Semantic Nonsense: Abridged abruptly abandoned, Nintendo’s nonplussing nominations
End of Z….A
What everybody feared during the seemingly endless wait for episode 60 has come to pass. Team Four Star’s parody turned love letter Dragon Ball Z Abridged is over.
On Sunday, Two of the four stars posted an emotional video announcing the end of the series.
In the video (and accompanying Patreon post if you prefer to read) Scott “KaiserNeko” Frerichs outlined the case for letting the series end with the conclusion of the Cell Saga.
He cites a number of reason from creative (burnout) to professional (the work on DBZA launched careers) to existential (a copyright strike could, at any time, take down not DBZA, but also all the original, monitizeable Team Four Star work with it).
It’s sad to see go what kept Dragon Ball alive for many of their 3.54 million subscribers (with a collective view count of well over one billion) during the long Kai drought or even longer wait between GT and Super. But all good things must come to an end.
Not-Virtual Console not quite dead yet
When Nintendo announced in September that it would no longer be regularly adding titles to NESflix and SNESflix selections for their Nintendo Switch Online customers, I feared (with good reason!) the worst. End of the line already. Instead, we get long waits between underwhelming releases.
Both platforms get a pair of third-party games on Feb. 19. On the SNES, Konami’s Pop’n Twinbee will at least please quirky shooter fans and also Jeremy Parish. But Namco’s Smash Tennis is just kinda there.
On the NES side, it was a good undisclosed time period for multiplayer. I expect Natsume’s Shadow of the Ninja to scratch a few player’s nostalgic urges. But this is the first I’ve ever heard of Eliminator Boat Duel.
The selection isn’t a total bust, but with so many well-known or first-party games not on tap, you have to wonder what, exactly, is the decision-making process here. This was very different than the first unscheduled load in December, which rewarded the 3 month wait with a SNES treasure trove of Super Punch-Out!!, Breath of Fire 2, Kirby Superstar and previously SNES Classic exclusive Star Fox 2.
Kit Kat flavor of the week: Raspberry Creme
The third attempt in as many months from U.S. chocolatier Hershey trying to capture the adoration the multi-flavored Nestle Kit Kats enjoy in the rest of the world, this edition shows that Hersey is still catching up.
While there’s no question that the Raspberry flavor is pleasantly executed, there’s little to know chocolate detectable underneath it. It comes off as more like a soft lollipop than a chocolate bar.
I’ll be looking for an improvement of the overall candy in future flavors, but at least Hersey’s misstep is usable.
About The Author
Drew
Features Editor | Drew started behind the 8(bit)-ball in the video game world. He first became interested in anime by chance exposure on the Sci-Fi channel. Drew's the creative force behind blog-wide features, works the movie and food beats, and pioneered Damage Control’s entry into video, podcasts and streaming.
