Did RCCA, the company that made Son of Beast go defunct after this incident or before?
Battle Royale: The Last Generation Of An SNES-CD Saga
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October 2017 - Apocalypse Now
Netflix Looks For Fantasy Rival To Blockbuster's Song
With A Song Of Ice And Fire's first season making major waves at Blockbuster, Netflix has been on the hunt for a fantasy-themed show of its own. The network has plenty of fantasy fare amongst its animated offerings, including Infinite Realms and the upcoming Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, which is set to debut in 2018, but in terms of live-action fantasy shows for adults, Netflix is somewhat lacking. The streaming service has mostly focused on sitcoms and action dramas, but has shrunk away from fantasy shows, wary of committing such a large budget to any one show. However, with Blockbuster's subscription numbers soaring in recent months, and many new subscribers specifically citing A Song Of Ice And Fire in their decision to adopt the service, it may be time for Netflix to push forward. Robert Jordan's A Wheel of Time was once circulated as a potential acquisition target for the service, but Netflix reportedly backed down from a deal to adapt the books in 2016, and now the Sci-Fi Channel has announced that they'll be adapting Jordan's epic next fall. Netflix may also look to launch its own original fantasy series, as premium cable network HBO has announced they'll be doing, after they themselves passed on a chance to adapt Martin's series. HBO's Mists Of Edenfall is currently in production and is expected to be released in 2019. Netflix has been in talks with author Stephen King, though rumors of a Dark Tower adaptation turned out to be false, and now it's rumored that Netflix may be commissioning the famed horror author to pen a dark fantasy series. King hasn't spoken of his involvement with Netflix outside of a Comic-Con panel earlier this year in which he was promoting his newest novel Red Tumble, so anything between King and Netflix may not surface for at least another year. Netflix remains the #2 most popular streaming service, though the gap between Netflix and Fox's service Hulu has been closing slowly but steadily over the past two years, and it may well be overtaken sometime next year. Hulu itself has numerous fantasy shows on offer, both live-action and animated, with Simpsons creator Matt Groening expected to bring a new animated series to the service in 2018, called Disenchantment, which will have a fantasy theme. Both Hulu and Netflix recently passed on an adaptation of the Margaret Atwood novel A Handmaid's Tale, though Atwood's novel will see an adaptation as a serialized adventure game scheduled to be released on consoles and mobile sometime next year. Speaking of video games, there's also the news that Squaresoft is looking to adapt the original Final Fantasy game as a television serial, and would be producing it with an American company. If so, Netflix could get another chance to bid on a hot fantasy adaptation, though Blockbuster and Hulu are both likely to make a run at adapting the series as well.
-from an article on Tubehound, posted on October 1, 2017
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The most anticipated live-action Disney Channel show in recent memory is premiering this Friday, and it's expected to be viewed by at least three million people, generating some of the biggest ratings for the network since 2011. She's Got It is a sitcom co-produced by pop legend Selena, starring her 13-year-old daughter, Crystal Rain. It stars Rain as a seventh-grader named Christy whose life changes forever when she's discovered by washed-up pop superstar turned producer Shana "Siren" Ruiz (played by Alanna Ubach), and becomes the face of Ruiz's label. Christy must navigate the challenges of fame and fortune while trying to stay connected to those she loves, and discovering the kind of person she wants to be.
The premise of She's Got It, with a young girl turned pop superstar overnight, has been done before by numerous kidcoms, including on the Disney Channel but also on Nickelodeon and Fox Family. However, this show differs from them in a number of ways, most notably the fact that Christy's life gets almost completely uprooted. She still lives in her hometown of Los Angeles, but no longer attends school, and no longer has time for many of the things she used to enjoy doing.
"This isn't a show about a girl trying to juggle a normal life with being famous," said Rain, in a KABC interview promoting the show. "Once Christy gets discovered by Siren, she doesn't have a normal life anymore, and the show's about how she adjusts to that. It's almost like an isekai... basically in Japan, there's a genre of shows, mostly anime shows, where the heroine gets transported to a different world. It's like that in a way. She stays on Earth, but her entire life circumstances completely change, she goes from the normal preteen girl world to the OMG celebrity world overnight."
Of course, Crystal Rain would know about not having a normal life. As the daughter of Selena, she's always been in the spotlight, from the day she was born until now.
"I've never really known a 'normal' life, you know? I've always been homeschooled, I've always been in this world of music and celebrity and so this world that's so different for Christy is like my normal life, so for me, the challenge is to embody this girl that's only known a world without fame, and then she's suddenly caught up in the life of a superstar."
As for Ubach's character, Siren, Selena did note that the character was somewhat inspired by her own life as a popstar, but that Siren's path went quite a bit differently.
"Siren is someone who was at the top of the world for a few years, then had a lot of trouble adjusting to how the pop music landscape changed around her," said Selena in a TV Guide interview for the magazine's Fall Preview issue. "Now she's a producer, but you can tell she's still trying to make it back to the top, and in Christy she sees a way to do it, seeing how talented and energetic this girl is, she's driving her hard to be a star sort of as a way to get back into the spotlight, which does create a lot of conflicts."
Selena was offered the role of Siren herself, but turned it down, wanting producers to cast someone with more acting experience. Selena herself has appeared in a few television and film projects, and has also dabbled in voiceover for cartoons and games, but says that she prefers singing to acting. She personally helped cast Ubach (who turns 42 this week) in the role, praising the actress' singing and acting talents and her ability to embody a charismatic pop star persona.
"She's absolutely incredible, she can do comedy like no one I've ever seen, but she can also do really emotional moments as well, and Siren has a ton of emotional baggage that will be unpacked as the series progresses," Selena told the interviewer.
Of course, Christy has a few friends in her corner, both from her old life as an ordinary middle schooler and her new pop star career. In the KABC interview, Rain said that even with her extraordinary life, she credits her circle of close friends for keeping her emotionally fulfilled, and Christy's circle of friends will play a prominent role in the show as well. Christy's best friend is Lena, played by 12-year-old Billie Scifres. A relative newcomer, with some stage plays and small television cameos to her name, Scifres' character is Christy's closest connection to her previous life, one of the few friends from her old school she's able to see frequently. Lena, though excited for Christy's newfound fame, is also wary of Siren, and frequently clashes with her, believing her to be pushing Christy too hard into pop stardom.
"Billie is an absolute gem, one of the best young actors I've had the privilege of casting," said Sam Stretta, the show's co-producer with Selena and with veteran showrunner Liz Gateley. "She has amazing chemistry with both Crystal and Alanna, and Lena's relationship with Christy really drives the show forward and provides a lot of energy."
Joining Scifres amongst the young actors forming Christy's circle of friends are Matt (played by 14-year-old Devin Krieg) and Stella (played by 15-year old Lana Colstone). Matt is a member of a boy band called Done Deal, who, like Christy, is new to pop fame and fortune, and who frequently "escapes" with Christy and Lana for excursions and adventures away from the pressures of music stardom. Stella, meanwhile, was previously the biggest star on Siren's label before Christy's arrival, and at just 14, already has a top-10 pop hit. She'd been pushing hard for a #1 hit before Christy's arrival, and with Siren pushing her off to the side to make way for the new girl, Stella becomes jealous and forms a rivalry. However, according to Colstone, their relationship isn't that simple.
"There's jealousy and resentment at first, absolutely," said Colstone, "but Stella's also a bit worried about Christy, seeing her as naive and not wanting her to be pushed hard or shoved aside in the same way she was."
Joining Alanna Ubach amongst the adult members of the cast are Raymond Cruz and Carolina Ravassa, who play Christy's parents on the show. Cruz plays Christy's father, Juan, who is supportive of Christy but who also wants to keep her feet on the ground, so to speak, not wanting all the newfound fame to go to her head. Ravassa plays Christy's mother Lauren, who's a lot more excited about Christy's new job, as she herself was a huge fan of Siren during the 1990s, the singer's heyday.
"The dynamic between the two of them is really fun, Juan is this average joe type of guy who is a bit leery of Siren, a bit leery of his daughter being some famous popstar, really just trying to keep his family on the rails, sort of the straight man to everyone else's wacky craziness, and Lauren is just this big ball of energy who's fangirling for Siren and really excited for her daughter, but who's also a firm mom, just with some stars in her eyes."
Cruz and Ravassa were cast in their roles despite a 24-year age difference, and while the difference isn't so pronounced in the show (Juan is seven years younger than Cruz, while Lauren is seven years older than Ravassa, so the characters' ages are only ten years apart), it is an aspect used for some jokes, with Juan occasionally mistaken for Lauren's father, much to his chagrin ("I am not that old!" is the character's catchphrase). Initially, producers didn't intend to cast two actors so far apart in age: Ravassa was cast first, and producers expected to cast a younger actor as Christy's father.
"Raymond Cruz comes in and just nails his audition, does such a good job playing this dad with all this stuff on his shoulders, and his chemistry with the other actors was so good that we knew we had to cast him," said Stretta.
Despite being frequently typecast as a "heavy" in shows such as St. Whisper, Finalwar, and Eyes, Cruz does have a few comedy roles under his belt, and when interviewed about the show on NBC's Today, told co-host Paula Zahn that his children were the biggest reason for auditioning.
"You know, my kids, they can't watch a lot of what I do, so this is something that they can enjoy, and something I really enjoy doing... you know, I'm actually, I really hate violence, so while I love doing dramatic, challenging roles, it's tough a lot of times when the job calls on me to hurt somebody, even just acting. So this is a show I can do, I can have fun, it's great people... I mean, it's produced by Selena for goodness sake! It's so much fun and I'm really glad I'm getting to do something my kids can see me in without having to watch me hit someone or swear."
She's Got It wasn't originally created with the idea of being a vehicle for Selena's daughter. Crystal Rain auditioned for the show as just another acting role, but after she was cast for both her singing and acting abilities, Selena was brought on board and given an executive producer credit and extensive creative control.
"I mean, I let the writing team handle the writing," said Selena, with a laugh. "The stuff they come up with is hilarious, better than pretty much anything I could write on my own. I pitch ideas, I give input on some things, I contributed mostly to Siren's character, along with the writers and Alanna, but for the most part, it's the writing team."
Selena was at first skeptical to allow her daughter to act on a Disney show, citing some of the issues that faced child stars and kid-focused sitcoms in the past, but according to her, those issues have been almost entirely smoothed out.
"It's so much different than it used to be. They treat the kids so much better, they have people with them all the time, talking to them, making sure everything is agreeable to everyone... they really are aware now of the effect all of this has on young people, and in fact this show will discuss a lot of those issues. The thing people don't realize about child stars is that... they're geniuses, all of them are so smart, but at the same time, they're still children, so socially, emotionally, you still have to be careful. I'm having so much fun working on this show with my daughter, and at the end of the day, I want everyone who watches it to have fun too."
She's Got It premieres Friday, October 6th at 8:00 PM on the Disney Channel.
-from an article posted on Variety.com on October 4, 2017
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*A young woman stands outside what looks like a miniature city inside a large building.*
Interviewer: Welcome back, it's 8:39 AM here in Corpus Christi, and I'm here at one of downtown's newest attractions, the all new KidZania interactive educational city, and with me is Regan Hardwick, who's here to promote this brand new attraction. Regan, hello!
Regan: Hello! *smiling and waving*
Interviewer: So, before we talk about what you're doing here today, care to tell us a little about KidZania?
Regan: Sure! So this is KidZania, it's an interactive city where kids can come and experience all kinds of different jobs and careers, but in a really fun way! Kids get the chance to participate in different activities all over the city, there's restaurants where they can work and make food, there's a Honda factory where they can design a new car, there's an Electronic Arts exhibit where they can playtest video games, an AMC theater where they can work the projection booth, it's a taste of the real world of, you know, getting a job, having a career, but in a fun and safe environment that kind of gives you an idea of what to expect in a grown-up job.
Interviewer: It's a really big place and it looks like there's a lot going on. I'm told this isn't the first KidZania, that there are others around the world, but that this is the first one in the United States?
Regan: That's right, it's the first one of its kind in the United States, here in Corpus Christi, but there are more on the way over the next few years! There's one coming to New York, I think, one coming to Los Angeles, and I think another in Texas in Dallas coming next year. And you know, Selena is working with the owners of the company to bring KidZania to the United States and Canada, she's actually the owner of this one and the other franchises coming to the rest of the country.
Interviewer: Do you know how Selena came to work with the company to bring KidZania here?
Regan: Well, KidZania actually started in Mexico, there are several down in Mexico, and she learned about KidZania when she took her two kids down there, she got interested and then she contacted the owner of the company about bringing it to the United States, and now here we are with the very first American one in Corpus Christi! In fact, this KidZania has another unique feature, which is a miniature version of Selena's recording studio, so kids can actually record some songs and learn about the process of creating music albums, and that's only going to be at the Corpus Christi KidZania, so definitely check that out if you're here!
Interviewer: That's really amazing, how she was inspired to bring this really cool company to America, and I bet all the kids are going to have a really fun time. How did you end up becoming involved, I know you're here with Selena to promote this opening, how did that come about and what are you going to be doing today?
Regan: *giggles, clearly having a fun time* KidZania has these really cool mascots, these kids called the RightzKeepers, and what they are is they represent all the different rights that kids have here at KidZania, There's the Right to Care, the Right to Share, the Right to Be, the Right to Play, the Right to Create, and the Right to Know, and they're each represented by these kids, you might've seen them on the way in, they're all over the building and you probably saw on the screens that they're in some animated cartoons.
Interviewer: I did, I did see them! They're cute!
Regan: Those cartoons are new, and I actually was contacted to audition to voice one of the kids in these cartoons, and I play the voice of Vita, she's the one with blue hair, she's the Right to Care and she's this really sweet girl who loves animals and loves everyone and I have a really fun time playing her. I also do her voice in the Latin Spanish version of the cartoons as well, along with the voice of Chika who has pink hair and represents the Right to Share. I actually do two voices for the Latin Spanish cartoons, which started playing in all the Mexico KidZanias I think last month, but in the English version I only do the voice of Vita. Crystal Rain actually voices Chika in the English cartoons!
Interviewer: Selena's daughter? She's in the cartoons too?
Regan: Yeah, we actually got to hang out together when we voiced them too! She is going to be here today too, she's helping to launch the new facility and her and of course her mom will be doing a little concert, which I'm sure everyone's probably here for that. *laughing*
Interviewer: That is a big part of the opening weekend here, for sure!
Regan: It's okay, it's okay-
Interviewer: But you, you're part of the promotional launch too!
Regan: Yeah, actually I'm going to be the KidZania radio DJ all day today! That's another of the jobs we have here, the radio station, and so normally when kids come here, some of them will get to spend an hour or two being the DJ and playing the songs, and that's going to be my job today. I'm really excited, it's going to be a lot of fun!
Interviewer: Do you have any experience with being a radio DJ, or is this your first time?
Regan: My mom was a radio DJ back in college at UC Santa Cruz, she did the radio station over there for a year, but for me, no, I've never done radio DJing, just voiceover for cartoons, that's my extent of being behind the mic. I'm looking forward to it a lot!
Interviewer: Can you give us a little preview?
Regan: Sure! *launches into her DJ voice, which is just her own voice but a tiny bit more grown-up sounding* "Good morning, KidZania! This is your DJ Regan Hardwick, and I'll be playing your requests! While you're out there having fun creating, playing, and learning, you'll also be hearing your favorite hits on KidZania Radio! Save up some kidZos and stop by to request a song, I'll be here all day long!"
Interviewer: *clapping* That was awesome, sounds like you've been practicing!
Regan: I'm psyched! I really want to help everyone here have a super fun day!
Interviewer: On a personal note, what's next for you, what else is going on, I know you mentioned voiceover.
Regan: Yeah, we just started season two of Lyte and Darke on Cartoon Network, last Friday we had our big season premiere... coincidentally the same day Crystal's new show premiered on Disney Channel, but we air an hour later so you can watch both!
Interviewer: Anything exciting going on for season two?
Regan: Well, I can't mention any spoilers, but I can say that Darke is going to be learning some sweet new spells this year, and that she and Lyte won't always be seeing eye to eye, which is bad news because there are some really dangerous new villains! Last night we got to see Demire, she's really mean, and we might be learning about Darke's past soon, but that's all I can say without getting in trouble!
Interviewer: And we wouldn't want that! Anything else?
Regan: *thinking* Well, I've still got my webshow, Turn The Tables, which I do with my Lyte and Darke co-star Inez Delgado, so that's a lot of fun, it's on the Nerdist and we play different tabletop board games with celebrity guests, a new game and guest every week! And I'm also involved in another little tabletop board game project called Critical Role, it's an ongoing series where a group of actors play Dungeons and Dragons together! I'm not one of the main people on there but I did get to hang out with them for a few weeks and play, so definitely be on the lookout for that, I think my episodes air in December! I'm also going to be appearing in some commercials for Five Below, I had a lot of fun doing those, I'm not sure when they start airing though. And I also just started eighth grade, so...
Interviewer: You've been busy!
Regan: *laughing* Yeah, but I love it, it's all been a lot of fun and I'm really grateful, especially to Selena who brought me down here this week.
Interviewer: Well, I imagine you've got to get to it pretty soon, thanks for stopping by to talk!
Regan: Absolutely! Thanks for coming out to support us!
Interviewer: Now, if you're wanting to bring the family down to KidZania this weekend, it is already full, all the reserved spots have been taken, so you won't be able to actually participate in any of the activities today, but Selena and Crystal's concert will be open to the public and it's expected to start at noon. According to KidZania officials, it'll open up for guests on Monday the 23rd, nine days from now, until then all the spots are filled, this has proven to be a very popular new attraction. Of course, KidZania is part of the new downtown complex including the new 50-story hotel and entertainment facility, really a lot of big things happening here in Corpus Christi this year and of course, it's all in preparation for that 2028 Olympic bid, the USOC is expected to announce which American city will be vying for the final round sometime next year, and all these downtown renovations and new buildings are certainly going to impress the people making that decision.
-from a KRIS-TV report on the morning of October 14, 2017
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Mets Win Thrilling Subway Series, Defeating Yankees 6-5 In Game 7
The New York Mets have won their first World Series championship since 1986, defeating their crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees, in a spectacular Game 7 win at Yankee Stadium. The Mets, led by a strong pitching staff headlined by Yu Darvish, were able to pull out a victory in Game 7 after trailing 2-0 following a difficult first inning. Despite the Yankees scoring twice as many hits as the Mets over the course of the game, they frequently stranded runners on base, while the Mets stayed close throughout, never letting the Yankees get ahead by more than two runs at any point. The Yankees' spectacular slugger, Mike Trout, was held completely hitless, 0-5 with two strikeouts, including a strikeout with a runner on third in the seventh inning. Trout had been one of the Yankees' best players throughout the series, scoring the game winning home run in Game 2 to give his team a 2-0 lead, and scoring the go-ahead run in the ninth inning in Game 6 to send the series to a decisive game, but he was ineffective in this one.
The Mets had been clear underdogs in this series, barely skirting into the playoffs after an 88-74 regular season record forced them to compete in a playoff game against the Brewers just to earn a wildcard spot. They then had to endure a tough Wild Card series with the San Francisco Giants, and a close NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, in which they found their backs against the wall, down 3-1 before rattling off three straight wins to earn a World Series berth. The Yankees came into the World Series with a 102-60 record, and were considered the overall favorites, sweeping their ALCS opponents, the Toronto Blue Jays, and were expected to beat the Mets easily. However, the Mets had been one of the hottest teams in baseball coming into the playoffs, winning 18 of their last 25 games to overcome a five game deficit in the wild card race. Though not quite as "miraculous" as the Miracle Mets of 1969, the 2017 New York Mets team will certainly be remembered as one of the most unlikely champions in World Series history, and will be treated to a ticker tape parade in New York's Canyon of Heroes on Friday.
-from an October 31, 2017 article on Yahoo! Sports News
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Game Spotlight: Squad Four Apocalypse
Squad Four Apocalypse is an adventure/shooter/RPG developed by Argonaut and published by Nintendo exclusively for the Nintendo Reality. It continues the events of the Squad Four series, taking place after 2014's Squad Four Betrayal, and sees the titular team attempting to prevent a galactic disaster after a group of Luddite cultists known as the Renewal use a dangerous new weapon to wipe out nearly all electricity and technology in the galaxy. The game sees Squad Four in pursuit of the Renewal, trying to stop them from activating a series of ancient artifacts, while also trying to restore technology to what it was before. Squad Four Apocalypse plays much like Betrayal before it, utilizing the same engine and similar melee and combat mechanics, with intelligent, reactive AI for both player and AI controlled characters. However, the game introduces RPG elements such as loot and damage numbers into the series for the first time, and features generally faster paced combat overall. Combat pace can be considered at a median point between the hack and slash inspired combat of Protectors and the deliberate, realistic combat of Betrayal, providing an experience comparable to a game like OTL's Astral Chain. Players will usually be able to select their hero from amongst Shad, Marcus, Rebecca, or Lane, though there are times when one or more of these characters is unavailable. The game also makes use of partners in battle, with dual attacks and context-sensitive commands, giving players the option of finding the character-partner combination that works best for them. There are guest characters as well, hearkening back to Squad Four Rebellion, though only the main four are playable, with guest characters always controlled by the AI. As mentioned before, there is loot in the game, with players able to equip weapons, armor, and accessories to each character, and even to craft new equipment as the game progresses, with items dropped by enemies or purchased from shops contained both within missions and between them. The skill tree has expanded as well, and instead of there being a two-path approach to each character's tree, each character now has three main paths, though it's now easier to travel between them, and roles are no longer named and defined. The basic character qualities still apply: Shad is a midrange, jack of all trades type character, Marcus is slow and tanky but hits hard, Rebecca is quick and fragile, with the ability to score huge spike hits, and Lane is a more technical character relying on gadgets and traps, hard to learn but rewarding to master. Though the game's mission progression is still linear, like in Betrayal, the team will travel to a lot more worlds, and environments are generally more open, with more of an emphasis on exploration. It's possible to redo any mission and revisit any area for grinding and loot purposes, though experience gained does increase in the later worlds, and earlier missions will still be populated with low-reward, early game enemies. Squad Four Apocalypse, like its predecessor, is quite advanced in terms of graphical quality. On the base Reality, the game looks slightly better than Betrayal, though on the Reality Neo, which launches alongside the game, it looks absolutely stunning, probably the best looking console game to date (with the Neo updates, Betrayal also looks outstanding, though it doesn't get as much of a boost as Apocalypse does). The soundtrack is done in-house, though Bear McCreary returns from Betrayal to contribute a few tracks. The core voice cast of Charles Martinet, Michael Reisz, Deedee Magno Hall, and Tom Kenny all reprise their roles as Shad, Marcus, Rebecca, and Lane respectively, while Nika Futterman reprises her role as Raquel, returning from Squad Four Rebellion. The leader of the Renewal, a man known as Odion, is voiced by Robin Atkin Downes, while Sara, a member of the Renewal who is wavering somewhat after seeing the effects of the blackout on the galaxy, is voiced by Laura Bailey.
Squad Four Apocalypse takes place a year after the events of Betrayal, and despite Rebecca's actions in that game, she's mostly recovered from her trauma, while Squad Four has once again taken its place as the heroes of the galaxy. The game begins with the group called to a seemingly routine mission on a distant planet, with some disturbances reported by local authorities. The group soon learns that a hunter has attacked the guard there, and though no one's been killed, some of the guards do have injuries consistent with weaponry strangely familiar to Rebecca. The group heads to a factory, where they finally catch up to the mysterious hunter. Eventually, Rebecca breaks off and pursues the hunter, eventually revealed to be Raquel, now sporting a patch over one of her eyes. Raquel doesn't reveal her reasons for attacking the facility, but asks the team to give up their pursuit and let whatever happens happen. They try to stop her from leaving, but are unable to do so. Soon after, mysterious activity attributed to a cult known as the Renewal begins to surface. At first, there's no connection between Raquel and the Renewal, and the cult seems to be just a run-of-the-mill group of crazies committing small terrorist acts throughout the galaxy. However, when activity is revealed to center around a temple that holds a particularly dangerous ancient weapon, Squad Four is called to investigate. Squad Four is able to take out the cult and their rudimentary weaponry fairly easily, though a few cult members slip through, infiltrating a mysterious chamber in the temple. As they try to stop the cultists, they are suddenly stymied by an attack from Raquel, and the cultists are able to activate the temple's weapon... which, when combined with stolen tech from the factory, leads to a massive power surge that ripples across the galaxy, blacking out every civilized world and taking out much of the high tech, while also leaving Squad Four stranded on the temple world. They're able to repair their ship after finding a part that was undamaged, which they suspect was because of Raquel, but they have no idea why Raquel would aid the Renewal, or why she'd help them if she was. The cult's actions kick off the next major segment of the game, the aftermath of the technological carnage. While backup generator systems are able to keep crucial systems going on the civilized worlds, the systems won't be able to hold out long, giving Squad Four a limited time to stop the Renewal and restore power, which they suspect has something to do with six other temples on six other worlds. Most of the rest of the game revolves around hunting for and exploring these temples, battling the Renewal and their stolen ancient tech along the way. As they do so, Squad Four learns that the Renewal seeks to destroy human technology in order to supplant it with the creations of an ancient civilization called the Zelians, which the Renewal claim to be the heirs to. Raquel is helping the Renewal because she worries that humanity's technology has grown too dangerous, particularly after the events of Betrayal. After learning that Rebecca was willing to betray her own team to stop the AI Evangelyne, even as an elaborate ruse, Raquel decided to help the Renewal, believing that Rebecca's betrayal is a sign that humanity has lost control of its own creations. Despite Raquel's actions, she has no love toward the Renewal. She's seen them kill and brainwash people, and as a lover of freedom, she despises their methods, but feels she has no choice, and even plans to overthrow Odion once his plans are carried out. She desperately wants Squad Four to help her, but they refuse to do so. After Squad Four is able to secure the second and third Temples, Raquel, desperate to help the Renewal carry out their plans, assists them in kidnapping Lane, though she merely does so in order to trap Squad Four, and doesn't actually want Lane to be hurt. Odion, however, attempts to have Lane brainwashed, and, knowing Raquel will stop him, has her sent somewhere to distract Shad, Marcus, and Rebecca. Raquel eventually battles Shad and Marcus, leaving Rebecca to rescue Lane. This sequence of events, which culminates in Lane's rescue, but at the cost of the Renewal seizing the powerful Zelian tech in the fourth temple, leaves Squad Four resolved to take down Raquel at all costs, considering her no better than the cultists, especially since Lane's been traumatized by what happened to him. Raquel, steeling her resolve, pulls no punches in the next three temples, fully decking herself out in Zelian tech and engaging the group in a series of deadly battles. During this time, the Sara storyline begins to play out, with Marcus slowly falling for her. Sara wasn't present during Lane's attempted brainwashing, and Marcus doesn't blame her, though this creates a rift between him and the rest of the team. Meanwhile, Rebecca, despite her anger at Raquel, finds herself unable to completely hate her, remembering her own actions during the events of Betrayal and how she faked Lane's death to create a rift between the team and herself. As events build to a climax, Odion's goal becomes clear: he seeks to awaken ancient Zelian weapons beneath numerous worlds, including the one beneath Lockstar's capital. We learn that these Zelian weapons were responsible for many of the "mystical" events of Squad Four Upheaval and the original Squad Four, the two games whose plots resemble Apocalypse the closest (those two games had more mystical elements, while Eclipse, Rebellion, Protectors, and Betrayal focused on tech and AI). Raquel finds herself torn between wanting to prevent a future AI apocalypse and not wanting to hurt Squad Four and her old teammates (who have been tracked down by Squad Four and are now helping them find and stop Raquel). Marcus has drawn extremely close to Sara and doesn't want to hurt her or her family, who are deep within the cult. Shad struggles to keep his team together, and Rebecca is torn between her romantic feelings toward Lane and her feelings of sisterly camaraderie with Raquel (while it's very slightly implied that Raquel is in love with Rebecca). The final mission takes place on Lockstar itself, within an ancient temple deep beneath the planet's surface. The group must penetrate the temple, defeat the remaining cultists and their Zelian machines, and finally stop Odion from releasing the ancient god beneath Lockstar. The final three bosses are, in order: Raquel, who has been implanted with Zelian tech that's partially controlling her body, but which, after a brutal fight, she manages to overcome, Odion, who has equipped himself with ancient Zelian armor and weaponry, and finally, the Ancient One, who rises from beneath Lockstar's surface after Odion is able to summon it forth in his dying breath. The Ancient One battle is a spectacular setpiece in which Squad Four must battle both on the ground and in the air, and in which Raquel and her friends jump into the fight as well. The Ancient One is defeated, but at a heavy cost, with Sara having sacrificed herself and ending up dying in Marcus' arms during the final sequence of events. Raquel also seemingly sacrifices herself, but Rebecca saves her, telling her "you're not getting off that easily!" and grabbing her before she would've fallen to almost certain doom. After the Ancient One is defeated, Squad Four is able to reverse the polarity of its energy, restoring power to the galaxy. However, Lockstar's capital is still wrecked, and some technology has still been partially disabled, so there's plenty of damage to clean up after the war. Raquel, grateful to Squad Four for saving her, agrees to accept punishment for her actions, but, as Squad Four and their closest allies are the only ones who knew she was responsible for helping the cult, they decide not to have her arrested, with Rebecca recognizing the trauma that Raquel has incurred, and saying that if she wasn't punished for what she did, Raquel shouldn't be either. Raquel starts to leave again, but Rebecca doesn't let her until she promises to keep in contact this time, and Raquel reveals her computerized eye, which was disabled upon her induction into the Renewal but which functions as a communication device, so she can call the Squad any time she needs them or any time they just want to talk. Marcus mourns Sara, but Shad comforts him, while Rebecca finally admits to Lane that she fully reciprocates his love, and the two kiss for the first time. The events of Squad Four Apocalypse have left everyone shaken, but thanks to Squad Four, peace has been restored to the galaxy, and the team remains as strong as ever.
Squad Four Apocalypse is released on October 20, 2017, alongside the new model of the Nintendo Reality, the Reality Neo. The game is a critical success, though not quite to the same degree as Betrayal was, mostly to the game being seen as somewhat derivative and also featuring a slightly less well received combat system (the addition of RPG elements is controversial). It's not considered a disappointment like Upheaval or Protectors, but falls just short of Game of the Year contender status, and is considered by fans to be the third or fourth best game in the series (behind Betrayal and Rebellion, while its status as better or worse than the rail-shooter Eclipse is largely chalked up to an old school vs. new school game design debate). Commercially, it's a massive success, falling short of Betrayal but enjoying an excellent launch period and holiday sales thanks to hype and how well it compliments the Neo. Squad Four Apocalypse represents somewhat of a turning point for the series: it's the last Squad Four game for the Reality, and also the last in quite some time that will follow the Betrayal/Apocalypse format, with the next release set to take the series in a new direction. Fans wouldn't have to wait 18 years for another game featuring Raquel: she would be featured in the series' very next game, which would also be part of the new overall direction for the series. Monty Oum would step down as the series' animation director following Apocalypse, though he would remain at Argonaut, working on other projects. Squad Four's Reality games would be considered a major bright spot by fans, who would now wait to see where the series would go from here, its most successful period since the heyday of the Ultra Nintendo.
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Other Significant Titles For October 2017:
Pokemon: Companion Quest: The other major October release for the Reality is Pokemon: Companion Quest, which combines many of the mechanics of OTL's Pokemon Let's Go games with the mechanics of games like Pokemon Colosseum, to create a next-gen 3D adventure that doubles as an online battle game featuring every single Pokemon from the first seven generations of the series. With Pokemon Go butterflied, some of the mechanics from Let's Go don't appear ITTL, though the game's capture-centric mechanic is retained, with wild Pokemon no longer fought, but captured in a mini-game to earn loads of experience for players. While this does give Companion Quest a reputation as a "kiddie" game, the battle component of Companion Quest is as hardcore as it gets, allowing for spectacular online battles and also giving single players the chance to go up against a Battle Tower-esque succession of tough opponents. It falls just short of excellence, but is still an extremely well received game, and earns lots of sales.
Metroid: Samus Returns: OTL's excellent 3DS remake makes its way to ITTL as a Connect exclusive, with graphics somewhat comparable to OTL's Metroid Dread, but many of the same mechanics as the OTL 3DS game. Not too much has changed here, though a few elements from TTL's Metroid games do make their way in as Easter eggs, or as weapons and items for Samus to find. It's not quite the same game as OTL due to all these butterflies, but it would still be quite recognizable, and is a comparable success critically and commercially.
Ubisoft vs. Konami: Battle Of Legends: Apart from the year's slate of NBA games, the only other major title of October is this crossover Ubisoft and Konami 2-D fighter, featuring dozens of characters from TTL's Ubisoft and Konami games. From Ubisoft, Rayman, Jade, numerous Assassin's Creed protagonists, Ladybug (her first appearance outside of Google's consoles) and a slew of side characters and villains are in, while Konami of course has Solid Snake, Liquid Snake, and Vapor Snake, multiple Castlevania protagonists, and characters as obscure as the Primrose Soldier protagonist make it in as well. A total of 46 characters are in the base game, and of course there's DLC, with 15 more characters getting in via three DLC packs costing $19.99 a piece (Jim Sterling would rake Ubisoft over the coals for gouging their DLC characters like this, but hundreds of thousands of people, maybe a million or more, still buy the packs, raking in tons of money for Ubisoft). As for the game itself, it's fairly average as far as 2-D fighters go, not quite as fun as Acclaimed Champions, but a decent enough fighter, with the real appeal being all of those different characters. Reviews average in the mid to high 7s, but the game would ultimately end up selling millions of copies, and the DLC packs would become some of the most lucrative of their generation.
With A Song Of Ice And Fire's first season making major waves at Blockbuster, Netflix has been on the hunt for a fantasy-themed show of its own. The network has plenty of fantasy fare amongst its animated offerings, including Infinite Realms and the upcoming Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, which is set to debut in 2018, but in terms of live-action fantasy shows for adults, Netflix is somewhat lacking. The streaming service has mostly focused on sitcoms and action dramas, but has shrunk away from fantasy shows, wary of committing such a large budget to any one show. However, with Blockbuster's subscription numbers soaring in recent months, and many new subscribers specifically citing A Song Of Ice And Fire in their decision to adopt the service, it may be time for Netflix to push forward. Robert Jordan's A Wheel of Time was once circulated as a potential acquisition target for the service, but Netflix reportedly backed down from a deal to adapt the books in 2016, and now the Sci-Fi Channel has announced that they'll be adapting Jordan's epic next fall. Netflix may also look to launch its own original fantasy series, as premium cable network HBO has announced they'll be doing, after they themselves passed on a chance to adapt Martin's series. HBO's Mists Of Edenfall is currently in production and is expected to be released in 2019. Netflix has been in talks with author Stephen King, though rumors of a Dark Tower adaptation turned out to be false, and now it's rumored that Netflix may be commissioning the famed horror author to pen a dark fantasy series. King hasn't spoken of his involvement with Netflix outside of a Comic-Con panel earlier this year in which he was promoting his newest novel Red Tumble, so anything between King and Netflix may not surface for at least another year. Netflix remains the #2 most popular streaming service, though the gap between Netflix and Fox's service Hulu has been closing slowly but steadily over the past two years, and it may well be overtaken sometime next year. Hulu itself has numerous fantasy shows on offer, both live-action and animated, with Simpsons creator Matt Groening expected to bring a new animated series to the service in 2018, called Disenchantment, which will have a fantasy theme. Both Hulu and Netflix recently passed on an adaptation of the Margaret Atwood novel A Handmaid's Tale, though Atwood's novel will see an adaptation as a serialized adventure game scheduled to be released on consoles and mobile sometime next year. Speaking of video games, there's also the news that Squaresoft is looking to adapt the original Final Fantasy game as a television serial, and would be producing it with an American company. If so, Netflix could get another chance to bid on a hot fantasy adaptation, though Blockbuster and Hulu are both likely to make a run at adapting the series as well.
-from an article on Tubehound, posted on October 1, 2017
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The most anticipated live-action Disney Channel show in recent memory is premiering this Friday, and it's expected to be viewed by at least three million people, generating some of the biggest ratings for the network since 2011. She's Got It is a sitcom co-produced by pop legend Selena, starring her 13-year-old daughter, Crystal Rain. It stars Rain as a seventh-grader named Christy whose life changes forever when she's discovered by washed-up pop superstar turned producer Shana "Siren" Ruiz (played by Alanna Ubach), and becomes the face of Ruiz's label. Christy must navigate the challenges of fame and fortune while trying to stay connected to those she loves, and discovering the kind of person she wants to be.
The premise of She's Got It, with a young girl turned pop superstar overnight, has been done before by numerous kidcoms, including on the Disney Channel but also on Nickelodeon and Fox Family. However, this show differs from them in a number of ways, most notably the fact that Christy's life gets almost completely uprooted. She still lives in her hometown of Los Angeles, but no longer attends school, and no longer has time for many of the things she used to enjoy doing.
"This isn't a show about a girl trying to juggle a normal life with being famous," said Rain, in a KABC interview promoting the show. "Once Christy gets discovered by Siren, she doesn't have a normal life anymore, and the show's about how she adjusts to that. It's almost like an isekai... basically in Japan, there's a genre of shows, mostly anime shows, where the heroine gets transported to a different world. It's like that in a way. She stays on Earth, but her entire life circumstances completely change, she goes from the normal preteen girl world to the OMG celebrity world overnight."
Of course, Crystal Rain would know about not having a normal life. As the daughter of Selena, she's always been in the spotlight, from the day she was born until now.
"I've never really known a 'normal' life, you know? I've always been homeschooled, I've always been in this world of music and celebrity and so this world that's so different for Christy is like my normal life, so for me, the challenge is to embody this girl that's only known a world without fame, and then she's suddenly caught up in the life of a superstar."
As for Ubach's character, Siren, Selena did note that the character was somewhat inspired by her own life as a popstar, but that Siren's path went quite a bit differently.
"Siren is someone who was at the top of the world for a few years, then had a lot of trouble adjusting to how the pop music landscape changed around her," said Selena in a TV Guide interview for the magazine's Fall Preview issue. "Now she's a producer, but you can tell she's still trying to make it back to the top, and in Christy she sees a way to do it, seeing how talented and energetic this girl is, she's driving her hard to be a star sort of as a way to get back into the spotlight, which does create a lot of conflicts."
Selena was offered the role of Siren herself, but turned it down, wanting producers to cast someone with more acting experience. Selena herself has appeared in a few television and film projects, and has also dabbled in voiceover for cartoons and games, but says that she prefers singing to acting. She personally helped cast Ubach (who turns 42 this week) in the role, praising the actress' singing and acting talents and her ability to embody a charismatic pop star persona.
"She's absolutely incredible, she can do comedy like no one I've ever seen, but she can also do really emotional moments as well, and Siren has a ton of emotional baggage that will be unpacked as the series progresses," Selena told the interviewer.
Of course, Christy has a few friends in her corner, both from her old life as an ordinary middle schooler and her new pop star career. In the KABC interview, Rain said that even with her extraordinary life, she credits her circle of close friends for keeping her emotionally fulfilled, and Christy's circle of friends will play a prominent role in the show as well. Christy's best friend is Lena, played by 12-year-old Billie Scifres. A relative newcomer, with some stage plays and small television cameos to her name, Scifres' character is Christy's closest connection to her previous life, one of the few friends from her old school she's able to see frequently. Lena, though excited for Christy's newfound fame, is also wary of Siren, and frequently clashes with her, believing her to be pushing Christy too hard into pop stardom.
"Billie is an absolute gem, one of the best young actors I've had the privilege of casting," said Sam Stretta, the show's co-producer with Selena and with veteran showrunner Liz Gateley. "She has amazing chemistry with both Crystal and Alanna, and Lena's relationship with Christy really drives the show forward and provides a lot of energy."
Joining Scifres amongst the young actors forming Christy's circle of friends are Matt (played by 14-year-old Devin Krieg) and Stella (played by 15-year old Lana Colstone). Matt is a member of a boy band called Done Deal, who, like Christy, is new to pop fame and fortune, and who frequently "escapes" with Christy and Lana for excursions and adventures away from the pressures of music stardom. Stella, meanwhile, was previously the biggest star on Siren's label before Christy's arrival, and at just 14, already has a top-10 pop hit. She'd been pushing hard for a #1 hit before Christy's arrival, and with Siren pushing her off to the side to make way for the new girl, Stella becomes jealous and forms a rivalry. However, according to Colstone, their relationship isn't that simple.
"There's jealousy and resentment at first, absolutely," said Colstone, "but Stella's also a bit worried about Christy, seeing her as naive and not wanting her to be pushed hard or shoved aside in the same way she was."
Joining Alanna Ubach amongst the adult members of the cast are Raymond Cruz and Carolina Ravassa, who play Christy's parents on the show. Cruz plays Christy's father, Juan, who is supportive of Christy but who also wants to keep her feet on the ground, so to speak, not wanting all the newfound fame to go to her head. Ravassa plays Christy's mother Lauren, who's a lot more excited about Christy's new job, as she herself was a huge fan of Siren during the 1990s, the singer's heyday.
"The dynamic between the two of them is really fun, Juan is this average joe type of guy who is a bit leery of Siren, a bit leery of his daughter being some famous popstar, really just trying to keep his family on the rails, sort of the straight man to everyone else's wacky craziness, and Lauren is just this big ball of energy who's fangirling for Siren and really excited for her daughter, but who's also a firm mom, just with some stars in her eyes."
Cruz and Ravassa were cast in their roles despite a 24-year age difference, and while the difference isn't so pronounced in the show (Juan is seven years younger than Cruz, while Lauren is seven years older than Ravassa, so the characters' ages are only ten years apart), it is an aspect used for some jokes, with Juan occasionally mistaken for Lauren's father, much to his chagrin ("I am not that old!" is the character's catchphrase). Initially, producers didn't intend to cast two actors so far apart in age: Ravassa was cast first, and producers expected to cast a younger actor as Christy's father.
"Raymond Cruz comes in and just nails his audition, does such a good job playing this dad with all this stuff on his shoulders, and his chemistry with the other actors was so good that we knew we had to cast him," said Stretta.
Despite being frequently typecast as a "heavy" in shows such as St. Whisper, Finalwar, and Eyes, Cruz does have a few comedy roles under his belt, and when interviewed about the show on NBC's Today, told co-host Paula Zahn that his children were the biggest reason for auditioning.
"You know, my kids, they can't watch a lot of what I do, so this is something that they can enjoy, and something I really enjoy doing... you know, I'm actually, I really hate violence, so while I love doing dramatic, challenging roles, it's tough a lot of times when the job calls on me to hurt somebody, even just acting. So this is a show I can do, I can have fun, it's great people... I mean, it's produced by Selena for goodness sake! It's so much fun and I'm really glad I'm getting to do something my kids can see me in without having to watch me hit someone or swear."
She's Got It wasn't originally created with the idea of being a vehicle for Selena's daughter. Crystal Rain auditioned for the show as just another acting role, but after she was cast for both her singing and acting abilities, Selena was brought on board and given an executive producer credit and extensive creative control.
"I mean, I let the writing team handle the writing," said Selena, with a laugh. "The stuff they come up with is hilarious, better than pretty much anything I could write on my own. I pitch ideas, I give input on some things, I contributed mostly to Siren's character, along with the writers and Alanna, but for the most part, it's the writing team."
Selena was at first skeptical to allow her daughter to act on a Disney show, citing some of the issues that faced child stars and kid-focused sitcoms in the past, but according to her, those issues have been almost entirely smoothed out.
"It's so much different than it used to be. They treat the kids so much better, they have people with them all the time, talking to them, making sure everything is agreeable to everyone... they really are aware now of the effect all of this has on young people, and in fact this show will discuss a lot of those issues. The thing people don't realize about child stars is that... they're geniuses, all of them are so smart, but at the same time, they're still children, so socially, emotionally, you still have to be careful. I'm having so much fun working on this show with my daughter, and at the end of the day, I want everyone who watches it to have fun too."
She's Got It premieres Friday, October 6th at 8:00 PM on the Disney Channel.
-from an article posted on Variety.com on October 4, 2017
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*A young woman stands outside what looks like a miniature city inside a large building.*
Interviewer: Welcome back, it's 8:39 AM here in Corpus Christi, and I'm here at one of downtown's newest attractions, the all new KidZania interactive educational city, and with me is Regan Hardwick, who's here to promote this brand new attraction. Regan, hello!
Regan: Hello! *smiling and waving*
Interviewer: So, before we talk about what you're doing here today, care to tell us a little about KidZania?
Regan: Sure! So this is KidZania, it's an interactive city where kids can come and experience all kinds of different jobs and careers, but in a really fun way! Kids get the chance to participate in different activities all over the city, there's restaurants where they can work and make food, there's a Honda factory where they can design a new car, there's an Electronic Arts exhibit where they can playtest video games, an AMC theater where they can work the projection booth, it's a taste of the real world of, you know, getting a job, having a career, but in a fun and safe environment that kind of gives you an idea of what to expect in a grown-up job.
Interviewer: It's a really big place and it looks like there's a lot going on. I'm told this isn't the first KidZania, that there are others around the world, but that this is the first one in the United States?
Regan: That's right, it's the first one of its kind in the United States, here in Corpus Christi, but there are more on the way over the next few years! There's one coming to New York, I think, one coming to Los Angeles, and I think another in Texas in Dallas coming next year. And you know, Selena is working with the owners of the company to bring KidZania to the United States and Canada, she's actually the owner of this one and the other franchises coming to the rest of the country.
Interviewer: Do you know how Selena came to work with the company to bring KidZania here?
Regan: Well, KidZania actually started in Mexico, there are several down in Mexico, and she learned about KidZania when she took her two kids down there, she got interested and then she contacted the owner of the company about bringing it to the United States, and now here we are with the very first American one in Corpus Christi! In fact, this KidZania has another unique feature, which is a miniature version of Selena's recording studio, so kids can actually record some songs and learn about the process of creating music albums, and that's only going to be at the Corpus Christi KidZania, so definitely check that out if you're here!
Interviewer: That's really amazing, how she was inspired to bring this really cool company to America, and I bet all the kids are going to have a really fun time. How did you end up becoming involved, I know you're here with Selena to promote this opening, how did that come about and what are you going to be doing today?
Regan: *giggles, clearly having a fun time* KidZania has these really cool mascots, these kids called the RightzKeepers, and what they are is they represent all the different rights that kids have here at KidZania, There's the Right to Care, the Right to Share, the Right to Be, the Right to Play, the Right to Create, and the Right to Know, and they're each represented by these kids, you might've seen them on the way in, they're all over the building and you probably saw on the screens that they're in some animated cartoons.
Interviewer: I did, I did see them! They're cute!
Regan: Those cartoons are new, and I actually was contacted to audition to voice one of the kids in these cartoons, and I play the voice of Vita, she's the one with blue hair, she's the Right to Care and she's this really sweet girl who loves animals and loves everyone and I have a really fun time playing her. I also do her voice in the Latin Spanish version of the cartoons as well, along with the voice of Chika who has pink hair and represents the Right to Share. I actually do two voices for the Latin Spanish cartoons, which started playing in all the Mexico KidZanias I think last month, but in the English version I only do the voice of Vita. Crystal Rain actually voices Chika in the English cartoons!
Interviewer: Selena's daughter? She's in the cartoons too?
Regan: Yeah, we actually got to hang out together when we voiced them too! She is going to be here today too, she's helping to launch the new facility and her and of course her mom will be doing a little concert, which I'm sure everyone's probably here for that. *laughing*
Interviewer: That is a big part of the opening weekend here, for sure!
Regan: It's okay, it's okay-
Interviewer: But you, you're part of the promotional launch too!
Regan: Yeah, actually I'm going to be the KidZania radio DJ all day today! That's another of the jobs we have here, the radio station, and so normally when kids come here, some of them will get to spend an hour or two being the DJ and playing the songs, and that's going to be my job today. I'm really excited, it's going to be a lot of fun!
Interviewer: Do you have any experience with being a radio DJ, or is this your first time?
Regan: My mom was a radio DJ back in college at UC Santa Cruz, she did the radio station over there for a year, but for me, no, I've never done radio DJing, just voiceover for cartoons, that's my extent of being behind the mic. I'm looking forward to it a lot!
Interviewer: Can you give us a little preview?
Regan: Sure! *launches into her DJ voice, which is just her own voice but a tiny bit more grown-up sounding* "Good morning, KidZania! This is your DJ Regan Hardwick, and I'll be playing your requests! While you're out there having fun creating, playing, and learning, you'll also be hearing your favorite hits on KidZania Radio! Save up some kidZos and stop by to request a song, I'll be here all day long!"
Interviewer: *clapping* That was awesome, sounds like you've been practicing!
Regan: I'm psyched! I really want to help everyone here have a super fun day!
Interviewer: On a personal note, what's next for you, what else is going on, I know you mentioned voiceover.
Regan: Yeah, we just started season two of Lyte and Darke on Cartoon Network, last Friday we had our big season premiere... coincidentally the same day Crystal's new show premiered on Disney Channel, but we air an hour later so you can watch both!
Interviewer: Anything exciting going on for season two?
Regan: Well, I can't mention any spoilers, but I can say that Darke is going to be learning some sweet new spells this year, and that she and Lyte won't always be seeing eye to eye, which is bad news because there are some really dangerous new villains! Last night we got to see Demire, she's really mean, and we might be learning about Darke's past soon, but that's all I can say without getting in trouble!
Interviewer: And we wouldn't want that! Anything else?
Regan: *thinking* Well, I've still got my webshow, Turn The Tables, which I do with my Lyte and Darke co-star Inez Delgado, so that's a lot of fun, it's on the Nerdist and we play different tabletop board games with celebrity guests, a new game and guest every week! And I'm also involved in another little tabletop board game project called Critical Role, it's an ongoing series where a group of actors play Dungeons and Dragons together! I'm not one of the main people on there but I did get to hang out with them for a few weeks and play, so definitely be on the lookout for that, I think my episodes air in December! I'm also going to be appearing in some commercials for Five Below, I had a lot of fun doing those, I'm not sure when they start airing though. And I also just started eighth grade, so...
Interviewer: You've been busy!
Regan: *laughing* Yeah, but I love it, it's all been a lot of fun and I'm really grateful, especially to Selena who brought me down here this week.
Interviewer: Well, I imagine you've got to get to it pretty soon, thanks for stopping by to talk!
Regan: Absolutely! Thanks for coming out to support us!
Interviewer: Now, if you're wanting to bring the family down to KidZania this weekend, it is already full, all the reserved spots have been taken, so you won't be able to actually participate in any of the activities today, but Selena and Crystal's concert will be open to the public and it's expected to start at noon. According to KidZania officials, it'll open up for guests on Monday the 23rd, nine days from now, until then all the spots are filled, this has proven to be a very popular new attraction. Of course, KidZania is part of the new downtown complex including the new 50-story hotel and entertainment facility, really a lot of big things happening here in Corpus Christi this year and of course, it's all in preparation for that 2028 Olympic bid, the USOC is expected to announce which American city will be vying for the final round sometime next year, and all these downtown renovations and new buildings are certainly going to impress the people making that decision.
-from a KRIS-TV report on the morning of October 14, 2017
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Mets Win Thrilling Subway Series, Defeating Yankees 6-5 In Game 7
The New York Mets have won their first World Series championship since 1986, defeating their crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees, in a spectacular Game 7 win at Yankee Stadium. The Mets, led by a strong pitching staff headlined by Yu Darvish, were able to pull out a victory in Game 7 after trailing 2-0 following a difficult first inning. Despite the Yankees scoring twice as many hits as the Mets over the course of the game, they frequently stranded runners on base, while the Mets stayed close throughout, never letting the Yankees get ahead by more than two runs at any point. The Yankees' spectacular slugger, Mike Trout, was held completely hitless, 0-5 with two strikeouts, including a strikeout with a runner on third in the seventh inning. Trout had been one of the Yankees' best players throughout the series, scoring the game winning home run in Game 2 to give his team a 2-0 lead, and scoring the go-ahead run in the ninth inning in Game 6 to send the series to a decisive game, but he was ineffective in this one.
The Mets had been clear underdogs in this series, barely skirting into the playoffs after an 88-74 regular season record forced them to compete in a playoff game against the Brewers just to earn a wildcard spot. They then had to endure a tough Wild Card series with the San Francisco Giants, and a close NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, in which they found their backs against the wall, down 3-1 before rattling off three straight wins to earn a World Series berth. The Yankees came into the World Series with a 102-60 record, and were considered the overall favorites, sweeping their ALCS opponents, the Toronto Blue Jays, and were expected to beat the Mets easily. However, the Mets had been one of the hottest teams in baseball coming into the playoffs, winning 18 of their last 25 games to overcome a five game deficit in the wild card race. Though not quite as "miraculous" as the Miracle Mets of 1969, the 2017 New York Mets team will certainly be remembered as one of the most unlikely champions in World Series history, and will be treated to a ticker tape parade in New York's Canyon of Heroes on Friday.
-from an October 31, 2017 article on Yahoo! Sports News
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Game Spotlight: Squad Four Apocalypse
Squad Four Apocalypse is an adventure/shooter/RPG developed by Argonaut and published by Nintendo exclusively for the Nintendo Reality. It continues the events of the Squad Four series, taking place after 2014's Squad Four Betrayal, and sees the titular team attempting to prevent a galactic disaster after a group of Luddite cultists known as the Renewal use a dangerous new weapon to wipe out nearly all electricity and technology in the galaxy. The game sees Squad Four in pursuit of the Renewal, trying to stop them from activating a series of ancient artifacts, while also trying to restore technology to what it was before. Squad Four Apocalypse plays much like Betrayal before it, utilizing the same engine and similar melee and combat mechanics, with intelligent, reactive AI for both player and AI controlled characters. However, the game introduces RPG elements such as loot and damage numbers into the series for the first time, and features generally faster paced combat overall. Combat pace can be considered at a median point between the hack and slash inspired combat of Protectors and the deliberate, realistic combat of Betrayal, providing an experience comparable to a game like OTL's Astral Chain. Players will usually be able to select their hero from amongst Shad, Marcus, Rebecca, or Lane, though there are times when one or more of these characters is unavailable. The game also makes use of partners in battle, with dual attacks and context-sensitive commands, giving players the option of finding the character-partner combination that works best for them. There are guest characters as well, hearkening back to Squad Four Rebellion, though only the main four are playable, with guest characters always controlled by the AI. As mentioned before, there is loot in the game, with players able to equip weapons, armor, and accessories to each character, and even to craft new equipment as the game progresses, with items dropped by enemies or purchased from shops contained both within missions and between them. The skill tree has expanded as well, and instead of there being a two-path approach to each character's tree, each character now has three main paths, though it's now easier to travel between them, and roles are no longer named and defined. The basic character qualities still apply: Shad is a midrange, jack of all trades type character, Marcus is slow and tanky but hits hard, Rebecca is quick and fragile, with the ability to score huge spike hits, and Lane is a more technical character relying on gadgets and traps, hard to learn but rewarding to master. Though the game's mission progression is still linear, like in Betrayal, the team will travel to a lot more worlds, and environments are generally more open, with more of an emphasis on exploration. It's possible to redo any mission and revisit any area for grinding and loot purposes, though experience gained does increase in the later worlds, and earlier missions will still be populated with low-reward, early game enemies. Squad Four Apocalypse, like its predecessor, is quite advanced in terms of graphical quality. On the base Reality, the game looks slightly better than Betrayal, though on the Reality Neo, which launches alongside the game, it looks absolutely stunning, probably the best looking console game to date (with the Neo updates, Betrayal also looks outstanding, though it doesn't get as much of a boost as Apocalypse does). The soundtrack is done in-house, though Bear McCreary returns from Betrayal to contribute a few tracks. The core voice cast of Charles Martinet, Michael Reisz, Deedee Magno Hall, and Tom Kenny all reprise their roles as Shad, Marcus, Rebecca, and Lane respectively, while Nika Futterman reprises her role as Raquel, returning from Squad Four Rebellion. The leader of the Renewal, a man known as Odion, is voiced by Robin Atkin Downes, while Sara, a member of the Renewal who is wavering somewhat after seeing the effects of the blackout on the galaxy, is voiced by Laura Bailey.
Squad Four Apocalypse takes place a year after the events of Betrayal, and despite Rebecca's actions in that game, she's mostly recovered from her trauma, while Squad Four has once again taken its place as the heroes of the galaxy. The game begins with the group called to a seemingly routine mission on a distant planet, with some disturbances reported by local authorities. The group soon learns that a hunter has attacked the guard there, and though no one's been killed, some of the guards do have injuries consistent with weaponry strangely familiar to Rebecca. The group heads to a factory, where they finally catch up to the mysterious hunter. Eventually, Rebecca breaks off and pursues the hunter, eventually revealed to be Raquel, now sporting a patch over one of her eyes. Raquel doesn't reveal her reasons for attacking the facility, but asks the team to give up their pursuit and let whatever happens happen. They try to stop her from leaving, but are unable to do so. Soon after, mysterious activity attributed to a cult known as the Renewal begins to surface. At first, there's no connection between Raquel and the Renewal, and the cult seems to be just a run-of-the-mill group of crazies committing small terrorist acts throughout the galaxy. However, when activity is revealed to center around a temple that holds a particularly dangerous ancient weapon, Squad Four is called to investigate. Squad Four is able to take out the cult and their rudimentary weaponry fairly easily, though a few cult members slip through, infiltrating a mysterious chamber in the temple. As they try to stop the cultists, they are suddenly stymied by an attack from Raquel, and the cultists are able to activate the temple's weapon... which, when combined with stolen tech from the factory, leads to a massive power surge that ripples across the galaxy, blacking out every civilized world and taking out much of the high tech, while also leaving Squad Four stranded on the temple world. They're able to repair their ship after finding a part that was undamaged, which they suspect was because of Raquel, but they have no idea why Raquel would aid the Renewal, or why she'd help them if she was. The cult's actions kick off the next major segment of the game, the aftermath of the technological carnage. While backup generator systems are able to keep crucial systems going on the civilized worlds, the systems won't be able to hold out long, giving Squad Four a limited time to stop the Renewal and restore power, which they suspect has something to do with six other temples on six other worlds. Most of the rest of the game revolves around hunting for and exploring these temples, battling the Renewal and their stolen ancient tech along the way. As they do so, Squad Four learns that the Renewal seeks to destroy human technology in order to supplant it with the creations of an ancient civilization called the Zelians, which the Renewal claim to be the heirs to. Raquel is helping the Renewal because she worries that humanity's technology has grown too dangerous, particularly after the events of Betrayal. After learning that Rebecca was willing to betray her own team to stop the AI Evangelyne, even as an elaborate ruse, Raquel decided to help the Renewal, believing that Rebecca's betrayal is a sign that humanity has lost control of its own creations. Despite Raquel's actions, she has no love toward the Renewal. She's seen them kill and brainwash people, and as a lover of freedom, she despises their methods, but feels she has no choice, and even plans to overthrow Odion once his plans are carried out. She desperately wants Squad Four to help her, but they refuse to do so. After Squad Four is able to secure the second and third Temples, Raquel, desperate to help the Renewal carry out their plans, assists them in kidnapping Lane, though she merely does so in order to trap Squad Four, and doesn't actually want Lane to be hurt. Odion, however, attempts to have Lane brainwashed, and, knowing Raquel will stop him, has her sent somewhere to distract Shad, Marcus, and Rebecca. Raquel eventually battles Shad and Marcus, leaving Rebecca to rescue Lane. This sequence of events, which culminates in Lane's rescue, but at the cost of the Renewal seizing the powerful Zelian tech in the fourth temple, leaves Squad Four resolved to take down Raquel at all costs, considering her no better than the cultists, especially since Lane's been traumatized by what happened to him. Raquel, steeling her resolve, pulls no punches in the next three temples, fully decking herself out in Zelian tech and engaging the group in a series of deadly battles. During this time, the Sara storyline begins to play out, with Marcus slowly falling for her. Sara wasn't present during Lane's attempted brainwashing, and Marcus doesn't blame her, though this creates a rift between him and the rest of the team. Meanwhile, Rebecca, despite her anger at Raquel, finds herself unable to completely hate her, remembering her own actions during the events of Betrayal and how she faked Lane's death to create a rift between the team and herself. As events build to a climax, Odion's goal becomes clear: he seeks to awaken ancient Zelian weapons beneath numerous worlds, including the one beneath Lockstar's capital. We learn that these Zelian weapons were responsible for many of the "mystical" events of Squad Four Upheaval and the original Squad Four, the two games whose plots resemble Apocalypse the closest (those two games had more mystical elements, while Eclipse, Rebellion, Protectors, and Betrayal focused on tech and AI). Raquel finds herself torn between wanting to prevent a future AI apocalypse and not wanting to hurt Squad Four and her old teammates (who have been tracked down by Squad Four and are now helping them find and stop Raquel). Marcus has drawn extremely close to Sara and doesn't want to hurt her or her family, who are deep within the cult. Shad struggles to keep his team together, and Rebecca is torn between her romantic feelings toward Lane and her feelings of sisterly camaraderie with Raquel (while it's very slightly implied that Raquel is in love with Rebecca). The final mission takes place on Lockstar itself, within an ancient temple deep beneath the planet's surface. The group must penetrate the temple, defeat the remaining cultists and their Zelian machines, and finally stop Odion from releasing the ancient god beneath Lockstar. The final three bosses are, in order: Raquel, who has been implanted with Zelian tech that's partially controlling her body, but which, after a brutal fight, she manages to overcome, Odion, who has equipped himself with ancient Zelian armor and weaponry, and finally, the Ancient One, who rises from beneath Lockstar's surface after Odion is able to summon it forth in his dying breath. The Ancient One battle is a spectacular setpiece in which Squad Four must battle both on the ground and in the air, and in which Raquel and her friends jump into the fight as well. The Ancient One is defeated, but at a heavy cost, with Sara having sacrificed herself and ending up dying in Marcus' arms during the final sequence of events. Raquel also seemingly sacrifices herself, but Rebecca saves her, telling her "you're not getting off that easily!" and grabbing her before she would've fallen to almost certain doom. After the Ancient One is defeated, Squad Four is able to reverse the polarity of its energy, restoring power to the galaxy. However, Lockstar's capital is still wrecked, and some technology has still been partially disabled, so there's plenty of damage to clean up after the war. Raquel, grateful to Squad Four for saving her, agrees to accept punishment for her actions, but, as Squad Four and their closest allies are the only ones who knew she was responsible for helping the cult, they decide not to have her arrested, with Rebecca recognizing the trauma that Raquel has incurred, and saying that if she wasn't punished for what she did, Raquel shouldn't be either. Raquel starts to leave again, but Rebecca doesn't let her until she promises to keep in contact this time, and Raquel reveals her computerized eye, which was disabled upon her induction into the Renewal but which functions as a communication device, so she can call the Squad any time she needs them or any time they just want to talk. Marcus mourns Sara, but Shad comforts him, while Rebecca finally admits to Lane that she fully reciprocates his love, and the two kiss for the first time. The events of Squad Four Apocalypse have left everyone shaken, but thanks to Squad Four, peace has been restored to the galaxy, and the team remains as strong as ever.
Squad Four Apocalypse is released on October 20, 2017, alongside the new model of the Nintendo Reality, the Reality Neo. The game is a critical success, though not quite to the same degree as Betrayal was, mostly to the game being seen as somewhat derivative and also featuring a slightly less well received combat system (the addition of RPG elements is controversial). It's not considered a disappointment like Upheaval or Protectors, but falls just short of Game of the Year contender status, and is considered by fans to be the third or fourth best game in the series (behind Betrayal and Rebellion, while its status as better or worse than the rail-shooter Eclipse is largely chalked up to an old school vs. new school game design debate). Commercially, it's a massive success, falling short of Betrayal but enjoying an excellent launch period and holiday sales thanks to hype and how well it compliments the Neo. Squad Four Apocalypse represents somewhat of a turning point for the series: it's the last Squad Four game for the Reality, and also the last in quite some time that will follow the Betrayal/Apocalypse format, with the next release set to take the series in a new direction. Fans wouldn't have to wait 18 years for another game featuring Raquel: she would be featured in the series' very next game, which would also be part of the new overall direction for the series. Monty Oum would step down as the series' animation director following Apocalypse, though he would remain at Argonaut, working on other projects. Squad Four's Reality games would be considered a major bright spot by fans, who would now wait to see where the series would go from here, its most successful period since the heyday of the Ultra Nintendo.
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Other Significant Titles For October 2017:
Pokemon: Companion Quest: The other major October release for the Reality is Pokemon: Companion Quest, which combines many of the mechanics of OTL's Pokemon Let's Go games with the mechanics of games like Pokemon Colosseum, to create a next-gen 3D adventure that doubles as an online battle game featuring every single Pokemon from the first seven generations of the series. With Pokemon Go butterflied, some of the mechanics from Let's Go don't appear ITTL, though the game's capture-centric mechanic is retained, with wild Pokemon no longer fought, but captured in a mini-game to earn loads of experience for players. While this does give Companion Quest a reputation as a "kiddie" game, the battle component of Companion Quest is as hardcore as it gets, allowing for spectacular online battles and also giving single players the chance to go up against a Battle Tower-esque succession of tough opponents. It falls just short of excellence, but is still an extremely well received game, and earns lots of sales.
Metroid: Samus Returns: OTL's excellent 3DS remake makes its way to ITTL as a Connect exclusive, with graphics somewhat comparable to OTL's Metroid Dread, but many of the same mechanics as the OTL 3DS game. Not too much has changed here, though a few elements from TTL's Metroid games do make their way in as Easter eggs, or as weapons and items for Samus to find. It's not quite the same game as OTL due to all these butterflies, but it would still be quite recognizable, and is a comparable success critically and commercially.
Ubisoft vs. Konami: Battle Of Legends: Apart from the year's slate of NBA games, the only other major title of October is this crossover Ubisoft and Konami 2-D fighter, featuring dozens of characters from TTL's Ubisoft and Konami games. From Ubisoft, Rayman, Jade, numerous Assassin's Creed protagonists, Ladybug (her first appearance outside of Google's consoles) and a slew of side characters and villains are in, while Konami of course has Solid Snake, Liquid Snake, and Vapor Snake, multiple Castlevania protagonists, and characters as obscure as the Primrose Soldier protagonist make it in as well. A total of 46 characters are in the base game, and of course there's DLC, with 15 more characters getting in via three DLC packs costing $19.99 a piece (Jim Sterling would rake Ubisoft over the coals for gouging their DLC characters like this, but hundreds of thousands of people, maybe a million or more, still buy the packs, raking in tons of money for Ubisoft). As for the game itself, it's fairly average as far as 2-D fighters go, not quite as fun as Acclaimed Champions, but a decent enough fighter, with the real appeal being all of those different characters. Reviews average in the mid to high 7s, but the game would ultimately end up selling millions of copies, and the DLC packs would become some of the most lucrative of their generation.
Fantastic update, as always! I see the long hiatus was worth it...
1: Will Disney Channel and Cartoon Network have a massive rivalry for the 8:30 primetime slot, located in between She's Got It and the new season of Lyte and Darke?
2: For that matter, how does Nickelodeon fare against the primetime juggernauts of its contemporaries?
3: Personally, I'd actually check out KidZania at some point ITTL.
4: Finally, it's still surprising that Miraculous Ladybug, Gravity Falls, and The Owl House are video games ITTL. And if these games have half as big of a fandom as their OTL televised counterparts each, we might be in for something special here.
1: Will Disney Channel and Cartoon Network have a massive rivalry for the 8:30 primetime slot, located in between She's Got It and the new season of Lyte and Darke?
2: For that matter, how does Nickelodeon fare against the primetime juggernauts of its contemporaries?
3: Personally, I'd actually check out KidZania at some point ITTL.
4: Finally, it's still surprising that Miraculous Ladybug, Gravity Falls, and The Owl House are video games ITTL. And if these games have half as big of a fandom as their OTL televised counterparts each, we might be in for something special here.
Android has just as much trash as OTL, though with a lot more traditional games since it’s seen as Google’s handheld component to their console. It seems to be kind of like OTL’s DS, a ton of shovel ware but some quality exclusives worth wading through the garbage for. iOS is very different, Steve Jobs’ heavy involvement with gaming meant Apple’s been curating and a lot more picky about what makes it onto the platform. Not everything’s good obviously but there’s a lot less trash on it.
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You've been mentioning this time a fair amount recently, so I take it that you enjoyed it?
Not really. Disney Channel airs a lesser kidcom in that Friday 8:30 slot, while Cartoon Network airs a rotation of DC stuff and slice-of-life comedies. Lyte and Darke will eventually move to Sundays too, so Cartoon Network will mostly be abandoning Fridays to Disney and Nick.
Not bad. Zack and Zips and Tripped Up are both decent, the Fifteen reboot is still running, and they still have some Nicktoons, including the bunnyfied Loud House. Disney is more top-heavy, with She's Got It! and not much more, Nickelodeon doesn't have anything huge but has quantity over quality. Nickelodeon will eventually pick up some action cartoons to try and have their own Lyte and Darke-esque success, but that'll be beyond the scope of the timeline, post-2020.
It's a real thing!
KidZania - Wikipedia
Indoor entertainment complexes, which had a bit of a nadir during the recession, bounce back in the 2010s ITTL and I was doing some research to find some OTL stuff to bring to the timeline. Saw this and thought Selena might want to franchise it, sounds like something she'd do.
I actually got to do something similar called Exchange City when I was a kid (and I was the radio DJ!), though KidZania seems a LOT more corporatized and gameified.
Also Handmaid's Tale gets made into a game instead of a show. The religious right was badly neutered ITTL, so Handmaid's Tale lost a lot of its cultural relevance and nobody wanted to take a risk on it except for a Telltale-like outfit.
Yeah, it was pretty solid, and honestly even though it's butterflied ITTL I can see a lot of TTL games ending up somewhat like it. Redshift and Squad Four Apocalypse are the closest TTL analogues.
Only the first American KidZania, there's still about 30 or so in other countries before Selena helps to bring it here. As for the Olympic bid, Corpus Christi's advantage is that the city wants it really badly compared to other North American cities, Selena has been whipping people up into an Olympic frenzy and she's also gotten a LOT of private investment on board, reducing the burden on taxpayers and making it a lot easier to sell people on the Olympics, whereas other cities are worried about the cost basis. The city is hoping an Olympics will do for Corpus Christi what they did for Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta in 1996. Houston doesn't want the Olympics (they did initially, but after seeing how hard Corpus was lobbying and how much it would cost, they decided to back out), Dallas is probably Corpus' biggest rival bid (along with Los Angeles and New York City), but Dallas' problem is that business owners there are reluctant to cough up the dough, in particular, Jerry Jones has badmouthed the Olympics quite a bit in recent years, scaring a lot of Dallas investment away, he's been as damaging to Dallas' Olympic bid as Selena has been beneficial to Corpus'.
As of 2017, TTL Corpus Christi has 458,713 people, about 140,000 more than OTL, and a sign of the massive impact Selena and her studio is having on the city. It's getting a LOT of the development/attention that went to Austin IOTL and is also sucking up some investment/population from San Antonio. Less TTL restrictions on immigration are also a boon to the city.
So, in other words, 8:30 P.M. on Friday Nights will be reserved for channel surfing or streaming service originals. Gotcha.
Here's a thought. If CN's premieres will move to Sunday nights, why not bring back Flicks on Friday and Saturday nights? Friday night can be a premiere, while Saturday night can be a theatrical classic. That way, there can be something on the channel every weekend night for families to enjoy!
First off, I'm surprised they saw any potential in reviving Fifteen over Welcome Freshmen. That's a curveball for sure.
Second, on the subject of Nicktoons, why not have them partner with Ubisoft if they haven't already? I can already see a triple header of Rayman and the Rabbids, Miraculous Ladybug: The Animated Series, and Metal Gear: The Saga of Solid Snake to fill more than one niche on the channel, with Metal Gear giving them a sorely-needed action show, Ladybug: TAS giving them one of the biggest recent acquisitions they had(Before giving it to Disney Channel a few years later, but I digress.), and just plain good video game TV shows with all three of them.
Well, I didn't know that! Sweet.It's a real thing!
KidZania - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
No kidding. Honestly, I can see TTL's KidZania having more of a staying power with the companies they partner with. I mean, EA and Honda and AMC? That's a good trio of moneymakers! Now, whether or not their practices of moneymaking are GOOD is up for debate.
Thank every single deity ever worshipped by mankind this Hannah Montana-like show won't end with the lead actress turning into Miley Cyrus - as far as I know, Miley's doing well enough right now but, a while ago, everything about her basically screamed "sexually abused child star".
November 2017 - The Day Anime Died
The Nintendo Direct of November 6th, 2017 was 40 minutes long, and spent much of that time revealing and discussing some major upcoming Nintendo Reality games, as well as a few smaller games for the Connect. The Direct started, as most of them do, with Nintendo president Katsuya Eguchi thanking viewers, then briefly touting the success of the new Nintendo Reality Neo and how great some of these upcoming games would look. The first game we got to see was a brand new Mario game, with a brief trailer showing Mario running around a fairly enclosed environment, battling against a horde of Mecha-Koopas. We saw Mario in various spaces, platforming and also involved in numerous puzzles, and eventually the title was revealed as Super Mario: Mecha-Koopa's Revenge. According to the game's director, this new game is somewhat of a spiritual successor to Super Mario World 3, which was the first attempt at a 3-D Mario game all the way back on the SNES-CD. This game combines elements of platforming and puzzle-solving as Mario makes his way across a series of 2-D/3-D levels to defeat an army of Mecha-Koopas. The game is expected to be released sometime next year. After this big reveal, we got a series of third party and indie reveals, most notably Subnautica and Call Of Cthulhu, both of which are coming to the Reality early next year. After this sequence, we got a final trailer for Hazardous: The End War, focusing on the game's plot, which shows the climax of this exciting trilogy, and shows off a few more gameplay features as well. Then we got a video for Final Fantasy Origins Infinity, coming to the Nintendo Connect. It's a compilation of Final Fantasy I, Final Fantasy II, and Final Fantasy III, all in the style of the Infinitia games, allowing them to be experienced in beautiful 3-D with most of the classic gameplay mechanics but some major quality of life improvements. This compilation will also be coming to the Gemini, though of course that wasn't revealed in Nintendo's presentation. The next part of the Direct was a segment focused on the upcoming Reality exclusive Open Ocean, and we got about 6-7 minutes, with a full trailer, and brief interviews with the developers and even with actress Karen Fukuhara, who voices Shumi, the game's protagonist, who is stranded in the middle of the ocean during a vacation with friends but whose life is saved when she is transformed into a mermaid by a mysterious entity. Shumi must explore the ocean to help free the Queen of the Sea, who promises to restore her to normal and bring her back to her friends if she is able to complete this task. The game combines beautiful fantasy elements with dark, gritty realism, almost reminiscent of the old Ecco the Dolphin games on Sega, but with a modern sensibility and focused on a human protagonist rather than a dolphin. We got to see how the Reality Neo's VR immerses the player in the vast undersea environments they'll be exploring, and between this game and Subnautica, we'll be having lots of fun under the sea next year. After this Open Ocean feature, Eguchi told us to watch another video, and at first, it looked to be somewhat crude, with Wario doing Wario stuff and then needing to go to the restroom. As he waits for a stall to open up, he's approached by none other than Parappa the Rapper, who offers to rap battle him for the stall... and when Wario refuses, Parappa offers to fight instead, revealing himself as the newest Smash Bros. Reality DLC character! Parappa, who got his start back on the SNES-CD, is a fairly obscure but also beloved classic Nintendo character, created by Sony and appearing in several games in the late 1990s and early 2000s. After we got to see some of Parappa's moves, we then got to see the reveal for a new Parappa the Rapper game, coming to the Nintendo Reality, called Parappa the Rapper: Keepin' It Real! That game is coming to the Reality next year, while Parappa's debut in Smash will be next month. After this surprising Smash DLC reveal, we got to see a couple of short previews for upcoming games: Captain Shock Returns, a Connect sequel to the hit superhero sidescroller, and Katamari Universe, Namco's first multiplatform title in the series (previous Katamari games were exclusive to Apple/Sega consoles). Katamari Universe is coming to a wide variety of consoles, including the Reality. We then got a quick preview of a new JRPG being developed by a second party studio for Nintendo, called Eternal Guide, which looks to chronicle the story of a young hero as he ventures through the pages of a book to delve the adventures within. After this teaser, Eguchi returned, and did the whole "one more thing" speech, which means something big is surely coming... and indeed it is, as we got a look at a brand new 3-D Star Fox game, which will feature high-speed trick flying, 3-D exploration, huge bosses, and spectacular dogfights against skilled AI fighters, along with stunning 3-D graphics and a heavy emphasis on VR. Indeed, when we got to see the game's logo, it started out as Star Fox VR, before morphing into Star Fox Vector, the game's official title. Its release window was given as 2018. We have gotten a Star Fox title on the Reality, Star Fox: Fire And Ice, but this looks to be bigger and more epic in pretty much every single way, and looks to be positioned as one of Nintendo's big titles next year.
Nintendo's second Direct of 2017 was heavy on the announcements and big reveals, mostly for games coming next year. While 2017 is almost over, we surely have a lot to look forward to, and it'll be exciting to see how the rest of Nintendo's lineup shakes out.
-from Super Nintendo CD Chalmers' Nintendo blog update on November 6, 2017
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(Authors' Note: The following news story/scenario was given to us by the reader Siegfried1337, with some alterations to fit the narrative of this timeline.)
Don Lemon: In addition to pardoning most federal prisoners being held for marijuana-related offenses, the new law, signed earlier today by President Kennedy, will provide police funding to states that legalize recreational marijuana. So far, 14 states have already legalized marijuana for recreational use, but after the passage of today's law decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level and providing that police funding, several more states are expected to legalize it in the coming weeks, while more still are expected to put it up for a vote on next year's ballots. Make no mistake, this is an enormous step forward for this country, even if it doesn't immediately legalize marijuana in the states in which its possession is a criminal offense. Of course, four years ago, Jon Huntsman took a crucial first step in legalizing marijuana nationwide when he signed a bill that not only made marijuana a Schedule II drug rather than a Schedule I drug, but also provided funding leading to a groundbreaking federal study in which marijuana was found to be less harmful than both tobacco and alcohol, substances which have been legal nationwide for its entire history, save for the brief 14-year experiment with alcohol prohibition. Nevada senator Penn Jillette, good evening first of all. You pushed heavily for this bill and managed to get several Republicans on board with this bill, how satisfied are you that marijuana is now no longer illegal at the federal level?
Penn Jillette: Good evening to you too, Don, it's a pleasure to be speaking with you today. And of course, no one's happier than me to see this bill pass, except maybe my pals Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg...
Don Lemon: *laughing* Snoop Dogg posted a video to Twitter right after the bill, his reaction was about what you'd expect to the passage of a bill like this.
Penn Jillette: That was an awfully big blunt he lit up, and I hope he was in one of the states where that's legal.
Don Lemon: He was in California, it's legal there.
Penn Jillette: Also in my state of Nevada, which I'm proud to say, but listen, this bill is a big step, but it's not the final step, because now comes the challenge of legalizing pot in individual states, and I'm sure-
*The CNN feed changes from the recorded Don Lemon program from earlier that evening to a live shot of a building in Tokyo from which smoke is rising, there are dozens of police cars and ambulances, and numerous chaotic scenes of injured and crying people are shown.*
John Vause: We are coming on the air live with CNN International, and that is because of what has just happened in Tokyo, Japan, where a major terrorist attack appears to have taken place. You're looking at an event center in Chiyoda, a prefecture of Tokyo, where multiple bombs have been set off, including a large car bomb which has obviously as you can see on the screen caused major damage to this event center. We're going to go to our correspondent in Tokyo, Will Ripley, who is covering this terrible event on the ground for us. Will, can you give us some more details from this event center and what exactly happened?
*As more images of carnage are shown, Will can be heard over the phone with sirens wailing around him.*
Will: John, I am standing some distance away from this event center where this attack took place, and that is because I have had to move two times because of the enormous amount of emergency personnel and law enforcement flooding the scene.
John: These images look horrific, Will, I can definitely understand. What's going on down there?
Will: John, this took place at a very large convention being put on by a company, Kadokawa, that owns a lot of the entertainment properties here in Japan, particularly anime and manga. There were thousands of people at this convention, and while it was going on, an enormous car bomb went off outside the building, where dozens of people were waiting in line to go in. Right around the same time that happened, there were two more, smaller explosions, from inside the building, and then after those explosions, there was shooting, from what police are saying was an automatic or semi-automatic rifle.
John: There was a shooting also?
Will: From what I'm being told, after the explosions, someone started shooting at people outside the building, just spraying bullets into the crowd fleeing the explosions.
John: Oh, my God.
Will: It also seemed like the nearby Kadokawa building was targeted as well, because after shooting people fleeing the convention hall, the suspect actually walked toward their headquarters and tried to fire upon people being evacuated from that building, but that's when the police arrived.
John: Do you know anything about the suspect?
Will: What I'm hearing right now was that it was a lone gunman, but police are working from the theory that there may have been more people involved with the bombing. The suspect is said to be deceased, it's said that they were either killed by the police or that they took their own life.
John: This sounds like a pretty major terrorist attack, that there had to be some serious organization behind it.
Will: And, you know, John, it's only a few months after that terrible attack in Liverpool, which was, there were Pakistani nationals behind that attack, so the early theory is that the two might be related, that it might have something to do with the ongoing situation in Pakistan, but at this point of course it's far too early to speculate and right now the police are still hunting for anyone else who might be involved and also combing the surrounding areas for more devices. The nearby buildings have all been completely evacuated and they're just going room to room hunting for suspects and devices, which is going to take some time.
John: Are there any... I hate to ask this, but do they have any casualty figures to report?
Will: Right now, the early reports from the bodies that have been found are... they're pretty grim at this point, police say that between the shooting and the bombings, there are already 174 confirmed dead and of course many, many more injured, many critically. The police aren't officially confirming the identities of any of the dead, but it is important to note that this was a major entertainment convention, in a lot of ways the equivalent of a Comic-Con style event in the United States, and that many people very famous over here such as directors, actors, and internet personalities were in attendance and may have been targeted, social media is already posting the names of some of the people who might've been killed and while I'm not going to confirm anything before the official word is given, it's, um, it's likely that some of these very beloved figures may have at least been targeted.
John: 174, my word, this is certainly a tragedy of truly terrible proportions, Will.
Will: The fact that the attacker was not only able to get these devices into the building, but was also able to acquire firearms, which is extremely difficult to do in Japan, if not impossible for most people... that points to some major coordination and planning, so investigators will have their hands full, and of course, unfortunately they'll also be dealing with this massive casualty figure as well.
John: Will, thank you for your report on this terrible, terrible tragedy. Stay safe.
-from CNN's broadcast on November 18, 2017, at 1:08 AM Eastern Standard time (3:08 PM in Tokyo), CNN International's coverage of the event would continue for several more hours until CNN's American bureau took over to cover the story for most of the rest of the day
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November 18, 2017 saw Japan's darkest day since the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, when Kensaka Haku, a 28-year-old Japanese web creator, detonated three bombs at a Chiyoda convention center, shot dozens of fleeing bystanders, and then took his own life after being surrounded by police. Kensaka, who had been a moderately-popular Internet personality who went by the name "Anime-kun" on popular video sharing sites Niconico and Videocean, decided to commit these horrible deeds after becoming "disillusioned" with the state of anime, particularly those belonging to Kadokawa, leading the event to become known as the "Kadokawa massacre". The three bombs, one of which was a car bomb that detonated outside the convention center, and two more of which were smaller devices inside the building, together killed 177 people and injured thousands more, while the shooting, committed by Kensaka after the explosions, took 38 more lives, for a total death toll of 215, making the event the single deadliest massacre ever carried out by an individual person (a record that would remain standing as of 2021) and the deadliest terrorist attack of any kind since the 2007 Islamabad attacks in Pakistan. Perhaps more notable than even the attack's staggering death toll were the identities of many killed in the attacks, including several extremely notable figures in the anime and manga community, with legendary director Hayao Miyazaki most famous among them. Nobunaga Shimazaki, Risa Taneda, Kenji Nojima, Kenichi Suzumura, Maaya Sakamoto, Yuu Kobayashi, Takuma Terashima, and Tite Kubo were also among those killed, along with numerous web creators more famous in Japan than Kensaka, with millions of subscribers between them, leaving absolutely no segment of the anime community untouched by the violence. There were also several notable "near-misses", of people present in the convention center but not near the bombings, or people who planned to attend but changed their plans, including Sailor Moon creator Naoko Takeuchi (who didn't attend due to unforeseen work commitments but who was scheduled to appear at the same booth where one of the bombs detonated), Berserk creator Kentaro Miura (who was in another part of the building), and seiyuu Miyu Matsuki, who was close to one of the backpack bombs but escaped death because she was standing beside a large column which shielded her from the blast (her second brush with death in two years, after surviving a major health scare in 2015).
The attack led to a tremendous outpouring of grief, but also generated tremendous anger, as numerous lapses in security that allowed Kensaka to carry out his attacks were pointed out. The fact that he'd been able to plant three explosive devices and get away to carry out a mass shooting, and the fact that he'd been able to acquire weapons which should have been impossible for him to acquire in Japan, was only possible due to what was considered to be "extreme negligence" on the part of security officials. It was clear that Kensaka had been planning the attack for many months, and not once did anyone close to him suspect anything was amiss. Indeed, most of his friends and acquaintances told police that right up until the day of the attacks, he'd been acting completely normally. His videos had gotten more passionate and angry as of late, but this was common amongst video reviewers, exaggerating their emotions to entertain their audience, so this too was seen as normal. Japan in recent years had been noted as entering into a "culture of carefree leniency", with law enforcement and security measures loosened across the country. It was in a midst of a youth movement, championed by popular PM Akira Nagatsuma, and there had even been talk of the death penalty (which, before the youth movement, had the support of more than 80% of the country, but in recent years had dropped as low as the mid-60s) being lessened or even abolished in the country, though this talk nearly ceased after the Kadokawa massacre took place. After the attacks, Japan came to a standstill. With so many prominent creative figures killed or injured, many anime and manga series were cancelled entirely, others were delayed for lengthy periods of time. New TV, theatrical, and game releases were halted for days or even weeks as the country mourned. Mourning was international: 18 foreign tourists were killed in the attack, including 7 Americans. The attack sent political and cultural shockwaves through the country that are still being felt years later. Many blamed Nagatsuma and his youth movement for the attacks, and he very nearly lost his prime ministership in the wave of anger that took place afterward. Other government officials were dismissed or demoted, some local officials were even arrested for dereliction of duty. Though the attack was primarily known as the "Kadokawa massacre", some would call it "The Day Anime Died", after "The Day The Music Died", the tragic 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper. Of course, anime didn't die, and would eventually come back stronger than ever, as surviving creators, touched by the tragedy, produced some of their deepest and most profound work in the coming years. It would be forever changed, though, and would be considered a sort of Altamont moment for Japan's youth movement, which would see a steep decline in momentum following the attack, leading to disillusionment and anger, both at themselves and at the wider Japanese public for blaming them, causing a sharp conservative swing in Japanese politics in the 2020s. A popular Japanese music artist would even release a version of "American Pie" with lyrics chronicling the rise and fall of the country's 2010s youth movement, positioning the Kadokawa massacre as the song's tragic final verse, a song that would top the charts in the country for many weeks.
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Game Spotlight: Bayonetta 3
Bayonetta 3 is a hack and slash action title exclusive to the Apple Virtua. It continues the story of the Umbra Witch Bayonetta and her partner Jeanne, as the two are forced to climb the Mountain of Purgatory to rescue their ally Rodin, who is being punished there. The two must also deal with a war between heaven and hell that is forcing them to play both sides, as the forces of Hell are being led by a powerful demon known as Balthar, the Prince of Devastation, and the forces of heaven are being led by an angel named Lucrezia, who has been tasked with protecting Purgatory at all costs, and who has similar powers to Bayonetta and Jeanne, but views them as a curse, and that she must pay penance every time she uses her powers. Lucrezia's superior is the archangel Mikhail, who seeks to usurp the throne of Heaven in Jubileus' absence, and sees Lucrezia as the instrument he will use to do so, after taking Rodin's power and destroying Bayonetta. This game plays quite similarly to previous titles in the series, though it does give players more options to use Jeanne if they so choose. It also has a heavy focus on "Dual Dancing", a series of attacks where Bayonetta and Jeanne team up to inflict massive damage on enemies, usually giving players a sexy show while they're at it. Bayonetta and Jeanne are also much more capable of stealing weapons and powers from enemies, using angels and demons as shields to absorb attacks, and interacting with the battlefield, rewarding opportunistic players for picking their battlefields and guiding enemies into certain areas to inflict damage on them. Of course, button mashing is still quite possible, especially on the game's easier difficulties, and as always, killing angels and demons rewards the player with various trinkets that they can exchange for powerful weapons and items to make their journey even easier. Bayonetta 3 also makes full use of the Virtua's motion control capabilities, allowing players to perform various movements to control Bayonetta and Jeanne in battle (though standard controllers can be used and are in many ways recommended). The game's graphics are significantly better than those of Bayonetta 2, though the game doesn't quite push the Virtua S as hard as some other recent games, as the developers chose to go for more gameplay innovation than graphical prowess. The game's soundtrack absolutely shines as well, with numerous high energy songs along with plenty of symphonic pulse pounders during climactic fights, while there are four new lyrical songs including a cover of the classic song "Blue Moon" and three original songs, with one theme song each for Bayonetta, Jeanne, and Lucrezia. The game itself sees Bayonetta and Jeanne initially in the city, battling back a horde of angels and encountering Lucrezia for the first time, as she provides cover for Mikhail's capture of Rodin. Bayonetta and Jeanne, and a few allies, journey to Purgatory and begin battling their way up the mountain, which is somewhat inspired by Dante's classic Divine Comedy but has plenty of original twists as well, including built-in dungeons and even a modern looking city with a hidden curse. As the two make their way up, they repeatedly run into Lucrezia, whom Jeanne wants to kill but whom Bayonetta seems to enjoy teasing, sensing that she doesn't really want to be working for Mikhail. As Bayonetta and Jeanne progress, they also have to dodge various attacks from demons led by Balthar, who sees this as an opportunity to invade heaven for himself. The pair eventually find and free Rodin, who then seemingly betrays Bayonetta and Jeanne by helping Balthar invade heaven. Lucrezia attacks, and Bayonetta and Lucrezia end up disappearing through a portal together, while Jeanne pursues Balthar and Rodin into heaven, fighting a huge horde of angels the whole way there. In another part of heaven, Bayonetta and Lucrezia fight, and Bayonetta seemingly wins, but ends up being captured by Mikhail, who decides to use her powers to capture heaven's throne instead. Jeanne finds and corners Balthar, and the two fight, with Rodin revealing that he didn't actually betray Bayonetta and Jeanne, but was using Balthar to keep the balance between light and darkness, and helps Jeanne seal him back away, before Mikhail attacks them both. Lucrezia decides to free Bayonetta (who was going to get free on her own but wanted to see what Lucrezia would do), and the two reach Mikhail just in time to stop him from killing Jeanne and Rodin, though too late to stop him from seizing heaven's throne. Bayonetta, Jeanne, and Lucrezia team up to defeat Mikhail, and Bayonetta briefly gets to sit on heaven's throne (musing "Does this make me God? Oh, that would be so boring..."), but decides to cede the throne to Lucrezia. Lucrezia considers herself unworthy of heaven's throne, but will safeguard it until a new Jublieus can be born (Bayonetta tells her to make sure this one isn't such a huge bitch). Bayonetta, Jeanne, Rodin, and their allies return from heaven to resume their normal lives on Earth, though Bayonetta does show some admiration for Lucrezia, saying that "I suppose it is nice to have someone up there looking out for me..." before the credits roll.
Bayonetta 3 is released on November 20, 2017 (in North America and Europe, the Japanese release is delayed until December due to the Kadokawa tragedy) to wide critical praise almost as good as Bayonetta 2 (a 91 on Metacritic, compared to 94 for Bayonetta 2), while sales are excellent, some of the best of the year for a Virtua exclusive. The series remains one of Apple's most popular IPs, receiving much more recognition and love than OTL's series does on Nintendo, while also being heavily prioritized by Apple for development funding and release promotion (which is why Bayonetta 3 got released in a timely manner ITTL, while IOTL it remains seemingly in limbo). The shadow would remain cast, and a new Bayonetta game would be put into production... for a future Apple console. A new mobile title, already in production, would come out somewhat sooner.
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Other Significant Titles For November 2017:
Kid Icarus: Ascension: David Jaffe's massive 3-D adventure game starring the angel known as Pit wouldn't be quite as big a hit for Nintendo as Bayonetta 3, but it would certainly be the biggest success the series had seen to date, both critically and commercially. Featuring a combat system much like OTL's God of War (though with more emphasis on agility than on brutality) and a brilliant storyline in which Pit falls in love with a human girl, only to ultimately be forced apart from her and called back to the realm of the gods, evoked nostalgia from across the series comparable to that of OTL's Kid Icarus: Uprising. Released the week before the Kadokawa attack, it would give Japanese players something to take their mind off the tragedy, while American players would buy it up in droves, making it the third best selling Reality title of the holiday season after Squad Four Apocalypse and Pokemon: Companion Quest. Jaffe decided not to direct a follow-up title, though Nintendo would eventually go it without him for a sequel on the Reality's successor (beyond the scope of the timeline).
Pokemon Opal: (I neglected to cover this game at Nintendo's E3 even though it would undoubtedly have been part of Nintendo's Pokemon presentation, so just retcon and say that it was there.) Pokemon Opal is the "third version" of Pokemon Amethyst and Topaz, and would have a similar focus as OTL's Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, expanding upon the first two games and adding some quality of life features, while essentially being the same title. Like those games, it would sell extremely well, and becomes the preferred version of the game for most players.
Hinako: A Story Of Vengeance: A Virtua title and the third game in the "Dasho and Genji" series, Hinako: A Story Of Vengeance is an adventure game about a young woman seeking to hunt down and kill the people who murdered her family in front of her eyes. Another game that was released just before the Kadokawa attacks, this game would serve a cathartic purpose for many Japanese players, allowing them to get out some of their anger about the attacks. Western players would be somewhat less receptive to the game, and despite excellent review scores, it wouldn't be considered for many year end awards.
Herzog Zwei: Satellite War: A Gemini exclusive (the last major one of the year), this successor to the classic strategy games sees futuristic combat in both space and in the air, adding to the classic land war elements of the game. Reviews are quite good (an 86 on Metacritic), and this game is seen as one that successfully adapts the classic series to a modern console, achieving a decent amount of sales success in both the West and Japan.
Opus Magnum: OTL's excellent alchemy-themed puzzler hits both the Nexus and Android ITTL, with enhanced graphics for the Nexus version of the game. The game plays almost identically to OTL, and even incorporates the OTL game's ability to create animated gif files of solutions to share online (with the Nexus version creating a link to the file on the developer's website if the player is online and has an account). Like OTL's game, it gets plenty of praise from critics, and frequently appears on the Nexus' digital best seller list.
A Hat In Time: The throwback 3-D platformer from OTL is fully funded by Google to appear as a TTL Nexus exclusive, with similar plot and gameplay to OTL's title, but a much bigger budget allowing for even more vibrant graphics. It's heavily promoted by Google as a major Nexus holiday title, helping it to achieve the strongest Nexus launch week sales since Redshift and making it one of the year's most popular family games.
Call Of Duty: WWII: A Call Of Duty title that sees the series return to its World War II roots, this game is one of the year's biggest hits, though critically it does take a dip from previous series titles, and is generally considered inferior to Cyberwar 5 in pretty much every way (leading to some Cyberwar vs. Call Of Duty flame wars late in 2017, even bigger than the ones that had already been ongoing). While this game does extremely well commercially, the poor critical performance leads some critics to say that the series had lost its way. Fortunately, a brand new Call Of Duty would be coming in 2018 that would take the series in a radical new direction with a shocking reveal at 2018's E3.
Angel May Cry: Released two weeks before Bayonetta 3, this game would be mostly without Hideki Kamiya's involvement (though he would serve in an advisory capacity for some elements). It plays much like the Devil May Cry games, but instead of featuring Dante, it features a female protagonist, Beatrix, who battles vampires invading her city. Late in the game, it's revealed that Beatrix exists in a parallel universe to Dante, and for a brief moment, the universes cross over, and Dante is forced to battle vampires while Beatrix battles a demonic beast. The dimensional rift is fixed, and Beatrix finishes off the vampire cult leader, who reveals in his dying breath that Beatrix's dimension is on the verge of ripping apart and that this was only the beginning. Angel May Cry is a fun title that mixes up the Devil May Cry formula, but ends up overshadowed by Bayonetta 3, especially on the Virtua, and achieves only decent sales and slightly above average reviews, putting the future of this spinoff series in jeopardy.
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You've no doubt heard about the recent terrible tragedy in Japan, in which more than 200 people were killed in a horrific attack carried out by a single person. Do you think these attacks are caused by something, or are they just random events with no sense to make of them?
I have heard, yes, it's absolutely heartbreaking, George and I both were just devastated to hear about the tragedy in Japan and my prayers go out to all the victims, including the three Britons who were killed by one of the bombs. I feel that attacks like these, and other attacks such as the recent upsurge in racially-charged violence following the Liverpool bombing, I feel these are symptoms of a wider anger, a deep-seated anger, in young men especially, that cause them to be particularly susceptible to lashing out in their anger and harming others. I feel that we have a responsibility to find the root causes of this anger and to be aware of the fact that there are people out there harboring it, at great risk of harming themselves or harming others. We can't have this continued stigma around mental health. My son Harry recently and very bravely made a public statement where he admitted to suffering from depression, and just the fact that it takes such bravery just to admit that you have depression is a sign that we have such a long way to go when it comes to dealing with mental health and encouraging people to get the help they need. We cannot stigmatize seeking help for mental health issues, especially for young men who are being taught to have a "stiff upper lip" and not say anything, it's positively imperative that we encourage talking these things out.
Your sons both have been criticized relentlessly in the media, William for not marrying until just a couple years ago, and Harry for remaining single and now for talking about his depression, if you could say anything to the people in the media who have been saying these things, what would you say to them?
Honestly, after some of the most recent things that have been said, I don't think I'm allowed to say some of the things I'd like to say, even no longer being a part of the royal family. I'm very angry, obviously, and some of the words I'd use, they're not very proper.
At Cressida Lane, we do believe in unfiltered and uncensored speech, so if there's a particular word you'd like to use-
Oh, I'm aware, but I'll spare myself this time around. I suppose what I'd say to them is more of a question of my own, and that's... "Why? Why go after people who have devoted their entire lives to nothing but service, why go after them at their lowest point? You have enough stories for a lifetime of papers, so why keep piling on? Can't you say something decent, for once? Why hold them to a standard of decency you don't even begin to hold yourselves to?" I truly appreciate every source of journalism that paints a fair portrait of my family. There have been many people with empathy in the media, your own publication included, and I am deeply thankful, but I will never understand why so many people in your profession insist upon kicking people when they're down. Money I'm sure, but there has to be some amount of money that's not worth the loss of one's soul.
What would you like people to remember you for?
I want to be remembered in a way that inspires people to do good for the world. If the example I've set in my life encourages people to pick up my causes after I'm gone and do far more help for those in need than I ever did, I would be so happy to know that that's what I've accomplished. You can remember me however you like, as long as it's in a way that inspires you to help people. I've been blessed with the ability to go around the world and help where I can, but I don't want to be remembered as someone who helped, I want people to remember who I helped and why I helped so that they know that that's what they need to do now.
-from an interview with Princess Diana, posted to Cressida Lane on November 23, 2017
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November 22, 2017
"Thank you again for the interview," said Cressida Lane's editor-in-chief and CEO, Meghan Markle, reaching out and shaking Diana's hand. "It's an absolute honor, it was so enlightening to talk to you."
"Thank you for being fair," Diana replied, returning the handshake. "You're one of the few journalistic outfits who are these days."
"Hopefully it'll stay that way after I step down," said Markle. "I've been here for ten years, but I've been offered a position at CNN and I think I can make more of a difference there."
"Oh, no," replied Diana, shaking her head. "Stay here, you're in charge here. You'll have to march to their drum if you go over there."
"I've weighed that in my decision, believe me, but I really do think getting in front of a larger audience will help me make more of a difference, especially in the position they're offering me. I can change things there, not overnight, but with more young people in higher media positions, I think a real cultural shift can take place."
Diana sighed but nodded her head, looking slightly off into the distance, as if thinking about something.
"It was really brave what Harry did," said Markle. "It's going to help a lot of young men who are struggling with admitting to things like depression and anxiety. It makes such a big difference when people are able to talk about their mental health."
Diana nodded again, smiling at Meghan.
"I am glad he's getting help for his depression, and I respect his decision not to marry until he finds someone he truly loves... God knows I wasn't able to make that choice for myself the first time... but sometimes I do wish he had someone he could talk to. I think someone a lot like you might make a big difference in his life."
Markle blushed, looking slightly away. She herself had dated numerous men, and had even gotten engaged at one point before breaking it off... and she certainly found Prince Harry attractive from what she'd seen of him on TV, but the idea of someone like her marrying into royalty? It was so far-fetched it seemed like something out of one of the video games her longtime employee Lizzie liked to play.
"I don't think I'd be right for someone like Harry, I mean, he's a prince, I'm a writer. ...he is cute though."
Diana allowed herself a small laugh.
"I'm sure he'll find happiness, whatever happens," said Markle, "And I'm sure I'll be fine where I'm going. ...thanks again for giving us this interview."
After exchanging a few more friendly words with Markle, Diana walked back outside to her waiting security detail. Markle remained, compiling the interview notes for the exclusive article that would be headlining Cressida Lane the next day.
The last major interview she'd secure in her ten years at the company. It had been an incredible ride, but Meghan Markle was getting ready to enter the next chapter of her life, where hopefully she could make an even bigger difference than the one she'd already made.
She knew Cressida Lane was in good hands with Lizzie... she just didn't know if the industry had changed too much for her publication to survive amidst thousands of rivals.
She had no way of knowing that soon after she left, Cressida Lane would have the opportunity to break perhaps the biggest story of its existence, and that Lizzie would be the perfect person to break it. Of course, CNN would be covering it too, as would every single media corporation in America and many around the world.
What had been known in one universe as #MeToo would go by a different name in this one, changing the lives of millions of women and men around the world... and though it would come a year later than it had in the other universe, it would be no less impactful.
Nintendo's second Direct of 2017 was heavy on the announcements and big reveals, mostly for games coming next year. While 2017 is almost over, we surely have a lot to look forward to, and it'll be exciting to see how the rest of Nintendo's lineup shakes out.
-from Super Nintendo CD Chalmers' Nintendo blog update on November 6, 2017
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(Authors' Note: The following news story/scenario was given to us by the reader Siegfried1337, with some alterations to fit the narrative of this timeline.)
Don Lemon: In addition to pardoning most federal prisoners being held for marijuana-related offenses, the new law, signed earlier today by President Kennedy, will provide police funding to states that legalize recreational marijuana. So far, 14 states have already legalized marijuana for recreational use, but after the passage of today's law decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level and providing that police funding, several more states are expected to legalize it in the coming weeks, while more still are expected to put it up for a vote on next year's ballots. Make no mistake, this is an enormous step forward for this country, even if it doesn't immediately legalize marijuana in the states in which its possession is a criminal offense. Of course, four years ago, Jon Huntsman took a crucial first step in legalizing marijuana nationwide when he signed a bill that not only made marijuana a Schedule II drug rather than a Schedule I drug, but also provided funding leading to a groundbreaking federal study in which marijuana was found to be less harmful than both tobacco and alcohol, substances which have been legal nationwide for its entire history, save for the brief 14-year experiment with alcohol prohibition. Nevada senator Penn Jillette, good evening first of all. You pushed heavily for this bill and managed to get several Republicans on board with this bill, how satisfied are you that marijuana is now no longer illegal at the federal level?
Penn Jillette: Good evening to you too, Don, it's a pleasure to be speaking with you today. And of course, no one's happier than me to see this bill pass, except maybe my pals Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg...
Don Lemon: *laughing* Snoop Dogg posted a video to Twitter right after the bill, his reaction was about what you'd expect to the passage of a bill like this.
Penn Jillette: That was an awfully big blunt he lit up, and I hope he was in one of the states where that's legal.
Don Lemon: He was in California, it's legal there.
Penn Jillette: Also in my state of Nevada, which I'm proud to say, but listen, this bill is a big step, but it's not the final step, because now comes the challenge of legalizing pot in individual states, and I'm sure-
*The CNN feed changes from the recorded Don Lemon program from earlier that evening to a live shot of a building in Tokyo from which smoke is rising, there are dozens of police cars and ambulances, and numerous chaotic scenes of injured and crying people are shown.*
John Vause: We are coming on the air live with CNN International, and that is because of what has just happened in Tokyo, Japan, where a major terrorist attack appears to have taken place. You're looking at an event center in Chiyoda, a prefecture of Tokyo, where multiple bombs have been set off, including a large car bomb which has obviously as you can see on the screen caused major damage to this event center. We're going to go to our correspondent in Tokyo, Will Ripley, who is covering this terrible event on the ground for us. Will, can you give us some more details from this event center and what exactly happened?
*As more images of carnage are shown, Will can be heard over the phone with sirens wailing around him.*
Will: John, I am standing some distance away from this event center where this attack took place, and that is because I have had to move two times because of the enormous amount of emergency personnel and law enforcement flooding the scene.
John: These images look horrific, Will, I can definitely understand. What's going on down there?
Will: John, this took place at a very large convention being put on by a company, Kadokawa, that owns a lot of the entertainment properties here in Japan, particularly anime and manga. There were thousands of people at this convention, and while it was going on, an enormous car bomb went off outside the building, where dozens of people were waiting in line to go in. Right around the same time that happened, there were two more, smaller explosions, from inside the building, and then after those explosions, there was shooting, from what police are saying was an automatic or semi-automatic rifle.
John: There was a shooting also?
Will: From what I'm being told, after the explosions, someone started shooting at people outside the building, just spraying bullets into the crowd fleeing the explosions.
John: Oh, my God.
Will: It also seemed like the nearby Kadokawa building was targeted as well, because after shooting people fleeing the convention hall, the suspect actually walked toward their headquarters and tried to fire upon people being evacuated from that building, but that's when the police arrived.
John: Do you know anything about the suspect?
Will: What I'm hearing right now was that it was a lone gunman, but police are working from the theory that there may have been more people involved with the bombing. The suspect is said to be deceased, it's said that they were either killed by the police or that they took their own life.
John: This sounds like a pretty major terrorist attack, that there had to be some serious organization behind it.
Will: And, you know, John, it's only a few months after that terrible attack in Liverpool, which was, there were Pakistani nationals behind that attack, so the early theory is that the two might be related, that it might have something to do with the ongoing situation in Pakistan, but at this point of course it's far too early to speculate and right now the police are still hunting for anyone else who might be involved and also combing the surrounding areas for more devices. The nearby buildings have all been completely evacuated and they're just going room to room hunting for suspects and devices, which is going to take some time.
John: Are there any... I hate to ask this, but do they have any casualty figures to report?
Will: Right now, the early reports from the bodies that have been found are... they're pretty grim at this point, police say that between the shooting and the bombings, there are already 174 confirmed dead and of course many, many more injured, many critically. The police aren't officially confirming the identities of any of the dead, but it is important to note that this was a major entertainment convention, in a lot of ways the equivalent of a Comic-Con style event in the United States, and that many people very famous over here such as directors, actors, and internet personalities were in attendance and may have been targeted, social media is already posting the names of some of the people who might've been killed and while I'm not going to confirm anything before the official word is given, it's, um, it's likely that some of these very beloved figures may have at least been targeted.
John: 174, my word, this is certainly a tragedy of truly terrible proportions, Will.
Will: The fact that the attacker was not only able to get these devices into the building, but was also able to acquire firearms, which is extremely difficult to do in Japan, if not impossible for most people... that points to some major coordination and planning, so investigators will have their hands full, and of course, unfortunately they'll also be dealing with this massive casualty figure as well.
John: Will, thank you for your report on this terrible, terrible tragedy. Stay safe.
-from CNN's broadcast on November 18, 2017, at 1:08 AM Eastern Standard time (3:08 PM in Tokyo), CNN International's coverage of the event would continue for several more hours until CNN's American bureau took over to cover the story for most of the rest of the day
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November 18, 2017 saw Japan's darkest day since the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, when Kensaka Haku, a 28-year-old Japanese web creator, detonated three bombs at a Chiyoda convention center, shot dozens of fleeing bystanders, and then took his own life after being surrounded by police. Kensaka, who had been a moderately-popular Internet personality who went by the name "Anime-kun" on popular video sharing sites Niconico and Videocean, decided to commit these horrible deeds after becoming "disillusioned" with the state of anime, particularly those belonging to Kadokawa, leading the event to become known as the "Kadokawa massacre". The three bombs, one of which was a car bomb that detonated outside the convention center, and two more of which were smaller devices inside the building, together killed 177 people and injured thousands more, while the shooting, committed by Kensaka after the explosions, took 38 more lives, for a total death toll of 215, making the event the single deadliest massacre ever carried out by an individual person (a record that would remain standing as of 2021) and the deadliest terrorist attack of any kind since the 2007 Islamabad attacks in Pakistan. Perhaps more notable than even the attack's staggering death toll were the identities of many killed in the attacks, including several extremely notable figures in the anime and manga community, with legendary director Hayao Miyazaki most famous among them. Nobunaga Shimazaki, Risa Taneda, Kenji Nojima, Kenichi Suzumura, Maaya Sakamoto, Yuu Kobayashi, Takuma Terashima, and Tite Kubo were also among those killed, along with numerous web creators more famous in Japan than Kensaka, with millions of subscribers between them, leaving absolutely no segment of the anime community untouched by the violence. There were also several notable "near-misses", of people present in the convention center but not near the bombings, or people who planned to attend but changed their plans, including Sailor Moon creator Naoko Takeuchi (who didn't attend due to unforeseen work commitments but who was scheduled to appear at the same booth where one of the bombs detonated), Berserk creator Kentaro Miura (who was in another part of the building), and seiyuu Miyu Matsuki, who was close to one of the backpack bombs but escaped death because she was standing beside a large column which shielded her from the blast (her second brush with death in two years, after surviving a major health scare in 2015).
The attack led to a tremendous outpouring of grief, but also generated tremendous anger, as numerous lapses in security that allowed Kensaka to carry out his attacks were pointed out. The fact that he'd been able to plant three explosive devices and get away to carry out a mass shooting, and the fact that he'd been able to acquire weapons which should have been impossible for him to acquire in Japan, was only possible due to what was considered to be "extreme negligence" on the part of security officials. It was clear that Kensaka had been planning the attack for many months, and not once did anyone close to him suspect anything was amiss. Indeed, most of his friends and acquaintances told police that right up until the day of the attacks, he'd been acting completely normally. His videos had gotten more passionate and angry as of late, but this was common amongst video reviewers, exaggerating their emotions to entertain their audience, so this too was seen as normal. Japan in recent years had been noted as entering into a "culture of carefree leniency", with law enforcement and security measures loosened across the country. It was in a midst of a youth movement, championed by popular PM Akira Nagatsuma, and there had even been talk of the death penalty (which, before the youth movement, had the support of more than 80% of the country, but in recent years had dropped as low as the mid-60s) being lessened or even abolished in the country, though this talk nearly ceased after the Kadokawa massacre took place. After the attacks, Japan came to a standstill. With so many prominent creative figures killed or injured, many anime and manga series were cancelled entirely, others were delayed for lengthy periods of time. New TV, theatrical, and game releases were halted for days or even weeks as the country mourned. Mourning was international: 18 foreign tourists were killed in the attack, including 7 Americans. The attack sent political and cultural shockwaves through the country that are still being felt years later. Many blamed Nagatsuma and his youth movement for the attacks, and he very nearly lost his prime ministership in the wave of anger that took place afterward. Other government officials were dismissed or demoted, some local officials were even arrested for dereliction of duty. Though the attack was primarily known as the "Kadokawa massacre", some would call it "The Day Anime Died", after "The Day The Music Died", the tragic 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper. Of course, anime didn't die, and would eventually come back stronger than ever, as surviving creators, touched by the tragedy, produced some of their deepest and most profound work in the coming years. It would be forever changed, though, and would be considered a sort of Altamont moment for Japan's youth movement, which would see a steep decline in momentum following the attack, leading to disillusionment and anger, both at themselves and at the wider Japanese public for blaming them, causing a sharp conservative swing in Japanese politics in the 2020s. A popular Japanese music artist would even release a version of "American Pie" with lyrics chronicling the rise and fall of the country's 2010s youth movement, positioning the Kadokawa massacre as the song's tragic final verse, a song that would top the charts in the country for many weeks.
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Game Spotlight: Bayonetta 3
Bayonetta 3 is a hack and slash action title exclusive to the Apple Virtua. It continues the story of the Umbra Witch Bayonetta and her partner Jeanne, as the two are forced to climb the Mountain of Purgatory to rescue their ally Rodin, who is being punished there. The two must also deal with a war between heaven and hell that is forcing them to play both sides, as the forces of Hell are being led by a powerful demon known as Balthar, the Prince of Devastation, and the forces of heaven are being led by an angel named Lucrezia, who has been tasked with protecting Purgatory at all costs, and who has similar powers to Bayonetta and Jeanne, but views them as a curse, and that she must pay penance every time she uses her powers. Lucrezia's superior is the archangel Mikhail, who seeks to usurp the throne of Heaven in Jubileus' absence, and sees Lucrezia as the instrument he will use to do so, after taking Rodin's power and destroying Bayonetta. This game plays quite similarly to previous titles in the series, though it does give players more options to use Jeanne if they so choose. It also has a heavy focus on "Dual Dancing", a series of attacks where Bayonetta and Jeanne team up to inflict massive damage on enemies, usually giving players a sexy show while they're at it. Bayonetta and Jeanne are also much more capable of stealing weapons and powers from enemies, using angels and demons as shields to absorb attacks, and interacting with the battlefield, rewarding opportunistic players for picking their battlefields and guiding enemies into certain areas to inflict damage on them. Of course, button mashing is still quite possible, especially on the game's easier difficulties, and as always, killing angels and demons rewards the player with various trinkets that they can exchange for powerful weapons and items to make their journey even easier. Bayonetta 3 also makes full use of the Virtua's motion control capabilities, allowing players to perform various movements to control Bayonetta and Jeanne in battle (though standard controllers can be used and are in many ways recommended). The game's graphics are significantly better than those of Bayonetta 2, though the game doesn't quite push the Virtua S as hard as some other recent games, as the developers chose to go for more gameplay innovation than graphical prowess. The game's soundtrack absolutely shines as well, with numerous high energy songs along with plenty of symphonic pulse pounders during climactic fights, while there are four new lyrical songs including a cover of the classic song "Blue Moon" and three original songs, with one theme song each for Bayonetta, Jeanne, and Lucrezia. The game itself sees Bayonetta and Jeanne initially in the city, battling back a horde of angels and encountering Lucrezia for the first time, as she provides cover for Mikhail's capture of Rodin. Bayonetta and Jeanne, and a few allies, journey to Purgatory and begin battling their way up the mountain, which is somewhat inspired by Dante's classic Divine Comedy but has plenty of original twists as well, including built-in dungeons and even a modern looking city with a hidden curse. As the two make their way up, they repeatedly run into Lucrezia, whom Jeanne wants to kill but whom Bayonetta seems to enjoy teasing, sensing that she doesn't really want to be working for Mikhail. As Bayonetta and Jeanne progress, they also have to dodge various attacks from demons led by Balthar, who sees this as an opportunity to invade heaven for himself. The pair eventually find and free Rodin, who then seemingly betrays Bayonetta and Jeanne by helping Balthar invade heaven. Lucrezia attacks, and Bayonetta and Lucrezia end up disappearing through a portal together, while Jeanne pursues Balthar and Rodin into heaven, fighting a huge horde of angels the whole way there. In another part of heaven, Bayonetta and Lucrezia fight, and Bayonetta seemingly wins, but ends up being captured by Mikhail, who decides to use her powers to capture heaven's throne instead. Jeanne finds and corners Balthar, and the two fight, with Rodin revealing that he didn't actually betray Bayonetta and Jeanne, but was using Balthar to keep the balance between light and darkness, and helps Jeanne seal him back away, before Mikhail attacks them both. Lucrezia decides to free Bayonetta (who was going to get free on her own but wanted to see what Lucrezia would do), and the two reach Mikhail just in time to stop him from killing Jeanne and Rodin, though too late to stop him from seizing heaven's throne. Bayonetta, Jeanne, and Lucrezia team up to defeat Mikhail, and Bayonetta briefly gets to sit on heaven's throne (musing "Does this make me God? Oh, that would be so boring..."), but decides to cede the throne to Lucrezia. Lucrezia considers herself unworthy of heaven's throne, but will safeguard it until a new Jublieus can be born (Bayonetta tells her to make sure this one isn't such a huge bitch). Bayonetta, Jeanne, Rodin, and their allies return from heaven to resume their normal lives on Earth, though Bayonetta does show some admiration for Lucrezia, saying that "I suppose it is nice to have someone up there looking out for me..." before the credits roll.
Bayonetta 3 is released on November 20, 2017 (in North America and Europe, the Japanese release is delayed until December due to the Kadokawa tragedy) to wide critical praise almost as good as Bayonetta 2 (a 91 on Metacritic, compared to 94 for Bayonetta 2), while sales are excellent, some of the best of the year for a Virtua exclusive. The series remains one of Apple's most popular IPs, receiving much more recognition and love than OTL's series does on Nintendo, while also being heavily prioritized by Apple for development funding and release promotion (which is why Bayonetta 3 got released in a timely manner ITTL, while IOTL it remains seemingly in limbo). The shadow would remain cast, and a new Bayonetta game would be put into production... for a future Apple console. A new mobile title, already in production, would come out somewhat sooner.
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Other Significant Titles For November 2017:
Kid Icarus: Ascension: David Jaffe's massive 3-D adventure game starring the angel known as Pit wouldn't be quite as big a hit for Nintendo as Bayonetta 3, but it would certainly be the biggest success the series had seen to date, both critically and commercially. Featuring a combat system much like OTL's God of War (though with more emphasis on agility than on brutality) and a brilliant storyline in which Pit falls in love with a human girl, only to ultimately be forced apart from her and called back to the realm of the gods, evoked nostalgia from across the series comparable to that of OTL's Kid Icarus: Uprising. Released the week before the Kadokawa attack, it would give Japanese players something to take their mind off the tragedy, while American players would buy it up in droves, making it the third best selling Reality title of the holiday season after Squad Four Apocalypse and Pokemon: Companion Quest. Jaffe decided not to direct a follow-up title, though Nintendo would eventually go it without him for a sequel on the Reality's successor (beyond the scope of the timeline).
Pokemon Opal: (I neglected to cover this game at Nintendo's E3 even though it would undoubtedly have been part of Nintendo's Pokemon presentation, so just retcon and say that it was there.) Pokemon Opal is the "third version" of Pokemon Amethyst and Topaz, and would have a similar focus as OTL's Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, expanding upon the first two games and adding some quality of life features, while essentially being the same title. Like those games, it would sell extremely well, and becomes the preferred version of the game for most players.
Hinako: A Story Of Vengeance: A Virtua title and the third game in the "Dasho and Genji" series, Hinako: A Story Of Vengeance is an adventure game about a young woman seeking to hunt down and kill the people who murdered her family in front of her eyes. Another game that was released just before the Kadokawa attacks, this game would serve a cathartic purpose for many Japanese players, allowing them to get out some of their anger about the attacks. Western players would be somewhat less receptive to the game, and despite excellent review scores, it wouldn't be considered for many year end awards.
Herzog Zwei: Satellite War: A Gemini exclusive (the last major one of the year), this successor to the classic strategy games sees futuristic combat in both space and in the air, adding to the classic land war elements of the game. Reviews are quite good (an 86 on Metacritic), and this game is seen as one that successfully adapts the classic series to a modern console, achieving a decent amount of sales success in both the West and Japan.
Opus Magnum: OTL's excellent alchemy-themed puzzler hits both the Nexus and Android ITTL, with enhanced graphics for the Nexus version of the game. The game plays almost identically to OTL, and even incorporates the OTL game's ability to create animated gif files of solutions to share online (with the Nexus version creating a link to the file on the developer's website if the player is online and has an account). Like OTL's game, it gets plenty of praise from critics, and frequently appears on the Nexus' digital best seller list.
A Hat In Time: The throwback 3-D platformer from OTL is fully funded by Google to appear as a TTL Nexus exclusive, with similar plot and gameplay to OTL's title, but a much bigger budget allowing for even more vibrant graphics. It's heavily promoted by Google as a major Nexus holiday title, helping it to achieve the strongest Nexus launch week sales since Redshift and making it one of the year's most popular family games.
Call Of Duty: WWII: A Call Of Duty title that sees the series return to its World War II roots, this game is one of the year's biggest hits, though critically it does take a dip from previous series titles, and is generally considered inferior to Cyberwar 5 in pretty much every way (leading to some Cyberwar vs. Call Of Duty flame wars late in 2017, even bigger than the ones that had already been ongoing). While this game does extremely well commercially, the poor critical performance leads some critics to say that the series had lost its way. Fortunately, a brand new Call Of Duty would be coming in 2018 that would take the series in a radical new direction with a shocking reveal at 2018's E3.
Angel May Cry: Released two weeks before Bayonetta 3, this game would be mostly without Hideki Kamiya's involvement (though he would serve in an advisory capacity for some elements). It plays much like the Devil May Cry games, but instead of featuring Dante, it features a female protagonist, Beatrix, who battles vampires invading her city. Late in the game, it's revealed that Beatrix exists in a parallel universe to Dante, and for a brief moment, the universes cross over, and Dante is forced to battle vampires while Beatrix battles a demonic beast. The dimensional rift is fixed, and Beatrix finishes off the vampire cult leader, who reveals in his dying breath that Beatrix's dimension is on the verge of ripping apart and that this was only the beginning. Angel May Cry is a fun title that mixes up the Devil May Cry formula, but ends up overshadowed by Bayonetta 3, especially on the Virtua, and achieves only decent sales and slightly above average reviews, putting the future of this spinoff series in jeopardy.
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You've no doubt heard about the recent terrible tragedy in Japan, in which more than 200 people were killed in a horrific attack carried out by a single person. Do you think these attacks are caused by something, or are they just random events with no sense to make of them?
I have heard, yes, it's absolutely heartbreaking, George and I both were just devastated to hear about the tragedy in Japan and my prayers go out to all the victims, including the three Britons who were killed by one of the bombs. I feel that attacks like these, and other attacks such as the recent upsurge in racially-charged violence following the Liverpool bombing, I feel these are symptoms of a wider anger, a deep-seated anger, in young men especially, that cause them to be particularly susceptible to lashing out in their anger and harming others. I feel that we have a responsibility to find the root causes of this anger and to be aware of the fact that there are people out there harboring it, at great risk of harming themselves or harming others. We can't have this continued stigma around mental health. My son Harry recently and very bravely made a public statement where he admitted to suffering from depression, and just the fact that it takes such bravery just to admit that you have depression is a sign that we have such a long way to go when it comes to dealing with mental health and encouraging people to get the help they need. We cannot stigmatize seeking help for mental health issues, especially for young men who are being taught to have a "stiff upper lip" and not say anything, it's positively imperative that we encourage talking these things out.
Your sons both have been criticized relentlessly in the media, William for not marrying until just a couple years ago, and Harry for remaining single and now for talking about his depression, if you could say anything to the people in the media who have been saying these things, what would you say to them?
Honestly, after some of the most recent things that have been said, I don't think I'm allowed to say some of the things I'd like to say, even no longer being a part of the royal family. I'm very angry, obviously, and some of the words I'd use, they're not very proper.
At Cressida Lane, we do believe in unfiltered and uncensored speech, so if there's a particular word you'd like to use-
Oh, I'm aware, but I'll spare myself this time around. I suppose what I'd say to them is more of a question of my own, and that's... "Why? Why go after people who have devoted their entire lives to nothing but service, why go after them at their lowest point? You have enough stories for a lifetime of papers, so why keep piling on? Can't you say something decent, for once? Why hold them to a standard of decency you don't even begin to hold yourselves to?" I truly appreciate every source of journalism that paints a fair portrait of my family. There have been many people with empathy in the media, your own publication included, and I am deeply thankful, but I will never understand why so many people in your profession insist upon kicking people when they're down. Money I'm sure, but there has to be some amount of money that's not worth the loss of one's soul.
What would you like people to remember you for?
I want to be remembered in a way that inspires people to do good for the world. If the example I've set in my life encourages people to pick up my causes after I'm gone and do far more help for those in need than I ever did, I would be so happy to know that that's what I've accomplished. You can remember me however you like, as long as it's in a way that inspires you to help people. I've been blessed with the ability to go around the world and help where I can, but I don't want to be remembered as someone who helped, I want people to remember who I helped and why I helped so that they know that that's what they need to do now.
-from an interview with Princess Diana, posted to Cressida Lane on November 23, 2017
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November 22, 2017
"Thank you again for the interview," said Cressida Lane's editor-in-chief and CEO, Meghan Markle, reaching out and shaking Diana's hand. "It's an absolute honor, it was so enlightening to talk to you."
"Thank you for being fair," Diana replied, returning the handshake. "You're one of the few journalistic outfits who are these days."
"Hopefully it'll stay that way after I step down," said Markle. "I've been here for ten years, but I've been offered a position at CNN and I think I can make more of a difference there."
"Oh, no," replied Diana, shaking her head. "Stay here, you're in charge here. You'll have to march to their drum if you go over there."
"I've weighed that in my decision, believe me, but I really do think getting in front of a larger audience will help me make more of a difference, especially in the position they're offering me. I can change things there, not overnight, but with more young people in higher media positions, I think a real cultural shift can take place."
Diana sighed but nodded her head, looking slightly off into the distance, as if thinking about something.
"It was really brave what Harry did," said Markle. "It's going to help a lot of young men who are struggling with admitting to things like depression and anxiety. It makes such a big difference when people are able to talk about their mental health."
Diana nodded again, smiling at Meghan.
"I am glad he's getting help for his depression, and I respect his decision not to marry until he finds someone he truly loves... God knows I wasn't able to make that choice for myself the first time... but sometimes I do wish he had someone he could talk to. I think someone a lot like you might make a big difference in his life."
Markle blushed, looking slightly away. She herself had dated numerous men, and had even gotten engaged at one point before breaking it off... and she certainly found Prince Harry attractive from what she'd seen of him on TV, but the idea of someone like her marrying into royalty? It was so far-fetched it seemed like something out of one of the video games her longtime employee Lizzie liked to play.
"I don't think I'd be right for someone like Harry, I mean, he's a prince, I'm a writer. ...he is cute though."
Diana allowed herself a small laugh.
"I'm sure he'll find happiness, whatever happens," said Markle, "And I'm sure I'll be fine where I'm going. ...thanks again for giving us this interview."
After exchanging a few more friendly words with Markle, Diana walked back outside to her waiting security detail. Markle remained, compiling the interview notes for the exclusive article that would be headlining Cressida Lane the next day.
The last major interview she'd secure in her ten years at the company. It had been an incredible ride, but Meghan Markle was getting ready to enter the next chapter of her life, where hopefully she could make an even bigger difference than the one she'd already made.
She knew Cressida Lane was in good hands with Lizzie... she just didn't know if the industry had changed too much for her publication to survive amidst thousands of rivals.
She had no way of knowing that soon after she left, Cressida Lane would have the opportunity to break perhaps the biggest story of its existence, and that Lizzie would be the perfect person to break it. Of course, CNN would be covering it too, as would every single media corporation in America and many around the world.
What had been known in one universe as #MeToo would go by a different name in this one, changing the lives of millions of women and men around the world... and though it would come a year later than it had in the other universe, it would be no less impactful.
So Sweet Tooth, Heihachi, and Parappa are still in a crossover platform fighting game, but one that's better than PlayStation All-Stars.
Fucking hell, man.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, I guess.
Well, that final paragraph was ominous. However, everything seems to hint at some kind of link between alienation and violence, that exists in OTL (young men have been courted by Islamist cells and white supremacist groups for years, after all) but that has been so far ignored in favour of the immediate consequences of said violence, with nothing at all being done to reduce the feelings of alienation and disillusionment that make young men so vulnerable to being radicalized.
Sweet Jesus Christ on a cabbage patch farm, the Kadokawa Massacre was not expected!
And why did you have to give HAYAO MIYAZAKI the same fate as Shigeru Miyamoto in this timeline? Why, why, why?!
And why did you have to give HAYAO MIYAZAKI the same fate as Shigeru Miyamoto in this timeline? Why, why, why?!
Hey what about Cuphead, I love that game and I really hope it didnt get butterflies snapped if not did Don Blueth help on this games development as well, or Miitopia either, those were some of my favorite games for 2017 next to Breath of the Wild, speaking of witch did we ever get that playable zelda here
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