Last night marked Dakota Johnson’s third hosting gig on Saturday Night Live, and the show kicked off with an unexpected guest who wouldn’t let Grand Theft Auto VI leave without a fight. During Weekend Update, Colin Jost brought in two video game characters to sell themselves to holiday shoppers: Jason from GTA VI and Link from the Ocarina of Time.
“Grand Theft Auto VI is so highly anticipated that all other video games have pushed their release dates to avoid competing with it this November, except one,” says Jost. “Here to comment on their epic showdown are Jason from GTA VI and Link from the Ocarina of Time.”
The Desk Pitch That Feels Very 2005
Cast members Marcello Hernández and Mikey Day took to the desk as Duval and Link, respectively. But that is where the respect ends. Vying to be November’s biggest video game, the two stars traded barbs for several minutes, largely revolving around how effeminate Link’s appearance is and how lunkheaded life in Vice City gets.
The two eventually waved rocket launcher and fairy bottle props at each other. It feels very 2005 MAD Magazine in here.
Weekend Update’s Youngest Cast
The show has already leaned on video game references in recent weeks, and this is not the first time. Last week’s episode followed the same approach’s Mamdani TikTok bit showed a thumb of Lorne Michaels on proceedings despite the cast being one of the younger in the show’, with the show finding humor in familiar territory rather than taking risks.
Laughter deserves respect, and I’ll ask for it here. The costume department clearly went overboard on that Link outfit, giving him the exact same unpleasant fidelity that Day brought to Nintendo’s upcoming remake.
Ranking the Game References on the Show
- Elon Musk’s Mario Kart sketch — the most awkward reference to a video game on the show.
- This GTA VI / Ocarina of Time pitch — close to matching the Mario Kart sketch in awkwardness.
- Last week’s Mamdani TikTok bit — also tied to video games but less central to the sketch.
The Rivalry That Made This Possible
This November sees the arrival of Grand Theft Auto VI, which has drawn so much attention that other major releases have moved their launch dates to avoid clashing with it. The open lane that opened up for them gained a new free addition only recently, when Nintendo announced the Ocarina of Time remake’s debut in the very same window.
Neither of these two titles is clashing directly on the Nintendo Switch itself, yet both are bound to face off against one another within the realm of publicity and critical attention.
The Final Word on the Pitch
This pitch works well because it spoofs a genuine rivalry while using the show’s younger cast to poke fun at video games. The costume department has put considerable effort into the Link outfit, and the props give the performance a physical dimension.
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Show | Saturday Night Live |
| Host | Dakota Johnson |
| Sketch | Weekend Update |
| Guests | Jason Duval, Link |
| Cast | Marcello Hernández, Mikey Day |
| Games | GTA VI, Ocarina of Time remake |
| Release date | November |
| Platform | Nintendo Switch |
The pitch holds up well, taking aim at a genuine rivalry through humor tied to video games, with the show’s younger cast doing the heavy lifting. Costume design pushed hard on the Link getup, while the props bring a tangible roughness to the scene.
See the video the story is built around at Kotaku.
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