Apparently The Last of Us is getting an HBO series

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

Except that show didn't have a videogame that preceeded it that did everything the series but interactive. What is being added, apart from probably worse visuals, and actors that don't fit the part?

It doesn't have to tell the same story, just be in the TLOU world. The Watchmen series didn't retell the comic for example.

That world really isn't that interesting. It's just zombie post-apocalypse with a more thematically fresh take on the zombies. And I like that world, but I like it because I get to roam through it and read up on little stories hidden in dilapidated houses.

The game is Joel and Ellie, and it's the main reason it got as popular as it did. So either they retell the same story as the game and try and find actors that are forced to compete with the game versions of the characters (and come up short), or they come up with new characters that are forced to compete with the popularity of the game characters AND not feel derivative of The Walking Dead.

It's more interesting than most zombie worlds. The DLC for TLOU didn't feature Joel and Ellie together and it was great. TWD itself feels derivative of most zombie fare, I don't see why it has some place on the zombie pedestal, it only has a couple good seasons. You can make zombie related material and not be derivative of TWD quite easily as there's quite a bit of that already. You can make a something good out of any subject matter. If the TLOU is good, it's another good show to watch. If it's not, then it's another show to not watch. TLOU's own alternate ending was really interesting and IMO better than the original. So there's ways to tell the same story that can still end up as it's own thing. I'm interested in it because it might be the 1st time a video game property gets an adaptation with quality writers for once like when Sam Raimi and Christopher Nolan made Spiderman and Batman; everyone knew those stories too.

 

[BrawlMan]

Not to derail the topic, but can we please get a Streets of Rage film or Netflix series and have it take place in 1991?

If not, I don't need it.

 

[Casual Shinji]

The DLC for TLOU didn't feature Joel and Ellie together and it was great.

Was it though? Was it? Because I could go on a diatribe as to why that DLC was pretty damn shit.

TWD itself feels derivative of most zombie fare, I don't see why it has some place on the zombie pedestal, it only has a couple good seasons. You can make zombie related material and not be derivative of TWD quite easily as there's quite a bit of that already. You can make a something good out of any subject matter. If the TLOU is good, it's another good show to watch. If it's not, then it's another show to not watch. TLOU's own alternate ending was really interesting and IMO better than the original. So there's ways to tell the same story that can still end up as it's own thing.

The world of TLoU and its zombies could be very interesting if they decide to really, and I mean REALLY, go for it. Like I'm talking mushroom Ents, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind type shit. But you know that won't happen. And it doesn't make that world bad, but it will make it feel like any other zombie-apocalypse if it doesn't have the interactivity (go around search empty houses and learn their history) of the game.

And in terms of the characters, maybe if they don't focus on Joel and Ellie at all, and try to tell Ish's tale, THAT might be worth something. Ish is a very unique character in the zombie genre, in that he's a scrawny, weak guy who actually has a very positive outlook on life and is trusting of others. Seeing that get tested would be really interesting. But this show is obviously going to sell itself on what's popular in the videogame, meaning Joel and Ellie.

I'm interested in it because it might be the 1st time a video game property gets an adaptation with quality writers for once like when Sam Raimi and Christopher Nolan made Spiderman and Batman; everyone knew those stories too.

Again though, in those cases the adaptation was adding something. A videogame adaptation will always suffer from having interactivity subtracted from it.

And also, both Spider-Man and Batman lend themselves well for different interpretations; they can be serious or comedic, realistic or cartoony, without losing the essence of what makes them Spider-Man and Batman. TLoU doesn't really have that, it's very clearly defined in the tone of its world and characters. This is why videogames with a more abstract artstyle and characters lend themselves better for screen adaption, because they're easier to bend and mold without breaking. Nobody would complain if for example Mario would throw out an ironic edgey one-liner in a Super Mario movie adaptation; the dude pretty much has zero character.

 

[Hawki]

Not to derail the topic, but can we please get a Streets of Rage film or Netflix series and have it take place in 1991?

Yeah, good luck with that. Looking at Sega's movie slate, the next installments are apparently Shinobi and the (almost certainly) inevitable Sonic movie sequel.

On the other hand, they somehow made two (TWO!) House of the Dead movies, and gave one of them to Uwe Bowl, so sure, why not? Streets of Rage is probably a better fit for a movie or series than some other Sega IPs.

(Though seriously, how bonkers would Ecco or Ristar be for instance?)

 

[BrawlMan]

Not to derail the topic, but can we please get a Streets of Rage film or Netflix series and have it take place in 1991?

Yeah, good luck with that. Looking at Sega's movie slate, the next installments are apparently Shinobi and the (almost certainly) inevitable Sonic movie sequel.

On the other hand, they somehow made two (TWO!) House of the Dead movies, and gave one of them to Uwe Bowl, so sure, why not? Streets of Rage is probably a better fit for a movie or series than some other Sega IPs.

(Though seriously, how bonkers would Ecco or Ristar be for instance?)

Don't remind me about Uwe "fuck" Bowl. That douche ruined alot of video game films for some stupid German tax law exploit. After he could not use it anymore, the guy when in to a major ***** fit among other things. It took until 2016/17 for him to finally stop making films. Apparently he's in to politics now, Yeah, good luck with that asshole, because no one wants you. Even Michael Bay hates the guy's guts and thinks he's a complete joke. And if the Bay man is dissing you, you know your life sucks.

I definitely prefer a Ristar over Ecco, but would not mind if Ecco came out instead. If they do a Shinobi movie, just adapt Revenge of Shinobi. AKA The Super Shinobi in Japan. I want Joe Musashi in the red and white, rescuing his lover, fighting Neo Zeed, with Yuzo Koshiro doing the entire soundtrack. If they adapt the PS2 version, I am going to go that crazy for it. Unless they bring put Hibana in that particular film.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/sega/images/e/e7/Hibana.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20110208011831

https://www.siliconera.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/projectxzone2hibana_thumb.jpg

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

There's a film and a book called The Girl With All the Gifts which is about the closest I've seen of the world TLOU inhabits, which either may be worth checking out. I dunno. There's some differences, especially how it starts. There's no obvious surrogate daughter storyl...well, almost no surrogate daughter storyline, depending on how you read it. The ending is unusual. Lead minority girl is talented for a 13 year old (at the time). Might be worth checking out, though book may be the better first option if both are of interest as seeing the film before a reads can plant many pictures in the mind that kinda limits the imagination.
When it comes to this announcement though, I find it hard to be interested in seeing the same characters go through the same arcs again. Surprise is part of the magic of storytelling, for me at least, so if they go for different, new stories in the same world, I'd be far more curious than just a straight adaptation. It's just a matter of not wanting repetition/predictability in the end.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

The DLC for TLOU didn't feature Joel and Ellie together and it was great.

Was it though? Was it? Because I could go on a diatribe as to why that DLC was pretty damn shit.

I enjoyed it quite a bit. I didn't pay more money for it (in my eyes) since I played the remastered version that came with it.

And it doesn't make that world bad, but it will make it feel like any other zombie-apocalypse if it doesn't have the interactivity (go around search empty houses and learn their history) of the game.

Interactivity doesn't make the world not generic, plus on-screen characters can interact with the whole world unlike video game characters. A TWD game is still the same world as the show or comic, it's not any better or worse. TLOU's is a bit more interesting due to the fact it's not right after the zombie apocalypse like most zombie worlds.

Again though, in those cases the adaptation was adding something. A videogame adaptation will always suffer from having interactivity subtracted from it.

TV/Film also adds elements too like better writing (in like 99.9% of cases because video game writing sucks for the most part) along with acting that can't be mo-capped. Plus, you can trim all the fat that bloats most games like filler quests in RPGs for example.

 

[Casual Shinji]

And it doesn't make that world bad, but it will make it feel like any other zombie-apocalypse if it doesn't have the interactivity (go around search empty houses and learn their history) of the game.

Interactivity doesn't make the world not generic, plus on-screen characters can interact with the whole world unlike video game characters. A TWD game is still the same world as the show or comic, it's not any better or worse. TLOU's is a bit more interesting due to the fact it's not right after the zombie apocalypse like most zombie worlds.

Yeah, but it lacks the personal connection that interactivity provides. It's why despite a lot of videogame stories lacking when taken on their own still captivate people, it's why people still fell in love with characters like Leon and Claire in the original Resident Evil 2 despite the abhorrent writing. It's also why that intro level in TLoU worked so well; player connection. The moment you see that first shot of Sarah you know what's going to happen, yet when it happens it still hits because you got to be Sarah.

And in the same vein, the world of TLoU, or Horizon: Zero Dawn, or God of War, or anything isn't nearly as interesting if you're watching it than if you're interacting with it.

Again though, in those cases the adaptation was adding something. A videogame adaptation will always suffer from having interactivity subtracted from it.

TV/Film also adds elements too like better writing (in like 99.9% of cases because video game writing sucks for the most part) along with acting that can't be mo-capped. Plus, you can trim all the fat that bloats most games like filler quests in RPGs for example.

Except that this won't be The Sopranos, this is going to have the same level of writing as any other genre series, which is only better than videogame writing if you squint. Sure, you have a wider range of acting skills, but that's a marginal increase in quality compared to what is lost.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

Yeah, but it lacks the personal connection that interactivity provides. It's why despite a lot of videogame stories lacking when taken on their own still captivate people, it's why people still fell in love with characters like Leon and Claire in the original Resident Evil 2 despite the abhorrent writing. It's also why that intro level in TLoU worked so well; player connection. The moment you see that first shot of Sarah you know what's going to happen, yet when it happens it still hits because you got to be Sarah.

And in the same vein, the world of TLoU, or Horizon: Zero Dawn, or God of War, or anything isn't nearly as interesting if you're watching it than if you're interacting with it.

To me, interactivity doesn't add THAT much to the characters. I just finally finished Leon's playthrough of RE2 Remake, I don't really think I cared about him much more vs if I was watching a movie or show. I'm not trying to downplay interactivity by any means, but most games don't really use it to its full potential. Yorda in ICO has no dialogue IIRC and the interactivity definitely adds a lot. I mainly saw RE2 Remake as a solid B-movie that I felt could've been a bit more "fun" in the character/story department. Unless the original did stuff better, I wouldn't know.

The worlds of most games and the games you've mentioned aren't very interactive. You can't interact with much of the TLOU world. Horizon's world was great mainly because of the visuals, I wanted to SEE what was around every corner vs wondering what new interactions it would lead to. The main interactions are with the machines.

Games in general barely are taking advantage of interactivity. Just look at Altered Carbon's world where you have your mind in a stack (fancy SD card) and you can put yourself in any sleeve (human/synth body), plus you can have backups of your mind obviously, and being able to "double sleeve" being in 2 places at once. The show explores a lot the intricacies that has on the world. I don't get why video games haven't used that concept as at least a "lives" system. Not to mention the gameplay implications of all that. What's the chances of Cyberpunk doing anything that interesting with its world and mechanics? Everyone's all on the FF7 Remake hype train but the game's world and interactivity is so static, and it's an RPG, it supposed to give the player choices and have the world react to them like all these features of Baldur's Gate 3 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0mdQF92N_w].

Except that this won't be The Sopranos, this is going to have the same level of writing as any other genre series, which is only better than videogame writing if you squint. Sure, you have a wider range of acting skills, but that's a marginal increase in quality compared to what is lost.

There's great genre shows nowadays. Any show that isn't like standard network TV or reality garbage is far far better written than 99.9% of video games, it's not even close. Even the games that get nominated for best writing are at best as good as your average TV show. Uncharted 3 got nominated and WON awards for writing, as Trump would say, "Sad."

 

[Casual Shinji]

To me, interactivity doesn't add THAT much to the characters. I just finally finished Leon's playthrough of RE2 Remake, I don't really think I cared about him much more vs if I was watching a movie or show. I'm not trying to downplay interactivity by any means, but most games don't really use it to its full potential. Yorda in ICO has no dialogue IIRC and the interactivity definitely adds a lot. I mainly saw RE2 Remake as a solid B-movie that I felt could've been a bit more "fun" in the character/story department. Unless the original did stuff better, I wouldn't know.

RE2 Remake kinda screwed up on the character department. It went for this more casual line delivery, but failed at making it feel organic. The biggest problem there isn't necessarily the writing, but the delivery. The only exceptions being Marvin, Ben, and Kendo, they had the most believeable performances in the game. Original RE2 had worse writing, but the voice performances were a lot more fun and camp.

The worlds of most games and the games you've mentioned aren't very interactive. You can't interact with much of the TLOU world. Horizon's world was great mainly because of the visuals, I wanted to SEE what was around every corner vs wondering what new interactions it would lead to. The main interactions are with the machines.

When I say 'interactive' I mean you have complete control over your own movement within the world. You get to go where you want (within the parameters of the gameworld), and look at what you want. Actually running around as Aloy across fields and through jungles feels 10 times better than simply watching her run around. You get to decide to go to that city, or to that desert, or to that Tallneck. Finding a note as Joel in drawer and reading it yourself adds so much more than just seeing an actor do it and read it out loud.

And more interactivity doesn't equate to a better gameworld. That's how you end up with games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Death Stranding that drown the player in inconsequential interactions. Journey has only three interactions; you can run, you can fly, and you can beep. Anything more and it would've dragged things down.

There's great genre shows nowadays. Any show that isn't like standard network TV or reality garbage is far far better written than 99.9% of video games, it's not even close. Even the games that get nominated for best writing are at best as good as your average TV show. Uncharted 3 got nominated and WON awards for writing, as Trump would say, "Sad."

Some examples maybe? Because I honestly can't think of many genre shows with superior writing.

 

[sXeth]

I'm sure its probably been pointed out, but uh

-TLoU was largely a fairly generic story held up by excpetional performances/chemistry from Joel/Ellie's actors.
-The universe is nothing special, the one unique element never really gets used to any full extent.
-I wouldn't gather much of the game would translate particularly well. You've got long stealth sequences, the goofy ladder/pallette puzzles, and a giant time skip 2/3 through.


It'd probably have to be some prequel or in-between the two games or something to really work, and thats still trying to catch lightning in the bottle twice.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

When I say 'interactive' I mean you have complete control over your own movement within the world. You get to go where you want (within the parameters of the gameworld), and look at what you want. Actually running around as Aloy across fields and through jungles feels 10 times better than simply watching her run around. You get to decide to go to that city, or to that desert, or to that Tallneck. Finding a note as Joel in drawer and reading it yourself adds so much more than just seeing an actor do it and read it out loud.

And more interactivity doesn't equate to a better gameworld. That's how you end up with games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Death Stranding that drown the player in inconsequential interactions. Journey has only three interactions; you can run, you can fly, and you can beep. Anything more and it would've dragged things down.

Some examples maybe? Because I honestly can't think of many genre shows with superior writing.

I don't really find the world "better" because I can move around it in; it's either interesting, generic, boring, fine, etc regardless of the interactivity honestly. Being able to affect the world helps though. You can move around in Horizon the game but if there was a show, you'd see a much more detailed society and marketplace for the machine parts. So, there's not just subtractions when adapting to a TV show.

Unless I'm not quite sure on what's qualifies for genre shows, but I'm thinking Westworld, BSG, superhero shows, Altered Carbon, maybe Stranger Things, American Horror Story. They are all better then well over 90% of video game stories. Even the WB DC shows are at worst on par with video game stories. Really only Arkham City from what I recall had writing I'd call legitimately good writing for a superhero game. Spiderman was fine.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I don't really find the world "better" because I can move around it in; it's either interesting, generic, boring, fine, etc regardless of the interactivity honestly. Being able to affect the world helps though. You can move around in Horizon the game but if there was a show, you'd see a much more detailed society and marketplace for the machine parts. So, there's not just subtractions when adapting to a TV show.

Really, how so? Name me one television series that goes into intricate detail about a (fictional) culture or history. Star Trek maybe? But then name me one other show that's like Star Trek. HZD has tons of dialoge and text describing the world and its past; you're not going to fit that in a TV show, let alone a movie. And even if you could there's no way to make it into interesting scenes. Stuff like that is typically what books do and what movies/shows leave out. Games have the ability to put books worth of lore into its narrative, movies and TV shows really don't.

And you're never going to get even a Meridian as detailed in a live-action show as it is in the game, unless they somehow have a budget of 100+ million. And even then, you wouldn't be able to take it all in, because the camera decides where you can look instead of you.

Unless I'm not quite sure on what's qualifies for genre shows, but I'm thinking Westworld, BSG, superhero shows, Altered Carbon, maybe Stranger Things, American Horror Story. They are all better then well over 90% of video game stories. Even the WB DC shows are at worst on par with video game stories. Really only Arkham City from what I recall had writing I'd call legitimately good writing for a superhero game. Spiderman was fine.

Arkham City? Really!? I can't think of any game with more obnoxious dialoge outside of Max Payne 3. Penguin is the most try-hard edgelord character, Catwoman is annoying as hell, Talia is just... ugh, and Batman has one-liners that feel like they came out a computer.

As for the show examples.. Westworld started to peter out near the end of season 1, and from what I hear season 2 was trash. Stranger Things the same. Performances are better, and the cinematic language as well, but writing wise not that much. The Last of Us has good writing, God of War has good writing, along with very good dialoge, Control has incredibly good writing and amazing worldbuilding. Then there's Return of the Obra Dinn, Undertale, Portal; all games that apart from having great writing also present you with unique settings movies and show never even bother with.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

Really, how so? Name me one television series that goes into intricate detail about a (fictional) culture or history. Star Trek maybe? But then name me one other show that's like Star Trek. HZD has tons of dialoge and text describing the world and its past; you're not going to fit that in a TV show, let alone a movie. And even if you could there's no way to make it into interesting scenes. Stuff like that is typically what books do and what movies/shows leave out. Games have the ability to put books worth of lore into its narrative, movies and TV shows really don't.

And you're never going to get even a Meridian as detailed in a live-action show as it is in the game, unless they somehow have a budget of 100+ million. And even then, you wouldn't be able to take it all in, because the camera decides where you can look instead of you.

Tons of shows go into great detail with their own cultures, pretty much anything that's not set in basically our world or our world with a slight change. Anything sci-fi or fantasy has rather extensive world and culture. Even Firefly that's 14 episodes is strong in that regard. Horizon's story could easily fit into a season of TV, there's a couple of 8 hour movies of the game on Youtube (which isn't just the cutscenes). It wouldn't take too much to do a few CGI wide shots of the city. Cutting to the streets on a set or on location that shares many similarities, you'd have a ton more people. The cities in Horizon are very empty feeling.

Arkham City? Really!? I can't think of any game with more obnoxious dialoge outside of Max Payne 3. Penguin is the most try-hard edgelord character, Catwoman is annoying as hell, Talia is just... ugh, and Batman has one-liners that feel like they came out a computer.

As for the show examples.. Westworld started to peter out near the end of season 1, and from what I hear season 2 was trash. Stranger Things the same. Performances are better, and the cinematic language as well, but writing wise not that much. The Last of Us has good writing, God of War has good writing, along with very good dialoge, Control has incredibly good writing and amazing worldbuilding. Then there's Return of the Obra Dinn, Undertale, Portal; all games that apart from having great writing also present you with unique settings movies and show never even bother with.

I'm pretty sure Arkham City is the generally accepted as best of the series. It's a great conclusion to TAS, even the same writer as the show wrote the game. I'm pretty sure your sorta on your own with Arkham City, comparing it to MP3 is ridiculous.

You have to really pick and choose games to find good writing. GOW1 is still the be best GOW, nu-GOW was fine, it wasn't anything special, and the middle drags forever with an anti-climatic ending. What are you talking about with unique settings, there's tons more different settings in other mediums. The fact that 90% games are about a main character that kills 1,000s of enemies is really limiting to storytelling, even RPGs that don't require combat are mainly about combat. Where's a game set in the 50s about a female comedian? Where's like a con artist game like say Leverage or Imposters? A con artist game would be pretty awesome. You can just Google "best shows of 20xx" and you'll find at least 20 shows that are as well written, and probably better, than like the 2 best written games of that year. For every Disco Elysium, there's like 10 shows of that quality.

This is an example of additions to material afforded by TV, I totally don't get how you can say making a TV show or movie from a game will makes for subtractions.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I'm pretty sure Arkham City is the generally accepted as best of the series. It's a great conclusion to TAS, even the same writer as the show wrote the game. I'm pretty sure your sorta on your own with Arkham City, comparing it to MP3 is ridiculous.

Oh I know I am, and I can't understand for the life of me why, because Arkham City has awful dialoge and characterisation. The only character that doesn't almost completely suck is Joker, and he isn't even in the game that much. If you'd allow me to make a comparison; If Arkham Asylum is Predator, than Arkham City is Predator 2.

You have to really pick and choose games to find good writing. GOW1 is still the be best GOW, nu-GOW was fine, it wasn't anything special, and the middle drags forever with an anti-climatic ending. What are you talking about with unique settings, there's tons more different settings in other mediums. The fact that 90% games are about a main character that kills 1,000s of enemies is really limiting to storytelling, even RPGs that don't require combat are mainly about combat. Where's a game set in the 50s about a female comedian? Where's like a con artist game like say Leverage or Imposters? A con artist game would be pretty awesome. You can just Google "best shows of 20xx" and you'll find at least 20 shows that are as well written, and probably better, than like the 2 best written games of that year. For every Disco Elysium, there's like 10 shows of that quality.

God of War 1 wasn't anything special in terms of writing either. The difference being GoW '18 had good character writing, nuance, and good acting, along with finally properly framing the character of Kratos.

And yes, many games revolve around killing enemies, but that's not specific to games. Look at any summer blockbuster and the plot will likely involve beating some big bad or enemy force. People like conflict, people like seeing things crash into eachother; it's our nature. Videogames aren't any more formuliac than movies and TV shows. Both Stranger Things and Westworld are a testament to that.

And what 50's female comedian? If you're referencing some movie or show then I don't know which one, which means it's not very indicative of the variety in movies and TV. I mean, where's a movie about a mosquitto that sneakily has to suck blood from unaware humans? Or a TV show about roling a ball up with objects till it gets bigger and bigger? Sure, you won't find it in movies and TV, but the presence of it in games is pretty damn small as well. So again, what 50's female comdian are you refering to?

And if you can find me some analogs to Return of the Obra Dinn, Undertale, and Portal in movies and TV, setting wise, please do. Or Oddworld: Abe's Oddeysee, Shadow of the Colossus, Okami. The completely digital nature of videogames means they're visually unrestricted, unlike (live-action) movies and TV, which will always have to abide by the constrictions of live-action. And even when it's animation they'll still choose for a more familiar setting so as not to scare off parents. Videogames have never had that issue for some reason (probably because they're interactive), and so there's a lot more weird visual variety within the medium compared to movies and TV. The only outlier being anime, or at least 80's anime, which is (was) a lot more comfortable with crazy settings. That and non-superhero comics.

And now that I mention it, that's probably a WAY better non interactive medium to adapt videogames into; comics. They're both visually unrestricted (comics even more so since they're not tied to a million dollar budget), and you can fit as much lore and reading material into it as you want. It would drastically improve Horizon: Zero Dawn's storytelling more than a TV show could, that's for sure.

This is an example of additions to material afforded by TV, I totally don't get how you can say making a TV show or movie from a game will makes for subtractions.

I already mentioned how acting would be better in an adaptation, and no that's not worth the subtraction of interactivity and the breath of the gameworld. Maybe if you were adapting Silent Hill 1, but story and performance focused games today already have good acting, and the increase a live-action performance will give is marginal at best.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

God of War 1 wasn't anything special in terms of writing either. The difference being GoW '18 had good character writing, nuance, and good acting, along with finally properly framing the character of Kratos.

And yes, many games revolve around killing enemies, but that's not specific to games. Look at any summer blockbuster and the plot will likely involve beating some big bad or enemy force. People like conflict, people like seeing things crash into eachother; it's our nature. Videogames aren't any more formuliac than movies and TV shows. Both Stranger Things and Westworld are a testament to that.

And what 50's female comedian? If you're referencing some movie or show then I don't know which one, which means it's not very indicative of the variety in movies and TV. I mean, where's a movie about a mosquitto that sneakily has to suck blood from unaware humans? Or a TV show about roling a ball up with objects till it gets bigger and bigger? Sure, you won't find it in movies and TV, but the presence of it in games is pretty damn small as well. So again, what 50's female comdian are you refering to?

And if you can find me some analogs to Return of the Obra Dinn, Undertale, and Portal in movies and TV, setting wise, please do. Or Oddworld: Abe's Oddeysee, Shadow of the Colossus, Okami. The completely digital nature of videogames means they're visually unrestricted, unlike (live-action) movies and TV, which will always have to abide by the constrictions of live-action. And even when it's animation they'll still choose for a more familiar setting so as not to scare off parents. Videogames have never had that issue for some reason (probably because they're interactive), and so there's a lot more weird visual variety within the medium compared to movies and TV. The only outlier being anime, or at least 80's anime, which is (was) a lot more comfortable with crazy settings. That and non-superhero comics.

And now that I mention it, that's probably a WAY better non interactive medium to adapt videogames into; comics. They're both visually unrestricted (comics even more so since they're not tied to a million dollar budget), and you can fit as much lore and reading material into it as you want. It would drastically improve Horizon: Zero Dawn's storytelling more than a TV show could, that's for sure.

GOW1 is just really well-done for what it is. Nu-GOW felt like they had a storyline for like half the game, then it gets video-gamey requiring additional items to progress. The Kratos-Boy schtick works for the 1st so many hours but they just keep going with it without it evolving/progressing way too long. It's more ambitious but not better IMO.

Violence/combat is way way more specific to games than movies. Formulaic on its own isn't bad nor is originality good, it's usually the execution. Westworld is far from formulaic though; Stranger Things, sure. I'm not really sure if video games are more or less formulaic in writing, but caring about the characters/story in video games happens rarely for me, it's just poor writing quality more than anything. I do think the lack of different types of protagonists really hurts, there's that run of like every video game protagonist having to be like the exact same white dude.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Some things don't translate well because games you don't need a story. I know the Mosquito game and Katarmari games, though I never played them, but I'm guessing they have like no story, kinda hard to make a show, movie, comic, etc about that. That's a great thing about games, they don't need stories.

There isn't going to be perfect 1:1 examples of games to TV shows/movies. The Cube is a pretty similar setup to Portal. Obra Dinn isn't super unique setup-wise. The entire CBS network of shows at one point was/still is? crime investigations. Shows/movies can be animated and be about anything and any setting. The US kinda sees animation more for kids and Japan, while not for kids, makes a lot a very same-y animated shows.

A show can have just as much as a comic as there's shows that go on forever. I don't think there really isn't anything that can't work in a show format, the only real limitation is if it's popular enough to make money but that's applies to anything as well. Comics are a lower cost way of getting material out for sure.

 

[Casual Shinji]

GOW1 is just really well-done for what it is. Nu-GOW felt like they had a storyline for like half the game, then it gets video-gamey requiring additional items to progress. The Kratos-Boy schtick works for the 1st so many hours but they just keep going with it without it evolving/progressing way too long. It's more ambitious but not better IMO.

Of the classic GoW's it's the best one, but the seeds of "unnecessary shithead Kratos cuz that's badass" were already there. And I like that GoW '18 takes that mindset behind the shed and shoots it. It finally approached the character of Kratos in an intelligent manner. But yeah, the game could get a bit drag-y, especially around the middle. The set-up of it being a road trip without any sort of ticking clock made it work well enough, but I do hope the sequel ops for a more linear structure.

Violence/combat is way way more specific to games than movies. Formulaic on its own isn't bad nor is originality good, it's usually the execution. Westworld is far from formulaic though; Stranger Things, sure. I'm not really sure if video games are more or less formulaic in writing, but caring about the characters/story in video games happens rarely for me, it's just poor writing quality more than anything. I do think the lack of different types of protagonists really hurts, there's that run of like every video game protagonist having to be like the exact same white dude.

That's really not that different in movies, when it comes to protagonists. Even when it's a girl she'll still usually be white and badass. For me it's more about character diversity than visual diversity now. I've kinda grown a bit weary of the typical badass, whether they be white, black, male, or female.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Some things don't translate well because games you don't need a story. I know the Mosquito game and Katarmari games, though I never played them, but I'm guessing they have like no story, kinda hard to make a show, movie, comic, etc about that. That's a great thing about games, they don't need stories.

Well, yes and no. I mean, I certainly need a story in my games. But then there's games that don't exactly have a story, like Journey, Inside, or Dark Souls, that still rope you into a world and pretty much incourages your mind to wander and make up it's own story. This is one of the main benefit of games being interactive; a lot times it's the gameworld that tells the story, and you wandering around in it feels like you're the one telling it.

There isn't going to be perfect 1:1 examples of games to TV shows/movies. The Cube is a pretty similar setup to Portal. Obra Dinn isn't super unique setup-wise. The entire CBS network of shows at one point was/still is? crime investigations. Shows/movies can be animated and be about anything and any setting. The US kinda sees animation more for kids and Japan, while not for kids, makes a lot a very same-y animated shows.

This is why I said '80's anime', since that was the era anime had a lot of weird, creative fuel running through it.

A show can have just as much as a comic as there's shows that go on forever. I don't think there really isn't anything that can't work in a show format, the only real limitation is if it's popular enough to make money but that's applies to anything as well. Comics are a lower cost way of getting material out for sure.

Sure, technically you could say it could work just as well in a show, but the reality is usually very different. And that's because a comic can be made by just one person with a pencil and a whole lot of paper, a show can't.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

I don't really find the world "better" because I can move around it in; it's either interesting, generic, boring, fine, etc regardless of the interactivity honestly. Being able to affect the world helps though. You can move around in Horizon the game but if there was a show, you'd see a much more detailed society and marketplace for the machine parts. So, there's not just subtractions when adapting to a TV show.

Really, how so? Name me one television series that goes into intricate detail about a (fictional) culture or history. Star Trek maybe? But then name me one other show that's like Star Trek. HZD has tons of dialoge and text describing the world and its past; you're not going to fit that in a TV show, let alone a movie. And even if you could there's no way to make it into interesting scenes. Stuff like that is typically what books do and what movies/shows leave out. Games have the ability to put books worth of lore into its narrative, movies and TV shows really don't.

And you're never going to get even a Meridian as detailed in a live-action show as it is in the game, unless they somehow have a budget of 100+ million. And even then, you wouldn't be able to take it all in, because the camera decides where you can look instead of you.

Unless I'm not quite sure on what's qualifies for genre shows, but I'm thinking Westworld, BSG, superhero shows, Altered Carbon, maybe Stranger Things, American Horror Story. They are all better then well over 90% of video game stories. Even the WB DC shows are at worst on par with video game stories. Really only Arkham City from what I recall had writing I'd call legitimately good writing for a superhero game. Spiderman was fine.

Arkham City? Really!? I can't think of any game with more obnoxious dialoge outside of Max Payne 3. Penguin is the most try-hard edgelord character, Catwoman is annoying as hell, Talia is just... ugh, and Batman has one-liners that feel like they came out a computer.

As for the show examples.. Westworld started to peter out near the end of season 1, and from what I hear season 2 was trash. Stranger Things the same. Performances are better, and the cinematic language as well, but writing wise not that much. The Last of Us has good writing, God of War has good writing, along with very good dialoge, Control has incredibly good writing and amazing worldbuilding. Then there's Return of the Obra Dinn, Undertale, Portal; all games that apart from having great writing also present you with unique settings movies and show never even bother with.

Red Dead Redemption 2 [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HLATiuT5gm8] is one of the most nuanced pieces of digital entertainment as far as dialog performances and overall presentation go. Even the random NPCs have around 80 page scripts each [https://www.vulture.com/amp/2018/10/the-making-of-rockstar-games-red-dead-redemption-2.html] dedicated to their interactions.
I also went from not giving two shits who Arthur [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=arGz8Vd8EDk] was at the beginning to being sadly disappointed having to go back to play as John in the epilogue, which is a personal testament to how much went into his character development. The music is also on another level; especially listening to the soundtrack after finishing the game.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

That's really not that different in movies, when it comes to protagonists. Even when it's a girl she'll still usually be white and badass. For me it's more about character diversity than visual diversity now. I've kinda grown a bit weary of the typical badass, whether they be white, black, male, or female.

There's loads of shows about all different kinds of stuff now like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as I mentioned already. Big Little Lies is a female ensemble cast. There's so many good shows now, I can mainly watch the subject matter that interests me vs watching it because it's one of the few good shows on TV (which was the case no less than 20 years ago). I would've ate up all the WB DC shows 20 years ago but now there's so much better stuff on TV, I don't have time for that stuff.

Well, yes and no. I mean, I certainly need a story in my games. But then there's games that don't exactly have a story, like Journey, Inside, or Dark Souls, that still rope you into a world and pretty much incourages your mind to wander and make up it's own story. This is one of the main benefit of games being interactive; a lot times it's the gameworld that tells the story, and you wandering around in it feels like you're the one telling it.

I'm just saying the inherent nature of a game like say Chess or Baseball does not need a story. Rocket League doesn't need a story or Videoball or a racing game.

This is why I said '80's anime', since that was the era anime had a lot of weird, creative fuel running through it.

I got that, anime is overall very disappointing for me because it can be anything (and it has been anything at times) but it's usually complete garbage. Whereas non Japanese animation rarely leaves the already established comfort zone.

Sure, technically you could say it could work just as well in a show, but the reality is usually very different. And that's because a comic can be made by just one person with a pencil and a whole lot of paper, a show can't.

One creative mind also has its pros and cons. For example, Captain Mal in Firefly was written rather different than Nathan Fillion's portrayal, which Joss Whedon agreed with Fillion on obviously. If Firefly was just a comic created by Whedon alone, it would be something different, probably worse in this case. Everyone says Kojima needs an editor as well. I feel one person doing everything themselves can't see certain things so chances are higher the work would be less good IMO. I feel the creative process is best when someone leads the project, has the vision in their head, and is open to constructive criticism.