Prime Video Streaming News: April 2024

Fallout Renewed Good News Bad News

Friday | 04/19/2024   — Fallout dropped on April 10th. Eight days later the news of being renewal has dropped. It may be record time for a renewal. That’s the good news. The bad news is that production will shift from it’s wasteland location of Namibia to California. This may dull the out door aesthetics many loved in season one. 

 

2024’s Slapstick Surprise On Prime Video

Wednesday | 04/17/2024   — It arrived one day later on Prime Video than on Apple’s platform, and not a day too soon. Better yet, it will cost you less to own it. So yes, if you’ve been hunting around for Hundreds of Beavers, Prime Video has it for VOD purchase at $16.98 for HD and $15.98 for SD. If you want to rent it, HD is $6.99 and SD is $5.99. Both will get you 30 days of viewing. 

 

Fallout Primer: What To Expect (No Spoilers)

Tuesday | 04/02/2024   — There’s a lot of hype for Fallout on Prime Video. But what if you never played the game? Did you even know it’s based on a video game? Let’s bring you up to speed. You can guess from the trailers and images Fallout is set in a post-apocalyptic America.

There are six Fallout games to date that span from 1997 to 2018 in release dates, but the various game’s settings span from 2102 to 2287. Each Fallout game offers different characters that explore for survival. With six unique stories being told, where then would Amazon Prime begin with their 10 part Fallout series? 

 

Title	Release Date	Game Timeline Date	Synopsis
Fallout 76	2018	2102	Explore the wasteland of West Virginia as one of the first to emerge from the vaults to reclaim it.
Fallout	1997	2161	Embark on a quest to find a vital water purification chip in the wasteland of Southern California.
Fallout 2	1998	2241	As the Chosen One, search for the Garden of Eden Creation Kit to save your village.
Fallout 3	2008	2277	Leave Vault 101 to find your father in the post-apocalyptic ruins of Washington D.C.
Fallout: New Vegas	2010	2281	Get embroiled in the conflicts of the Mojave Wasteland and the fate of New Vegas.
Fallout 4	2015	2287	Search for your kidnapped son in the Commonwealth, uncovering a deep mystery.

Amazon Prime Video leaps in with the fourth game in the Fallout series using the Fallout 3, 2277 timeline for their 2024 series.  We don’t know if any of the original playable game characters are involved yet, but there will be characters based on Non Playable Characters and factions involved. Speaking of factions, you may want to bone up on what some of them are:

1. The Brotherhood of Steel: These high-tech knights are all about preserving pre-war technology and knowledge, often at all costs. In Fallout 3, they’re seen in a more altruistic light compared to other titles, actively fighting against the super mutant threat in the D.C. ruins.

2. The Enclave: Essentially the remnants of the pre-war United States government, they consider themselves the legitimate authority of the USA. They have advanced technology and are not shy about using it to assert their dominance and “purify” the wasteland.

3. The Super Mutants: Not exactly a faction you can negotiate with. These mutated humans are often hostile and are a constant threat to the residents of the wasteland. They’re the result of FEV (Forced Evolutionary Virus) experiments gone horribly wrong.

4. The Raiders: Scattered throughout the wasteland, Raiders are lawless groups that prey on anyone and anything for resources (or just for fun). They’re as dangerous as they are unpredictable.

5. The Slavers of Paradise Falls: Morality is not a word in their dictionary. They capture wastelanders and sell them as slaves, operating out of the fortified settlement known as Paradise Falls.

6. The Outcasts: A splinter group of the Brotherhood of Steel, the Outcasts are more in line with the Brotherhood’s traditional values, prioritizing the acquisition of technology over aiding the wasteland’s inhabitants.

7. Rivet City Security: Protecting the largest known settlement in the Capital Wasteland, Rivet City’s security force is concerned primarily with keeping its citizens safe from external threats.

8. The Ghouls of Underworld: Not all ghouls are feral. The residents of Underworld, a ghoul city inside the remains of the Museum of History, just want to live their lives in peace, away from smooth-skin prejudices.

9. The Talon Company Mercs: A ruthless mercenary group that will take any job for the right price, including hunting down the player if they become too much of a goody-two-shoes.

10. The Railroad: A secretive group dedicated to helping escaped slaves and fighting against the slavers, though they are not as prominently featured in Fallout 3 as in Fallout 4.

Let’s hope that like the Fallout game series, the show masterfully intertwines a narrative rich in political and social commentary. Its post-apocalyptic world should present  themes of governance, ethics, survival, unity, liberty, environmental stewardship, and cultural preservation.

We expect each episode to give us a look through the lens of the various factions and their ideologies. We may find the characters dealing with the authoritarian Enclave to the democratic NCR, and the technologically protective Brotherhood of Steel. Just like the games, our protagonist will face challenges with moral dilemmas and the consequences of technology misuse, underscoring the delicate balance between freedom and security. 

The good news is you can binge Fallout’s retro-futuristic setting April 12th from start to end.  You’ll experience it’s critiques of human environmental neglect and the perils of forgetting history as it delves into the complexities of human nature, division, and the quest for power, offering a poignant reflection on our society’s current challenges and the enduring human spirit amidst desolation.