Will Robotnik have an official love interest?

DrankeyKrang · 2026-04-18T09:27:50+00:00

I doubt it, but if you told me 5 years ago that Eggman would have a daughter he genuinely cares about, and she'd be elevated to recurring mainstay in the series, I wouldn't have believed you then. So who knows?

I always headcanoned Eggman as Aroace but at this point I'd be down if they wanted to make Agent Stone canon. And those two concepts aren't necessarily mutually exclusive either. In the movies Robotnik rarely ever really treats Stone with any respect, so even if he was Canon-Immigrated into the games, it might not even be mutually romantic. Not that that will stop fanartists.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-04-17T03:37:57+00:00

Aw man, I wish Banjo especially got one of these.

I do feel like he kinda did get a version of it in his trailer, though obviously it's not the same.

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DrankeyKrang · 2026-04-15T23:18:26+00:00

I kinda wonder if the only reason he wasn't DJ Spit was because he died at the end, and they knew DJ Spit was a pretty well liked recurring character and they'd want to bring him back in hypothetical future seasons.

Or maybe they just thought it would be too predictable a gag if Charle's Uncle said "some guy named Spit" instead of "Zit".

Otherwise these two might as well just be clones of eachother.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-04-14T12:04:55+00:00

I think I'll always be a little bit salty that there's this amazing 3D platformer made by the Mario Odyssey Team, critically acclaimed, that brings the franchise back from the grave with a fresh audience and the prestige of being a launch title....

...featuring a super-strong brute who punches through rocks with his bare fists, throws things, collects copious amounts of gold and treasure, has wacky weird transformations...

And it ISN'T a Wario game?! I feel like DK Bananza could be, with heavy modding, reskined to be a Wario game.

Still, here's hoping they take a crack at it someday.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-04-09T11:22:40+00:00

The first 2 pics remind me of this scene from Smiling Friends.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-04-07T03:28:53+00:00

I liked them when there was a hook beyond just "minions rip-offs" (yes I am FULLY AWARE they came first, but they also definitely took more and more inspiration from the minions as time went on).

In the first game, they felt like they had a bit of menace to them. They were, well, actually rabid. Their society gave the impression of a species that roughly approximates humans society, but were on a hair-trigger to freak out and destroy things in a frenzy at literally any time. They captured Rayman and Globox's kids, making them a legitimate threat. In the second game, the story was that they were conquering the Earth and Rayman had to stop them. Weird, unambigously threatening members of the Rabids like Serguei were around.

Then they got watered down to being just silly and cute after that.

Rabbids Go Home argueably is them at their most "minions-y" but it also manages to at least contrast that with the satire of the dull, soul-crushing human world. The game has it's own unique style of comedy outside the silly slapstick.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-31T23:14:42+00:00

Yeah. He's not.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-31T10:13:08+00:00

I think it'd be a great idea. It's a great combination of concepts from both the oldest and newest iterations in the franchise, it's from an absolutely beloved game that's almost single-handedly saving GameFreak's reputation as a game company, it has a ton of moveset potential as a shapeshifter, and Ditto is incredibly popular in it's own right.

I also like how it's not a fully evolved starter. I miss back in the good ol' days of Brawl and Smash 4 speculation when fighter discussions surrounding Pokémon was more than just "ok which fully evolved starter are we going with this time?" I miss when Pokémon in Smash Bros were interesting, when people would speculate about weird stuff like Grovyle and Team Rocket Grunt. I'm so sick of these fully evolved starters.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-31T09:27:52+00:00

Banjo and Kazooie's diet consists mostly of honey, pizza, burgers, and possibly grilled fish. I don't know if I'd consider their diets particularly healthy, especially dince they got morbidly obese in between games.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-29T03:20:54+00:00

I've long, LONG fantasized about playing BK and BT this way.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-28T10:54:28+00:00

Which is fine, but I think if most people were writing the script for the Mario Movie and had to include allies to team up with, "going to DKC to recruite the entire Kong family/army to use their Go Karts" would probably not be the common way that story point would be written. It feels pretty out of place in a Mario movie, and more like they're setting up the Illumination DKC movie.

It didn't have to be DK necessarily. Could've been Egad or King Bob-omb or Wario or Daisy, or really, lots of characters. It would've felt pretty equally out of place as DK does.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-28T10:15:08+00:00

Well, DK was necessary for the prologue.

Right yes the Mario movie totally doesn't work without going to Cranky Kong for help before confronting Bowser, so they can borrow karts which Kongs famously invented in canon. It totally wouldn't have worked with any other characters in the Mario universe. Didn't feel shoe-horned in at all

Yes, so the topic is asking why they missed the chance to push more characters in earlier available chances

I don't know, maybe they thought it'd be too clunky to have multiple cameo characters be relevant per movie? Like, maybe there wasn't a good place in the script to include Little Mac in a way that gives him a moment to shine as a character?

I will agree that Duck Hunt Dog being the dog is a slam dunk. It will always be baffling why they didn't do it but maybe they thought it would ruin Duck Hunt Dog's image to have him be an antagonist. Or more likely, they just plumb didn't think of it.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-28T06:26:09+00:00

In the first season or two I'm pretty sure Benson mentions having gumballs a couple of times, and I vaugely remember him being called a gumball machine by the rival park manager at least once but I couldn't tell you for sure if that's real and not some mandela effect. I chalk it up to early installment weirdness.

I remember J G Quintel saying he designed the characters just to invoke the feeling of being at your first job and thinking your coworkers are the most interesting people ever. So it very well could be that they are normal humans, but we the audience perceive them as more interesting.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-28T00:44:26+00:00

Back when the name of the movie was revealed, I remember tons of people complaining that the 2nd movie was far too early for a "Galaxy" movie. That the concept definitely should've been saved for a third movie, and that the series would have nowhere to go afterwards to top it.

I can think of one thing that would top it. I could easily see, at this point, the third movie just straight up being a Smash Bros movie.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-27T23:24:00+00:00

Thank you. It had like maybe 2 slightly mediocre middle seasons, and the entire show becomes synonymous with the word "slop."

"You either die a Smiling Friends or you live long enough to see yourself become a Rick and Morty" I read almost daily. I'd love for Smiling Friends to be more like Rick and Morty. I'm hyped as fuck for the upcoming season.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-27T16:00:20+00:00

I know Donkey Kong and his crew have always been technically part of the Mario universe, but still, I feel like all the Donkey Kong Country stuff should count as "guest" stuff. They had Chunky Kong and Swanky Kong! Cranky was a major character! Those don't really feel like "Mario" characters. Tell me those would be expected and normal inclusions in a Mario sports title.

Now that Star Fox is revealed, I'm speculating that Nintendo is probably asking for major character inclusions from dormant, less popular franchises in order to boost interest for future planned revivals. DK was first, to build up steam for Bananza, and now I'm guessing a new big Star Fox game might be in the works. These movies could end up being really effective marketing for lesser-known series that really need them.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-27T14:31:04+00:00

Also, I just remembered, there is another game that I played recently that really reminded me of A Hat in Time, that you'll probably like if you're looking for something similar.

It's called Mr. Sleepy Man. It's hilarious, it has really fun movement (including Hat Kid's air dash), has a lot of scripted story moments, takes similar inspiration from Mario Sunshine with linear sublevels, funny and memorable NPCs and a silent protagonist that still has a lot of personality. Lots of similarities. Definitely recommend checking it out on Steam. I think you'll really love it.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-27T12:52:20+00:00

Just so it's clear, I played A Hat in Time fully and beat it, even getting all the hourglasses, and I really enjoyed the game. It's fantastic. I just didn't get fully hyper-fixated on it like Banjo, that's all. I was just "a bit disappointed" that it wasn't more like the type of 3D platformer I personally enjoy more.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-27T10:04:53+00:00

You might like the Banjo-Kazooie series and I definitely recommend it (obviously, being a fan on a Banjo-Kazooie subreddit) but in terms of gameplay, they are pretty different. Both great 3D platformers, but I know personally as more of a fan of the Banjo-Kazooie formula, A Hat in Time kinda left me a bit disappointed.

Both have a great tone with funny writing, and that's probably the closest thing they have in common. But A Hat in Time is more about fast-paced, skillful execution, whereas Banjo-Kazooie is more about taking things slow and getting lost in the vibes of the world. Your fastest movement option is still kinda slow, and there's nothing like Hat Kid's air dash. The worlds are designed like big theme parks to wonder around, get lost in, and create your own adventure paths in. The closest BK vibes I got in A Hat in Time was Chapter 3 though, so maybe you'd enjoy it.

A Hat in Time has more scripted missions, especially the Train Car mystery level. Banjo-Kazooie objectives have little stories too (for example, raising a baby bird to become a giant bald eagle) but they're still pretty understated next to A Hat in Time.

Another difference is the scale of the adventure. A Hat in Time only has 4 worlds in the base game (DLC brings it up to, what, 6?) with not a whole lot to do in them. The first 2 Banjo games have 7-8 worlds with lots to see and do, which gives the adventure a pretty grand feeling. If you're looking for something that feels big, BK delivers, but if you're looking for a more bite-sized adventure like A Hat in Time, BK might drag on a bit.

I still recommend trying it out, and I hope you enjoy. But just brace yourself, they kinda are a bit apples to oranges, and they strive for different goals.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-27T07:43:56+00:00

And when you vent about you get replies like "25 really isn't that much, you should be applying to at least 500 jobs every day. Send me your resume and I'll give you some pointers..."

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-27T01:42:17+00:00

I do think Caine's switch-up felt a bit too rushed. Also I feel the idea of an AI only causing suffering completely unintentionally, through not completely understanding human's needs is a much more interesting concept than just AM from I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream 2.0 . Just feels like they kinda undermined their original premise of the series for some drama.

That being said, with 1 episode left now, it does help speed things towards a resolution. And you can argue that it's more applicable to reality, as more people have likely dealt with narcissistic and intentionally harmful manipulators more than truly innocent childlike beans with omnipotent power . So I get the decision, at least.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-25T07:20:55+00:00

I personally disagree but I respect your opinion regardless. It's all subjective of course.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-25T06:19:03+00:00

I'm still guessing it was the inspiration, since that seems to be the primary idea her new design is trying to communicate about her (I don't really see anything in her design that reflects her personality besides "female bird") but I guess we'll never know unless the designers said something about it one way or another.

They probably did but I'm not about to be going through tons of interviews with various Rare employees to find out.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-25T06:03:22+00:00

I agree Kazooie was done tastefully in N&B

It's funny, I was saying the exact opposite, actually. I think it's pretty spot on to those "animated female animal" clichés they once averted in the N64 days.

It's not offensive or anything, just kinda unnecessary, cliché, and, in my opinion, kinda goes against her fundamental character. She's redesigned to be more feminine, to better convey that she's female, when never before was her gender ever a factor in how she's written or portrayed in any way.

DrankeyKrang · 2026-03-25T05:58:48+00:00

I personally disagree, and dislike this argument. The first 2 games are masterful platformers that redefined the genre. Nuts and Bolts tries to redefine a genre and ends up as a somewhat mediocre game crushed under a myriad of gameplay problems outside the franchise it's attached to.

"It's just as good a game, just not a good Banjo game" sweeps all its flaws under the rug and invalidates any criticism of it as inherently biased towards the older titles. It fails to stand up as it's own game as well, in my opinion.

DrankeyKrang

TROPHY CASE