Warning: The Watercooler is the best thing you will see on the Internet today, mainly because it is the best thing I saw on the Internet yesterday. Be advised that The Watercooler is not necessarily videogame related (it usually won’t be), and is often silly, controversial, and/or not safe for work (NSFW). If this type of content frequently offends you, please be aware that I just warned you — if you still click through and get offended, it will be your own stupid fault. Otherwise, please continue…

Another oldie today, but I’ve watched it again so it still counts as the best thing I saw yesterday. Anyone who has seen both Sntach and Star Wars will appreciate this most, but it’s not massively necessary. You should, though, because they are both great films. This one (if it were real) would be better, though.

“Gimme that fuckin’ shooter!”

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Did you know that there was once an Interplay Films?  Did you know that they almost made a Fallout movie? Well, that movie never came to be, but the writer who was to script it has finally revealed all the details.

According to The Vault:

A Fallout movie script was to be written by Brent V. Friedman. Several studios were interested in the concept, but before a deal could be consummated, Interplay Films was disbanded around 2000 and the movie was canceled.

Friedman never did get to write a full script, but he did pen a 15 page film treatment which more or less tells the tale of the entire film.  I highly suggest you read it for yourself.  Personally, I think it wold have made a pretty damn decent action flick in it’s day.

The film was to be loosely based on Fallout 1.  Yet, there are certain things from the Fallout universe that are definitely missing such as The Brotherhood of Steel.  However, Vault 13, theVault Dweller, The Overseer and The Master all play starring roles.

After finally revealing this information, Friedman told The Vault:

It was surprisingly fun to read it after all these years (it was written around 1998 when Fallout 2 was released). There are some things I would definitely change (obviously, there are many outdated references, etc.) but there are also scenes and aspects of this story which I still love.

What do you think?  Would this have made a great film?  Would it have achieved the cult status of the original games?

I fear those answers are forever lost beneath the sands of the wastes…

[Thanks, as always, to Ausir]

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According to a pre-CES press release, Netflix is working with electronics giant LG to produce a set-top box capable of receiving rented movies over the internet. Console support for the company’s direct download service may not be far behind.

Netflix already allows subscribers to stream a selection of films to their computer screens at no extra cost. The new product would work under the same principal, except that rentals can now be watched on that old standby of the living room entertainment center — the TV. That, of course, means that a wider group of consumers would actually take advantage of the company’s video-on-demand.

The partnership with LG also means that the new unit may play both next-generation disc formats (HD-DVD and Blu-ray) in addition to streaming films.

That doesn’t necessarily imply neutrality in the war, though, as Netflix’s CEO Reed Hastings has expressed interest in getting all “buddy-buddy” with other manufacturers, console-makers included. Considering that Microsoft already has the beginnings of a rental service in place on the Xbox Live Marketplace, and Sony’s had trouble getting any kind of real media distribution off the ground, the latter would seem to be a more beneficial choice.

On the other hand, Hastings is a member of Microsoft’s board and their extensive library of titles could further bolster the existing offerings. With rumors of Bill Gates making a big Xbox-related announcement at CES, we can’t help but wonder if this is in any way related.

That’s not to mention Sony’s preference for doing things “their own way” when it comes to format and distribution.

Lacking a storage device to help cache large video files, Nintendo’s Wii is likely out of the question (though Netflix’s streaming leaves no permanent copy of a film on a user’s hard drive).

We can’t do a whole lot more beyond speculating about console tie-ins at this point, but the LG device itself is set to debut in the second half of 2008.

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