The weekend is already over, and gamers didn’t get nearly enough time to enjoy The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
The highly anticipated game arrived late last week, and quickly stole away Nintendo fans’ weekends, as they worked to enjoy the slew of fresh abilities, thrilling new map, and near-endless possibilities of the latest Zelda title. Gamers are twisting some of those possibilities, including the title’s Ultrahand ability, into clever — but sadistic — devices seemingly custom made to torment Koroks.
All that Korok abuse isn’t nearly the worst news of the weekend, however, following Netflix’s decision to once again cancel a widely popular fantasy series after a single season. The streamer seems determined to ruin its reputation among fantasy fans, and it appears to be working in the wake of Lockwood & Co.’s cancelation. Subscribers are furious — and concerned for their other favored shows — but it seems Netflix couldn’t care less. Its too focused on butchering The Witcher’s future prospects, as it works to win fan favor back following Henry Cavill’s departure from the show. Season three has the potential to restore faith in Netflix’s formula, but is the streamer really up to the task?
A far more unlikely crossover might be more worth viewer time, at least among those of us who hold The Lord of the Rings in favor. The ever-popular fantasy offering has some surprising ties to the MCU’s Bucky Barnes, whose nerd cred stretches all the way back to the story’s earliest days.
Bucky Barnes revealed his OG nerd cred in a one-off Falcon and the Winter Solider scene
Longtime Lord of the Rings fans quickly picked up on Bucky’s revelation of his nerd status early in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s first season, but a fresh examination of the scene makes it all the more clear how deep Bucky’s love for Middle Earth truly goes. In a quippy conversation with Sam, Bucky reveals that he read J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit all the way back in 1937, when it was first released. Considering the massive hurdles of obtaining the once-rare book in the U.S. in 1937, it would seem that Bucky put some serious effort into getting that first-hand look at Tolkien’s still-developing world.
Tears of the Kingdom players use their powers for evil
Link is, of all the iconic video game legends, one of the most lawful good protagonists on the market. He always does the right thing, regardless of how it impacts him or his life, and he certainly wouldn’t approve of the abuse Tears of the Kingdom players are putting those poor Koroks through.
The broad-ranging and versatile abilities included in the latest Zelda title are being used by plenty for their intended purposes, but far too many players are also using them for evil. They’re finding dozens of creative ways to hurl Korok off cliffs, strap them to rockets, and in general put the poor little guys through hell.
At least they inspired a few prime memes in the process.
Netflix subscribers react in outrage over the cancellation of Lockwood & Co.
Yet another fan-favorite Netflix fantasy has gotten the ax, with the official cancellation of Lockwood & Co. The hugely popular series quickly established itself as one of Netflix’s most-watched shows of early 2023, but that wasn’t enough to keep it chugging for another season. Netflix has seemingly made a trend of putting its faith in fantasy properties only to pull the rug out a few weeks or months post-release, with a particular fixation on canceling shows after just one season. Subscribers are starting to lose faith in the streamer, and a few more cancellations could see Netflix users fleeing the service in droves.
Lockwood & Co.’s demise doesn’t bode well for other fantasy favorites
Given Lockwood & Co.’s popularity, its no surprise that fantasy fans are reacting in panic to news of its cancelation. While plenty of people are disturbed by the show’s unfairly short run, others are simply concerned at the implications. If one of the service’s most popular offerings of the year — and one with an established three-season plan — can’t get a second season, what are the chances Black Knight or Shadow and Bone will live to see another season?
The Witcher showrunner digs into major season three challenges
Netflix’s The Witcher is in a tough spot at the moment. The once-popular show is currently hemorrhaging fans, in the wake of Henry Cavill’s departure, even as it heads toward its season three release. The show will maintain Cavill’s Geralt through season three, but that’s not enough for many fans, who’ve already written the series off as a bust. Its prospects aren’t set to be much improved by Yennefer’s current status in the story, which ended on a particularly sour note at the conclusion of season two. While showrunner Lauren Hissrich seems confident that the show can traverse its many hurdles, two seasons of questionable decisions aren’t giving viewers much faith.
