CD Projekt Red's upcoming RPG. There was a new trailer, a new gameplay dive, and a look at the Cyberpunk Braindance feature. Cyberpunk 2077 will be released on November 19 for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and an enhanced version will be released later for PS5 and Xbox Series X. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cyberpunk-2077-night-city-wire-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]

New Cyberpunk 2077 Trailer From Night City Wire

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/25/cyberpunk-2077-night-city-story-trailer"]

What Is Braindance in Cyberpunk 2077

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/25/cyberpunk-2077-braindance-gameplay-trailer"]

• Braindance is a recording of somebody else's experience and lets you live through their memories.
• Their sights, smell, sounds, everything will be experienced by you through Braindance.
• In an extended gameplay preview, the V was shown living through the memory of someone else's robbery on a grocery store.
• In an analysis mode, V was able to explore the same scene but this time as an observer. They could move a camera around and analyze the memory from a new perspective.
• It's almost like a detective mode.
• Braindance was created in UC Santa Cruz (go Banana Slugs!) as a therapy method.
• It was later used for more carnal thrills.
• There are negative side-effects like Flatlining where someone can die while Braindancing.
• CD Projekt Red says Braindance will be an important storytelling device to explore the world's history, philosophy, and different factions.

Cyberpunk 2077 Gameplay Features Shown During Night City Wire

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/25/cyberpunk-2077-developer-qa"]

• The player will be working with a character named Jackie on a hunt for a legendary chip of "immortality."
• Jackie introduces the player to a fixer that will introduce them to new chips and enhancements.
• The Moxx is one of the gangs the player will encounter in Cyberpunk 2077 and craft a unique relationship with them.
• Outside of the city walls is a district called "The Badlands." It's an open, desert-like space filled with unique encounters called "moments."
• The Adam Smasher is a big, modified enforcer introduced in the Cyberpunk tabletop RPG and now in the game.
• Ripper Docs are different backstreet doctors in Night City that will enhance your character with new body mods.

Cyberpunk Edgerunner Anime Announced with Trigger and Netflix

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/25/cyberpunk-edgerunners-anime-official-announcement"]

• CD Projekt Red announced a new Cyberpunk anime that's being produced by Studio Trigger for Netflix.
• CD Projekt says development on the anime has been in the works for quite some time
• Akira Yamaokoa, the composer on the Silent Hill series, will be composing music for the anime.

Be sure to check out our Cyberpunk 2077 preorder guide to see which version or edition is right for you, and read our Cyberpunk 2077 preview as well as what we found while exploring Night City. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Cyberpunk 2077 got a brand new reveal today through the Night City Wire, a digital livestream event diving deeper into CD Projekt Red's upcoming RPG. There was a new trailer, a new gameplay dive, and a look at the Cyberpunk Braindance feature. Cyberpunk 2077 will be released on November 19 for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and an enhanced version will be released later for PS5 and Xbox Series X. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cyberpunk-2077-night-city-wire-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]

New Cyberpunk 2077 Trailer From Night City Wire

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/25/cyberpunk-2077-night-city-story-trailer"]

What Is Braindance in Cyberpunk 2077

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/25/cyberpunk-2077-braindance-gameplay-trailer"]

• Braindance is a recording of somebody else's experience and lets you live through their memories.
• Their sights, smell, sounds, everything will be experienced by you through Braindance.
• In an extended gameplay preview, the V was shown living through the memory of someone else's robbery on a grocery store.
• In an analysis mode, V was able to explore the same scene but this time as an observer. They could move a camera around and analyze the memory from a new perspective.
• It's almost like a detective mode.
• Braindance was created in UC Santa Cruz (go Banana Slugs!) as a therapy method.
• It was later used for more carnal thrills.
• There are negative side-effects like Flatlining where someone can die while Braindancing.
• CD Projekt Red says Braindance will be an important storytelling device to explore the world's history, philosophy, and different factions.

Cyberpunk 2077 Gameplay Features Shown During Night City Wire

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/25/cyberpunk-2077-developer-qa"]

• The player will be working with a character named Jackie on a hunt for a legendary chip of "immortality."
• Jackie introduces the player to a fixer that will introduce them to new chips and enhancements.
• The Moxx is one of the gangs the player will encounter in Cyberpunk 2077 and craft a unique relationship with them.
• Outside of the city walls is a district called "The Badlands." It's an open, desert-like space filled with unique encounters called "moments."
• The Adam Smasher is a big, modified enforcer introduced in the Cyberpunk tabletop RPG and now in the game.
• Ripper Docs are different backstreet doctors in Night City that will enhance your character with new body mods.

Cyberpunk Edgerunner Anime Announced with Trigger and Netflix

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/25/cyberpunk-edgerunners-anime-official-announcement"]

• CD Projekt Red announced a new Cyberpunk anime that's being produced by Studio Trigger for Netflix.
• CD Projekt says development on the anime has been in the works for quite some time
• Akira Yamaokoa, the composer on the Silent Hill series, will be composing music for the anime.

Be sure to check out our Cyberpunk 2077 preorder guide to see which version or edition is right for you, and read our Cyberpunk 2077 preview as well as what we found while exploring Night City. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, an anime set in the universe of Cyberpunk 2077, has been announced for release on Netflix in 2022. Announced during today's Night City Wire broadcast, Edgerunners will be set in the game's Night City, but will focus on different characters, and with a different story. According to a press release, Edgerunners "tells a standalone, 10-episode story about a street kid trying to survive in a technology and body modification-obsessed city of the future. Having everything to lose, he chooses to stay alive by becoming an edgerunner—a mercenary outlaw also known as a cyberpunk." CD Projekt Red will act as producer on the series, with Studio Trigger working as the animation studio, and Hiroyuki Imaishi (Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill, Promare) directing. Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka will compose the score. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/cyberpunk-edgerunners-anime-official-announcement"] Cyberpunk 2077 game director Adam Badowski has said: “We are so excited to finally reveal that we are working on an anime in the Cyberpunk world. We’ve devoured just about all the cyberpunk fiction there is to watch, read, and play; it’s a genre that leaves so much room for creativity, and has had such a strong influence on us. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is our love letter to cyberpunk as a whole, and to stories told in animated form.” Studio Trigger CEO Masahiko Otsuka added: “We at TRIGGER are thrilled to work with CD Projekt Red to create a brand-new story set in the world of the highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077. It’s a huge challenge to adapt this universe into an anime, but we are eager to face it head-on. I’ve always loved cyberpunk as a genre, but always found it difficult to create as an original work. This is why I’m very excited to be working with CD Projekt Red on this project. It won’t be easy to please both game and anime fans, but I love a challenge, and I’m looking forward to the production. We’ll do our best to meet and exceed expectations.” Edgerunners was far from the only thing shown - here's everything shown at the Cyberpunk 2077 Night City Live livestream. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cyberpunk-2077-night-city-wire-screenshots&captions=true"] Be sure to check out our Cyberpunk 2077 preorder guide for a breakdown of the different editions and prices, and read our Cyberpunk 2077 preview as well as see what we found while exploring Night City. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, an anime set in the universe of Cyberpunk 2077, has been announced for release on Netflix in 2022. Announced during today's Night City Wire broadcast, Edgerunners will be set in the game's Night City, but will focus on different characters, and with a different story. According to a press release, Edgerunners "tells a standalone, 10-episode story about a street kid trying to survive in a technology and body modification-obsessed city of the future. Having everything to lose, he chooses to stay alive by becoming an edgerunner—a mercenary outlaw also known as a cyberpunk." CD Projekt Red will act as producer on the series, with Studio Trigger working as the animation studio, and Hiroyuki Imaishi (Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill, Promare) directing. Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka will compose the score. Developing...

Echtra Games' Max Schaefer and Matt Uelmen, two leading members of the development team responsible for Diablo II, say more build variety, dynamic music generation, and a "community feel" are just a few ways Torchlight III differs from what they've done before. In this episode of IGN Unfiltered, Ryan McCaffrey spoke with Schaefer and Uelmen about Torchlight III, Diablo 2, creating iconic video game soundtracks, and much more. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/13/torchlight-3-steam-early-access-trailer-pc-gaming-show"] When asked about the lessons Torchlight III learned from Diablo II and other previous titles, Schaefer said, "A couple big ones... First, even in the Diablo days... it was multiplayer, but you didn't really get a sense of a shared world. "You'd party up with people and go off and you were the humans in the world that were doing things. So [in Torchlight III]... some of the MMO-y elements like a shared town and shared instances, where you'll see other players, gave it a more community feel. We always wanted to do that with Diablo, and we're able to do it now with Torchlight. "The other thing is, we have a very innovative 'Fort' system in the game, and it isn't just player housing, where you store your trophies and stuff. It is that, and it is something you can decorate ad nauseam... but it also has profound gameplay implications. So your whole account has a Fort, and things you do in your Fort (in some cases) give you bonuses to all of your account's characters. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/23/torchlight-iii-your-fort-your-way-trailer"] "For example, you can plant a Luck Tree in your fort, and by feeding the Luck Tree magic items, you grow the Luck Tree, and that gives all of your characters a Magic Find bonus. So all of your guys can have a little bit better Magic Find the more you grow your Luck Tree. "The other cool thing about this is that we put people's Forts kind of randomly throughout our world, so as you progress through our story, you will come upon other people's Forts... If they have, for example, grown a Luck Tree, you can use it kind of like a Shrine and get a temporary Magic bonus by sacrificing one of [your] magic items to it. "Then, for the next 5 minutes of gameplay, [you] will have a little bit of a Magic boost... and [you] can use their Enchanting Table, and things like that, and use the recipes they've unlocked at their Enchanting Table. So it's worth [your] while to explore their Fort and see what they have to offer, and that's another thing that is kind of tying the whole group of players together, that we were never able to do in our previous iterations." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="legacyId=20088065&captions=true"] Uelmen, Diablo and Torchlight's composer, also shared his thoughts, saying, "For me, personally, my main differentiator was the interactive stuff I was talking about before... I could make a truly interactive soundtrack... We're [also] being pretty ambitious with game mechanics and skills. In this title... all four classes are very distinctive, and they all have... three or four parallel tracks of skills that... are attached to your relic item... "I don't want to give away spoilers, or too many details of the game... Torchlight III might seem like a relatively vanilla-ish ARPG on the surface, but there is a lot of stuff," Uelmen continued. "Things like the action music. There's a lot of subtle stuff that I did... subtle things around the formula that we tried to develop. "Hopefully, people appreciate that... [For example,] even though it's not a noticed discrete event... the way I used randomization in the soundtrack helps kind of push the art form along to a new state, where we expect action soundtracks to have randomized elements and... it makes the old paper loop seem old. That was my goal, music-wise." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/17/torchlight-frontiers-railmaster-class-reveal-trailer"] In addition to more dynamic music generation and building a feeling of community among players, Schaefer highlighted build variety as one of the highlights of Torchlight III. "Yeah, the approachability of the game shouldn't be confused with a lack of depth. "I think that we have more variety in the kind of builds you can make with your character than any game that we've done previously... just by the combination of mechanics. It actually is really, really deep and it's been really fun to explore in different ways than just having a big skill tree full of useless skills, to make variety in your builds." For more interviews with the best, brightest, most fascinating minds in the games industry, check out every episode of Unfiltered, which features candid conversations with Master Chief co-creator Marcus Lehto, 343's Bonnie Ross, Valve's Robin Walker & Chris Remo, Respawn's Stig Asmussen, and so many more.

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

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).

Past showcases and hands-on opportunities for Marvel’s Avengers have often offered more questions than answers. The A-Day Avengers demo that debuted at E3 2019 introduced most of the main cast of Marvel heroes, but it didn’t give much of a sense of how a normal level, or even a less scripted scenario, might play out. And while subsequent info reveals at Gamescom, PAX West, and New York Comic-Con told us about the depth to which players will be able to customize each hero, it didn’t really show, practically, what that might mean. Thankfully, I recently went hands-on with both the Thor level showcased in the recent Marvel’s Avengers War Table presentation, and the preceding level focused on Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan. I’ve got a much better sense of how that hero versatility can be applied to playing, what an actual level and more free-form combat scenario might look like, and, most excitedly, an itch to keep playing and experimenting with different hero builds. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvels-avengers-playstation-5&captions=true"]

What We Played of Marvel’s Avengers

My time with Marvel’s Avengers focused on two back-to-back single-hero campaign levels which flowed right into one another. I played as Kamala first, making my way around a helicarrier mid-destruction. I spent most of that level in the interiors of the ship, all shiny and chrome and frequently on fire. The demo then took me topside for some hands-on time as plain-clothes Thor (using his old comic book alias Donald Blake), in which I dealt with larger, mechanical foes alongside Iron Man and Hulk. Before both levels, I dove into Marvel’s Avengers’ secret weapon, its many skill trees and gear options, while feeling like I’ve only just scratched the surface of its hero customization. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/marvels-avengers-thor-8-minute-gameplay-reveal"]

Learning the Ropes and Riding the Lightning

As has become relatively standard for action games, particularly superhero ones, each hero in Marvel’s Avengers has a light attack, heavy attack, and dodge. Yes, the Arkham style is still alive and serves the various heroes well to keep a familiarity across them, but not necessarily a sameness. Playing as Kamala and Thor offered two quite different combat experiences, as did playing with different builds of each. Kamala, fighting in closer quarters than Thor does in his level, required me to constantly be moving for fear of having enemies surround and corner me. Kamala’s extendable limbs are certainly gangly, and offered a more improvisational tone to her combat scenarios that felt befitting of the character. She’s still learning the ropes — and those ropes are sometimes literally her own arms — and I was frequently surprised and delighted by Kamala’s moveset. It remained endlessly entertaining to smack enemies against the wall with an embiggened hand, or to pull off a somewhat ranged attack, using her punches as essentially projectiles I could shoot out and quickly recall to fight flying foes. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvels-avengers-a-day-gameplay-trailer-screenshots&captions=true"] Thor, meanwhile, who delighted me in the A-Day demo, remains an early favorite hero of mine for the game. He’s appreciably reminiscent of how Kratos handles in the new God of War — not a huge surprise given that that game’s systems designer behind the Leviathan Axe is now the lead combat designer on Avengers — with his hammer Mjolnir able to be tossed and hailed back with a satisfying button press. But obvious Kratos parallels aside, Thor’s combat also clearly takes inspiration from his comic and film appearances, and I found him most fun to play as soon as I figured out how to use his fists and Mjolnir in tandem to deal with swarms of enemies. It also doesn’t hurt that I could more easily get away from any particular skirmish given that he can hover and fly out of a battle. Both characters demonstrated that there’s a lot more than the Arkham-style system at play. Perfect dodges open enemies up more to an attack, while some of the abilities I could gain for either hero even let me take more advantage of a well-timed dodge. Similarly, some of the upgrades at the earlier levels of the skill trees allowed me to create new combos, flesh out attacks, and really take advantage of each hero’s powers. Kamala has a particularly great variation of her heavy attack that uses her two embiggened and stretched out arms for stability as she rockets outward with both legs for a massive, embiggened kick. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/04/marvels-avengers-kamala-khan-embiggen-trailer-nycc-2019"] Meanwhile, with Thor, I found I could careen into the midst of battle and lay waste to foes with close-up attacks specced out one way, while in another I found it better to hang back, picking off weaker enemies with hammer throws, and then calling it back so it zoomed into other enemies on the return before going in for a bigger attack. The underlying system that unites the heroes is simple yet malleable enough to let developer Crystal Dynamics make each of the heroes perform differently. And while I have to wait to see how the rest of the heroes hold up on extended play, the possible variety has me thrilled both as a Marvel and superhero game fan.

Skill Trees and the Pick-3 System

Each hero will, like any good action-RPG, have a series of skill trees that players can dump points into over time, and Avengers is no exception. But it’s the layers upon layers of skill trees where things start to get interesting. Every hero will have a base set of skills related to their various attacks, and as players find what works for them with each classic Marvel icon, they can begin to hone in on those focuses. With Thor, for example, I had a Primary set of four skill trees that let me upgrade light and heavy attacks, which were then followed by another set of four Specialty skill trees to even further specialize Thor. Did I prefer a god of thunder who relied on close-up, quick hammer strikes, one who worked from afar by flying around and throwing his hammer; or even one with amped-up lighting powers that essentially turned him into the hero we saw in the Led Zepplin scene from Thor: Ragnarok? [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/marvels-avengers-combat-explainer"] These skill trees really allowed me to expand his arsenal of attacks in the direction I wanted, but even further than that is the Mastery skill tree level, which allows you to unlock abilities and then choose from one of three different variations to have equipped at any one time. While this will certainly come into play more when playing co-op, I still loved messing around with these options during my multiple playthroughs of Thor’s level. One ranged Mastery ability, for example, let Thor’s hammer throw shoot out an AOE-bit of lightning once it impacted a surface or allowed me to manually target enemies as I spun it around and prepped a shot. One’s obviously better for picking off single enemies while the other can be more for crowd control. Other abilities included being able to hold multiple charges of his heroic ability, a powerful finisher-like move that proved devastating against the biggest foes when I had two or even three in reserve. I could also imbue more lightning in his melee attacks once I threw the hammer, leading to that “Immigrant Song” scene experience. Conversely with Kamala, I could focus on her Embiggen ability, and choose skills that allowed her to remain in her embiggened state for longer with each successful hit. I could even turn her into quite a strong ranged character, throwing skill points into an ability that allowed her to stretch out her arm and an embiggened hand to squash foes against the wall. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=It%20is%20endlessly%20entertaining%20to%20squash%20foes%20with%20Kamala's%20embiggened%20hand."] And while I didn’t have a huge war chest of gear to pull from, I did get to see how the combination of gear with certain abilities could make for more varied combat. Certain gear will imbue specific attacks with various status effects, and while there are obvious ones like freezing and burning, Avengers will also introduce Pym, Gamma, and Celestial statuses. I primarily witnessed Pym-affected gear, which in living up to its Marvel name, allows players to temporarily shrink down enemies with a successful number of attacks. That’s right, in the midst of combat, you could just shrink down some enemies, which 1) makes Kamala’s embiggened hands and feet even more deadly and 2) is one of the many entertaining touches that I hope will keep fights fresh playing through the campaign and in Warzone/co-op missions. Combat depth became a lot more apparent to me as I tried out different abilities between runs, focused on fine tuning my hero builds, and really testing out what these specializations can do. It’s a testament to Crystal Dynamics’ work, at least in these levels, that I never felt at a loss with my abilities focused one way or the other.

A Sense of Level Design

Both levels also offered an indication of what Avengers’ campaign scenarios will actually play like, rather than the more orchestrated A-Day demo. While Thor’s sequence was entirely combat focused, I could fly around the whole of the Helicarrier deck freely, picking up health canisters, running to and from different battles to help AI-controlled Hulk or Iron Man, and just generally take in the scene. In Kamala’s level, though, which led me through corridors and expansive rooms, I found chests strewn about — and though these were pretty obvious, I was told other levels would have much more secreted away chest locations, and a nice balance between combat, traversal, and a sparingly used quick-time moment that offered one of Kamala’s best moments in the demo. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/marvels-avengers-summer-of-gaming-interview"] So yes, while there were some more authored moments, neither level felt nearly as constricted and focused as the A-Day demo, which, while obviously a tutorial, has been the only long stretch of gameplay we’ve seen until now. [poilib element="accentDivider"] My time with Marvel’s Avengers offered a fun, albeit fast, look at how Marvel’s Avengers’ campaign is treating each hero as their own protagonist, and building something much larger to thread them all together in one cohesive story. There’s plenty more to discuss, from how gorgeous the two levels looked, to the funny banter of its protagonists, and more. But one of my biggest takeaways from the two was that playing as these separate heroes felt different, but both were still fun to play in their own right, and had me eager to spend more time with them. That’s obviously going to be key for a live-service game meant to keep bringing players back. There’s so much more heroes, skills, gear, and levels to see, which will ultimately determine if everything Crystal Dynamics is putting together remains successful in the long run, but like Kamala often feels after seeing her heroes in action, this hands-on with Marvel’s Avengers certainly filled me with hope for the future. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Marvel's Avengers is our IGN First game for July. Stay tuned for more in the weeks to come as we dive deeper into the heroes and world of Crystal Dynamics' ambitious Marvel game. Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and will find any excuse to talk about Thor: Ragnarok. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Netflix has officially made a deal with the devil, as Lucifer has been resurrected for a sixth and "final" season. Announcing the news on Twitter, the streaming giant claimed that the "devil" made them extend the supernatural series for a "sixth and final season," emphasizing that it would be the "FINAL final" chapter.

the devil made us do it. #lucifer will return for a sixth and final season. like, FINAL final. pic.twitter.com/o27z6ToMaV

— Lucifer (@LuciferNetflix) June 23, 2020

Many Lucifans have been actively following developments leading up to the highly-anticipated "fifth and final season," having successfully campaigned for the devil's reign to continue following the show's cancellation by Fox after just three seasons on the air. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-netflix-original-movies-and-tv-shows&captions=true"] Earlier this year, Tom Ellis reportedly closed a deal to return as the title character in a potential sixth season. Executive producers Ildy Modrovich and Joe Henderson were also reported to have inked new deals for another run of the supernatural series, which is very loosely based on Neil Gaiman's depiction of the Devil from the Sandman comic book and its spinoff Lucifer. For now, though, we already have a date with the devil, as Lucifer Season 5: Part 1 lands on Netflix on August 21. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Microsoft has provided a deeper explanation of its Optimized for Xbox Series X tag, explaining that games badged this way will have been specifically built for the next-gen console, with a variety of benefits. In a new Xbox Wire blog post, it's explained that games with the Optimized for Series X badge have to have been "either natively designed or fully rebuilt" for Xbox Series X. Brand new games built natively include Halo: Infinite and Assassin's Creed Valhalla, while enhanced games include Gears 5. IGN's Bo Moore spoke to one of Xbox Series X's lead engineers, Jason Ronald about the definition of the term, which you can watch below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/25/what-optimized-for-xbox-series-x-really-means-according-to-microsoft"] The post breaks down a series of benefits to Optimized games, comprising raytracing, a performance target of 60 frames per second at 4K resolution (rising to 120 FPS in some games), and 'virtually eliminated' loading times. However, Jason Ronald makes clear that these are not a "features checklist" that must be met to earn an Optimized badge. "We don't dictate game design," he explained. The badge can be earned, "as long as they're designing the game and building the game on the Xbox Series X development platform, and really tailoring it to take advantage of it." DiRT 5 will be one of the games able to take advantage of a 120 FPS frame rate, with David Springate from Codemasters making clear that it's including an option to toggle between 60 and 120 frames per second (presumably with a loss of resolution at the higher rate). Meanwhile, adventure game Call of the Sea will be able to support a 4K resolution as well as raytracing to help bring its island setting to life. As mentioned previously, the new console's SSD and Velocity Architecture allow Gears 5 to load four times faster on Series X than on Xbox One. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/25/xbox-series-x-official-optimized-for-xbox-series-x-trailer"]

Full List of Optimized for Xbox Series X Games

Xbox has provided a full list of Optimized Series X games, which you can see below. However, this list is evolving due to the number of new games not yet announced:

• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
• Bright Memory Infinite
• Call of the Sea
• Chivalry 2
• Chorus
• Cyberpunk 2077
• Destiny 2
• DiRT 5
• FIFA 21
• Gears 5
• Halo Infinite
• Hitman 3
• Madden NFL 21
• Marvel’s Avengers
• Outriders
• Scarlet Nexus
• Scorn
• Second Extinction
• The Ascent
• The Medium
• Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Last week, Xbox further explained the Smart Delivery program, which will allow for free upgrades between current-gen and next-gen games, including carrying your save data across consoles. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.