Shortsightedness and Succession

Grievance: Cartoon Network putting good shows on "hiatus"

They say all good things must come to an end but what if they never got the chance to finish at their own pace?  I know that making a good show takes time, money, and talent.  But it seems to me that the two shows above definitely had the talent, given how each series had its distinctive are style, voice acting, music, and storytelling that kept viewers coming back to see more.   The creators took the time to either 1) create a vibrant universe for their showpiece in the case of Sym-bionic titan or 2) Reboot a fan favorite from an earlier era with a more nuanced and deeper depth than it's first incarnation such as the case of the 2011 Thundercats.  It couldn't have been from lack of popularity as both shows were doing well in the ratings.  So what is left?  The tie in toys and other products were not selling well?  But really in this economy when the middle class families are tightening their belts or worse falling into poverty, do these media corporations expect people to shell out the cash when they must spend it on food, clothing or shelter?  And therein lies the problem.  These big companies want to make a profit immediately with their toys or have such high ratings that they can charge advertisers insane amounts of money however, the game has changed.  Without a prosperous middle class with disposable income there isn't enough money to be made, which freaks the networks out, which leads to more cancelled shows that while costly provide entertainment and joy to many a viewer.  Sad but true.

Praise: XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Say hello to an old friend given new life

With that said there is still something awesome about seeing an old series be given new life and nowhere is that more awe inspiring than in gaming, when it is done right of course.  And the case for this is the above game: Made as a successor to a late 80's early 90's tactical/strategy game with horror elements known as X-COM UFO DEFENSE here in the states, XCOM ENEMY UNKNOWN truly delivers a similar feel but with more then enough differences to be its own game.  This is a true successor in every definition of the word.  Developer Firaxis has captured the essence of the old game and added new depth to it.  No surprise really as Firaxis is being directed by the legendary Sid Meier, creator of the Civilization series of strategy games.  This game is awesome for everyone who loves this genre and it can be customized for the casual to the hardcore gamer.  The ending (no spoilers) also leaves room to a sequel, should Firaxis decide to make one.  Overall this game is what happens when publishers give a creation studio money, talent, and most importantly time to create a good piece of entertainment.  Take note Cartoon Network execs.

Greed and MLP: FiM

Grievance: Greed is good

Hypocrisy thy name is Wall Street

Wrong, not only wrong, but bold faced lie perpetuated by greedy individuals and amoral organizations to obtain more POWER.  Because that is all they care about, that is the bottom line. The individual is nothing to them, a speck in the 'unwashed' masses of humanity.  But the minute their in trouble, they cry like little grubby spoiled brats asking for mommy to fix their mistakes.  No more, no more bailouts, no more socialism for wall street while main street gets the bill, no more exemptions from laws because your "too big".  If your organization fails then do us all the courtesy of closing your business so something new and better can take your place, if not then fuck you!  Also if you won't pay your taxes fairly, I'm looking at you GE, then run run little bastards cause we'll be coming for you!

Praise: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Occupy Wall St. just got 20% cooler

To all that is good, why do I like this show?  It could be because it was originally well written, had characters instead of caricatures, and most importantly of all the community are some of the most loving and tolerant humans I have the pleasure of knowing.  That or the fan created stuff is freaking amazing at times.  This show may have been originally pitched for little girls but the wonderful Mrs. Lauren Faust has transformed it into something greater: A wonderfully written story with nuanced characters that happen to be equine instead of humanoid.  Naturally people responded positively to it, and why shouldn't they?  A good story has no gender preference, the best characters are ones we identify with and sympathize, and being taken seriously rather than being treated like fools is how most of us human beings, including fans, yes we are human too, hope to be treated.  So to all the fans and those who have yet to watch it out there: Be excellent to one another, Excelsior!

Robo-service and Skyrim

Grievance: Automated customer service

Why is it every time I try to get in contact with customer service I get the automated representative?  I know companies need to tighten their belts in this economy but they could do that by reducing their executives pay and use all that saved money to actually hire a team of customer service representatives.  You know actual people you can talk to that understand you have a genuine problem that needs fixing ASAP instead of getting the dungeon crawl, phone style, every time they call your help line.

Praise: Skyrim

Dear lord why can I not put this game down?  Why do I loss so much time to it and not notice it?  Because it's a damn great game:  The scenery, the action, the music, the majesty of an epic struggle against a fully grown dragon, and all the plot twists and stories in between!  Bethesda games has a tradition of quirky but compelling sand box games that let the player just loss themselves in their fully fleshed out worlds.  Now if we could just combine that with the awesome characterization from Bioware and we'd have an epic experience for the ages!