Shmee.Me

November 6, 2014November 6, 2014

Fallout 4: If Not Boston Then Where?

So Forbes ran a story about the name ‘Fallout: Shadow of Boston’ being registered in Germany, and people got really excited. Rightfully so. A new Fallout game on the new consoles and updated computer hardware would be amazing! The thing people weren’t excited about was the location. Boston is pretty close to Washington D.C. in setting, so it wouldn’t have been that big of a change for the series, but it ended up not mattering because the registration was a hoax.

Still if Boston is not a good location then where should the next Fallout game be located? A lot of people gave suggestions like Miami, San Francisco, or Seattle. I was even thinking Denver might be fun since it would be the first game to take place in the mountains, but the more I thought about it the more I thought this would be a great time to make a big change in the series.

According to Vault-Tec (the evil corporation behind the Fallout vaults) lore, all their vaults are in the good old US of A, so why not choose a new company that is like Vault-Tec’s European rival. Then you could have a game that takes place in England. London would be an amazing place to explore after the apocalypse, and since it would be a different company they could introduce new technology, and a different take on what happened to the world. It would still have the fun future of the 50’s vibe, but just a different spin on it. Plus you might be able to find out even more about Vault-Tec by uncovering what their rival was working on to counter them.

England is also a great place for the game because since it is an island it has natural boundaries. Boundaries you can break in the plethora of DLC content that will no doubt come out for this game. Small purchasable trips to Ireland and France would be so much fun, or just great locations for Fallout 5 and 6.

I was disappointed to hear that Bethesda was not ready to announce their new game yet, but I am excited that there is still a chance that there could be some big and fun changes coming to the Fallout universe. The thought of Fallout: London makes me salivate. I am going to have to find one of Lil’ Shmee’s burp-cloths and wipe my chin.

November 3, 2014

Who mourns for Prey 2? ThePaladin mourns.

***A transcript from the wake of Prey 2, attended by friends and close relations. Also open bar.***

Alright everyone lets settle down… close the bar, close the bar… good, get Uncle John over here. He doesn’t need to hold up the bar, its not going to fall. ((laughs)) Where’s Uncle Horace, Aunt Ursula, and Timmy? Gone home already? Be sure to recount the silverware then. ((laughs))

We all know why we’re all here… Or should I say we all know why there’s an open bar. ((laughs)) Either someone got hitched or we had to bury a body; looking at the newly joined Mrs. Sunset Overdrive married just last Tuesday you’d think it was account o’ her but then you see this pine box here.

Here lies Prey 2, a life full o’ so much potential and promise the good Lord took it from us for his own game console in the sky. Now many of you younglings didn’t know our poor “Yorick” here, off in the backwoods of Texas he was, developing in our eyes into a fine young game. Who didn’t want a Blade Runner by way of Star Wars or Guardians of the Galaxy (depending on what direction you turned at the Galactic Core) styled game?

The teaser trailer promised alien bounties just waiting for your human justice to come down on them with a righteous fury – sayeth the Lord. ((AMEN!)) But the reality was behind that shiny glimpse of otherworldy Magnum P.I. there was something missing. What the French would call a certain what-have-you. Prey 2 went from home to home, but never came together like honest folk. Somethin’ was broke and no amount of time could fix that – right Cousin Duke? ((laughs))

If there is one take away from this tragic loss, it’s that bringing a young soul like this from alpha to gold is no sure thing. You might have the right pedigree, the right backing, or the right tools, but that ain’t no thing in the grand scheme o’ life. ((Preach it, brother!)) Naw, even the best can go bad and there ain’t nothing for it.

So tip your glasses to the horizontal and pour out a bit o’ spirit for the dearly departed. Pallbearers take up your corners and Mrs. Prey lead us to its final resting place. But no tears, Prey 2 is in a better place, it’s no longer languishing in developer hell. Also the bar will reopen when we return! ((huzzah!))

To the gone but not forgotten.

October 22, 2014October 22, 2014

Re-Reading The Trawn Trilogy Proves The Expanded Universe Isn’t Dead!

I decided that my life needed a little more Star Wars, so I decided to re-read the Thrawn Trilogy. These books are really old and if you haven’t read them you totally should, but since they have been out there so long I am not going to review them, I am just using them to make a point. Just because Disney has decided to kill the old expanded universe it doesn’t mean that those works are dead.

Sure this adventure with the original Star Wars cast isn’t canon anymore, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are engaging and fun to read. The same is true with the Knights of the Old Republic video game. Sure it may not be in the official Star Wars universe anymore, but the game isn’t worse for it.

Thrawn is still one of the best Star Wars villains of all time regardless of whether he is official or not. I am happy that I spent time with him again. If you are still in the dumps about Disney “throwing out” your favorite Star Wars character or piece of fiction, don’t be. Just reread it or replay it, and I am sure you will have just as much fun as the first time.

October 21, 2014October 21, 2014

TV Should Be DC’s Earth 2!

A lot of people were sad to find out that DC was not going use The Flash and Arrow from the TV shows for their Justice League movies, but I think I have a solution that would make everyone happy. They should just make the TV shows Earth 2. For those of you that don’t read comic books, Earth 2 is the Earth in an alternate dimension. It has most of that same superheroes but slightly different, and every once and awhile they need to travel interdimensionally to help each other out.

This would allow the movie guys and the TV guys to do whatever they want, but still team up at some point in the future. Like say The Justice League Movie Part 2 where they fight the dimensional traveler Darkseid. This would also free them up to do my second idea, and that is to rename The Flash and Arrow TV shows to the Justice Society of America (Earth 2’s Justice League).

I know what you are thinking, “But I like The Flash and Arrow!”, and you are right too, but they would still be in the show, leads in it even. Just now they could highlight all the new heroes and villains they keep adding to the show every week, and better yet they could air it twice a week, or once a week all year long. As a bonus if CBS lets Supergirl play in the same universe it could air three times a week, but once on a major local TV station. It would be a lot of fun.

I am sure DC will not do either of these ideas because for some reason they like to ignore good fan ideas, but maybe we will get our TV Justice League …err Society, and our beloved TV characters on the big screen.

October 20, 2014October 20, 2014

Thank Netflix For Serialized TV!

I have been finishing off season two of Arrow on Netflix, and it occurred to me that a show like Arrow wouldn’t have been possible without the DVD/Streaming service. Sure there were shows like 24 and morning soap operas before Netflix, but not a lot of them. The reason was that if you missed an episode there was no good way to catch up, and TV stations did want to take a chance that you would stop watching if you missed a show, or worse never start watching because you missed the first season.

TiVo was a step in the right direction, but it wasn’t wide spread enough, and it obviously didn’t have any seasons you missed. Now pretty much everyone has a Netflix subscription. It allows people to binge watch a TV show, and once they catch up they have no choice but to start watching the show live. If they miss a show they can catch up with Netflix competitors Amazon, Hulu, On Demand, or the Station’s website. The producers of Breaking Bad and The Killing have both expressed how Netflix is the reason their shows stayed on the air because people could catch up.

TV stations are taking the next logical step. Neflix was good for business and serialized TV, so now it is time be their “own” Netflix. CBS and HBO are dropping the cable requirement and launching their own Netflix competitors with their own content, and I am sure a lot of that content will be serialized. You know like Supergirl coming next fall to CBS.