Monthly Archives: June 2020

YouTube’s Cobra Kai Moving to Netflix for Season 3

Netflix has announced that Cobra Kai Season 3 will debut on the global streaming network instead of YouTube. While no release date for the third season of Cobra Kai has been revealed, Netflix did confirm that Seasons 1 and 2 will be available on Netflix sometime in 2020. Cobra Kai's departure from YouTube marks the end of the Google-owned company's scripted series run, which featured originals like Origin and Impulse. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/19/cobra-kais-cast-redo-classic-fighting-game-quotes-ign-live-at-comic-con-2019"] "The appeal of The Karate Kid saga is timeless, and Cobra Kai picks up right where it left off without missing a beat," said Brian Wright, VP of Netflix's Original Series. "The rivalry between Daniel and Johnny is one for the ages, and the show has a ton of heart and is a lot of fun. We can’t wait to introduce a new generation of fans to Cobra Kai and are thrilled to be its new home around the world." If you're in need of a refresher, be sure to check out our full review of Cobra Kai Season 2, which we said, "effectively expands its study of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence's thirty-year rivalry by shifting some of the focus of the plot to the kids, and how their senseis' squabbles negatively impact them." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-tv-show-cancelled-or-announced-to-be-ending-in-2020&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

The First Macs with Apple Processors Will Arrive By the End of the Year

Rumors that Macs would switch from Intel processors to being powered by Apple’s own silicon have been flying for several years now, but finally, the Cupertino-based company has confirmed it is going to be making the switch. Apple promises its own silicon will give the mac a whole new level of performance with higher performance at lower power consumption. To show this off, Apple demoed a Mac computer powered by the same A12Z Bionic chip found in the latest iPad running an early version of macOS Big Sur. Apple, Mac What's more, Apple demoed its prototype machine running heavy-duty applications like Adobe Lightroom, where the system quickly auto-toned an image faster than we’ve ever seen on an Intel-powered system. In Photoshop, Apple's chip easily rendered a file with hundreds of layers of seagulls. Lastly, the Apple silicon-equipped Mac also had no trouble smoothly scrubbing through high-resolution footage in Final Cut Pro. Apple, Mac Beyond the raw processing power that Apple’s silicon delivers, these new chips also come with powerful GPUs. During the conference, there was a demo of a Mac running Tomb Raider at Full HD (1080p) resolution at a smooth frame rate that looked close to 60 frames per second. Of course, this demo was also running through a layer of translation from the Intel-based game to play on Apple's new ARM-based architecture, so we're not looking at this new chip's completely raw graphical prowess. With the Mac switching over to a common architecture shared by all of Apple’s other devices, it should be easier for developers to create software compatible with all of the company’s devices such as the iPhone and iPad. Apple says it has already made all of its own apps, such as Messages and Photos, compatible with the new architecture. For any third-party applications, Apple has rolled out a new Rosetta 2 to help users transition over to the new hardware. Anyone familiar with switching over from a PowerPC to Intel Mac may recall Rosetta's somewhat shaky ability to translate apps efficiently, but the Cupertino company says Rosetta 2 offers faster performance and can translate apps the first time you install them. Apple promises the first systems equipped with its own silicon will arrive by the end of the year. Meanwhile, moving all Mac’s over to Apple’s silicon will be a two-year process. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam

Microsoft Is Shutting Down Mixer, Will Now Partner With Facebook Gaming

Microsoft has announced that it will be shutting down Mixer, and on July 22 it will redirect all Mixer sites and apps to Facebook Gaming. The news was announced on Xbox Wire, with Microsoft admitting that "It became clear that the time needed to grow our own livestreaming community to scale was out of measure with the vision and experiences we want to deliver to gamers now." Microsoft has made the decision to transition all of its streamers to Facebook  Gaming, if they so choose, meaning that those who signed exclusive deals, namely Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, Cory "King Gothalion" Michael, and Michael "Shroud" Grzesiek, will be free to return to Twitch or continue on to Facebook Gaming. King Gothalion has announced he will be joining Facebook Gaming and will begin streaming on Facebook Gaming on June 24, 2020. While it's yet unclear where Ninja and Shroud will be going, Dexerto's Richard Lewis has said "sources familiar with the deal have informed me that while Facebook did try and negotiate to keep their big partners both Shroud and Ninja opted out. They have received their full payments and as of midnight yesterday were free to engage in talks with other platforms. Game on." As reported by The Verge, the head of Facebook Gaming said “It’s up to them and their priorities,” meaning Microsoft's new partner isn't "actively pursuing exclusive agreements with any of Mixer’s biggest names." Existing Mixer Partners will be granted partner status with Facebook Gaming, and streamers using the Mixer monetization program will be able to start using Facebook's Level Up program instantly. As for Mixer viewers, those with "outstanding Ember balances, channel subscriptions, or Mixer Pro subscriptions will receive Xbox gift card credit." Microsoft is also stating that Project xCloud was a big factor in this decision and it will "look to debut click-to-play scenarios within the Facebook Gaming and Instagram communities." The technology that helped build Mixer will continue to impact Microsoft products, as Microsoft Teams will "leverage Mixer’s deep investments in ultra-low latency video streaming, real-time interactivity, and video distribution technology to accelerate our ability to support a variety of video-first, virtual experiences from meetings to live events to other broadcast scenarios." Speaking to The Verge, Xbox head Phil Spencer described how Mixer was fighting an uphill battle from the start. “We started pretty far behind, in terms of where Mixer’s monthly active viewers were compared to some of the big players out there,” Spencer, said. “I think the Mixer community is really going to benefit from the broad audience that Facebook has through their properties, and the abilities to reach gamers in a very seamless way through the social platform Facebook has.” Mixer began as Beam in 2016 before being acquired by Microsoft in the same year. In 2017, it adopted the name Mixer and attempted to make another space for streamers alongside Twitch. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Michael Keaton In Talks to Play Batman in The Flash Movie

Michael Keaton is reportedly preparing to reprise his role as Batman, but not in the movie you might be expecting. First reported by The Wrap and confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, Keaton is currently in talks to appear in the upcoming Flash movie, appearing alongside Ezra Miller's Barry Allen. According to THR, Keaton's role won't be a simple cameo or one-off appearance. Instead, Warners hopes to include him as a recurring character in upcoming DC films, in a role compared to the one filled by Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/12/15/michael-keaton-im-batman-ign-news"] THR writes, "If a deal makes, Keaton wouldn’t just return for Flash but possibly for several other DC-oriented film projects. Sources tell THR that the role being envisioned for the veteran actor is akin to the role played by Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, something of a mentor or guide or even string puller. Batgirl is one the projects in development that could fall under that win." This will mark Keaton's first time reprising the role in almost 30 years. Keaton previously played Bruce Wayne and his alter ego in 1989's Batman and 1992's Batman Returns, both directed by Tim Burton. At one point both Burton and Keaton were expected to return for a third movie, but both dropped out and Val Kilmer took over the Batman role in 1995's Batman Forever (which just celebrated its 25th anniversary). Keaton has previously voiced an interest in returning to the role, but only if Burton directs. It would seem he's changed his mind in that regard. THR doesn't indicate how Keaton's Batman will be drawn into the DCEU, but it's probably safe to assume Miller's speedster hero will open a breach between alternate DC Universes during the course of the movie. With Keaton's version of Bruce Wayne being positioned as an aging mentor figure, a la Batman Beyond, the studio may be looking to replace Ben Affleck's Batman with this alternate universe doppelganger. The Wrap writes the film's plot "will introduce general audiences to the idea of the multiverse, one of the of core concepts underpinning DC Comics... Matt Reeves upcoming “The Batman” will not be affected and Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne is still viewed as the future of the franchise." Interestingly, this wouldn't be the first time a link has been formed between the DCEU and the world of Burton's Batman. The first episode of The CW's Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover features a cameo of the Burton-verse, labeled Earth-89. While Keaton himself doesn't appear in that scene, Robert Wuhl does reprise his role as journalist Alexander Knox. A later episode of Crisis featured an unexpected meeting between Grant Gustin and Miller's versions of Barry Allen. Could the Flash movie build on the events of Crisis? [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-dark-knight-trilogy-and-more-dc-movies-and-series-missing-on-hbo-max&captions=true"] Andy Muschietti (Stephen King's It) is set to direct the long-gestating Flash movie. In January, Muschietti reiterated the movie will be offering its own take on the iconic Flashpoint storyline, which previously inspired elements of the Flash TV series and 2013's Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. The Flash is currently scheduled to open June 3, 2022. In unhappy DC movie news, we learned today that Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher has died. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Batman Movies Director Joel Schumacher Dies

Joel Schumacher, the director of Batman Forever and Batman & Robin among many other films, died on Monday. He was 80. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Schumacher died after a year-long battle with cancer. In addition to those two divisive Batman movies, Schumacher's many directing credits include Falling Down, The Lost Boys, Flatliners, St. Elmo's Fire, A Time to Kill, Dying Young, D.C. Cab, 8MM, The Incredible Shrinking Woman, The Number 23, Veronica Guerin, Tigerland, Phone Booth, Trespass, and The Phantom of the Opera. [caption id="attachment_2369790" align="alignnone" width="720"]Joel Schumacher (Credit: Getty Images) Joel Schumacher (Credit: Getty Images)[/caption] New York native Schumacher began his career as a costume designer and screenwriter before segueing to the director's chair. Schumacher was integral to helping launch the screen stardom of the Brat Pack and other young stars thanks to St. Elmo's Fire, Flatliners, and The Lost Boys, and his film The Client discovered the late Brad Renfro. Although widely derided, Schumacher's Batman movies brought a new and more colorful visual aesthetic and campy vibe to the franchise following the first two films directed by Tim Burton. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=batman-forever&captions=true"] After Michael Keaton passed on returning for a third Bat-film, Schumacher cast Val Kilmer as the Caped Crusader in 1995's Batman Forever. Schumacher and Kilmer had a famously bad time making the movie and after Kilmer opted not to return for another entry, Schumacher cast George Clooney as the new lead in Batman & Robin. 1997's Batman & Robin, near universally deemed the rock bottom of the Batman movie franchise, stopped the series in its tracks until Christopher Nolan rebooted it in 2005. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/06/07/how-batman-robin-changed-george-clooneys-career"]

Original Diablo 2 Creators Share Thoughts On Rumored Remaster

Max Schaefer and Matt Uelmen, two of the developers responsible for legendary action RPG Diablo II, have given their thoughts on the rumored Diablo II Remaster, which is reportedly coming later this year. The statement comes from tomorrow's new episode of IGN Unfiltered, in which Ryan McCaffrey sat down with Echtra Games' Max Schaefer and Matt Uelmen to talk about Torchlight 3, Diablo 2, the action-RPG genre, and much more. Rumors of a Diablo II remaster have been circulating for some time, but earlier this year, those rumors came into sharper focus with sources suggesting it would be called Diablo 2: Resurrected. These rumors also come from the same source which correctly predicted the Overwatch 2, Diablo IV, and World of Warcraft: Shadowlands announcements. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/11/03/history-of-awesome-diablo-ii"] When asked what they would and would not want to see from the potential remaster, Schaefer said, "First of all, I think it's probably impossible to really capture it... It wasn't even a true 3D game, everything was rendered sprites and so to really capture the exact feel of what happens when you click in a 3D environment is going to be challenging at best." "[The development team on the remaster is] going to have to spend a lot of their time [on capturing that feeling], not just on recreating maybe slightly higher fidelity graphics and all that... that's the easy part. It's easy to go back and kind of 1:1, make the game look better. It's going to be the feel and the atmosphere that are kind of inherent in the technology that was behind it, which was... at this point we can look back and say it's kind of 'spaghetti code.'" "It was [built using a] custom engine... it was stuff that hadn't been done before. I would assume that a remaster is going to be done using an established graphics engine with its own conventions and its own quirks, and so much of what made [Diablo II] special was the feel and the intangibles, so it's a daunting task. The ideal remaster would be something that actually retains that feel and that atmosphere, that has a modern take on the graphics. Honestly, I hope they pull it off. I'm glad they're doing it and I don't have to." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="legacyId=20088065&captions=true"] Uelmen, Diablo's original composer, also gave his perspective on the potential remaster; "My only strong opinion is that it needs to have more violence, more gore, and more nakedness. Long as they do that, then they'll be true to the series, in terms of what we were going for, as artists." At that, Schaefer added, "Yeah, I'm going to agree with that. The game was made to be shocking and push boundaries and when you have an opportunity to remake it with modern graphics, you're going to be confronted very quickly with how much are you really going to want to reproduce something that was down to a few pixels in the original version, and not succumb to the temptation to make a censored version." "We're talking about modern Blizzard right now, and they have shareholders and things like that, that we didn't have to worry about back in the day," Shaefer laughed before continuing, "I'm curious as to what their approach is gonna be." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/02/21/diablo-creator-says-bringing-diablo-2-to-modern-pcs-would-be-extremely-difficult-ign-unfiltered"] For more on the best, brightest, most interesting minds in the games industry, be sure to check out every episode of Unfiltered, which includes interviews with Master Chief co-creator Marcus Lehto, 343's Bonnie Ross, Valve's Robin Walker & Chris Remo, Respawn's Stig Asmussen, and many, 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).

Read the First Chapter of Star Wars: The High Republic – Light of the Jedi

Prepare to take your first step into a new era of Star Wars. Set 200 years before the events of the Skywalker Saga, the High Republic finds the Jedi at their peak as they watch over the galaxy during a time of peace. But it’s not long before that peace is disturbed by a devastating incident and the Knights of the Jedi Order must spring into action. The first novel to explore this era is Star Wars: The High Republic - Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule. We are excited to exclusively debut the first chapter of the upcoming book, out January 5, 2021 from publisher Del Rey, available for preorder now. Soule offered us some insight on the explosive events of the opening chapter, but if you’d rather go in blind, skip down to the excerpt now and read what he had to say afterward. [caption id="attachment_2368098" align="alignnone" width="720"]Credit: Lucasfilm Credit: Lucasfilm[/caption] Soule is a familiar face to Star Wars fans. He’s the writer of Marvel Comics featuring Darth Vader, Lando, Obi-Wan & Anakin, Poe Dameron, and The Rise of Kylo Ren. He’s also an accomplished novelist (check out 2018’s The Oracle Year), so it’ll be little surprise to hear he was one of several authors (the others being Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Daniel José Older, and Cavan Scott) who went on a secret retreat to Skywalker Ranch with a team of creative minds from Lucasfilm in order to create a brand new era for Star Wars storytelling. And now Soule is leading the charge on this new publishing initiative that will feature not only his novel but books for young adults and comics. Light of the Jedi is the flagship book for the High Republic era that reveals what happened that threw the galaxy into chaos and introduces us to a new cast of characters like stalwart Jedi Knight Avar Kriss and a Wookiee Jedi named Burryaga (already a fan-favorite before the book’s release). [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/27/star-wars-the-high-republic-explained"] As the preview for Light of the Jedi reveals (last chance to skip ahead and avoid spoilers...), it’s the seemingly accidental destruction of a large spaceship traveling through hyperspace that causes all of the calamity. In The Last Jedi, the Holdo Maneuver showed us just how dangerous a ship moving at hyperspace speeds can be, but the way Soule describes what happens in his story makes it sound considerably worse. “This excerpt is our first look at the moment that changes The High Republic forever,” Soule told IGN. “The destruction of the Legacy Run is the catalyst for a galaxy-wide disaster. Fragments of the destroyed cargo vessel begin flying out of hyperspace at super-accelerated speeds, meaning that deadly missiles of debris can appear anywhere at any time, from the Outer Rim to the Core. In this moment of crisis, the Republic turns to the guardians of peace and justice—the Jedi.” Soule continued, “The opening beats of Light of the Jedi depict an epic disaster, and a heroic, thrilling response by both the Republic and the Jedi to save lives and end the crisis. It's just the beginning, though. The Legacy Run disaster kicks off a much larger story; it really is just one piece of a much bigger saga.” Now, check out the excerpt from Light of the Jedi below. [caption id="attachment_2368099" align="alignnone" width="720"]Cover by Joseph Meehan. Credit: Lucasfilm Cover by Joseph Meehan. Credit: Lucasfilm[/caption] You can preorder Star Wars: The High Republic - Light of the Jedi now. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.

Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra Characters Headed to Smite

Aang and Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender and Korra and Naga from The Legend of Korra will be headed to Smite with the July 2020 Avatar Battle Pass. Announced by Smite, the Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra crossover also received a reveal trailer that shows the characters in action. All three characters will be skins of existing characters. The Master Wizard Merlin will become Aang, the Japanese God Susano will become Zuko, and the Norse Goddess of Winter Skadi will become Korra, with her trusty pet polar bear Naga coming along for the ride. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/22/smite-avatar-battle-pass-trailer"] There will also be special Prestige Tracks that will allow players to become Avatar Aang Merlin, Blue Spirit Susano, and Avatar Korra Skadi. "We went overboard with detail, capturing each ​Avatar ​character’s unique personality and referencing fan-favorite moments from the shows,” said Travis Brown, Executive Producer of SMITE​. ​“These are essentially all-new characters that happen to use the same abilities as existing ​SMITE ​Gods ​–​ and we can’t wait for our more than 30 million fans to play with them." The Avatar Battle Pass has even more Avatar/The Legend of Korra goodness, ranging from "an in-game representation of Appa to an emote honoring unlucky cabbage vendors." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-adult-cartoon-tv-series&captions=true"] The full reveal of the crossover skins and more will be broadcast live on Twitch.TV/SmiteGame on Wednesday, June 24, 2020, at 12pm PT/3pm ET/8pm BST. Smite was first released in 2014 and is now available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Last year, we also called it one of the Top 10 Free-To-Play Games on Steam. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who is very excited for this as Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of his favorite shows of all time.. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Lucifer Season 5: Part 1 Streaming on Netflix From August 21

Netflix has officially announced that Lucifer Season 5: Part 1 will drop on the streaming service on August 21. The streaming giant shared a devilish "66.6-second" sizzle reel on Twitter, showcasing Lucifer's "sexiest" moments from the series. At the end of the video montage, it confirmed that Season 5 of the Tom Ellis-led drama will be emerging from the depths of hell in just under two months time. The fifth season of Lucifer was originally set to be a 10-episode run, however, Netflix significantly expanded the episode count while the show was still in production, ordering six additional episodes to take the grand total up to 16. These episodes are set to be released in two batches on the platform, with Part 2's premiere expected to be announced at a later date. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-netflix-original-movies-and-tv-shows&captions=true"] Despite being labelled as the "fifth and final season" when the series was originally picked up by Netflix, there's been no reference to it being Lucifer's swan song in any of the latest promo material; this could signal some devilishly good news for Lucifans who have been campaigning for the show's continuation ever since it was cancelled by Fox after just three seasons on the air. 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, 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: Lucifer Season 5 lands on Netflix on August 21. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Crash Bandicoot 4 Coming to PS4, Xbox One This Year

Activision has announced Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, a brand new, canonical sequel to Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped. Spyro Reignited Trilogy developer Toys for Bob is behind the brand new adventure, which is set to be released on October 2, 2020 for PS4 and Xbox One for $59.99. It’s About Time is built from the ground-up as a new experience in the spirit of the original three Crash games developed by Naughty Dog for the original PlayStation. Players can play either as Crash or Coco Bandicoot for the full adventure, with other playable characters thrown into the mix like Neo Cortex. Featuring a brand new art style, marking a departure from what Vicarious Visions created for the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, It’s About Time will feature new platforming moves, new masks with special abilities, two major control schemes, and plenty more. To get all the major first details, IGN spoke with Toys for Bob Design Producer Lou Studdert to learn about Crash’s brand new adventure. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/22/crash-bandicoot-4-its-about-time-official-trailer"]

Why Crash 4?

Naming the next Crash game Crash Bandicoot 4 comes with a lot of expectations — in the ensuing years since Crash Bandicoot: Warped ended the beloved trilogy of Crash games developed by Naughty Dog, the marsupial’s subsequent adventures often received less favorable reception. Studdert explained how Toys for Bob understood the expectations that came with this naming convention, describing how it also allows the team to convey both the story and, importantly, the gameplay players can expect. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=crash-bandicoot-4-its-about-time-first-screenshots&captions=true"] “It's not just Crash 4 because narratively we're continuing off of where Crash 3 ended, where, Uka Uka, N. Tropy, and Neo Cortex are trapped in time and space. But we're also continuing off of the gameplay of the original trilogy,” Studdert said. “It's actually going back and looking at what worked so well about the original games. It's bringing back that authentic, wholly unique to Crash gameplay, which is the unique perspective shifts of going into camera, being chased by things running out of camera switching to side scrolling.”

Crash Bandicoot 4 Gameplay

Crash Bandicoot 4 is built from the ground up, not based on existing or recovered code, but it will attempt to of course emulate the platforming gameplay fans of the original trilogy are familiar with. And that means Crash 4 is sticking to the traditional camera setup of those games, rather than becoming something more open world. “Our intent was to give folks the sequel they never got,” Student continued, noting that the developer’s focus was on “tense, precise execution that is so ingrained in the DNA of Crash and bringing that to today's standards.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/22/crash-bandicoot-4-first-gameplay-details"] But Crash won’t just be running, jumping, spinning, and ground slamming. It’s About Time’s various locations have also facilitated the introduction of several new platforming moves. Crash can now wallrun, grind on and below rails, and rope swing to allow for various new challenges. “It's been this fun balancing act of us taking what we love about those original games and the feeling of those linear pathways, but then at the same time layering in new challenging asks for the players, new ways of finding all of the boxes, crates, finding hidden gems, finding all this different content throughout the level,” Studdert explained, noting the new levels and challenges have been built with a focus on elevating "the replayability of the game."

“A True Sequel” to the Original Crash Trilogy, But a New Look

Through and through, Toys for Bob wants to emphasize that this is “a true sequel” to the original Crash trilogy. But, as is apparent from the first trailer and gameplay, this sequel incorporates a new, more animated look reminiscent of the cartoony, detailed characters of Toys for Bob’s Spyro Reignited Trilogy, which we praised in our review of those remakes. Studdert explained how this colorful, zany art style aimed to capture the spirit of the character and allowed for a more ambitious world design. “While we are retaining the old-school gameplay of those unique perspectives, we wanted to open up the worlds from a visual standpoint,” Studdert said. “So that means larger vistas, huge scale, huge places that you're going to get to go that couldn't have happened on the original consoles and games. It's taking that animated personality amplifying that fun, and then also giving you these amazing unique times and dimensions to explore.” [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=f28af99d-b8d5-4044-8d6b-d4bcc25757be"] That aim to capture the old and blend it with the new is true of Toys for Bob’s work on the actual gameplay as well, which is built in a “completely different engine, built from the ground up” for Crash 4, rather than reusing work from the N. Sane Trilogy. But Studdert explained that Toys for Bob’s experience working in part on the Crash remake trilogy and the Crash Team Racing did come into play when designing Crash 4. “Having our hands in those games really allowed us to kind of analyze the foundational elements of what truly makes a Crash level feel like a Crash level, from how enemies are incorporated to the pace of a level, to the amount of encounters to the way they fold in on each other,” he said.

How Difficult Is Crash Bandicoot 4?

The original Crash trilogy has some notoriously tough levels. Just say the phrase “Road to Nowhere” to any self-respecting Crash fan and they’ll understand. Thankfully, Crash 4 is aiming to outdo the challenge of past Crash games while providing a smoother ramp in difficulty. “We want to have less difficulty spikes,” Studdert said when asked about the difficulty compared to the original three games. “We want to onboard the players and get them into the story, but at the same time we wanted to see if we can actually exceed the difficulty of the original games. We wanted to see if we could add in extra modes, extra challenges, extra things that we'll be talking about later to really bring the pain. A true Crash fan wants that level of difficulty, and I think we've met and exceeded.”

Crash’s New Mask Power-ups, Modern vs. Retro Modes

Core to the story of Crash 4 will be the, well, four Quantum Masks that Crash and Coco will encounter. Each of these guardians of space and time offers a different ability, and will be findable throughout the game at specific locations, like you would with an Aku Aku mask. “Crash and Coco need to seek out the four quantum masks…[which] will help to re-fix the timeline,” Studdert explained of the duo’s objective this time around in their battle against Dr. Neo Cortex. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/18/crash-bandicoot-puzzle-teaser"] The first two masks Toys for Bob is discussing are Kipuna-Wa, which offer the powers of time manipulation, and the other is Eka-Eka, the gravity mask. Like Aku Aku, they’ll both appear available at certain points in levels for players to activate to overcome certain obstacles. “At certain points in the levels, they'll come to your aid and they actually become suits on Crash and Coco,” Studdert said as he explained their powers, with the time mask allowing players to slow down time, while the gravity mask will let players alter Crash or Coco’s gravity as they navigate through a level. And as the original trilogy is known for its many secret paths and levels, I asked Studdert about whether Crash 4 would include a similar level of discoverable content, and he had as best of an answer as I could hope for. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/06/29/crash-bandicoot-n-sane-trilogy-review"] But being true to that original trilogy also means the gameflow — players can switch between two modes, Modern and Retro, which changes how lives and Wumpa fruit collection is catalogued. Wumpa will now actually go toward end-of-level goals, and can be used as another currency in both modes. But in Retro mode, players can still have a set number of lives, collect 100 Wumpa fruit to gain a new life, and succeed or fail by those parameters. "If you die, you're going to restart at a checkpoint [in Modern mode], as simple as that,” Studdert said. “That means, 'Okay, what do we then do with Wumpa?' So what we've done is we've changed wumpa collection to be part of that collection currency of collectibles, end-of-level rewards. Retro is actually retaining the lives and game over system from the original game. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Stay tuned to IGN for more on Crash Bandicoot 4, but be sure to watch the first gameplay and debut trailer above. And for more on Toys for Bob's most recent work, check out our review of the Spyro Reignited Trilogy below. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/11/12/spyro-reignited-trilogy-review"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and virtual bandicoot expert. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.