Joe's Monologues 1/6/2025

Happy 2025, everyone, and welcome to the very first Joe's Monologues of 2025. This one will be special because I will be talking about what things are coming this year I am quite excited for and the one event I have done, so without further ado, let's jump right in.

Revival of PlayStation's Nostalgic IPs:

As we know, Herman Hulst has confirmed that Sony is looking set to revive their back catalog of classic IPs. Not new news, but I just want to mention this again because I am so excited for the nostalgic IPs to make a comeback. It's all because of Astro Bot's wild and wacky performance over its VIP Bots that dress up as PlayStation characters. We are gonna see classic IPs, like Ape Escape, Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, the Legend of Dragoon and tons more make a nostalgic comeback with remasters. Crash and Spyro made a comeback with their remastered trilogies, so other nostalgic IPs can follow up. The PlayStation we know and love is coming back for an ultimate experience.

The news from Hulst is indeed hopeful that classic IPs are making a comeback, but the rest of the games of the franchises must be released on PlayStation Plus Premium's back catalog to put them together. January's lineup of classic games is a mystery, so we can be in the know on what this month's lineup of classics soon. We have been begging them to bring the franchises back, but it's finally happening. The Sly Cooper franchise came together, thanks to PS Plus Premium and so will other classic IPs like Ape Escape, Jak and Daxter (not counting the PS Now versions of them in the franchise), Twisted Metal, Wild Arms (the third iteration is the PS Now version) and a lot more.

While this is exciting news, Sucker Punch confirmed that they have no plans to develop a new Sly Cooper since they are working on Ghost of Yotei, the sequel to Ghost of Tsushima. But the thieving raccoon's comeback is inevitable. It's just that it won't be under the Sucker Punch umbrella. Not only that because they were supposed to make a fifth Sly Cooper game to resolve the cliffhanger left off in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, but it was scrapped because Sanzaru has released a statement saying that they are not developing a future title. Fortunately, since Hulst confirmed that PlayStation is reviving their back catalog of IPs after being driven by Astro Bot's wild performance to receive GOTY, it can change everything.

I have loved the series since 2002 when Thievius Raccoonus came out. The games in the original PS2 trilogy are available on the back catalog. Why I'm telling you this is because I beaten Sly 2. I'm glad that I got to revisit this game and its wild moments. I have Sly 3 in my library and I am going to revisit it and its crazy adventures. But some areas are in 3D mode and I gotta get some 3D glasses for them before I get started.

2XKO:

Now let's move on to the next thing I am excited for. 2XKO's first Alpha Lab has ended a while ago and the next one is coming in March with the seventh character, Jinx, also known as Powder in Arcane's case, of course. Jinx's forte is all about the bang bang and the explosion her arsenal is known for. She is making her debut to honor Arcane Season 2. The show was godlike as heck that there were a ton of action. The team is returning to work to develop the game and they are giving us an update on February. I hope that update also involved announcing the eighth character because I want the next Alpha Lab to have an even roster of characters.

I am excited for this and now that I have a gaming laptop, I can be able to join the next Alpha Lab on both PC and console. We know that 2XKO is coming out in 2025, which is now this year. But once launched, we don't know if the roster is gonna continue to grow or not. Let's not forget that there will be differences in the official launch and you will be expecting jankiness. That's why they need to polish everything for launch. If they plan to announce the eighth character for the next Alpha Lab, we don't know who will it be. But we do know that I want a SEGA vs. Capcom: The Next Level-esque Cross Fever game mode to be implemented in a future playtest.

Additional VO Content:

What is an additional VO content, you asked? The additional VO content I am referring to are Annie's alternative voice pack, the Japanese combat VO for the Season Pass characters' and the English (and hopefully Japanese) Story Mode VO for the Season Pass characters for Skullgirls 2nd Encore.

The devs had originally planned to include them in the Season 1 Pass, but as it turns out, the logistics of them have been a bit more involved than they have originally anticipated. That's why they could not release it in 2024. But they still plan to release it in 2025, and now that 2025 is here, this is the point of time when we can expect news about it. I hope it's soon because I am eager to hear and find out what will Annie's alternative voice pack and what will the Season Pass characters' Japanese VO during combat sound like. It might be early 2025 because the next characters in the Season 1 Pass came out in early stages of previous years.

It is a rightful and wise decision to recalibrate their efforts a bit, by releasing the additional VO content in 2025 first before diving right into a Season 2 Pass in a way to ensure that everything is done to the quality level we expect. Which means future characters' Story Mode will be launched with VO and they will launch with Japanese voices in combat. That's why 2nd Encore is going on a brief hiatus and we had to get Guest Stars news on Mobile. If this content drops, maybe we can hear some intro dialogues. Maybe we can hear some new voice lines. And maybe we can see alternative voice packs for characters that haven't got one yet.

That said, I will take it online on both console and PC either after additional VO content come out or after my new laptop stand comes. We'll see.

Speaking of Guest Stars, Minette and Brain Drain are now available in Mobile. They are only equipped with a Gold or a Diamond fighter. But they are not done with the Guest Stars department yet because they have one more to work on, and that's Roxie. The development of her shouldn't take that long now that Minette and Brain Drain are out.

Nintendo Switch 2:

So, rumors and leaks continue as we hear more about Nintendo's upcoming new system, the Switch 2. I am very excited to get news about the Switch 2. Nintendo has confirmed that they will deliver the info about it by the end of March and that it will be backwards compatible to every Switch game. There has been some speculation about stronger 3rd party support and its integration with Nvidia to handle running big 3rd party games well and in 4K resolution. It is unclear if the Switch 2 is the official name, but they will reveal it by the end of March.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3:

I have went to my local movie theater to see Sonic Movie 3 and I gotta say that it's freaking dope and full of action. Keanu Reaves did a great job voicing Shadow the Hedgehog. Simply shocking. What is really interesting is that Jim Carey is back to have a role of two Robotniks. That is history there. Usually, Carrey plays the villain, but that has things that never experienced in the games. While watching the movie, I felt some Sly Cooper vibes that Tails is the brains like Bentley while Knuckles is the brawn like Murray. The part involved sabotaging the evil plans. I have loved every second of it.

The post credits scene showed a lingering shadow when Sonic was lost in the forest while in the middle of the race and it's none other than Metal Sonic. More Metal Sonics come to corner Sonic, until an object taken them all down, spins and turns pink. It is none other than the one and only baby girl finally making her debut. And that's Amy Rose.

Now, Amy Rose is the character that I wanted since Sonic Movie 2. She looks so freaking dope and her hammer looks so lit, beating Thor's Mjolnir. After seeing Amy on the post credits scene, I wildly reacted to it at the same level of hype Mightykeef has on his reaction to Sora's debut to Smash Ultimate. It's because she is the character I wanted to make her debut since Sonic Movie 2. The golden age is coming as our one and only baby girl is making her debut, along with Metal Sonic, thus setting the stage for Sonic Movie 4, which is greenlit and in production.

The best thing about the Sonic Movie franchise is a padding that we have with them. They like to feature new characters in each sequel to create a Sonic Cinematic Universe, Sonic Movie 2 featured Tails and Knuckles. Sonic Movie 3 featured Shadow, Gerald Robotnik and Maria Robotnik. And Sonic Movie 4 will feature Metal Sonic and Amy Rose. To my knowledge, each sequel featured several new characters.

I can't wait to see Sonic Movie 4. They have confirmed that it is in production and I am already excited for that. We don't know how Sonic Movie 4 would unfold, but we know one thing's for sure that the new characters are going to be featured are Metal Sonic and Amy Rose. But it is coming out in 2027. But no complaining about that, though because there are several video game movies coming out this year. And they are the sequel to the R-rated 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot and the Minecraft Movie.

Also, I heard Jim Carrey is returning as Robotnik for Sonic Movie 4 and beyond to be faithful to his resillence in the games after his power rest. But can Keanu Reeves return as Shadow too? I hope so because in case Sonic Movie 4 is gonna introduce Rouge also, he needs to return.

You would know that video game movies are usually low in quality because of the poor character design, abysmal dialog and terrible plots. That's why they flopped. But one quality video game movie has broken the curse to pave the way for more quality video game movies, and it's Sonic the Hedgehog. Then the Super Mario Bros. Movie came along to change everything in the video game movie department and become the next quality video game movie.

Sonic got his live action film adaptation. But what would be spectacular is if one of the child friendly video game franchises also gets a live action film adaptation. And it's for Spyro. I made a post about how would a live action Spyro unfold, so here's the link.

https://rpggameroom.blogspot.com/2025/01/how-live-action-spyro-dragon-movie-works.html

Conclusion:

And boy, this first Joe's Monologues of 2025 could be enough to ruffle people's feathers. We rang in the New Year and it's gonna be set to be another greatest year. Here's to a wonderful 2025.

How a Live Action Spyro the Dragon Movie Works

Spyro the Dragon is a franchise that definetely needs to have a film adaptation, but has to be live action, so I have been dreaming of it since Sonic Movie 1. I am going to talk about wanting a live action film adaptation for Spyro the Dragon. Let's jump right in.

I am here with a post that is gonna ruffle people's feathers. Now, I have dreamed of a live action film adaptation for Spyro the Dragon. I have talked about this in private and at the cinema many times, so it's finally high time that I tell you all about how I feel about wanting a live action Spyro the Dragon movie and how would it unfold, so read up as I monologue on what would I want for Spyro's live action movie in this post.

It is easy to make any video gane movie. The first thing you have to do when making a movie, is to find the producers. I belive that Universal is gonna be the perfect producer for the live action film adaptation for Spyro.

Now, the first part of the movie would entail a baby Spyro flying around Artisans World until trouble is spotted that one of the elder dragons call Spyro to come and sends him to Earth in light of the situation happening at his world through a super portal. What's really cool is like when Sonic caused a power surge across the entire Pacific Northwest, a part would entail causing a forest fire across the entire Atlantic Southeast.

At the Pentagon, observers would witness that a forest fire has occured across the entire Atlantic Southeast 20 minutes ago. They witnessed a strange creature being behind the incident, so they would send someone to hunt Spyro down, which is someone living in a rickety house until a distress call has answered. Driving in their car coming to the area is none other than Ripto, who would be the main antagonist of the movie and he is not a midget like in the games since this is a live action film adaptation. I think what's really interesting is like when Dr. Eggman tries to conquer Earth, Ripto would use Spyro's powers for world domination after picking up a purple dragon scale.

World domination would be all part of the plan, which Ripto would devise and he would wear his warlock garment and be armed with his crystal rod to cast spells against Spyro. Spell after spell, he would be knocked unconscious that someone can take Spyro to their house for a shock therapy.

Things would be a part of the situation that Ripto would create by finishing Spyro off, until a phrase wakes him up to gain a temporary buff on his fire breath that would be enough to send Ripto to the Magic Crafters World where he would cut all of his hair and wear a spike on his head. It would be an exciting conclusion to the movie.

Now for the final thing I want for a live action Spyro; introduction to new characters on each movie's post credits scene. What's really cool is that like in every Sonic Movie introducing new characters that in the post credits scene that Sonic Movie 1 introduced Tails, Sonic Movie 2 introduced Shadow and Sonic Movie 3 introduced Metal Sonic and Amy Rose, the post credits scenes in each Spyro Movie would introduce new characters.

So Spyro Movie 1's post credits scene would entail Spyro being saved from being surrounded by the Rhynocs by Elora. Spyro Movie 2's post credits scene would introduce Ember, another dragon. And Spyro Movie 3's post credits scene would entail Spyro and Elora going out in the forest to come across four individuals, Sheila, Sgt. Byrd, Bentley and Agent 9 from Spyro 3 trapped in their cages, then getting surrounded by Rhynocs until Hunter and Bianca come in to save them.

Now let's talk about the snag to this idea of a live action Spyro, which is somebody that can befriend Spyro that would either be two blonde-haired children that completely resemble Handel and Greta spending their summer break at their grandparents' house in a fictional town of Artisan Falls, FL or a black man and a white woman, which would be me and the one I saw working at Carlson's Drive In in a fictional city of Artisan Hills, IN.

First off, two blonde-haired children from the big city spending their summer break at their grandparents' house in Artisan Falls. You know that in the live action adaptation of Dumbo, two children befriended Dumbo and in Barney's Great Adventure, the kids spend their summer break at their grandparents' house? Well, these are the movies that have that. If the live action Spyro gets into production to feature two children of the same age teaming up with our purple lad, that part would be similar to Dumbo and Barney's Great Adventure.

Now let's go on to another thing, which is me and my girlfriend befriending Spyro. What is really cool is that Sonic Movies have a white man and a black woman teaming up with Sonic. For the live action Spyro, it would have a black man that would be me and my white girlfriend that would be the one I saw working at Carlson's Drive In befriending Spyro. If it goes into production to have me and my girlfriend befriending Spyro to stop Ripto in a race against time, copyright issues might occur.

But what would be interesting is that if this movie entails me and my girlfriend befriending Spyro in Indiana's fictional city, it won't be just to stop Ripto, but to also have parts involving me and Spyro going out, me taking an unconscious Spyro to my place to gain his consciousness back after one of Ripto's spells knocked him unconsciously, but to find out that my girlfriend would be upset with me for leaving the house without telling her until I introduce her to Spyro and throwing a portal orb that leads to the Magic Crafters World for Spyro to send Ripto to. I believe that having me and my girlfriend befriending Spyro and setting up a family in Artisan Hills is a better option.

There are a lot of possibilities for this movie to have. If Spyro Movie 1 did well at the box office, Spyro Movie 2 would be greenlit and it would entail Spyro meeting Elora asking if she is some sort of goat, then she would say the iconic "I'm a faun, you dork!" phrase heard in Spyro 2 and my girlfriend and I would welcome her to the family.

Why I want this movie and its sequels to take place in Indiana and its fictional city is because it's the State I was from that I visited twice last year. Once for my big brother's wedding and once for my father's funeral. The one that works at the hot dog drive out there would be my movie girlfriend and it has the forests. Seeing them makes me think of Elora because you know, she is one with the forest. Leaf dress, goat legs with the same color as the tree bark, power of healing, you name it. But only during the Spring and Summer because during these times, trees have leaves to produce Mana. In fact, it is perfect for Spyro Movie 1's post credits scene where Spyro would meet Elora after being saved by the Rhynocs in the forest.

I am planning to visit my birthplace anytime now that I conquered my fear of flying in an airplane, but it's gonna be during the Spring and Summer times because those are the best times because of its warmth.

If I want a live action Spyro to be a reality, this above is how I want to be unfolded. I know that some wouldn't give a crap about me wanting it, but Spyro needs to have his film adaptation like others. In fact, he won't be the only one who needs one because Crash Bandicoot needs one too and it's gonna be produced by Universal as well, but CGI animated by Illumination since Crash Bandicoot has that wacky Looney Tunes nature, whether it's comedy nature, a play on words, gags and unhinged moments. They are essential for a CGI animated Crash Bandicoot.

I also meant to tell you that part one of my Crash Team Rumble livestream where I play as only as Spyro characters in their default skins ended unexpectedly because setting up my passkey has turned off my livestream. I'm going to start all over again and make sure I end the livestream safely.