Piranha Plant for President, 2020
Another episode of Weekend at Dave’s, coming at you hot and in time for the end of the weekend. You know, so the title makes sense.
This weekend’s episode touches upon a loaded news week for games. First, Tobyfox revealed a new successor (predecessor?) to Undertale, called Deltarune—a particularly clever anagram. Then, days later, Nintendo hosted its final Direct for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and we’re all still digesting the information shared during the massive 40-minute presentation.
In other news, I watched Netflix’s Castlevania Season 2 (which I probably should have watched before Halloween, but I digress), and have plenty of thoughts to share on what’s arguably already the greatest television adaptation of a video game series to date.
Catch the full episode here:
Weekend at Dave’s – Episode 2 (Download Link)
Deltarune is Out and Free to Download
After sending series of cryptic tweets the day before Halloween, Tobyfox and the Undertale Twitter account officially announced a followup to the cult-classic RPG Undertale, titled Deltarune.
While I have not had the chance to try the game—which is free—yet, the internet is already ablaze with passionate fans piecing together the new game’s story, players and outlets warning of spoiler alerts, and even the risk of using the game’s uninstaller.
If the game’s catchy new soundtrack is any indication, it looks like Tobyfox has honed his skills since the original game’s release in September 2015. I for one cannot wait to jump into the world of Deltarune and uncover its secrets for myself. Hope Sans is there.
Rest in Peace Isaac and Shadow… but Could Geno be Safe?
Mere days after the now-infamous “Grinch leak” spread across the internet, supposedly revealing the remaining roster of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, dreams were crushed and tears were shed when Nintendo officially debunked the rumors during its final Ultimate Direct.
While Ken made it into the final roster unscathed, others weren’t as lucky. Shadow the Hedgehog and Golden Sun‘s Isaac were both essentially “killed” by their inclusion in the game as assist trophies, while the announcement that Incineroar was the final fighter at launch quickly dashed hopes of seeing any other fan favorites come December.
And yet, for others, such as Geno and even Banjo, there’s still hope. Five unannounced fighters are still coming in 2019 as DLC fighters, all of which—as pointed out astutely by Sakurai—will be newcomers since “Everyone is Here” already.
So will Geno or Banjo make the final cut? I don’t know. If rumors online are to be believed, chances are looking good that a Square Enix character will be one of the included five DLC characters. Phil Spencer has also been on the record saying he’d be open to Banjo being included in Smash Bros. As with all Nintendo surprises, all will be revealed in time.
What’s Next After Castlevania?
Season three of Netflix’s Castlevania series has already been greenlit, and series director Adi Shankar is also reportedly in talks to produce a Legend of Zelda television series.
Even if the Zelda TV talk ends up being a bunch of baloney, it still begs the question: What game series would make most sense after Castlevania for a proper to-screen adaptation?
While I don’t claim to be the end-all, be-all authority when choosing what should make the cut, I do have some particular favorites I’d love to see given a chance as a Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, or HBO series:
- Metroid. Seriously, seeing as how Castlevania got its due, then surely the other half of the genre deserves its time to shine.
- Final Fantasy. I’m biased, but let’s see some western showrunners get their hands on the franchise and see what they can do with it!
- Skyrim. An epic, sprawling series that mixes a Game of Thrones setting with Avatar-quality animation and humor? Sign me up!
- Halo. We’re already seen the potential here with Halo Legends, so why not go all the way and make a full-fledged series for the franchise? (Thankfully, it looks like we’re getting our wish sooner rather than later.)
- Hotel Dusk. Hey—its the next best thing to a proper third entry in the series. I’ll take what I can get!
Thanks for listening! Check back soon for another episode of Weekend at Dave’s.
