New games are officially back on the menu.
We’ve finally hit our first week of new games this year! Ubisoft returns to a classic franchise with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, while Naughty Dog adds a roguelike survival mode to The Last of Us Part 2. There’s also plenty of new TV to watch this week, in case neither of these catch your eye. So much to do and so little time, so let’s get to it - here’s what we’re playing and watching this week:
What we’re playing
If you have a VR-compatible device, check out Bulletstorm VR when it launches on January 18. This highly unserious shooter has you play as an assassin who needs to battle his way out of a world in virtual reality, from the developer of Outriders. Aside from that, there’s also Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, the franchise’s first mainline game in years that comes with a rather drastic genre change. The 2.5D Metroidvania game follows the adventures of Sargon, a warrior who must save the titular prince of Persia from a terrible fate.
You can find our review of the game here (spoiler alert: it’s great!). The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered also launches on January 19, with graphical enhancements, DualSense integration and the roguelike survival experience No Return. For current owners of the game, No Return is the clear big ticket item here. You’ll have to survive for as long as possible in a series of randomised encounters packed with enemies and bosses from the game, playing as characters like Dina, Joel, Ellie, Jessie, Abby Lev and Tommy. Each character comes with specific gameplay traits, and you’ll duke it out in levels lifted from the game.
What we're watching
There are some new shows premiering this week if Metroidvanias and roguelikes aren’t to your taste. If you enjoy watching celebrities get together to be either severely let down or showered with awards, the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards will go live on January 16 (MYT time). Fun fact: The Last of Us garnering multiple nominations at this year’s Emmys marks the first time a game adaptation has been nominated in major Emmy categories ever! I do love to see good game adaptations get their flowers.
HBO’s crime drama True Detective also returns today for a fourth season titled ‘Night Country’, set in the dusk-laden fictional town of Ennis, Alaska where eight men have vanished from a research station. This season seems to lean more heavily on supernatural events than previous seasons, starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis. Murder mystery fans can also check out Death and Other Details on January 16, a new series revolving around a detective trying to solve a murder on a luxury cruise liner.
