Ah, video games and movie/television adaptations. The very thought likely brings up some mixed emotions.
For years, our favorite games making the jump to these other forms of media led to some less than desirable results. There were outliers, but many of these adaptations only remain positive in our memories because of nostalgia. As much love as I have for thePokémonanime, it isn’t exactly classic television either.
9 Best Movie Tie-in Video Games
For every twenty terrible movie tie-in games, there is at least one that manages to be a pretty good time.
It does seem thatfinally, however, games making the transition to television have been having a higher success rate than usual. Shows likeThe Last Of Us,Fallout, andThe Witcherare proving that it’s possible to do a live-action show correctly, and animated shows likeCastlevaniaandCyberpunk: Edgerunnersare holding it down on the animation front.
This all begs the question, “What’s going to be the next big success?” Well, dear reader, I have some ideas. And I’m also of the belief that animated television in general is the actualbestoption for a video game adaptation.
Movies are typically too short to capture the real story of a game, and live-action inherently limits just how creative, weird, and true to the games a show really can get. So let’s give the streaming networks something to think about and pitch the 10 shows that most desperately need an animated television adaptation.
10It Takes Two
…Seconds To See Why This Works
It Takes Two
As much as I loveIt Takes TwoandSplit Fictionto the point that I’d be totally fine labeling themthe best co-op games of all time, I don’t think either are particularly brilliantly written. Both games are endlessly creative and a freaking blast to play, but both suffer a bit in the cringey dialogue department.
Hear me out, though. Give this IP to an animation creator like Pendleton Ward ofAdventure Time, andI thinkIt Takes Twocould be wonderfully done in a 10-episode mini-series format. Heck, just put it in the exact same art style as Ward’s previous work, and I think it’s already perfect.
The backbone ofIt Takes Two’s story is an emotional tale of a failing marriage, but it’s highlighted along the way with wacky and absurd world design and characters that would be incredible as one of those surprisingly deep Cartoon Network joints of the early 2010s.
9Sly Cooper And The Thievius Raccoonus
Go On A Weekly Heist
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
PlayStation has had a lot of mascot characters throughout the years that could’ve gotten the full TV show treatment, but it’s really never panned out. To make matters worse, the failedRatchet and Clankmovie from 2016 might’ve even caused them to pump the brakes on some other animated movie/TV ventures.
Sly Cooperwas apparently supposed to get an animated show at one point, but it sadly no longer seems to be in the cards. This is a shame, because this game series (that I desperately want to come back in game form too) already has a built-in cast of characters that a young TV audience would fall in love with quickly.
ASlyshow would be more geared towards capturing the Saturday morning cartoon demographic, but I think it would be a ton of fun.Join Sly, Bentley, and Murray on weekly heists full of cartoonish hijinks and try not to have a good time.
8Deathloop
Commit To The Retro Vibe
Some may thinkDeathloopcould work better as a live-action series, and I can see that functioning entirely sufficiently. An evenbetteridea, however, is going full 1960s with it and drawingaDeathloopshow in the style of the originalJonny QuestorScooby Doocartoons.
A retroDeathloopcartoon would be absolutely oozing with style, color, and plenty of trippy, psychedelic art and transitions, too. Shoot, even seeing what the creators would choose for a whole TV show soundtrack for this one would be awesome.
10 Great TV Shows That Would Make Amazing Video Games
Let’s imagine what our favorite shows would be like as video games.
The story also has plenty of heart and fun banter between all of its characters, and seeing the relationship of Colt and Juliana play out over several episodes would be full of interesting twists and turns. This isn’t even factoring in the Visionaries and Eternalists inDeathloopthat would make the show increasingly zany and dangerous feeling.
7Another Crab’s Treasure
Are Ya Ready, Kids?
Another Crab’s Treasure
There’s a super easy cartoon comparison to make forAnother Crab’s Treasureleaning into aSpongebob Squarepantsartstyle for a TV adaptation, but honestly… it would rule.Another Crab’s Treasureis alsojam-packed with genuinely amazing humor from stem to stern.
Seriously, the writing here is already fun enough here to work, and seeing Kril go on an all-out revenge tour to get his shell back from the Loan Shark would make for some great television. Along the way, he also has a large roster of characters to bump into and bond with, so viewers would have plenty of sea critters to fall in love with too.
The thing that could also set this one apart is theDark Souls-style boss battles Kril would encounter along the way. Seeing these encounters take a violent, brutal vibe would be interesting TV juxtaposition against theSpongebob-iness of the rest of the show.
Take Notes, Halo
Fextralife Wiki
I think aDestinyanimated TV show could lean in the direction that we’ve already seen the sci-fi genre take with the Netflix adaptation ofCyberpunk: Edgerunners. Make aDestinyshow super stylish, graphic, and intense, and we really could be onto something.
In fact, Netflix itself may have already agreed… at least in the past.Destinywas already slated for a possible Netflix series, but it seems like the idea has now been indefinitely shelved.
I think there’s plenty of room for gritty, adult, deep-sci-fi animation out there, andDestinyhas a ton of cool lore at this point between the two main games and a ton of DLC to make the pool of material nearly endless. This is what theHaloshow should’ve aimed to be instead ofwhatever that live-action adaptation was.
5Cult Of The Lamb
Even More Deceptive Than South Park
Cult of the Lamb
So much of the groundwork for aCult of the Lambcartoon adaptation has already been done. In fact, the same art designers from the video game could honestly just be carried over to the TV show.
Cult of the Lambwould follow theSouth Parkmodel of an innocent-looking cartoon seemingly geared towards children having something truly sinister lurking beneath. This is a show that would be full of shocking, vulgar, violent moments, all while the TV viewership is lulled into a false sense of security by the cuteness of the Lamb and the Goat.
If you’ve played the game, you know there are tonsof drama that could fill in plenty of plot points thanks to a cult community that’s full of drinking, polygamy, jealousy, procreation, capital punishment, backstabbing, resurrection, and ritualistic sacrificing. There’s no shortage of good, old-fashioned cultism to cover in this one.
4Kingdom Hearts
Making Sense Of It All
Kingdom Hearts
There have been rumors and reports in the past thatKingdom Heartsdid actually have a full anime in the works, but it’s too hard to keep up with the buzz. Until I see aKHshow populate on my “For You” section of Disney+, I’m not holding my breath.
In order to ever be made, this really would have to be a Disney production in order to navigate the dozens of licenses present in theKingdom Heartsseries. All the hoops to jump through would be worth it though, and seeing Sora, Donald, and Goofy traverse all our favorite Disney worlds in TV show format would be truly magical.
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Kingdom Hearts 4 needs some new worlds from every corner of Disney’s sizable catalog.
Plus,a full, well-made show could actually streamline the ridiculous narrative of the game serieswithout you having to play 358 different titles in order to piece everything together. For my own sanity, Disney, let’s get on this one.
3The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Link And Zelda Sitting (On A Bird) In A Tree
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Skyward Swordis far frommy actual favoriteZeldagame, but I’d put its narrative against any other entry in the series. This title isrichwith lore that serves as the foundation for all of its predecessors and follow-ups in theZeldaCinematic Universe (ZCU).
Plus, this is the one game where we actually get to experience somereal, palpable romantic tensions between our two main characters, Zelda and Link. While a love story obviously isn’t required for good television, putting these two together on the small screen and watching the sparks fly also wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Fans have clamored for aZeldashowfor a long time, and starting things off where the lore actually begins makes a lot of sense. Just as long as we don’t have to sit through any animated dowsing sections or have to hold our controllers in certain directions to get the show to play appropriately, this one could be incredible.
2Dark Souls
Monster Of The Week
Dark Souls
The FromSoftware stable of games is already getting the adaptation treatment in the form of A24 reportedly working on anElden Ringmovie directed by Alex Garland. As the cliché A24 wannabe film nerd of my friend group, I’m definitely intrigued.
Still, I’d be more excited for an animated version of the originalDark Souls, perhaps helmed by the same studio that made the awesomeCastlevaniaanime series. ADark Soulsshow would have to be gritty, bloody, and scary, and I think this same team could nail it.
Dark Soulsspecifically works best as a FromSoftware adaptation because we’d also get somefun and memorable comic relief sections from characters like Solaire and Siegmeyer. Well, at least until their… less than comical story conclusions.
Build each episode up to an awesome and violent boss fight at the end, and I think this could be a blast.
1The Banner Saga
Genuine Emmy Award Bait
The Banner Saga
The Banner Sagakind of already plays out like a show or a movie at times, but I still think this istheprime example of a game that could translate most effectively to television. This fantasy tale issofreaking deep with incredible lore, writing, characters, and raw emotions.
Truth be told,I really don’t thinkThe Banner Sagais necessarily even that funas a video game. I love it, but the vibe and story carry a ton of weight to the game’s ultimate quality, in my opinion.
With so many character deaths and story beats that I still think aboutregularlyall these years later,The Banner Sagawould be a mature and likelyincredibleanimated television series. This is one I think could be an actual contender for major end of the year television awards shows if pulled off correctly.
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Games like Kena: Bridge of Spirits and It Takes Two are similar to Pixar films in story and presentation.
