The post Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Gameplay Reveal appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Category: Video Games
Dragon’s Dogma 2: How Pawns Are Getting Better – IGN First
Dragon’s Dogma was always envisioned as a single player game that gave off the impression of a multiplayer one, or a “Single-Player Online Party Action Game” in Director Hideaki Itsuno’s own words. And one of the key elements of driving that feeling home are the AI-controlled Pawns that make up 3/4s of your party. Pawns were a fascinating inclusion in the original game – at times endearing with their amusing (and frequent) comments on whatever was happening, other times bewildering with some of their behaviors in battle, and very often a great source of humor and levity.
That system is largely the same in Dragon’s Dogma 2 – you still create your own Pawn with their own Vocation that you can gear up however you like, and that Pawn will get shared online with the rest of the world so that another player can hire your Pawn that’s equipped with both the gear and knowledge that you provide to it. You’ll then fill out the remaining two slots of your party with two other Pawns that you can hire from The Rift – essentially a Pawn Network – who will provide you with quest knowledge and information that they themselves gained from their own creator’s adventure.
One of the key things that I noticed in my own playthrough, and something that Itsuno also highlighted when speaking with IGN, is that both Pawns and NPCs in general are much better this time around at guiding the player to a quest, or pointing out areas of interest, basically themselves acting as replacements for UI elements like markers or arrows.
“We wanted it to feel like a friend who’s played the game before is sitting there next to you and giving you advice. Like, ‘Hey, go this way,’ or ‘In this case, you should go with this here,’ or ‘This is what you do.’ In other words, having a friend there with you who provides guidance in an enjoyable way,” said Itsuno. “We wanted to avoid putting too many markers and such on the screen, if possible. We didn’t want too much that kills a player’s mood, so we put a lot of effort into having Pawns and NPCs be your only guides in the world.”
Like the first game, Pawns will also have Inclinations as well, with you being able to outright select whether you want your Pawn to be kindhearted, calm, simple, or straightforward, without having to go through a questionnaire first. Your Pawn’s Inclination has a substantial role in dictating how that Pawn will behave in battle, with kindhearted Pawns favoring a balanced approach with an emphasis on support; calm Pawns being more proficient with defense and evasion; simple Pawns being extra diligent about looting items; and straightforward Pawns being more daring when it comes to attacking foes head-on. Each Inclination also has its own set of voice actors, with different options for pitch modulations, and their own unique actions that they can take as well.
According to Kento Kinoshita, lead game designer for Dragon’s Dogma 2, “If you want to think of it in terms of individuality, I think we’ve very consciously tried to expand the number of ways in which Pawns are individuals. There’s personality, as we just mentioned; while in terms of knowledge, they might have knowledge of certain enemies. This game also isn’t really about a specific main quest that they freely play through, but instead contains lots of different quests. It isn’t very forceful. The game is made in such a way where only the Pawns on a quest with a player learn from that quest, so I think there will be clearly individual experiences based on how different people play the game, what quests they go on, and what kind of knowledge they have. Part of the fun in finding Pawns will be the reaction of ‘Oh, this Pawn knows about this particular subject, awesome.’ where all the different parts of the game work together.”
Finally, one new aspect of Pawns are Specializations, which are special abilities given to Pawns, similar to what we would call licenses or qualifications. The idea is basically that Pawns can learn the ropes from their master – they can develop the Woodland Wordsmith specialization, which allows you to understand Elvish, by getting close with an NPC that speaks Elvish. Another example is the Chirurgeon Specialization, which allows Pawns to use healing items on others, as opposed to only being able to use them on themselves, allowing you to basically make a Pawn a healer, even if they aren’t a Mage.
“In this game, we have also made it possible for players to leave some things to their Pawns that they might find tedious or uninteresting, including not only combat, but also some other elements. We believe that by combining Inclinations and Specializations, players can create a Pawn that best suits their preferences,” said Itsuno.
Mitchell Saltzman is an editorial producer at IGN. You can find him on twitter @JurassicRabbit
GTA Online Is Ending Support for Rockstar Editor on PS4 and Xbox One
Rockstar is looking to the horizon as it begins to “approach the limits of what’s possible” on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and it’s starting by removing the Rockstar Editor from those versions of Grand Theft Auto Online.
The Grand Theft Auto maker announced plans to make a shift toward the future in a news post on its website. It says that, while the Rockstar Editor will survive on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S, players on last-gen consoles will lose access come February 20, 2024. The editor’s removal is said to be part of the “necessary steps” that Rockstar is taking to ensure GTA Online additions continue to roll out on PS4 and Xbox One.
“This update will help to ensure the stability of these platforms and keep them updated with GTA Online additions for as long as possible,” Rockstar says.
Clips and projects created on these platforms will be deleted when the Rockstar Editor is removed next month. Those who are interested in saving or exporting their projects can view instructions on the Rockstar support page.
Today’s update isn’t all bad news. The post also includes promises to deliver more GTA Online love to players this week, including doubled rewards and vehicle discounts through January 24.
GTA Online has thrived for around a decade, so it makes sense to see Rockstar making new moves toward what’s next while still supporting its existing fans. These plans obviously include the hotly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6, which was officially unveiled late last year. Potential online plans for the new open-world entry in the studio’s trend-setting series are a mystery for now, though we might have some guesses thanks to T-Pain.
For more on the world of Grand Theft Auto, you can check out our colleciton of every GTA trailer ever released. You can also read up on some possible evidence that suggests Grand Theft Auto 5 DLC and Bully 2 almost happened.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
Bethesda Reveals Full Patch Notes for Starfield’s Big 1.9.47.0 Update
Bethesda has released Starfield’s first major update in 2024 into beta, with “over a hundred fixes and adjustments” introduced, most of which address fixing quests and adding quality-of-life improvements to the company’s space RPG.
In a blog post, Bethesda detailed every change coming to Starfield as part of update 1.9.47.0. Some of the tweaks that immediately stand out include improved widescreen support, allowing for the game to now support 32:9, 21:9, and 16:10 aspect ratios, and fixes to the Eye of the Storm Quest. The latter has been one of the quests some have been unable to complete, most notably when the player reaches the data transfer section.
Bethesda further reiterated that it will “continue to have a steady stream of updates about every six weeks,” telling those that might not have seen an issue addressed in this latest to not “lose faith” and encouraging users to continue sharing issues and feedback with the team.
In our review of Starfield, which we awarded a 7 out of 10, we said: “Starfield has a lot of forces working against it, but eventually, the allure of its expansive roleplaying quests and respectable combat make its gravitational pull difficult to resist.”
You can check out the full Update 1.9.47.0 notes below.
Starfield Update 1.9.47.0 Notes
- Animation
- Fixed player character’s eyes remaining closed instead of blinking in third person view.
- Addressed rare cases where small animation pops could be seen in third person.
- Creatures and Enemies
- Fixed incorrectly invisible creatures on some planets.
- Fixed an issue that could occur on some enemies causing them to stand instead of falling to the ground.
- Crew and Companions
- Fixed crew members and companions positioning near the cockpit after fast traveling to the ship.
- Companions: Fixed a possible control-lock when talking to a companion without entering a dialogue while simultaneously trying to exit the ship.
- General
- Fixed an issue that prevented Windows users saving if their username featured certain characters (PC).
- Fixed rare save game corruptions on PC (MSS and Steam).
- Fixed an issue that could lead to a control lock or a crash after loading a quicksave while in the targeting mode.
- Fixed player marker following the camera on the surface map.
- Fixed a rare issue that could prevent access to the main menu on when prompted to “Press any button to Start” (Xbox).
- Body type should no longer reset to default when loading a Starborn save from the main menu.
- Fixed flickering on Neon’s Trade Tower elevator panel.
- Improved the appearance of the Ryujin Kiosk material during nighttime.
- Fixed rare issue with how Cydonia’s panel could display the hours without incident.
- Added Optimizations to cloud syncing of save games (MSS/Xbox).
- Improved how crowds behave when desired target is reserved.
- Fixed an issue that could cause airlock doors to sometimes appear floating in sky when arriving at locations.
- Fixed unintended text appearing on the shipbuilder’s UI.
- Fixed game session not properly resuming from shutdown in Energy Save mode (Xbox).
- Various stability improvements.
- Graphics
- Improved widescreen support (32:9, 21:9 and 16:10).
- Added support for stars displaying sun disk geometry.
- Shadows can now be seen on planet rings from planet surface.
- Improved eyes and skin on crowd characters.
- Improved reflection on water.
- Improved contact shadows on character skin (Xbox and PC Medium/High/Ultra).
- Improved contact shadows on character cloth (PC High/Ultra).
- Improved contact shadows on first person (PC Ultra).
- Improved lighting in character generation menu.
- Reduced the appearance of some minor artifacts during cutscene camera transitions.
- Fixed flickering on a number of VFX (Sandstorm, corrosive liquid pools, waterfall).
- Fixed a rare issue where the camera would lock while in handscanner mode whenever watching flying fauna (Xbox).
- Fixed potential control lock when opening a game menu a moment before triggering a dialogue with another character.
- Addressed various shadow popping, flickering and artifact issues.
- Improved the visibility of the sun’s lens flare during sunrise and sunset.
- Fixed a rare issue where foam or grime would not show up.
- Fixed rare flickering VFX that could occur in space (Xbox Series S).
- Fixed rare hair flickering (Xbox Series X/S).
- Fixed occasional flicker on digiframes and TV screens.
- Adjusted the appearance of bloom when activating the handscanner.
- Improved the appearance of clouds during weather transitions.
- Fixed rare cases where alignment of grass and wind could appear disconnected.
- Reduced bloom intensity effect while motion blur is active (PC).
- Addressed issues with concealment effect not always applying when using the handscanner.
- Fixed visible edge of the ocean in the distance when seen from a very high point of view.
- Fixed rare white flickering dots around characters’ hair during cut scenes.
- Fixed a readability issue in the Starmap when using large menu font mode.
- Fixed inventory menu occasionally failing to generate previews when using a mouse (PC).
- Fixed a brief Depth of Field issue that sometimes occurred when aiming, alt-tabbing or leaving a dialogue screen.
- Fixed occasional lighting transition issues after loading or exiting a location.
- Fixed an issue that could cause intermittent bands to appear in distance fog.
- Fixed a rare issue that could cause fog color to appear inconsistent.
- Fixed a rare issue that could cause rocks to disappear near the player on the surface of a planet.
- Fixed a crash that could occur when switching to DLSS with dynamic resolution active (PC).
- Fixed flickering and delayed shadows sometimes occurring after unpausing the game.
- Fixed various FSR2 and DLSS artifacts (noise, black dots, ghosting).
- Fixed flickering when using the handscanner with DLSS enabled.
- Fixed initial lighting conditions when landing on a planet.
- Improved lighting at 73 locations.
- Fixed various geometry, texture, and ghosting issues.
- OUTPOSTS
- Fixed a rare missing terrain issue that could occur after fast traveling to an outpost near New Atlantis.
- Fixed an issue that could cause bulldozed objects to reappear when returning to an outpost.
- Fixed and issue that caused hazard damage to remain even when the hazard was removed by bulldozing in outposts.
- Fixed an issue where outpost’s cargo links would be removed from the terminal list if connected, disconnected, then reconnected to another cargo link during the cargo ship landing sequence.
- Fixed an issue where weapon cases built by the player in an Outpost would populate with weapons and ammo after reloading the game.
- Powers
- Fixed a rare issue that could cause the Phased Time power to remain enabled.
- Fixed the extreme speed that could occur in zero G when using the Phased Time power.
- Solar Flare Power now accounts for critical hits.
- Quests and Random Encounters
- Absolute Power: Fixed missing slate in the safe preventing from completing the optional objective “Locate Evidence to Extort Ayumi Komiko”.
- Background Checks: Fixed possible control-lock that could occur if caught by security.
- Derelict Ship: Fixed an issue preventing the player from reaching the pilot seat if they did not have access to advanced locks.
- Drinks on the House: Fixed rare occurrence where the door to Sub 12 could remain locked.
- Echoes of the Past: Fixed Delgado getting stuck at bottom of stairs during “Continue Exploring the Lock” that could occur if The Lock was left during Delgado’s history dialogue.
- Echoes of the Past: Resolved an issue that could cause Mathis’ and Delgado’s guns to be invisible.
- Eye of the Storm: Fixed an issue that could cause data transfer to not start after placing the Data Core.
- Eye of the Storm: Fixed an issue where the docking prompt would be missing on the Legacy ship if the player undocked with the Legacy and then reloaded a save before having started the mission.
- Executive Level: Fixed an issue where players could get stuck on a chair in the Ryujin Industries HQ conference room.
- Failure to Communicate: Fixed an issue that prevented the player from finishing the quest if they downed all the members of the defense pact (Alban Lopez, Jacquelyn Lemaire, and Chanda Banda).
- Further Into the Unknown: Fixed a rare crash that could occur when trying to dock with The Eye.
- Groundpounder: Fixed an issue where the door to Lezama could sometimes be locked if the player left the location during the quest and came back later.
- Hostile Intelligence: Fixed blocked doors in the Steam Tunnels room where the Terrormorph transformation occurs.
- Into the Unknown: Fixed a rare issue that could prevent the quest from starting after completing The Old Neighborhood.
- Into the Unknown: Fixed a rare issue where a Temple location might not populate when receiving the “Go to” objective.
- Legacy’s End: Fixed an issue that could prevent interacting with Delgado when he was behind the glass inside in the command center of The Key.
- Legacy’s End: Fixed a debris pile where to player could become stuck while trying to reach the Mess Hall.
- Missed Beyond Measure: Fixed a dialogue between Sarah and Walter not playing at The Lodge.
- No Sudden Moves: Fixed companions not following player during personal quests.
- On The Run: Fixed various issues related to Mei Devine becoming inaccessible the objective updated to “Listen to Mei Devine’s Introduction”.
- On The Run: Fixed a possible control lock when sitting at the table to talk to Jade MacMillan.
- One Small Step: Fixed a rare issue that could prevent Lin / Heller from exiting the airlock.
- Operation Starseed: Fixed a bad view that could occur if the Beagle was boarded after a long idle.
- Power From Beyond: Fixed an issue that caused missing Starborn temples and scanner disturbances that could prevent obtaining all Starborn powers from that universe.
- Rough Landings: Resolved an issue that could occur during the “Meet up with Milena Axelrod” objective that could prevent ships from appearing at the desired location.
- Shadows in Neon: Fixed an issue that could occur when repeatedly using the door to Jaylen Pryce’s office before he progressed to Neon Core.
- Supra et Ultra: Fixed a control lock that could occur when entering the Flight Simulator while a guard is attempting arrest.
- Tapping the Grid: Fixed inaccessible junction boxes that could occur after the Hunter attacks the Lodge.
- The Best There Is: Fixed an issue that could prevent objective from advancing when talking to Naeva and Jasmine in the engineering room.
- The Empty Nest: Fixed and issue that could cause Sam Coe’s gun to be invisible when inside Jacob’s house.
- The Heart of Mars: Fixed another location that could potentially prevent recovering The Heart of Mars.
- The Pale Lady: Fixed rare case of inaccessible ship crew log data slate making it impossible to complete the encounter.
- Top of the L.I.S.T.: Phil Hill should now accept survey data for Sumati.
- War Relics: Resolved an issue that could prevent Kaiser from moving to the mission site.
- Where Hope is Built: Fixed a crash that could occur with a specific set of player behaviors.
- Ships and Ship Customization
- Fixed another case that could cause an asteroid to follow a ship in space.
- Fixed ship hatch being marked inaccessible after swapping to a new home ship.
- Fixed an issue where the ship could end up in an unintended state by simultaneously attempting fast travel during a grav jump.
- Fixed a view issue that could occur when fast traveling during ship targeting mode.
- Fixed an issue that could occur when entering Ship Targeting mode immediately after selecting a Grav Jump.
- Fixed an issue that caused non-functional ladders to appear when the player modified their ship with a Taiyo All-In-One Berth Top A and a Deimos 1×1.
- Fixed an issue where the Legendary ship could take too long to resume firing after the weapons were repaired.
- Space combat should now match ground combat difficulty increase with successive trips through the Unity.
- Fixed an issue where loading an exit save made while docked to a space station could cause names of ships to change.
- Fixed marker not pointing to the current home ship after performing a save/load between different ships.
- Fixed in issue that could cause the Frontier to incorrectly appear if a non-home ship was removed from a landing pad.
- Skills
- REJUVENATION: Rejuvenation skill VFX no longer replay whenever the handscanner is opened in third person.
- SURVEYING: Fixed surveying challenge progress issue with mineral resource.
- TARGETING CONTROL SYSTEMS: Fixed inconsistencies with level 3 and 4.
- Weapons and Items
- Fixed incorrect reload amounts that could occur when consuming a Trauma Pack.
- Fixed FOV and zoom issues with weapon scopes.
- Fixed weapon sound effects occasionally continuing to play after killing an enemy.
- Fixed turret state not being restored properly after and save and load.
- Fixed an issue that could cause the helmet light to not reappear in third person after a save and load.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
Animal-loving horror Zoochosis is an open homage to The Thing
I think we’re well into “milking the gimmick” territory for bodycam horror games now – last week’s Digested may have been one giant snake too many – but Zoochosis does have the additional virtue of being heavily inspired by the cute doggy scene from The Thing. And also, perhaps, Five Nights At Freddy’s.
In this latest, gruesome escapade from Sparky Marky developers Clapperheads, you are a zookeeper working the night shift. Your job, initially, is to feed the incarcerated animals and clean up after them while giving them an occasional pat on the nose. But Something Is Wrong. Giraffes aren’t supposed to have that many legs, or mandibles. Kangaroos aren’t supposed to stick to the ceiling, or have several sets of teeth.
The Next Nintendo Switch Online Free Game Trial Is Now Available (Europe)
Try Eastward ahead of the DLC’s release.
Europe’s next Nintendo Switch Online Game Trial kicks off today in Europe, and it’s for Pixpil’s beautiful pixel art adventure Eastward. From now until 24th January, you can try out this unique game for free if you’re subscribed to the Nintendo Switch Online service.
Eastward was published by Chucklefish and arrived on the Nintendo Switch in 2021 and takes place in a world filled with MIASMA. The survivors of this moved underground and above ground, abandoned towns and structures have been filled with overgrown plants and unusual creatures.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Free Play Days – UFC 5, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, AEW: Fight Forever and Make Way
Get ready to rumble, embark on a swashbuckling adventure, grapple your way to victory, and make your way to the top this weekend on Xbox with Free Play Days! UFC 5, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, AEW: Fight Forever and Make Way are available this weekend for Xbox Game Pass Core and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play from Thursday January 18 at 12:01 a.m. PDT until Sunday, January 21 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.
Game Pass Core will give players access to our advanced multiplayer network, a select collection of over 25 games to play with friends around the world, and exclusive member deals! Read more about Game Pass Core at Xbox Wire.
How To Start Playing
Find and install the games on each of the individual game details page on Xbox.com. Clicking through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Game Pass Core or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership. To download on console, click on the Subscriptions tab in the Xbox Store and navigate down to the Free Play Days collection on your Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Keep The Fun Going
Purchase the game and other editions at a limited time discount and continue playing while keeping your Gamerscore and achievements earned during the event! Please note that discounts, percentages, and title availability may vary by title and region.
Free Play Days (Game Pass Core or Game Pass Ultimate Required)
UFC® 5
Electronic Arts
$69.99
$48.99
Free Trial
UFC 5
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Powered by Frostbite
, EA Sports UFC 5 is the next evolution of the fight game. From unrivalled graphics upgrades to all-new damage systems and doctor stoppages that affect gameplay in truly authentic fashion — this is as real as it gets.
AEW: Fight Forever Bring the Boom Edition
THQ Nordic
$89.99
AEW: Fight Forever
Developed by YUKE’S, AEW: Fight Forever combines nostalgic arcade-wrestling with All Elite Wrestling finishers and moves. Fight Forever features a big roster of AEW talent, multiple match types including 4-way, tag-team, unsanctioned lights-out, and tons of customization options. Career mode, more than 40 weapons, and so much more for fighting and grappling fans alike!
Make Way
Secret Mode
$14.99
Make Way
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S, Smart Delivery
Grab your friends and join the chaos! Make Way is a chaotic multiplayer racing game where up to four players battle to cross the finish line, all while avoiding obstacles and blowing each other up with wacky weapons. The twist? There are no pre-built courses. You’ll have to build your own tracks from a random selection of ridiculous pieces, race on your creations, then add to the track and repeat until a winner is decided. Play with up to four racers locally or online with cross-platform play. Join the fun for free from January 18-21.
ONE PIECE: PIRATE WARRIORS 4 Ultimate Edition (Xbox One)
Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.
$94.99
$47.49
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4
All aboard, pirates! Battle your way through waves of enemies as your favorite One Piece characters in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4. In a search for treasure, relive some of the One Piece series’ most memorable moments that span all the way from the beginning. Adventure awaits as One Piece Film: Red pack – featuring new characters from One Piece Film: Red– is available to purchase now and is included for owners of Character Pass 2. The new additional episode DLC and One Piece Film: Red Anime Song pack is also available on digital stores.
Don’t miss out on these exciting Free Play Days for Xbox Game Pass Core and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members! Learn more about Free Play Days here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire to find out about future Free Play Days and all the latest Xbox gaming news.
The post Free Play Days – UFC 5, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, AEW: Fight Forever and Make Way appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Palworld Early Access Review in Progress
Nothing about what Palworld attempts to do seems like it should work in the slightest. A thinly veiled Pokémon clone where you and your collectible monsters shoot people in the face with literal guns? A base building survival game where you use your kidnapped creatures as laborers, and are then forced to cook and eat those unpaid employees when times get tough? An open-world co-op adventure where you and your friends thwack helpless sheep over the head with a baseball bat to harvest their wool? Defying the odds, this wholly irreverent, gun-toting take on the creature collection genre has proven unrelentingly fun for the 15 hours I’ve binged so far. Its survival mechanics are intuitive and deep, its action-packed combat is silly and satisfying, and exploring the world in search of new Pals to kick the snot out of hasn’t come close to getting old – all of which is even more impressive considering this is just its Early Access release. I am baffled to report, dear reader, that Palworld is very good.
Despite the clear, eyebrow-raising inspiration it takes from a certain creature collecting powerhouse, Palworld more closely resembles a formulaic survival game like Grounded, with a roster of lovable monsters to capture as a clever twist on that formula. You find yourself inexplicably dropped into the wilderness of a strange land filled with oversized, dangerous beasts called Pals. From there you’ll need to build a base, hilariously force the local fauna into your servitude, and upgrade your gear to wage war against the rotten members of the Syndicate who try to murder you with assault weapons every chance they get. You won’t find yourself hanging out in idyllic towns or challenging gym leaders to friendly contests – this isn’t that kind of adventure (unless it has a very stark change of tone later on). Instead, your goal is to survive the harsh land and face off against evil and/or psychotic Pal trainers who raze villages, attack your base, and command foreboding towers and dungeons filled with goons who shoot to kill.
And yeah, tonally, that’s an utterly unhinged combination. One moment I was taking in pastoral views as I explored for new Pals, gliding, climbing, crafting, and cooking like this was an off-brand Tears of the Kingdom. The next moment I was firing guns at armed thugs and considering the possibility of butchering a Pal who had been mentally broken by the poor working conditions of my sweatshop so I could consume his meat to avoid starvation. Rather than not addressing the questionable aspects of the creature collecting genre, Palworld amusingly leans into them and lets you do absurd things like pick up your fiery fox Pal and use it as a flamethrower to burn your enemies to a crisp, or equip your monkey Pal with a machine gun (which sure beats using tail whip). Once you get over how incredibly weird that all feels, it’s a complete blast.
Catching Pals out in the open world has been a ton of fun so far, though it’s definitely a bit weird to hack a small penguin unconscious with an ax, or even more alarmingly, take out a gun and riddle your target with lead before stuffing it into a capture sphere. It feels extremely wrong at first, to be sure, but I found myself disturbingly used to the ritual after a few hours – I mean, is doing the dirty work myself really all that different from battling them with another captured creature instead?
The Pals themselves, on the other hand, aren’t quite as original as the process of catching them, as I’d mostly describe the ones I’ve seen as “almost copyright infringement.” Seriously, there’s a mouselike lightning Pal, a sassy two-legged cat Pal, a dinosaur with a flower on its head, and many more that reminded me an awful lot of some collectible monsters from the days of my youth. That said, uninspired as they are, most have pretty neat designs and a lot of personality, which makes each one a ton of fun to hunt and do battle against.
Though capturing, leveling up, and fighting alongside Pals is a major and awesome part of the adventure, you’ll likely spend much more time hanging out at your bases, where you’ll craft useful items and facilities, cook meals, and arm yourself for war in the epic battles ahead. Just like most other survival games, you’ll need to keep a steady stream of crafting materials flowing in, like wood, stone, and food, and the key to automating that process so you don’t spend endless hours mind-numbingly chopping down trees and swatting rocks with a pickaxe is by making clever use of the Pals themselves. For example, farming could soak up lots of your time as you plant seeds, water your plots, and then harvest the crops, but once you’ve captured some Pals and put them to work at your base, you can have a plant Pal spit seeds out of its mouth, then have a water Pal blast them with water, before another Pal comes along to harvest the crop and move it to your storage container.
This Pal-based cooperation is not only ridiculously adorable to watch, but gives you even more reasons to catch every creature you find. You might not have much use for the fox-like Pal Foxparks in battle, but if you keep one at your base, whenever you fire up the grill to cook or use the furnace to smelt some ingots, your charming fire friend will come running to shoot fire at the appliance and make the task go by faster. Even the weakest creatures give you a whole new reason to catch not just one of them, but a whole bunch to be put to work at whatever it is they do well.
I’ve only barely scratched the surface of a world map that seems quite large, but so far running around and looking for hidden chests, battling dangerous boss Pals, raiding dungeons stuffed with loot, and chatting with a handful of NPCs and vendors scattered throughout the wilderness has been consistently entertaining. In one area I was ambushed by some wolflike Pals and a giant boss who was way beyond my level absolutely destroyed me, while in another I fought a camp of evil Pal trainers who had raided the area and put Pals in cages, and in another yet I found a shady blackmarket trader who was selling rare, probably illicitly obtained Pals. I recently unlocked the ability to ride some of my airborne Pals, too, which has opened up a lot of exploration options, but there’s still quite a lot left to do and see. Time will tell just how much depth there is, but after taking down a few bosses and with a few dozen Pals unlocked in my Paldeck, I’m absolutely champing at the bit to see more.
The Last of Us Season 2 Cast: Who’s New and Coming Back to the HBO Show?
The Last of Us is returning for a second season in 2025 and we’re finally starting to learn who will be joining the cast, playing some of our favorite characters from the second game in Naughty Dog’s PlayStation series. It all kicked off with the big reveal that Booksmart’s Kaitlyn Dever would be taking on the role of Abby, followed soon after that by the casting announcements of Jesse and Dina.
There will be plenty more reveals as we get closer to the much-anticipated debut of Season 2, and we’ll be updating this article as we learn more! For now, however, come check out who the new cast members are, who is returning, who may return, and who, sadly, appears not to be coming back.
The Last of Us TV Show Season 2 New Cast
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby
The biggest question everyone had going into Season 2 of The Last of Us was who was going to play Abby? Thankfully, HBO finally gave us the answer when it revealed Booksmart and Justified’s Kaitlyn Dever will be playing her.
Abby is one of the playable characters in The Last of Us Part 2 and has a huge role to play in the upcoming story. While we won’t spoil too much here, Abby is a member of the Fireflies who crosses paths with Joel and Ellie early in the second game. HBO has described Abby as a “skilled soldier whose black-and-white view of the world is challenged as she seeks vengeance for those she loved.”
“Our casting process for season two has been identical to season one: we look for world-class actors who embody the souls of the characters in the source material,” series co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann said in a joint statement. “Nothing matters more than talent, and we’re thrilled to have an acclaimed performer like Kaitlyn join Pedro, Bella and the rest of our family.”
Who Voiced Abby in The Last of Us Part 2 Game? Laura Bailey
Young Mazino as Jesse
Beef star Young Mazino will be joining Season 2 of The Last of Us as Jesse, a “pillar of the community who puts everyone else’s needs before his own, sometimes at terrible cost.”
Jesse was first introduced in The Last of Us Part 2 and is a leader of the patrol groups in Jackson, Wyoming, a community Joel, Ellie, and Tommy call home at the beginning of the second game. He is a friend of Ellie and is also an ex-boyfriend of Dina.
“Young is one of those rare actors who is immediately undeniable the moment you see him,” Mazin and Druckmann said. “We’re so lucky to have him, and we can’t wait for the audience to see Young shine in our show.”
Who Voiced Jesse in The Last of Us Part 2 Game? Stephen Chang
Isabella Merced as Dina
Dora and the Lost City of Gold and Transformers: The Last Knight’s Isabella Merced is playing Dina in The Last of Us’ second season. For those unfamiliar, Dina is another member of the community of Jackson and is Ellie’s partner who plays a pivotal role in the story. Her relationship with Ellie evolves and grows in many ways throughout the game and she is one of the strongest voices in her life. Does she always listen to that voice? You’ll have to wait to find out.
“Dina is warm, brilliant, wild, funny, moral, dangerous and instantly lovable,” said Mazin and Druckmann. “You can search forever for an actor who effortlessly embodies all of those things, or you can find Isabela Merced right away.”
Who Voiced Dina in The Last of Us Part 2 Game? Shannon Woodward
The Last of Us TV Show Season 2 Confirmed Returning Cast
Spoilers ahead for The Last of Us Season 1!
Pedro Pascal as Joel
Pedro Pascal will once again be returning as Joel in the second season of The Last of Us. When we last left Joel, he had just gone on a murderous rampage against the Fireflies to save Ellie. Marlene explained to Joel that while the procedure to see if Ellie’s body could actually lead to a cure would kill her, it would be for the greater good. Joel clearly didn’t agree this was the right option and rescued Ellie, takingher away from there.
The final scene saw him lying to Ellie and telling her the Fireflies had already failed to develop a cure for the cordyceps infection and that they didn’t need her anymore. He also chose not to reveal the bloodshed he left behind. When he swore to Ellie that what he said was true, Ellie just gave him an uneasy, “Okay.”
Who Voiced Joel in The Last of Us Part 2 Game? Troy Baker
Bella Ramsey as Ellie
Bella Ramsey will be returning as Ellie in The Last of Us’ second season and will once again star alongside Pedro Pascal’s Joel. As with Joel, the last time we saw Ellie was when she was lied to by Joel about what happened with the Fireflies at that fateful hospital. Ellie was under anesthesia as she was getting ready for a procedure that would kill her but hopefully find a cure for the cordyceps infection. She didn’t know she was going to die.
Joel wasn’t OK with that and rescued her while killing many along the way, yet Ellie was unconscious the whole time so didn’t have a choice in the matter. We don’t know exactly what Ellie thinks after Joel lies to her at the end of the season, but Season 2 will no doubt dive deep into that and what it means for their relationship.
Who Voiced Bella in The Last of Us Part 2 Game? Ashley Johnson
The Last of Us TV Show Season 2 Possible Returning Cast
Gabriel Luna as Tommy
Tommy is Joel’s brother and Gabriel Luna will most likely be making a return in Season 2 as the character played a big part in The Last of Us Part 2. We last saw him in Jackson with his wife, Maria. Joel had initially asked Tommy to take Ellie to the Fireflies after he admitted he wasn’t strong enough to do it and couldn’t after the loss of his daughter, Sarah. However, he changed his mind after speaking with Ellie and the two left Tommy behind in Jackson, but not before Tommy said they always had a home there.
Rutina Wesley as Maria
Rutina Wesley’s Maria is a leader of the Jackson community and Tommy’s wife. We last saw her in Jackson when she was cutting Ellie’s hair and telling her to be careful who to trust. She will most likely be returning for Season 2.
Merle Dandridge as Marlene
Merle Dandridge’s Marlene was killed by Joel in the final episode of The Last of Us’ first season, so we won’t be seeing her in the present time of Season 2. However, she did appear in flashbacks during The Last of Us Part 2 and very well may show up again this next season in that fashion.
Anna Torv as Tess
Anna Torv’s Tess was a smuggler and close friend of Joel in Boston who was with him when Marlene gave them the mission to get Ellie out of the city and to the Fireflies. Unfortunately, Tess sacrificed herself to save Joel and Ellie after she was bitten, and she was controversially killed by a Clicker who “kissed” her with disgusting mouth tendrils.
While Tess didn’t appear in The Last of Us Part 2, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that we could get another flashback to Joel and Tess’ life before she died in the show to flesh out their story.
Will Nick Offerman’s Bill and Murray Bartlett’s Frank Return in The Last of Us?
It doesn’t sound like it…
The Last of Us’ episode which focused on the story of Nick Offerman’s Bill and Murray Bartlett’s Frank was one of our favorite of the show’s first season. In fact, we loved it so much that we gave it a rare 10/10.
“Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett take on leading role duties with elegance, leaving an unmistakably beautiful mark on the show as we’re shown a side of humanity that makes what Joel and Ellie are fighting for worth saving,” IGN’s Simon Cardy wrote. “It’s an episode, just like love, that lives long in the memory after experiencing it.”
While their love story has sadly ended, there was hope we could see them again in another flashback. Offerman even said there were ideas for a potential spin-off prequel series focused on the characters.
However, Mazin has shut down that idea and said Offerman was just joking about the prequel. “I’m very proud of the episode we did with Bill and Frank,” Mazin said. “There won’t be more Bill and Frank. Nick was joking about a prequel, that was kind of a joke. We are very happy with what we achieved.”
For more, check out our review of The Last of Us Season 1 and seven cool details from The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’s Lost Levels.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
The Electronic Wireless Show S3 Episode 2: speedrunning dogs for fun and (charity) profit
Games Done Quick is busy raising loads of money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, so we have a little chat about speedrunning, speedrunners, the benefits of breaking the game vs. the quality of a purist speedrun, and also a dog. We don’t have a Nate this week, but James has been playing Apelegs again and offers a surprising self-assessment of how he feels like he’s past his Apex Legends prime, and how confidence is a really necessary skill in competitive shooters. Worth tuning in for a listen to that.