Joaquin Phoenix becomes the Joker and PlayStation Classic is announced #DailyHotTake

If you like nostalgia recontextualized for modern times, then have we got a Twitter news roundup for you. Here’s this week’s #DailyHotTake.

PlayStation Classic

Nintendo set the world on fire a couple weeks when it released the NES Classic, a miniature replica of the original Nintendo Entertainment System with 30 pre-installed games from the console’s rich library. These flew off the shelves as did its counterpart the SNES Classic the following year. Sony is attempting to capture some of that success with a similar product that doesn’t even attempt to differentiate itself in terms of branding. Where the PlayStation Classic may truly differentiate is in its offerings. Time will tell if its price and the games it comes with will trigger nostalgia hysteria like the Nintendo Classics did.

Mini versions of things we know are fun, but I would be 5x more excited about Playstation simply putting more effort into expanding their PS1 and PS2 classics libraries on PSN. Plus, then there's no risk of being beaten to death in a Wak-Mart over this. #DailyHotTake https://t.co/je5Zfqhzwk

— Devin Valdivia (@devinvaldivia) September 19, 2018

We're not sure if the PlayStation will even be half as nostalgic as the NES or SNES and at $100 the PS Classic is just out of impulse buy range. Without the full list of games, it's a hard sell. #DailyHotTake https://t.co/VbdCWXqqOU

— Top Shelf Gaming @ LA Comic Con (@TopShelfGaming) September 19, 2018

Joaquin Phoenix is cast as The Joker in upcoming film

This isn’t video game related but this bit of news is very relevant to the staff’s interests.

This has my attention, and I really like Phoenix as an actor. The feel of this is neat, I'm just left wondering if this *needs* to be a Joker movie, specifically, and not simply a unique character-focused film. #DailyHotTake https://t.co/l4mTScaj58

— Devin Valdivia (@devinvaldivia) September 21, 2018

Telltale Games cancels The Walking Dead

We know we buried the lede here, but this is perhaps the most important piece of news this week. Telltale Games reported that they are cancelling the final season of The Walking Dead due to the company’s closure. Rumos say, however, that they are attempting to resurrect the final season of their The Walking Dead series even after they close down. While many fans are excited for this effort, it is a bit of a sticky and unethical situation. For starters, most of the laid off staff didn’t receive any sort of severance so an attempt to appeal to fans seems in poor taste when the developers who worked tirelessly to keep the company afloat are getting shafted. Additionally, the team who worked on the game originally may not be the ones to finish it which would be an even bigger dark spot on their legacy.

Update: Reports now say Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead: The Final Season is also canceled following the studio’s effective closure. The second of four episodes was due Sept. 25https://t.co/bn4jEopzls

— Polygon (@Polygon) September 22, 2018

Man, and amount of entitled comments to this is so frustrating. As if Telltale planned this and are intentionally leaving people out to dry.

Disappointment is understandable. But no one is more disappointed than the devs. Taking aim at them for this is the absolute wrong move.

— Devin Valdivia (@devinvaldivia) September 22, 2018

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