Welcome again to We Have Always Lived in the Kraken, a pop culture blog transmitted directly to you from the belly of the beast. Here in the Notes we’ll show you this week’s posting schedule, but first, a little Seafood for Thought.
So we can all agree, this dude is actually the boss of the upcoming game, right? I mean, come on, look at him!
Last week I mentioned how Final Fantasy XV‘s release date was pushed from September 30th to November 29th. Games getting delayed is pretty normal, and a lot of times minor delays like this are only good for the game, so that in itself isn’t that big of a deal. Except that, you know, this is Final Fantasy XV, and it has been in development for ten years now. This is a game that has taken the place of Duke Nukem Forever as the vaporware joke, along with Half Life 3, a game that will never cease being that joke until all is dust and the sands bury Valve like Ozymandias’ statue. So another delay is just the latest in this long winding road that started all the way back with the PS3. But all is not totally lost, as Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV was just released, and for the first time since Spirits Within (which we can all just agree never happened), Final Fantasy is on the big screen. The results were, um, something. Kingsglaive is at least really pretty, but man, is it problematic as hell. It’s not a good movie, though it is also not the trainwreck the 8% on Rotten Tomatoes might suggest. More interesting than the film itself is what it represents.
Final Fantasy XV is a sunk cost of the highest magnitude. At this point, the likely hundred of millions that Square Enix has put into this game and its universe is going to be almost impossible to recoup. The fact that Square Enix has remained dedicated to this game anyhow is rather impressive (and admittedly self-serving, as I don’t think the company could take take the blow that would come from canceling this game). So the fact that this game is presumably going to exist (probably, maybe…) is already a feat. Square didn’t stop there, however, as it made both Kingsglaive and the anime Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV to really try and add some world building and character development to the upcoming game. Square Enix has basically gone all in, and decided that it will do everything it can to help this game be as successful as possible. After the trainwreck that FFXIII was for most of its multiple game titles, this is really important if Square Enix wants to prove it can still make an awesome single player game (FFXIV is a good game, but it is an MMO, and so separate from the rest of Square creatively that it almost doesn’t count). So sure, Kingsglaive wasn’t very good, but I am glad it exists, because it shows that Square Enix still gives a fuck. Plus, along with Brotherhood, it does have me more invested in and excited for what is to come with Final Fantasy XV… assuming it ever actually comes out.
From the depths of the Kraken, here is what we are bringing you this week.
Monday: No new content today, but if everyone wishes together we can make some exist for tomorrow! Just don’t tell the Kraken, he hates wishes.
Tuesday: Well, that didn’t work.
Wednesday: Nothing to see here. The new content is just tired and needs to relax. Please respect the new content’s privacy at this time.
Thursday: Atomika returns to discuss 80s comedy and 2010s remakes–catch it all in Atomika vs. The Broad Comedy of Ghostbusters (2016).
Friday: David returns with another edition of The Anticipated. This time he takes a look at Kubo and The Two Strings. Let’s hope it is much better than The Boxtrolls, or David will probably put a Kex on Laika. (A Kex is a Kraken hex. Also a delicious breakfast cereal.)
Saturday: Baturdays continues with the first story in Batman #5, “The Riddle of the Missing Card.” In the wake of Bruce’s break-up with fiancee Julie (now Portia Storme because actresses), here comes a thrilling Joker story about the value of human connections. It’s pretty neat!
Catch of the Week:
Each and every week the residents here in the Kraken will offer one recommendation for the week that we think you all would enjoy. It might be a movie. It might be a book. Who knows? This is your… Catch of the Week.
David: As I mentioned the Lizzie Bennet Diaries in my Pride and Prejudice and Zombies piece, this week I would like to recommend the works of Pemberley Digital. Along with the aforementioned Lizzie Bennet Diaries, the creators at Pemberley have created a number of quality web series that are re-imaginations of classic novels. This group did a great job of helping legitimize web series as a medium, and showing how to make the most of limited budgets with great writing and excellent casts. Each series is well worth a watch as both entertainment and as guides on how to make your own web content. All are highly bingeworthy, and you will easily find yourself devouring all the site has to offer.
Kyu: Deep Blue Sea, a thriller about super-intelligent sharks, is quite possibly the dumbest movie I have seen. I give it three out of four stars.
That’s it for this week. You might want to bring a jacket, because Ithaqua is coming to visit, and things are going to get a bit subzero.