Having an unexpected hit on their hands isn’t exactly unfamiliar territory for Netflix, but it really was pretty surprising to see how well their adaptation of the hit video game series The Witcher did. Having Henry Cavill as the face of the series certainly didn’t hurt, but the audience reaction towards the TV show has been pretty overwhelmingly positive, with a lot of people even going so far as to say that The Witcher is everything that they wish Game of Thrones had been.
Video game adaptations are still somewhat rare, and they are an exceptional rarity on television, but at this point it’s hard to understand why. So many video games have such amazing story lines, characters, and fictional worlds to work with, that it almost seems natural for them to make the move from video games over to TV. So here are 10 games besides The Witcher that deserve their shot at the small screen.
The Legend Of Zelda
Well if we want to start adapting video games into live action television shows (or even animated shows), why not start with one of the absolute classics?
The Legend of Zelda is a legendary game that has existed for longer than many people have been alive, and there have been too many iterations of the game and it’s fictional world to keep track of at this point. And that is exactly why it deserves it’s own TV show. Zelda is a character that is universally recognizable, and there are enough characters and story lines in the games themselves to create a pretty awesome show out of.
Resident Evil
Okay, so yes, there have already been like 20 films based on the Resident Evil franchise already. But honestly, that’s all the more reason that it should become a TV series. Even people who aren’t gamers will be familiar with Resident Evil, and it is a proven successful formula that people really enjoy watching.
At this point the film franchise is feeling a little worn out, so why not start off a reboot with a TV series instead? The basic premise of Resident Evil still feels relevant, and the world has been expanded enough that there is enough material to make a TV series out of too.
The Last Of Us
The fundamental ideas behind the video game The Last of Us are ideas that have already proven their TV worth in shows like The Walking Dead.
But the points where The Last of Us manages to truly shine is in it’s character development and in the relationship between it’s two man characters, Joel and Ellie. In an arena were characterization is a big plus but not a necessity, it says a lot that this video game already has a story that is riveting enough for television, and The Last of Us would barely need to be adapted in order to work for the small screen.
Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat has already been made into a (admittedly so bad it’s good) feature film decades ago, but the video game franchise has evolved a lot since then.
The series has already had more than a dozen games, and it is such a successful and long running franchise that even people who aren’t gamers are already familiar with the game, and even familiar with many of the characters.
And as the series has evolved, so has the complexity of it’s plots, so there is actually quite a bit of video game source material to work from for a television adaptation.
Diablo
With the pretty stunning success of The Witcher, it seems like the time is right for a TV adaptation of another high fantasy gaming classic, Diablo. The similarities between The Witcher and Diablo are actually pretty noticeable, and the Diablo franchise seems like the perfect video game to adapt to a TV series given that fantasy TV and films are having such a moment right now.
The stories of fantasy characters who square off against evil demons and devils in the fight to save humanity is a concept that really never gets old, and the world of Diablo is rich enough to be mined for a lot of TV material.
Mass Effect
One genre in which video games seem to always excel creatively and in terms of storytelling is in the sci-fi video game arena, and it’s hard to imagine a better sci-fi game than the Mass Effect series.
The game takes place in the Milky Way galaxy and in a future that is about a century and a half ahead of our own. Sentient civilization is under threat from a race of artificially intelligent machines, and the main characters of the series are doing whatever they can to end this existential threat before it’s too late and all sentient life is extinct.
Assassin’s Creed
Video games don’t get nearly the credit they’re due in most mainstream media, but the world of video games has evolved into one of the most creative playgrounds in the world. Many of these games have upped the ante when it comes to creating characters, stories, and imaginary worlds for their players to experience, and some of them even tackle some pretty deep philosophical ideas.
And one video game with some serious philosophical questions behind it is the Assassin’s Creed series. It’s an interesting blend of historical fiction and science fiction, and it’s depiction of the battle between peace through free will and peace through control of the people is fascinating.
The Elder Scrolls
The Elder Scrolls is one of the most well established and beloved video game franchises in video game history, and it’s not hard to see why. This medieval style series is similar to The Witcher in that in incorporates some real historical styling with a lot of high fantasy concepts, but the imaginary world of The Elder Scrolls is arguably bigger and better developed than The Witcher’s.
The most famous iteration of The Elder Scrolls is probably Skyrim, the fifth game in the series, but this open world game has so much rich mythology to work with that making a TV show out of it would be downright easy.
Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
Although it’s not entirely fair, sometimes a live action film or TV adaptation of a video game can be a pretty tough sell. A lot of video games that are massive hits in the gamer world don’t have a lot of pop culture traction outside of gamer circles, and a lot of people who aren’t gamers still have really low expectations for what gaming can do.
But with something as established as Star Wars, a live action adaptation of something like Knights of the Old Republic is actually a pretty easy thing to sell audiences on. And of course the story is awesome.
Tomb Raider
Maybe it would be more fair to give a video game that hasn’t had a live adaptation yet a shot at the small screen, and after two mediocre attempts at feature film adaptations perhaps it’s time to throw in the towel when it comes to Tomb Raider.
However, it seems like video games would be better suited to long form TV show adaptations instead of movies anyway, and Tomb Raider has enough widespread recognition that it’s potential for television success actually seems pretty good. Lara Croft is one of the most iconic video game heroines of all time, and it would be awesome to see her on TV.
