Dead Pixels has 41 chronicles

1. License to License
   

   Player Chronicle -- Posted on May 05 2009

   Dead Pixels
   By Ryan M. Eft
   
   Licensed games typically suck. That's a pretty common sentiment. But they don't have to, and they don't always do so. Without any more blah blah in introduction, here are what I beleive are some games that either deserve a good game treatment, or have gotten a bad one and deserve better.
   
   License: Planetary
   Type: Comic Book
   Developer: Namco Bandai or Ubi Soft
   Warren Ellis and John Cassaday’s much-delayed tale of a group of superhuman investigators who travel the world uncovering the hidden history of the 20th century…ghosts, spaceships, alternate realities, monsters and more…is finally wrapping up, and is on hands and knees begging a talented and committed developer to translate the highly unique experience to gaming. Cel-shaded would be the only real option for translating Cassaday’s work, while involving Ellis in the story is a must. With some work, NB could adapt the work done on Afro Samurai to suit Planetary, but the real dream company would be Ubi. They’ve proven their commitment to reimagining the action genre, and in their Naruto series have taken a license that would have sold no matter how little work went into and made something that works for everyone.
   
   Cowboy Bebop
   Type: TV show/Manga
   Developer: Namco Bandai or Level-5
   This one already has everything it needs to succeed, and can practically be ported over into the digital realm. Spaceships, bounty hunters, pirates…it’s practically developed. It has a significant following in both Japan and America, which makes it all the more surprising that all we’ve ever gotten is a little-remembered Playstation title. Namco Bandai could handle it, but they’re not my dream team. That would be Level-5, and if you played Rogue Galaxy then you already know why. Granted, it would be unprecedented for them to take on a license, and it almost certainly wouldn’t happen. But the result would be guaranteed deliciousness.
   
   Harry Potter
   Type: Book/Movie
   Developer: Rockstar
   A fan of the books probably doesn’t need me to tell them that this series could make a great video game. It has made video games, but none of them have been particularly good, much less great. Picture this: a fully explorable version of Harry’s world, complete with all Hogwart’s secrets and a system of skill-learning that utilizes the classrooms. Free-form broom flight for traveling from location to location. Team-based battles that utilize tactics rather than simply overpowering foes. Stay true to the license, and it could be great. Why Rockstar? With titles like Bully and The Warriors, they’ve proven themselves able to adapt an open-world structure to more than just Grand Theft Auto. Whether they’d even be interested is a thing no man can know, but if they were Potter might get a game that actually deserves him.
   
   The Lord of the Rings
   Type: Book/Movie
   Developer: Bethesda Softworks
   Like Potter, LOTR is another franchise that just doesn’t get the video game respect it deserves. You could make an argument for the movie-based titles, but even if they weren’t bad per se, they weren’t Lord of the Rings. Following corridors and mowing down waves of foes? Hrrm. An open exploration of Middle-Earth, multiple gameplay styles and a story treatment that respects the tone of the source would be a fan’s dream come true, and no one would be more capable of implementing it than Bethesda. The story of the three books doesn’t suit itself to open-world development, but it isn’t the only tale contained in Tolkien’s mythology. Let’s see a virtual Middle-Earth we can really get behind.
   
   Case Closed
   Type: Manga/Cartoon
   Developer: Microids
   With the proliferation of detective-style games on the DS, it’s kind of surprising we haven’t seen a Case Closed title. Most games designed for the younger set are pretty junky, but this, handled well, would be a likely exception. For those who don’t know the manga (or don’t watch Cartoon Network), a 17-year-old ace detective is transformed into a kid, and attempts to track down the men responsible. Microids, who is responsible for Syberia among other things, would be wonderful for this (or any mystery/adventure game) but they’d have to break with their devotion to PC.
   
   Astro City
   Type: Comic
   Developer: Paragon Studios and Cryptic Studios
   Hewing closely to traditional superhero fare while telling old types of stories in new ways, Astro City’s huge host of unique characters make it singularly suited to gaming. Characters include Jack-in-the-Box, who uses spring-loaded shoes to travel and attacks with super-strong confetti, and who alone would be a unique gameplay sensation. Paragon and Cryptic are responsible for City of Heroes and City of Villains, making their choice a no brainer.
   
   Disney Afternoon
   Type: Cartoons
   Developer: Capcom
   And here we go with one that won’t happen, but I would personally love. Hey, allow me a bit of indulgence. The Disney Afternoon was Ducktales, Rescue Rangers, Tailspin and Darkwing Duck, and back in the day Capcom rocked out some wonderful NES side-scrollers based on the shows. There is a severe shortage of good Disney games these days (granted, there’s a shortage of good movies and shows to base them on). It’s time to return us our classics.

   
   

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Dead Pixels has 3 comment s on this chronicle.

1. BEN
   Posted On May 05 2009

   I'm embarrassed to admit I had only heard of a few of these before reading this week's article, but I enjoyed the read for sure.
   
   I'd love to see some other people's idea on what type of licensed title deserves more respect?
   
   10/10

2. JackDaniels624
   Posted On May 05 2009

   WOO! Awesome Warriors got some respect!

3. Dead Pixels
   Posted On May 05 2009

   Cowboy Bebop:
   http://www.sonypictures.com/cthe/cowboybebop/
   
   Planetary:
   http://home.earthlink.net/~richardsonag/planetary.htm
   
   Astro City:
   http://www.astrocity.us/cgi-bin/index.cgi
   
   Case Closed:
   http://www.caseclosed.com/
   
   There you is. I'd link to Potter and LOTR but if you don't know what those are, shame on you.