The Last of Us
Last week, certain corners of the Internet were roused into confusion when the news broke that Netflix and Nintendo were in talks to create a live-action TV show adaptation of The Legend of Zelda video game series. Nintendo is famously protective of their franchises, so news of this production seems bizarre. To make matters weirder, the protagonist of Zelda, the pointy-hatted warrior Link, never actually talks. Besides that, the volume of fantastic creatures and colorful imagery in the Zelda games would make a live-action show either incredibly costly or painfully laughable — likely both. Zelda, as great as it is, would not make a good TV show.
So what kinds of games would make good shows? First, the game needs to have a somewhat realistic art style, because trying to capture a distinctive cartoon-style aesthetic in real life rarely works. Second, the show needs to be able to tell different stories in an existing world or use existing characters. And finally, the characters are going to have to talk, so silent protagonists are a no-go. Here are a few game series that deserve the Netflix treatment:
Fallout
The Fallout series takes place during a ruined, post-nuclear apocalypse in an alternate timeline where the world’s technology looks like what people in the 1940s and ‘50s thought the future would be. It’s a startling juxtaposition of old-fashioned visuals and a dark, grim futuristic world. The games are renowned for their character customization and the freedom to journey however you want into the Wastelands, so the wealth of potential stories to draw from are nearly endless. Follow around a group of wanderers and watch as they attempt to survive drinking water exposed to radiation, mutant beasts, bands of raiders and the remnants of the U.S. government, all while surrounded by crumbling vistas of recognizable landmarks.
Metal Gear Solid
The Metal Gear Solid games are often accused of being interactive movies, given their glut of bizarre plot twists, hourlong cutscenes and complicated backstories. Most of the games follow two main characters: Solid Snake, a cloned spy from a time just a little beyond our own, and Big Boss, the original master agent from whom Snake was cloned. Big Boss’ adventures in the Cold War are being filled in with recently released and upcoming MGS games, but there’s still a mass of untold tales about these characters and other members of the huge and colorful cast. Weird tech, strange humor and exciting espionage could all contribute to an intriguing show that could even tie into the grander plot of the franchise.
The Last of Us
Praised for having one of the best stories and writing in modern gaming, The Last of Us takes place in America 20 years after an apocalyptic zombie infection spreads around the world. The game follows two survivors — Joel, the grizzled killer, and Ellie, the fierce young girl immune to the virus — on their cross-country trek to deliver Ellie to rebels who might be able to make a cure with her blood. Gut-wrenching, terrifying and often startlingly poignant, the plot of The Last of Us already exists in near-perfect form as a game. However, a show could tackle the years Joel spent surviving in Boston, or even the adventures of other characters in this world. It’s quite different than The Walking Dead, as the “zombies” here are infected with a fungal disease that turns them into mushroom-headed clicking and shrieking beasts.
Dishonored
A steampunk city in the midst of a deadly rat plague. An assassinated empress, her wrongfully accused bodyguard and the new overlords who’ve imprisoned her daughter. One masked man’s quest to hunt down the men responsible for the death of the empress, save her daughter and redeem his name. The Dishonored series could have all these elements of a classic revenge tale and do its grimy cityscape justice, without ever going outside of a realistic budget. Like most of these stories, a show would need to focus on a larger cast of characters. Maybe the rebels could get their own tales and be occasionally visited by Corvo himself.
Alan Wake
A horror game designed to mimic a TV show that’s already split into six “episodes” would make a perfect jump to the world of TV. The story of a novelist looking for his missing wife in a creepy Twin Peaks-esque town could feature beautiful scenery, gripping performances and a pervasive sense of dread. It couldn’t sustain a long show, but it would make a great miniseries for fans of mystery and horror.
inFAMOUS
One day a few people suddenly discover they have superpowers. And, as would probably happen, the government comes in to take them away for testing. The inFAMOUS show could take the place of Heroes in our current TV landscape. Imagine a group of superpowered people trying to save lives and evade capture all while sequestered in any major American city. The central conceit of inFAMOUS’ admittedly simple morality system — will you use your powers for good or evil — could play into opposing superheroes’ forces. Yes, we have enough superhero TV and film, but this show would be darker and more realistic than much of the Marvel Cinematic Universe without the overbearing grimness of the DC films.
Mass Effect
Now here’s the big one. Doing Mass Effect justice in a TV show would require a Game of Thrones-level budget, but the epic sci-fi opera series is filled to the brim with interesting characters, complicated moral dilemmas, and a galaxy of worlds and creatures. The story of Commander Shepard only spans a few years, but the Mass Effect universe has a long and storied lore that could sustain as many seasons as the show could run, even before humanity comes into normal contact with the various alien races. If any game franchise deserves a massive TV series, it’s this one.
