The Checkpoint 6.09.08: Games That Should Be Made

Posted by John Curry on 06.09.2008

This week The Checkpoint’s John Curry takes a look at some games he would love to have seen made for the next generation consoles that have been television series or movies. Also a look back at my Top 50 games list and some of the ones that almost made the list or I didn’t think about at the time.

So this week I broke out some of my favorite movies and began to wonder what movies I would really love to see turned into a game. I think it goes without saying that all of us gamers have watched a movie or television show and thought to ourselves "You know this would make a hell of a game." This week I decided to think of five different movies that I think would transition into great platform games and what genres they would work best in. I understand going in that games that are licensed tend to suck like Rod in a prison shower. However I am creating this list as if the licensing did not affect the quality of the game. Also, I want to think that these would be created in the way I feel would best suit them. I may not make games for a living but I play more than enough to know what would work and in what format it would be best. Before I get started though these are games I think would make great games, so rather than just sitting in your mom's basement listening to your White Stripes album whining about how the world is so unfair to you, don't just leave a comment that says you suck. Try to actually add something to the commentary. How would you produce it, what would you like to see made into a game, etc. etc.

1) Boondock Saints



So the other day I was watching this film, which is by and far one of my favorite movies, and the idea came to me that this movie should be a game. In case you are not familiar with the movie let me give you a little background courtesy of IMDB.com:

"Irish brothers Connor & Murphy McManus live and work in Boston. Feeling that God's will to rid Earth from all human Evil was given to them as a mission; they set out to do their divine deed. A public outcry is never heard and even FBI agent Paul Smecker, who follows their trace of bloodshed, admits that the boys are doing exactly what he secretly always has wished to happen. Risking their lives for their beliefs of Veritas (truth) and Aequitas (justice), the Boondock Saints are hyped by the public, for they are doing well, which only few dare to admit."

This movie plot would be absolutely perfect in a Grand Theft Auto/Saints Row style. Working small side missions to build your character up to kill off several mob members while avoiding the FBI. Absolutely this game is well written for itself. Take the Army of Two single player concept and merge it with the GTA story telling and you have a game that is ready to sell like hotcakes. Provide an extensive amount of weapons to chose from, cars to drive and an array of different characters and enemies and you have a good game. The film is still extremely popular, has a cult following, and is perfectly written to be a great platform gamer. If you do not believe me go get a copy of Boondock Saints, play GTA IV, and then watch the film and tell me I am wrong.

2) Se7en



The idea for turning Se7en into a game came to me after playing Condemned 2: Bloodshot. I got to thinking about the atmosphere of the game and the styling of it and began to think that with some work this could actually make a hell of a game. For those of you who are in the minority who are not familiar with this film and have not seen it here is the synopsis courtesy of IMDB.com:

"A film about two homicide detectives' desperate hunt for a serial killer who justifies his crimes as absolution for the world's ignorance of the Seven Deadly Sins. The movie takes us from the tortured remains of one victim to the next as the sociopathic "John Doe" sermonizes to Detectives Sommerset and Mills -- one sin at a time. The sin of Gluttony comes first and the murderer's terrible capacity is graphically demonstrated in the dark and subdued tones characteristic of film noir. The seasoned and cultured Sommerset researches the Seven Deadly Sins in an effort to understand the killer's modus operandi while green Detective Mills scoffs at his efforts to get inside the mind of a killer."

I think the best way to make this game would be to follow the same storytelling process as the Silent Hill series and incorporate the gameplay of a puzzle-based game in which you solve puzzles to advance across the game (a la Condemned's CSI style) combine this with a little Kane and Lynch teamwork and you have yourself a good game. The one issue I see being a problem here is the filler/lack of an abundant amount of enemies for this game. This would have to be more of a cerebral thriller of a game in which the focus would have to be on the quality of the levels, the graphics and the puzzles. If all this is mastered then I see this game being something that goes against the grain and is actually a good game.

3) SAW



First of all I understand that this is a game that is in development with a scheduled release date of October 2009. However from what I have read they are going to do the same thing everyone else who tries to make licensed games will do and that is suck by eliminating the taboo format that made the films an annual success. The basic premise that has been released regarding the game is as follows:

"Set to release in October 2009, in conjunction with the next installment of the film series, SAW the videogame will give fans of Jigsaw and these films a reason to live. Collaborating closely with Lions Gate and Twisted pictures, the game will have its own unique storyline, while answering questions left unanswered by the SAW films. In an effort to stay true to the movies, Brash is working closely with creators of the SAW franchise, Leigh Whannell and James Wan, ensuring the game pulls no punches, and delivers the horrifying suspense and disbelief that has floored fans worldwide. The SAW game is currently in development for next-gen platforms and will be built using the Unreal 3 game engine. " Courtesy of TeamXbox.com

Based on the other information I have found on this game the game is going to be from the victims perspective and not from Jigsaws perspective which I think is a mistake. There should be a combination of the two. For instance, use Jigsaw in a Hitman style format to capture his victims and determine which trap to place them in. Then use the victim perspective to solve the puzzles to release themselves. Also use the cop's perspective to try to rescue the victim while trying to capture Jigsaw. That is essentially 3 games in one while maintaining the taboo authenticity from the film.

4) Hellraiser



I began thinking about trying to figure out what would make an excellent RPG game that would not follow the traditional "spike haired emo looking kid trying to rescue his world from some evil force or some corrupt corporation." I began to wonder why there wasn't a great Horror RPG that could really cash in on the never dying horror genre. I think anyone who pays any attention to films always questions why these crappy horror films still sell tickets and make good money. The truth is people love to be scared. Why not transfer that into an RPG? I think of all the horror franchises, the Hellraiser series would be the best game to transition to the platform consoles with an RPG game, especially considering the remake coming out in 2009.
Picture for a moment selecting from one of the precreated Cenobites or creating your own Cenobite with its own unique powers. For those of you who are not familiar with what a Cenobite is in the Hellraiser series, Wikipedia.org has solved that problem for you.

"The Cenobites all have horrific mutilations or body piercings. The best known of the Cenobites in the Hellraiser films is Pinhead, who appears in all eight films and is played by actor Doug Bradley. Pinhead's mutilation consists of pins that have been hammered through his flesh into his skull in a grid pattern and six open wounds on his lower torso with the flesh peeled back, and also small metal hooks embedded in his fingertips. Other Cenobites have much more severe mutilations.

Originally enforcers for Leviathan, Lord of Hell, Cenobites were charged with retrieving anyone who solved the Lament Configuration, also known as the Lemarchand Box, a wood and brass puzzle box, which if solved opens a gateway between our world and Hell, highly sought after by the greatest of hedonists for its promise of unparalleled pleasures. The Cenobites were then directly responsible for the pleasure/pain torture of said individual.

Originally believed to have always been Cenobites since the creation of Hell, it was revealed that some Cenobites had once been human, the first four seen who had unlocked the Lament Configuration and others "recruited" by Pinhead. The rest, such as Angelique, the daughter of Leviathan, were never human at the start."

The Cinobites would be a phenomenal addition to the world of RPG's. Combine the world of Guild Wars/World of Warcraft/Diablo with the character advancements of the Elder Scrolls series. Say for instance you have strength, rage, brutality, fright, and skill upgrades for you method of killing.


5) Firefly/Serenity



While playing Starcraft the other day I thought about one of my favorite television shows and films, Firefly and Serenity and began to think that this would be PERFECT for a Starcraft style game or even a Knights of the Old Republic style RPG. I am sure that there are some sad saps out there who have never been treated to the pleasure of watching this series here is a little background for you courtesy of IMDB.com:

"Captain Malcom 'Mal' Reynolds is a former galactic war veteran who is the captain of the transport ship "Serenity", Mal his crew of hired transporters, Mal's ensign Zoe Warren, Zoe's husband, pilot Hoban 'Wash' Washburne, muscular former combat soldier Jayne Cobb, young engineer Kaylee Frye, former Alliance medical officer Simon Tamm, his teenage sister River (Both on-the-run from the Interplanetary government "The Alliance"), the beautiful "companion" Inara Serra and religious man Shepard Book do legal or illegal jobs (smuggling, protecting, guns-for-hire, robberies) as the Serenity crew travels across the outskirts of Outer Space for food, money, anything to make a living on, as The Serenity crew tries to stay under the radar of The Alliance and pulls dangerous jobs in the Alliance controlled star systems."
If you read that and cannot see how this would make an excellent Starcraft style game I don't think anything I could ever type would be enough for you."


A list of games that almost made MY Top 50 Favorite Games list or I forgot

A lot of people really started whining and complaining about MY choices on MY favorite games list. Someone did mention, Jedi, that they would like to see the games that almost made my list or I remembered since the list was posted. So here it is in no particular order.

Starcraft
Knights of the Old Republic
Psi-ops
The Bard's Tale (series)
Call of Duty 4
Sid Meir's Pirates
Doom (series)
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
EarthBound
Tomb Raider (Series)
Golden Axe
Castlevania
Baldur's Gate (series)
Unreal Tournament (series)
Black and White


Starting this week I will be inviting fans of my work to join my Myspace Army. If you want to join check it out here John Curry's Myspace Profile