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The Weekend Update sketch had a promising matchup—Jason from Grand Theft Auto VI facing Link from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time—but its reported jokes leaned on broad contrasts rather than especially specific game knowledge. Kotaku’s Zack Kotzer called it a “Pretty tortured stretch.” That is one critic’s judgment, not a consensus, and the sketch alone cannot show what its writers know or how they prepared.
What happened in the sketch?
Kotaku reported that Weekend Update framed Jason and Link as rivals competing for November attention. Marcello Hernández played Jason, while Mikey Day played Link. The exchange drew on jabs about Link’s appearance and the chaotic life associated with Vice City, before escalating to prop weapons. Kotaku’s October 4, 2026 coverage describes the segment and its reception.
![Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition (No Rating) (Switch) [video game]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51eLxeqW2JL._SL160_.jpg)
A separate contemporaneous recap reported a Jason jab that expanded “TMPNG” as “Too Many Puzzles, No Guns.” That line is an account from a secondary recap, not a verified official transcript. The recap gives another view of the premise, but does not establish the sketch’s full wording.
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Why the game matchup could have worked
A face-off between recognizable characters gives a sketch an easy starting point: each can try to sell their own world while mocking the other’s. But the contrast only becomes more than a premise if the jokes grow from the characters and settings rather than stopping at a simple opposition—puzzles versus guns, or fantasy versus crime-game chaos.
#1 Best Overall
- This product contains a download code inside the box — no disc is included. Customer shipments will begin arriving November 12 for pre-load; game is playable starting November 19.
- Pre-order to receive the Vintage Vice City Pack.
- Grand Theft Auto VI is a single-player experience.
One way to judge the writing is to ask whether the references feel distinctive to each game, whether they emerge naturally from the characters’ worlds, whether Jason and Link have different comic voices, and whether the scene develops beyond alternating insults. Those are useful critical standards, not proof of what the writers researched or intended.
Does the sketch prove its writers did not know the games?
No. Kotzer’s “Pretty tortured stretch” is a pointed review judgment, and the premise may strike viewers as thin. Neither fact establishes who wrote the sketch, what preparation they did, or whether the games’ publishers had any involvement. The available coverage does not answer those questions.
Rank #2
The fairer criticism is about the result on screen: a recognizable matchup is not enough by itself. If game-specific details do not drive the humor, fans may find the jokes generic even when a sketch is trying to make a broad, accessible comparison. Criticizing that execution is different from claiming to know how much its writers know.
How to read the criticism
Kotzer’s phrase is a useful signal that at least one published critic found the bit labored; it should not be presented as a measured audience response or a unanimous verdict. The second recap helps identify a reported joke, but without an official transcript it is safer to attribute that wording rather than treat it as a definitive record.
So, was it any good? If you wanted a quick collision between two recognizable game characters, the setup was clear. If you expected the humor to reward familiarity with both games, the reported material may feel underdeveloped. That distinction explains the criticism without pretending one sketch can prove anything about its writers’ expertise.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
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