Prince of Persia, Last of Us Season 2, And More Of The Week's Hottest Takes

January can often be a slow month for games news, but 2024 is already proving to be an exception. From the surprisingly good new game to new cast announcements for HBO’s , here’s our thoughts on the week’s biggest stories in and around video games. 2 / 9 is the newest entry in Ubisoft’s action adventure franchise, launching on just about every platform on January 18.

(You get three day early access if you preorder the $60 Deluxe Edition.) I’ve been having a great time with the 2.5D side scrolling Metroidvania, which has been kicking my ass and leaving me puzzled the whole way through. And I’ve realized does something that other Metroidvanias should totally steal—a screenshot feature that makes backtracking so much easier.

Levi Winslow 3 / 9 I ended 2023 playing . And I’ve just kept going. We are nearly 10 days into 2024 and I’ve only played one game so far: . I almost played some at one point, but the servers were borked. I then almost played something on my phone, but it needed an update. I tried another game, but while I was ready to play, my brother’s game needed a big update.

So I crawled back to . I was such a fool for even trying to play something else. Zack Zwiezen 4 / 9 The first season of , the undeniable based on the video game of the same name, is over. And , people are looking ahead to season two, which will introduce one of the most infamous characters in the series: Abby Anderson and her incredibly toned arms.

If you haven’t experienced yet, or are hankering to revisit the game, you’re in luck—Sony’s launching a on January 19, with a new roguelike mode and even the option to turn on a director’s commentary while you play. Alyssa Mercante 5 / 9 Nick Offerman just won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Bill in HBO’s series, and he’s already thinking about reprising the character.

While taking part in backstage interviews after his win, Offerman was asked whether he and Murray Bartlett, who played his on screen lover, Frank, could return for the next season of in flashback form. , he wouldn’t spoil anything, but he did share an interesting tidbit: He pitched a prequel series starring to HBO.

Alyssa Mercante 6 / 9 As announced on January 9, another film is on the way, one based on ’s dynamic duo: Din “the Mandalorian” Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu, who is not baby Yoda. Titled , it will be directed by Jon Favreau, who helped create the popular Disney+ series upon which it’s based.

The project goes into production this year, and the story will likely take place after the events of the third season of the Disney+ show. Levi Winslow 7 / 9 I’ve been based on the Bungie/343 Industries shooter franchise from the jump, so I was on board for the second season long before the latest trailer dropped.

Then, after I saw that trailer, I was even more hyped—not only are we definitely getting several episodes highlighting the fall of Reach, one of the most important events in lore, but it’s also obvious that this season will ramp up the action with alien battles and gunfights galore. Alyssa Mercante 8 / 9 After playing through and ’s epilogue I can definitively say I was mostly let down by the DLC.

Don’t get me wrong, the “Mochi Mayhem” episode is an hour of silly fun alongside some of the best characters to grace the games’ Paldea region, but it is just that—silly, especially when compared to some of the games’ more memorable moments. Kenneth Shepard 9 / 9.