Video games have shown that they can succeed in traditional media. Particularly on television. Although cinema still resists them, surely due to the rigidity of its production structures, they have demonstrated that they can tell fascinating stories that capture the hearts and minds of people through the small screen. Because some of the best current series are adaptations of video games.
The second season of The Last of Us is breaking the records set by the first. The second season of Fallout is causing a stir like we haven’t seen in a long time. And that makes us wonder, what other video games could be adapted to the television format? And that’s what we’re going to answer in this list that will give you some unexpected surprises.
Doom
The gates of hell have opened. Only one man can stop the invasion. And from there, an absolutely fascinating story can be built with all the lore we have gathered over three decades of the best FPS ever created: Doom. It would be an extremely violent series and may seem brainless, but after Doom Eternal, it is clear that there are stories to tell from both humans and demons, their hierarchies, and their lives outside of Doom Guy. And it could lead to very, very interesting stories.
GTA 4
Niko Bellic is one of the most interesting protagonists in video game history. Just for that, it is already possible to build an entire series around him. But also, with his story and the characters surrounding him and all the things that happen to him, we could have the new The Wire by adapting this masterpiece from Rockstar with a bit of good taste and a sufficient budget.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
The most recent game on this list, for many people, would work better as a series than as a video game. And we don’t blame them. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 can be a bit obtuse at times, but if anything is clear, it’s that its premise is fascinating and its world has much more potential to develop beyond what the video game does. Its own series could be a captivating fantasy story that a network like HBO would kill to sign.
Final Fantasy XVI
But speaking of HBO and fantasy, let’s not kid ourselves. Final Fantasy XVI has been systematically compared to Game of Thrones, and that invites us to think about the obvious, how great a Final Fantasy XVI series would be! Many people have issues with the game, particularly with its side quests and combat system, but the charisma of its characters and the depth of its story are undeniable. Something that could be perfectly exploited in a series that could build all of that in a masterful way.
Sleeping Dogs
Undercover cop stories always work, and Sleeping Dogs is not just that, but also the best GTA-style game that isn’t a GTA. A Sleeping Dogs series, with the same stylized lighting and focus on martial arts as the game, could work wonders. Something we can’t rule out, as Donnie Yen is very interested in making that happen.
El Paso Elsewhere
The least known game on this list is also one of the most fascinating. This game by Strange Scaffold puts us in the shoes of a vampire hunter who must kill his ex-girlfriend before she brings about the end of the world. But everything takes place in a motel where space and time have been distorted to shape the memories of those inside. The vampire hunter is a drug addict in rehabilitation. And his ex-girlfriend is Draculae, Count Dracula who has pretended to be a man to deceive humanity for centuries. If that doesn’t sound like an excellent prestige series, we don’t know what could.
Dead Rising
To conclude, let’s state something obvious. We love zombies. The best zombie series from Capcom is Resident Evil, but the second best, which has no kind of adaptation, is Dead Rising. And who could resist a completely crazy series where a group of survivors tries to survive against psychotic killers while defending themselves from hordes of zombies in a mix of horror and comedy? We tell you: we wouldn’t. We would be there on premiere day. And that’s why, Hollywood, take note: make series based on these games.
