5 video games that would make for amazing TV shows
Those of us who game on consoles use our massive TVs for the purpose
God intended: playing video games. But a lot of us also use it to watch
TV shows. Considering the fact that Konami wants to combine these two
things together with the recent announcement of a supposedly R-rated
Castlevania miniseries, we started thinking about what other games would
make for great TV shows. Here are some games we hope some producer
notices and turns into a great TV show.
Mass Effect
A multi-species crew aboard humanity's greatest space-faring vessel
commanded over by a charismatic, yet prone to extreme mood swings human
captain who has a habit of making out with aliens. If this sounds
familiar, that's because I just as easily could be describing Star Trek,
which Mass Effect bears more than a passing resemblance to. Commander
Shepard and the Normandy's adventures are a perfect fit for television,
which has already been shown to love sci-fi, and the game series’ great
story, background information received from the codec and an endearing
cast of characters would make sure that a Mass Effect TV show is a
definite treat.
Max Payne
A failed cinematic debut notwithstanding, Max Payne is somewhat
under-utilised outside his games and the tie-in comics. His story is
essentially that of a rogue cop with an alcohol problem who has nothing
left to lose and decides that exercising his death wish is the best
course of action. This formula is perfect for a dark, gritty noir crime
series that can show Max's fall, badly thought out romance with a femme
fatale, and subsequent redemption. Considering how few badass action
shows we seem to have, Max Payne would be a great way to fill that
niche.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
If Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead are any indication, killing
off established characters seems to resonate with audiences these days.
Of all the games that tend to kill off main characters, none come close
to XCOM: Enemy Unknown, where nobody is safe from imminent death to
plasma rifles, no matter how important to the world. A season-long war
of attrition against the aliens will provide many moments of heroism,
close escapes and superb drama, possibly even related to many characters
dying when you least expect it after weeks of character-building.
Infamous
Superhero shows like Arrow, Flash and Daredevil are currently some of
the most-watched programmes on TV, and who better to represent gaming
that its own homegrown lightning-wielder, Cole McGrath. The first two
games centred on the brewing conflict between the super-powered conduits
and the majority normal humans. This would be a nice plot element where
the rise of such people is met with fear, disgust and hatred and how
Cole himself tries to balance out his dedication to his human friends
while living as a conduit and having to make difficult choices about his
own survival and doing the right thing.
Sleeping Dogs
An underrated gem from United Front Games, Sleeping Dogs put us in
the shoes of Wei Shen, a young man caught between his job as an
undercover cop and his family and hometown roots with the underbelly of
Hong Kong’s organised crime families. A TV show based on this with some
excellent writing could be a really good morally ambiguous crime drama.
And if the show can force itself to deviate from the plot of the game,
we could have a much more interesting plot than the forgone "good guy"
conclusion than the game gave us.
