Stories that can ONLY work as a video game

[xadu]

I loved Bioshock, even when I didn't spoke English, and had no idea about what "the story" could possibly be.

Bioshock was a great game, because it had great mechanics, interesting choices (not "story" choices), and allowed the payer to exploit the mechanics in creative ways.

The "story" could be changed like a skin, giving it a completely different meaning, and it still would be the same game.

[pxfbird]

I hadn't thought of anime. lol Yes, the Castlevania one is very well done. I've only had a chance to watch two eps of the second season, but my bf and I both enjoyed the first season. I would recommend it.

If they were all done with the understanding of the game material and by someone that is a fan (like Castlevania), then yeah.... they could make some successful anime adaptations of several gaming series. Anime would also allow them to show things that might be hard, or too expensive, to do with special effects. Easier to get the right voice for a character, as well.

I think a BioShock movie would have to be done first-person and with humor. Something along the lines of Hardcore Henry so that they can keep the suspense from the game and make the viewer feel more involved. Seeing a Big Daddy for the first time would be pretty cool live-action. I still have doubts, though, because if they frelled it up in any way, it would just ruin it for me. Serious and boring as hell BioShock would not work.

Have you seen the Nathan Fillion fan-movie for Uncharted? It was well done and had some cool shots.

[TheDorkyDane]

That "The Nonenary Games" sounds really interesting. I'm going to check that out. At first, it was making me think of the Cube movie. lol
I LOVE BIOSHOCK! That is one of my favorites and I definitely agree that it would not work as well if it were a movie. Or even a book. It works as a game because you as a player are involved in it more than any other medium could get across.

I'd like to offer Dead Space. That is another of my faves and I don't know how that would work as a movie. I think it could be interesting and I'd love seeing the necromorphs on the big screen, but it wouldn't be the same. I think a lot of non-gamers might not get into it as just an audience either. That is a big question they need to consider when they do make video game movies.... Are non-gamers really going to have any interest? If the answer is NO, then they need to consider if they are just making the movie for us, the players, then. If so, then do it right by us. Not most of the crap they've come out with trying to please non-fans.

I can think of a large list of games that I don't think would work as well in non-game mediums. That said, if they did them right, then they could maybe work. As you said with video game movies, they have to cut so much of the story to fit it into only two hours. What if they told the stories instead as a tv series? Something high quality with 10-12 episodes, possibly multiple seasons. No lame fillers, no cutting of important story elements. (Looking at you, GoT.) But this way, they could concentrate on excellent writing, acting, production (because of the short seasons), but still tell the story in a better way than a movie (by offering it over a few seasons.)

Something like Pony Island wouldn't work in any other way either. Just thought of that since I started it the other day. I can't see that in any other medium because the game is so weird. lol

Well, I think anime adaptations actually has a fairly solid story of adapting games. People often forget animes which actually has a HUGE roster of game adaptations. I mean just to mention the most popular one, cough, pokemon. But there's also stuff like "Sword Online." and so on.
Also there is Netflix's Castlevania which has people going completely nuts, but I actually havn't seen it so I can't give my opinion on it.

Anime of course has the advantage of length. Though I do think in many circumstances to make a decent adaptation you would need to reformat and thusly rewrite the games.
And it CANNOT just be highlight from the games, you need the CONTEXT of the highlights. That's why The Last Airbender sucks! It has the highlights of the show without the context that made the highlights worthwhile in the story. It's a clip show of highlights, you are not going to get it if you didn't watch the show -_-;

A bioshock adaptation could be possible... but would required MASSIVE re-writes in the story to fit it down into a three act story structure. Also capturing the tone would be difficult, I mean... For god's sake don't make it boring.
I could see a bioshock adaptation taking itself SUPER seriously and thusly becoming insanely boring. People often forget, but the game had a sense of humor, it NEEDED to have a sense of humor or people would turn it off because well... no one likes to be depressed for thirty hours.
And yes, yes it is an amazing game.

I don't play a lot of FPS's I am more of a RPG'er, but yeah. I liked it.

[pxfbird]

That "Zero Escape: The Nonary Games" sounds really interesting. I'm going to check that out. At first, it was making me think of the Cube movie. lol
I LOVE BIOSHOCK! That is one of my favorites and I definitely agree that it would not work as well if it were a movie. Or even a book. It works as a game because you as a player are involved in it more than any other medium could get across.

I'd like to offer Dead Space. That is another of my faves and I don't know how that would work as a movie. I think it could be interesting and I'd love seeing the necromorphs on the big screen, but it wouldn't be the same. I think a lot of non-gamers might not get into it as just an audience either. That is a big question they need to consider when they do make video game movies.... Are non-gamers really going to have any interest? If the answer is NO, then they need to consider if they are just making the movie for us, the players, then. If so, then do it right by us. Not most of the crap they've come out with trying to please non-fans.

I can think of a large list of games that I don't think would work as well in non-game mediums. That said, if they did them right, then they could maybe work. As you said with video game movies, they have to cut so much of the story to fit it into only two hours. What if they told the stories instead as a tv series? Something high quality with 10-12 episodes, possibly multiple seasons. No lame fillers, no cutting of important story elements. (Looking at you, GoT.) But this way, they could concentrate on excellent writing, acting, production (because of the short seasons), but still tell the story in a better way than a movie (by offering it over a few seasons.)

Something like Pony Island wouldn't work in any other way either. Just thought of that since I started it the other day. I can't see that in any other medium because the game is so weird. lol