Weekend at Dave's

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:

http://punishedbacklog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Weekend-at-Daves-Episode-2.mp3

Weekend at Dave’s – Episode 2 (Download Link)

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.

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.

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:

Thanks for listening! Check back soon for another episode of Weekend at Dave’s.

The post Weekend at Dave’s: Episode 2 – Deltarune, Castlevania S2, and that Smash Direct appeared first on The Punished Backlog.

I’m trying something new at The Punished Backlog. Starting this week, and set to recur every few weeks or so, is my own little pet project I’ve had in the works for some time now. It’s called Weekend at Dave’s, and it’s a new solo podcast I’ve concocted just in time for Halloween.

Weekend at Dave’s was inspired by a recent article I published, which detailed my struggles keeping up with a growing AAA backlog. As of today, I’d like to continue the conversation surrounding my backlog, telling you all about the games I’m playing, the games I’ve beaten, and the games I’ve yet to complete.

Unlike the article, Weekend at Dave’s is intended to be a listening affair. I came to the conclusion that now was as good a chance as ever to delve into the world of audio production (and that video production is a whole ‘nother beast entirely). Audio is straightforward, it’s low-hassle and easy to produce, and it’s fun—hopefully as much for me to put together as it is for you to listen.

That being said, I still plan to provide some written content to complement the experience. Check below each new episode for additional thoughts, notes, and excerpts from the current week.

As of now, Weekend at Dave’s is up and running with just the bare essentials: a simple MP3 player, and a download link for those who wish to listen offline. However, I have plans to expand Weekend at Dave’s to major podcast services in the near future, so please stay tuned! (Oh, and I plan to have a theme song. Every good podcast needs a good theme song.)

With that settled, sit back, relax, and enjoy your very first weekend up in the mountains:

http://punishedbacklog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Weekend-at-Daves-Episode-1-10-29-2018.mp3

Weekend at Dave’s – Episode 1 (Download Link)

I missed Octopath Traveler when I wrote my initial backlog article, and I’m not sure why. Perhaps it was because I didn’t quite consider a non-Final Fantasy, non-Dragon Quest, non-Kingdom Hearts JRPG from Square Enix to qualify as “AAA,” or because it was a Switch exclusive, or because it released in July during an absolute drought for games.

Regardless of the reason, though, I paid $60 for the game, and it should have been on the list. No better time to rectify that fact than the present!

No idea as to when exactly I’ll get to Octopath, but I’m excited to dive back in. Combat was a blast, the music was beautiful, and the premise was second-to-none, considering the dearth of proper JRPGs this generation (and frankly, during last one as well).

As promised, finally wrapped up my time with Peter Parker, Mary Jane, and New York in Marvel’s Spider-Man. Boy, was Jonah J. Jameson a riot!

Cleared everything from north to south, east to west, and every direction in between. Lots of repetitive little side missions—particular the crime ones—but then again, it’s hard to keep an open world consistently engaging throughout, and I give props to developer Insomniac for giving their best effort with this first stab at the IP.

I went out of the way to platinum Spider-Man, and I fully intend to do so for Horizon: Zero Dawn as well. Which brings up the interesting question, though, of why I bother completing some open-world games, despite the monotony. Spider-Man and Horzon: Zero Dawn both share tired mission structure and recycled combat. And yet, their worlds feel so pristine, so pretty, so well defined, that I feel compelled to go for the platinum, in spite of both games’ apparent faults.

Look at games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, however, and it’s clear that not all open worlds share the same philosophy. Compared to Spider-Man and Horizon, the worlds of The Witcher 3 and Skyrim are hardly as clear-cut; they’re not as simple to navigate, their quests aren’t as straightforward, and they certainly are not as easy to platinum… and yet, perhaps that’s why they’re so compelling. The satisfaction of playing through Wild Hunt or Skyrim has little to do with checking completionist boxes, and far more to do with scaling that next mountain in the distance and seeing what lies beyond.

After all, if you can’t beat ’em (quite literally in this case), might as well join ’em and make the most of your time while you’re there.

Is good. Real good.

New additions are bolded, recent completions are crossed out, and near completions are underlined.

Thanks for joining me on this new wild ride of mine! Check back in soon for another episode of Weekend at Dave’s.

The post Weekend at Dave’s: Episode 1 – Spider-Man, Horizon, and Red Dead appeared first on The Punished Backlog.