Month: September 2021

BIA’s rise to stardom has been an impressive thing to watch over the past year and the Massachusetts-born rapper continues her streak with help from G Herbo for their new collaboration “Besito.” The track sees BIA flaunt her bilingual rap skills by switching back and forth between English and Spanish bars about her ability to draw attention no matter where she is. G Herbo arrives with a verse of his own that shows love to the special lady in his life while he flexes some muscle of his own.

BIA’s newest release comes after Nicki Minaj joined her for a remix of her breakout hit, “Whole Lotta Money.” The remix was preceded by the rappers speaking about the new version of the song and how it came together during a joint Instagram Live. The song grew to be so popular that a store’s sold out their collection of Bottega Veneta heels, the luxury brand that BIA raps about on the song. BIA was amused by the situation and shared a tweet about it, writing, “Not the store clerk at Bottega saying the heels are sold out bc of the song.”

“Besito” comes ahead of the deluxe reissue of BIA’s debut project, For Certain next month. The update comes with six new songs that include “Besito” and the “Whole Lotta Money” remix with Nicki Minaj. Herbo and Minaj will join Lil Durk, Lil Jon, Doe Boy, and 42 Dugg as guest acts on the project.

You can press play on BIA’s new song in the video above.

For Certain (Deluxe) is out 10/22 via Epic Records. Pre-order it here.

After putting up an impressive year thanks to his 2020 EPs Take Time and When It’s All Said And Done, Giveon is back in action with his very strong single, “For Tonight.” The track is quote the emotive release as it finds the Long Beach native pleading for a brief moment of intimacy with a special love in his life. Despite his pleas, the singer’s partner seems skeptical towards opening up to Giveon as their concerns lie with what the future holds for the couple. Giveon asks them to focus on the present while allowing the future to take care of itself.

The track comes after Giveon repackaged his Take Time and When It’s All Said And Done EPs into one project titled When It’s All Said And Done… Take Time and the re-release came with “All To Me,” a lustful addition to the singer’s project. Giveon also earned his first No. 1 track thanks to his guest appearance on Justin Bieber’s “Peaches” with Daniel Caesar. Other highlights from the past year for Giveon include his appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk, a video for “Still Your Best,” and his debut on daytime TV with a performance of “Heartbreak Anniversary” on Ellen.

You can press play on Giveon’s new single in the video above.

I can’t write a better intro than the one Lil Wayne drops on Run The Jewels’ nuclear bomb from last year, “Ooh La La.” Weezy comes out swinging, landing haymaker after haymaker in a verse stuffed with electrifying, face-scrunching rhymes. If it seemed like Lil Wayne would feel out of place on a track with the anti-establishment Run The Jewels rappers El-P and Killer Mike, he lays those fears to rest near instantly.

The remix is one of the new tracks appearing on the newly released deluxe edition of RTJ4, which also adds a new mix of “JU$T” with Pharrell and Zack De La Rocha, the Royal Blood remix of “The Ground Below,” and the rebellious rap duo’s Cyberpunk 2077 soundtrack contribution, “No Save Point.” There are also instrumental versions of all the songs on the original album, giving fans a chance to try to rhyme like Lil Wayne over favorites like “Walking In The Snow” and “A Few Words For The Firing Squad.”

RTJ4, which El-P and Mike dropped at the height of the pandemic quarantines, was eventually tabbed as one of 2020’s best albums. They’ll be touring the project with Rage Against The Machine beginning in 2022.

Listen to Run The Jewels’ “Ooh La La” remix with Lil Wayne above.

The Phoenix Mercury played host to the New York Liberty on Friday night for the first round of the WNBA playoffs, with the right to play the Seattle Storm (or, for the Liberty, the Minnesota Lynx) in Round 2 on the line.

The favored Mercury took an early lead, but the young Liberty went on an extended run from late in the first quarter into the second to swipe a 41-37 advantage at halftime that had many — including Chicago Sky coach James Wade — stunned.

The Mercury would retake the lead by two in the third quarter, as Skylar Diggins-Smith and Sophie Cunningham heated up.

In the fourth quarter, the two teams traded leads and big threes late, starting with another three from Cunningham, who finished the game with 21 points off the bench.

After the Mercury increased their lead to three, the Liberty turned to Betnijah Laney, who led the way with 25 points on the night, for the answer and she delivered, stepping up to hit a sensational shot to tie the game at 82 with under three seconds to play.

After a timeout to advance the ball, Phoenix drew up a beautiful play to get the Liberty in rotation on defense, slipping Brianna Turner to the basket after a screen got two Liberty defenders to go to one player, leaving no recourse for Sami Whitcomb but to swipe down on Turner, catching her arm (which the reverse angle showed clearly) and sending her to the line with 0.4 to play.

Turner would split the two free throws, missing the first and making the second to give Phoenix an 83-82 advantage, with New York unable to get a decent look at the rim, as Sabrina Ionescu, who had 14 points and 11 assists in the loss, could only muster a near halfcourt heave on the inbounds play as Britney Griner forced her to simply launch a prayer high into the air that fell short of the basket.

It was an impressive performance from a Liberty team that squeaked into the playoffs, and, while no one wants to talk about moral victories right after the playoffs, it should eventually only breed confidence that they can build on this performance. For Phoenix, it was a shakier start to their postseason than they hoped against an 8-seed, but they showed some impressive fortitude in fighting off the Liberty at every turn. Diggins-Smith finished with 22 points, 5 assists, and four rebounds as she led the way, while Griner had 16 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in a terrific outing from the center spot.

Now, it’s on to the reigning champs in Seattle for another win-or-go home game before a hopeful trip to the conference finals for a 5-game series.

Joyner Lucas is on a streak of quality collaborations with popular names in the hip-hop world and the Massachusetts rapper’s latest example of that finds him beside J. Cole. The duo finds magic with “Your Heart,” on which the rappers admit to their wrongs in past relationships, which often left their past partner brokenhearted and hurt by the actions of Lucas or Cole. Both rappers use maturity and wisdom to criticize their wrongdoings while sympathizing with the person they hurt.

The song arrives after Lucas was at the center of one of the biggest stories in the past week. He accused well-known marketing strategist Karen Civil of stealing $60,000 from him nearly a decade ago after he reached out to her with the help of getting help for his aspiring rap career. Lucas fired off the accusations in a series of tweets and even went back and forth with Civil during a discussion about the matter on Clubhouse.

“My son was on the way and you stole 60k from me before I got in the game @KarenCivil,” Lucas wrote in a tweet. “I hired you as a consultant and below attached was the memo you sent me. I was desperate for help and you knew that. After you was paid you went ghost and didn’t expect me to pop. here I am.”

You can press play on the track in the video above.

Gunna is getting closer and closer to releasing his latest album, Drip Season 4. He began the rollout for the project last month by sharing “9 Times Outta 10” with producer Taurus. The Atlanta rapper continues the promotional run for his next project by releasing “Too Easy” with Future. The track is a hard-hitting flex from the rappers about the riches and success they’ve attained in their respective careers. “Too Easy” arrives as a sign of what’s to come on Drip Season 4 and it remains to be seen when that project will arrive.

The song marks the rappers’ first collaboration since they teamed up for “Street Sweeper” last year. It also arrives after Gunna was honored in his hometown of Atlanta for his charitable efforts in the city. South Fulton Mayor William “Bill” Edwards announced September 16 as Gunna Day in Atlanta and had nothing but nice words for the rapper during a ceremony for the honor.

“Gunna is committed to giving back to the community that raised him, buffered him, sheltered him, and supported him by creating Gunna’s Drip Closet and Goodr Grocery Store, which is set to provide students of McNair Middle School with access to free meals, clothing, and toiletries for years to come,” Edwards said in a speech.

You can press play on the new track in the video.

Gunna is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Without a doubt, Latto was one of the highlight rappers to make her presence known in 2020. The Atlanta native made her mark with her inclusion in the 2020 XXL Freshman class and with the release of her major-label debut album, Queen Of Da Souf. However, with a new year comes new goals and new levels to reach and so far in 2021, Latto seems to be right on track towards achieving that. Months removed from a name change, the rapper returns with her latest single, “Big Energy,” a track that had fans requesting its release due to its uniqueness.

Latto’s newest release takes a step away from her usual hard-hitting strip club-friendly tracks as she opts to show off her versatility with the new dance-ready single. The song’s release comes after the rapper teased it during a brief performance during this month’s 2021 MTV VMAs. Prior to that set, Latto teased the song on social media which led to her fans repeatedly asking for its release and after a bit of a wait, the song is finally here for them to enjoy.

“Big Energy” arrives after Latto teamed up with Toosii for the video to their “5’5′” collaboration. Before that, she linked with Don Toliver and Lil Durk for a visual to “Fast Lane” from the F9 soundtrack.

Press play on Latto’s new track in the video above.

In less than a month, the music world will receive Coldplay’s ninth album, Music Of The Spheres. The project is led by “Higher Power,” a record that lead vocalist Chris Martin says was inspired by a huge bathroom sink. Weeks after they delivered that single, Coldplay is back in action with worldwide superstars BTS beside them as the two groups join forces for “My Universe.” The track is produced by Swedish producer Max Martin and finds both acts singing in English and Korean while showering a special someone in their lives with love and appreciation.

The new track arrives after BTS shared a cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You” earlier this year for the K-pop band’s performance on MTV Unplugged. “My Universe” is another example of Coldplay trying something new after all the success they attained in their career. Chris Martin spoke about experimenting with different sounds during an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe back in May.

“When we started, it was like, ‘You’re a white indie band and this is urban radio and this is alternative radio,’ and basically old-fashioned racist statements,” Chris Martin said. “Of course, we fit in a box at the beginning, and then right now in 2021, everyone’s doing everything. You can like Olivia Rodrigo as much as you like AC/DC and no one thinks that’s weird, and that’s musical utopia for me. […] It’s miraculous. So why would you want to stay in one box?”

You can press play on the new track in the video above.

Music Of The Spheres is out 10/15 via Atlantic. Pre-order it here.

Coldplay is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music.

A long-waited adaptation to a classic novel with a bang-up cast, the world’s most messed-up DC superheroes, and a priest who’s up to no damn good, or so it seems? The streaming game sees stiff competition this week with TV series that simply won’t quit, and we’re calling it a three-way tie this week. That’s the first time that this has happened, ever, so let’s get down with the details. Apple TV+ offers up a space-y series starring the always fantastic Jared Harris and Lee Pace, along with more of The Morning Show and Ted Lasso. HBO Max slides in with the third installment of Doom Patrol (full of highly underrated performances) and more options for the taking. And as always, Netflix has almost too much to offer with a spooky series from the Haunting of Hill House creator at the top of the list.

Meanwhile, Amazon Prime (with more Goliath and the social-media-popular LuLaRich) and Hulu (with many, many options, including the Reservation Dogs and a tornado) come in strong as well, and don’t count out Disney+, Discovery+, or AMC+, either. So many pluses, and here’s the best of the new streaming selections for this weekend.

Apple TV+

Foundation (Apple TV+ series) — Isaac Asimov’s classic novel gets a heady adaptation starring the always great Jared Harris and Lee Pace. The sci-fi story revolves around exiles who are working to rebuild civilization even as the galaxy falls apart, and surely, there will be plenty of parallels to real-life history here. As one can also see, a great deal of attention has been paid to the epic scale of the show, which Apple TV+ appears to want to be its Game of Thrones. The good news here, though, is that the story won’t closely adhere to the books, which should at least prevent the same sort of finale-season conundrum that we saw with Thrones, if the show makes it that far.

The Morning Show: Season 2 (Apple TV+ series) — The gang (Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Billy Crudup, at least) is back for a new round of attempting to evade the scandal-plagued nature of their business. This season, we’ll not only see more of Steve Carell but also Hasan Minhaj and Julianna Margulies as everyone’s positioning themselves, and they’re clawing at each other on their way to the top. Alex and Bradley still can’t stand each other, despite a certain level of begrudging respect. Things will get intense, as well, with the continued #MeToo theme and also some edging into the systemic racism issue while barbs are thrown, both on-and-off camera.

See: Season 2 (Apple TV+ series) — Apple TV+’s See helped launch the tech giant’s streaming service less than two years ago, and the show was so wild and wooly that it worked. Jason Momoa’s back in fur coats and in warrior mode as Baba Voss. This season, he’s antagonized by Dave Bautista, which should add enough drama to keep the (somewhat silly) story alive, in a world where no one can see, but everyone is beautiful to look at from an audience standpoint.

Ted Lasso: Season 2 (Apple TV+ series) — First thing’s first: Everyone who’s caught a glimpse of this Bill Lawrence co-created and developed series loves it. That’s a notable feat, considering that star Jason Sudeikis first portrayed the title character way back in 2013 for NBC Sports’ promos for Premier League coverage. Fast forward to the fresh hell that was 2020, and the show surfaced as one of the year’s lone bright spots. Ted Lasso is somehow both relentlessly and charmingly cheery, although there’s always the spectre of Led Tasso to consider.

HBO Max

Doom Patrol: Season 3 (HBO Max series) — DC’s struggling misfit superheroes are back for another round of being portrayed by an incredible cast. Brendan Fraser has received plenty of raves for his fury-filled Cliff Steele/Robotman, but don’t count out the rest of the crew. There’s Matt Bomer as the bandage-wrapped Negative Man and repeat appearances from Danny the Street, but the real kudos should go to Diane Guerrero (Orange is the New Black) as Crazy Jane, which is actually a role that requires Diane to play dozens of incarnations, including a very timely take on a Karen. This season, these lost souls are all starting to come to grips with their place in the group (a support group of sorts) and their own identities, but then the sh*t hits the fan with a time machine. Cue a catastrophic crossroads. Man, I’m excited to hear and see Fraser freak out again.

Cry Macho (Warner Bros. movie on HBO Max) — Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this story about an ex-rodeo star and failed horse breeder who falls upon tough times in the late 1970s. He ends up on a challenging journey of redemption while fetching a young boy from Mexico back to his father in Texas. Along the way, the grizzled horseman ends up teaching the boy how to be a decent man, and apparently, that involves showing emotions at times. Who knew?

Scenes From A Marriage (HBO limited series on HBO Max) — Here’s the project that Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain were firing up on the red carpet last weekend. This miniseries remakes Ingmar Bergman’s 1970s project original as directed by HBO regular Hagai Levi with a contemporary spin, including all of the love, hatred, desire, monogamy, marriage, and divorce that one would expect. Considering the Isaac-Chastain chemistry on hand, it’s a remake worth perusing.

Netflix

Midnight Mass (Netflix series) — Get ready, The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor addicts, because creator Mike Flanagan’s back to cause us more horror fits. This happens to be his favorite project so far and revolves around an isolated community that lives on spooky Crockett Island, which gets even spookier due to a charismatic priest’s arrival. Naturally, a whole lot of supernatural shenanigans are afoot, but human nature (as we are currently experiencing in-real-life these days) can often be scarier than the ghosts that people can dream up. It’s dark, real dark.

Dear White People: Volume 4 (Netflix series) — Enjoy this version of a post-pandemic future while the characters take on senior year look back on their most pivotal year yet. This season’s a 90s-inspired musical event that’s also Afro-futuristic in its bent, all to prove that moving forward often involves the act of looking towards the past.

Love on the Spectrum: Season 2 (Netflix series) — More stories of people on the autism spectrum arrive to show how they meet the challenges of dating and relationships. Expect an even greater variety of personalities, which will illustrate exactly how much diversity arises on the easily misunderstood spectrum.

Crime Stories: India Detectives!: (Netflix series) — An unexpected true-crime entry follows the Bengaluru City Police through every phase of the police process. Crimes will span murder and kidnap and extortion, all the way through what’s known as India’s Silicon Valley. It’s a journey like no other when it comes to law enforcement TV, and expect some truly shocking and compelling developments.

The Starling: (Netflix film) — Melissa McCarthy stars as as a grieving woman who goes battle with a territorial bird, all in interest of dominating a singular garden. Somehow, this leads her to renew her ability to love while gaining the courage to really grieve.

The Great British Baking Show: Collection Nine (BBC One series on Netflix) — John Oliver can’t be happy about this return, but let’s do this anyway. Here’s a new batch of amateur bakers engaging in absurd challenges, and week after week, contestants will fall by the wayside until (much like The Highlander) there can be only one.

Amazon Prime

Goliath: Season 4 (Amazon Prime series) — If it’s taken you this long to consider testing out this show, then get with the freaking program. It’s got Billy Bob Thornton smoldering through a hard-boiled character who was once a force to be feared in the courtroom, but nowadays, he’s not such a prestigious attorney. This season, Thornton’s Billy McBride is going up not only against Big Pharma but also J.K. Simmons. That seldom turns out well for characters who aren’t played by J.K. Simmons, and both men have just the right degree of “I’m over this sh*t” to make it feel believable. Be careful, because the show is an overall smooth binge that will make you wonder when that viewing time disappeared, it’ll go so fast.

LuLaRich — (Amazon Prime docuseries) — This four-parter from the Fyre Fraud documentarians asks the question of what happens leggings become the subject of a pyramid scheme. Well, it ain’t good, and this project tells the cautionary tale of ruined lives and vast social-media circles that became embroiled in one tacky hot mess.

The Mad Women’s Ball (Amazon Prime film) — Inglourious Basterds star Melanie Laurent directs and stars in this terrifying French film about a woman whose family institutionalizes her in the late 1880s. Before long, the film exposes the harsh treatment of women during that period, as the battle between science and faith isn’t even close to be resolved at that time. Laurent stars as a not-so-friendly nurse to the the young woman, and there’s a supernatural twist that eventually brings women together.

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (20th Century Studios film on Amazon Prime) — Here’s the movie adaptation of the hit stage musical about a teenager, Jamie, who doesn’t want a career and, instead, hopes to become a drag queen. He puts that plan into motion whole vanquishing prejudice and bullies with the help of his friends and mom, and before all is said and done, Jamie’s firmly in the spotlight.

Hulu

Reservation Dogs: (FX on Hulu) — The lead quartet in this Sterlin Harjo/Taika Waititi show rocks suits that look strikingly similar to the characters of Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, yet they’re four Indigenous teens who fight crime and also commit it. The show (which has some Atlanta vibes) was shot in and near Okmulgee, Oklahoma. This week, it’s tornado time with vigilante acts on the side.

Y: The Last Man (FX on Hulu) — The acclaimed graphic novel gets its due as a dystopian TV drama starring Diane Lane as the globe’s de facto president. Her son becomes, as the title suggests, the very last man on Earth following an apocalyptic event that pretty much obliterates the Y chromosome. FX recently made it known that although the Y appears to refer to the chromosome, the show will take a nuanced approach and not operate on a merely gender-binary level. It also won’t adhere to the biological definition of gender and, instead, will also represent trans characters in accordance with a GLAAD collaboration.

Only Murders In The Building: Season 1 (Hulu series) — Selena Gomez stars alongside the legendary Steve Martin and Martin Short, and the three portray NYC neighbors who aim to unravel an apparent murder inside their apartment building. Yes, they’re all podcasting because everyone does it (duh), and before long, the killer might be after them, too.

The Premise (FX on Hulu series) — B.J. Novak (The Office, Inglourious Basterds) writes all of the episodes on this show, which aims to use dark comedy to tackle tough topics, including sex, social media, Black Lives Matter, police brutality, and immigration. Along the way, there’s apparently the “the worst sex tape ever,” and this show aims for satire (which is not easy to pull off, especially with such hot-button topics) with mixed results.

What We Do in the Shadows (FX, 10:00 & 10:30pm) — Well, well, well. Guillermo turned out to be a vampire killer, which sure as heck came as a surprise to Nandor, Nadja, and Laszlo, and Colin. The four Staten Island roommates must figure out how to handle this conundrum, along with tackling the other challenges of this season. Those include dealing with wellness cults and gym culture, along with gargoyles, werewolves who play kickball, casinos, and more. In addition, the vamps also receive a higher level of powers while Nandor experiences an eternal-life crisis, which forces him to examine whether he should be a bachelor for eternity or embrace love. This week, vampire and human-type justice are both served.

Disney+

What If…? (Disney+ series) — We’re in the multiverse, baby. The MCU’s officially launching headfirst into that realm after Loki‘s season finale, and this show’s Twitter account clarified official participation as well. Enjoy this show full of alternate realities that stand separate from the existing canon (thus far), including Agent Carter taking the super-soldier serum, T’Challa materializing as Star Lord, Doctor Strange feeling some real pain, and Black Widow and Nick Fury taking on a murder mystery while Tony Stark eats a donut. Will Tony Stark die again? Knowing this show, probably so.

Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends: Season 1 (Disney+ series) — Spidey completists will dig this collection of stories about Miles Morales and Ghost-Spider, who team up with Spidey to form the Spidey Team. So much Spidey! Also, enjoy Trace the Spider-Bot.

Discovery+

Curse Of The Chippendales: (Discovery+ limited series) — This four-part true-crime project shines a dark light upon the chiseled 1980s strip-teasers that launched an absurdly lucrative brand long before the Magic Mike crew. The group achieved household recognition and qualified as iconic; However, not all of these men would survive the adventure, and in fact, out of the O.G. group, only one was left standing.

AMC+

Kin: (AMC+ series) — Charlie Cox stars in this new Irish series about a tight-knit crime family that’s drawn into wartime mode with a mighty drug kingpin. The family soon discovers that this is an unwinnable war, yet as the losses begin to mount, it becomes clear that the cartel is at one distinct disadvantage: they’re not bound by unbreakable blood bonds. The cartel does, however, have a host of exotic pets and some snazzy costumes and celebrity status, so this is a heck of a story.

The Walking Dead: Season 11A (AMC series) — This zombie-apocalypse universe’s flagship series returns for one final rodeo with two spinoffs still in motion, so it’s time to wrap this puppy up before the various shows’ timelines begin to intersect. Negan’s no longer the show’s villain, Alpha’s been vanquished, and Carol’s about to split from the group. It’s impressive that Norman Reedus has stuck it out for the long haul, so Daryl and Carol must end this show by literally riding off into the sunset by motorcycle. We’ll accept nothing else

Another Nintendo Direct has come and gone and Thursday’s Direct was one of the most active we’ve had in quite some time. While the event itself was only 40 minutes long, it was full of games, announcements, and some big surprises. It was the exact kind of event that Nintendo was looking for to create some hype around the Switch as it continues to compete against the powerhouses that are the next-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

The best part? Pretty much everything Nintendo showed is slated for a winter 2021/spring 2022 release so that means we don’t even have to wait too long for everything we saw. That means some really great games could be on the horizon very soon if the titles match the quality of the trailers.

Bayonetta 3 Is Real

Perhaps the biggest announcement was that yes, Bayonetta 3 is still happening. To show how long it’s been since we heard anything about this fantastic action franchise, this game was originally announced as a Switch exclusive all the way back in 2017. Ever since? Radio silence. It was starting to become a concern that the game was going through a tumultuous development cycle. Anytime a game isn’t heard from for a long time there are concerns it’s going to be cancelled entirely.

Thankfully, Bayonetta 3 was not cancelled, and not only did we finally get some new information about it but a release timeframe as well. Expect this game in 2022, still a Switch exclusive, and we can expect plenty of that heavy action gameplay we’ve fallen in love with before. If this game is going to be just as big and ridiculous as the rest of them, that should have all of us excited.

Give Us More Splatoon 3 Lore

Spoilers for anyone that still hasn’t played the first Splatoon game, but these games are actually set in a post-apocalyptic world where all mammals went extinct. Bet you weren’t expecting that kind of lore from a game about panting walls with paintball guns, but it’s part of what makes this new Splatoon 3 trailer so interesting. It revealed that some mammals still live on! What could this mean for the lore of the series!

Of course, this is still a multiplayer shooter franchise at heart, so as exciting as it is we’re getting some new lore it also means new maps, new paint guns, and some new mechanics. Splatoon is a great franchise and a strong part of Nintendo’s library. Anyone that hasn’t checked them out yet should really give it a shot.

A 3D Kirby Game

The trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Land is very off-putting at first because the usually upbeat and charming atmosphere of Kirby has been replaced with what looks like a post-apocalyptic landscape. It also fills us with so much mystery. Why is Kirby here? What is the plan for Kirby in this new world and what kind of exploration will we be able to do there now that he is finally in a 3D environment?

Fans have been asking for a 3D Kirby game for ages so it’s great to finally see that coming to fruition. It’s going to be really fun to see how they apply his powers and abilities into that kind of world. Kirby’s previous games have all been very linear adventures, but this world looks massive so we might get a chance to do some real exploration here.

Is This Final Fantasy Or Mario Kart? Both?

Every major franchise must have a Kart Racer at some point. It is the law. That is why Final Fantasy is now getting one with Chocobo GP. This game is very clearly a Mario Kart clone, but it makes sense to emulate the best when doing this. Unfortunately, it’s also hard to judge this kind of game on the trailer alone, because so much of racing games is about how they feel when playing them. We’ll just have to wait to see more in the future.

More Metroid Dread

Metroid Dread is almost here and every follow-up trailer for the game has looked better than the last. This is going to be the first new-2D Metroid game in nearly 20 years so it’s going to have some big shoes to fill. So far it seems to be filling them just fine. Combat looks fluid and fun, the powers we’ve seen look cool, and we’ve even seen some hints that Samus might get her old suit design back.

Where Metroid Dread will really succeed or fail though is how it chooses to approach the old Metroidvania formula. These games are all about exploration so even if the gameplay is fun it will need a strong world to back it up. Right now we haven’t seen too much about that, but the game is coming out on October 8 so we won’t have to wait too long to find out how they did.

A Direct To Announce Directs

For a brief moment, it looked like we were finally getting a major Animal Crossing: New Horizons update. Then Nintendo pulled a fast one on us and announced that we would have to watch the upcoming Direct in October to learn more. That said, this did show that we’re finally getting Brewster back, so it wasn’t all lost.

What was odd is they also used this same Direct to announce an upcoming Direct for revealing, and showing off, the final roster addition for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Using a major reveal event to announce further reveals is a weird marketing move on Nintendo’s part, but that’s just par for the course for them at this point really.