Thank Grog It’s Firday!
Well…good ol’ EA has brought us a whole new bunch of characters guaranteed to offend. As I have said in tons of other posts, EA/Gracie are equal opportunity offenders when it comes to making fun of cultures…and this one is loaded with ways to be offended, if you take the time to do so.
I don’t.
I guess it’s because I realize that the Simpsons have always been based on lampooning virtually every aspect of our lives in some way. So, unless they come up with a Cranky Old Gray-Haired, Fat Guy who is a TSTO blogger that laughs at anyone who takes the game too seriously, I won’t be offended.
That said, you have to admire a group who has no issue making fun of motor cycle gangs, religious figures, the mob and even the Pope…because they clearly aren’t in fear of retribution.
I was equally delighted to get Primo (who is a stereotype of a stereotype of Italian mob gumbas) and the Pope (who makes me roll on the floor laughing when he vapes a cross while “begin cool”). They are both hilarious…and helps remind us to not take everything so seriously.
This is great…until real life comes into play, and someone gets whacked. My family has a story about this exact reality…
As the story has been told to us numerous times by my mom, my grandfather came a little too close to doing business with the wrong people, back in the era of Al Capone, and the Chicago-based mob. So, full disclosure, he wasn’t IN the mob, he just worked for them, without knowing it.
He had a tree nursery and landscaping business in Libertyville, IL. in the 30s and 40s. It was kind of a “recession proof” business, because he did loads of work for the huge estates in Lake Forest, where many of the richest of the rich, had summer homes and vacation homes on Lake Michigan, and were relatively unscathed by the Great Depression. As the story goes, he was hired by a “newcomer” to town, who had taken over a lavish estate, and wanted to completely re-do the entry road to his home. He worked for the guy for weeks, without really noticing anything too out of the ordinary, as far as who was coming and going.
However, one day, he saw several large cars come down the driveway, loaded with guys who didn’t look like the typical Lake Forest socialites. He mentioned to my grandmother that he was almost certain that a guy riding in the back of one of the cars looked a lot like Al Capone. Capone, who was one of the most notorious mob bosses in US history, was well-known, as he had attained almost mythic status as a “good guy” who was in a bad business. The recipients of the St. Valentine’s massacre may beg to differ on that topic, but it was the case, nonetheless.
A few weeks later, the news headlines bristled that the body of the man who had hired my grandfather, was found near my grandfather’s nursery, in a ditch…with more holes in him than a loaf of Swiss cheese.
Needless to say, my grandfather didn’t get paid for his services, and lived for the next few years, looking over his shoulder, as his nursery was more than 25 miles away from Lake Forest. It was clear that whoever “dropped off the package” had gone out of their way to do so. It was the depression…and until congress finally outlawed the sale or import of machine guns, the “Tommy Gun” was the ultimate “decider” of many disputes.
At least for now (yes…there may be one coming) Tommy Guns aren’t in our game. But, we do have PRIMO…who is not so much a “Mob Boss” as a “Mob goon” with a big appetite. I still love the fact that the “big boss,” is little Michael. Something about that just makes me laugh.
I admit to being a little bummed at the “big reward” we got for completing the scene. A lot of crafting when into getting and placing everything to “earn” the scene. It seemed like a bit of letdown for a company that actually works with an animation company. But, it was free…and I won’t complain…as I don’t want to “sleep with the fishes.” That said, it is worth posting, even if we never get to see the “flying machine” actually take off, like I hoped it would.
Was it worth the grind to finish the crafting, to complete the scene? Maybe not…but it is better than getting whacked…or having your game glitch (sorry about that to all who have been cursed). EA is “working on it.” Whatever that really means.
Although we did finally get the answer as to where a lot of Mob guys come from…and don’t want to go back to… New Jersey. I’ll let Alissa deal with that slam. Frankly, my experiences on the Jersey Shore, is that they know how to run a very clean, “family friendly” boardwalk and amusement area. My daughter’s husband is from “down the shore,” and we have had a ton of fun on the boardwalks there. Gotta love it…Frankie says so.
But…I DID buy the Pope! Instant buy…no thought went into it at all. And all of the “Hail Mary’s” in the world won’t save us from the “Young Pope’s” irreverent actions. But, again, that is what makes this game so consistently funny…it has no boundaries. Not exactly a traditional Easter buy…but makes me laugh like almost no other character.
Vaping the sign of the cross? Can’t get more modern than that…he must be in the REAL Springfield, where “alternative smoking tools” are legal!
And breaking up a fight? Nope…he’s more interested in showing of his “hip kicks.” Again…just plain funny.
Here’s to a wonderful Easter Weekend! Nothing says “Happy Easter” like gangsters and Pope. Man…EA really gets it. NOT!
NOTE- I am pulling the “video tour of your town” request…for now. I was inundated with a TON of players who want to participate in the first couple posts. I’ll circle back and open up the opportunity again in the near future…but, will be busy with the 24 requests I got on Day One! LOL!
This will be fun. I love seeing great designs!