The pilot of The Last of Us – available now on Disney+ Hotstar – was a great example of how the curse of video game adaptation could be broken by relying on the writing of the source material. The inclusion of Neil Druckmann – the author of the original 2013 PlayStation game – coupled with Craig Mazins (Chernobyl) filmmaking expertise on the HBO show, fueled the belief of regular fans that this could be something special, and it actually worked beautifully. While a good portion of the pilot felt like a shot-by-shot remake, there were nuances in filmmaking that made it even more special. Scrambled eggs naturally looked pale yellow instead of orange. Characters could be seen actually eating their food instead of messing with it. Especially since it’s an HBO show, most of the footage was hand-held, which only serves to draw you into the emotionally shaking psyche of the distraught survivors.
Despite having a similarly dystopian, post-apocalyptic setting as most zombie killing media, The last of us Course diverted into the humane aspect. Here the focus is on the unlikely duo of hardened survivor Joel (Pedro Pascal) and a young girl Ellie (Bella Ramsey), who adopt a father-daughter relationship over the course of the video game. This effect of sentimentality is further enhanced by minor changes in The last of us Show’s writing to help us connect with Joel’s broken heart. The pilot was superbly done and only makes us more excited for the coming weeks!
That means that HBO The series wasn’t the only piece of traditional media to nail a video game adaptation. So while we wait until every coming Monday for a new episode, here is a list of some great movies and TV shows adapted from video games that you can watch or re-watch to keep you busy.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunner
Save yourself the Blade Runner-like world building – plagued by machines, sex and body modifications – Cyberpunk: Edgerunner runs almost separately from the actual video game, simply using the universe as a vehicle to capture the underdog story of a street kid, David. With Studio Trigger involved as animator for this project, we’re presented with an over-the-top, dynamic art style that plays with body physics and capitalizes on its neon-lit color palette.
For an anime of this caliber, it’s certainly adult-oriented, with plenty of gore, bullets, and violence, in addition to a cast of eccentric characters that grow on you over time – and raise questions in you about which side to root on. There was also the once tarnished one Cyberpunk 2077 a new attitude to life.
Watch the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners trailer
Studio Trigger is known for incorporating over-the-top art styles into their works
Photo credit: Netflix
Silent Hill (2006)
Based on the popular horror game series first released in 1999, the first silent Hill Movie was released in 2006 and follows the events and characters of the game closely but with some changes for cinematic improvements. While the film explored far too many different horror themes and subplots, including supernatural creatures and a strange cult, it was widely praised for capturing the tone and feel of the video games it’s based on.
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Sonic the Hedgehog
Although the original CGI designs by sound hilariously inaccurate, the final film turned out to be an entertaining live-action adaptation of one of the most popular video game characters of all time. The film benefited from excellent performances by James Marsden and Jim Carey as antagonist Dr. Robotnik, as well as some nice throwbacks to the original 1990’s Sonic games. It might be silly at times, but fans of Sonic will still be happy.
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The title car is voiced by Ben Schwartz in the film
Credit: Paramount Pictures/ Sega
arcane
When it comes to extensive lore building, no one can stand the water Riot games, which now serves a dual purpose as a game developer and production company. viewing a standard League of Legends The game might seem trivial and fuzzy to an outsider – since it’s just a bunch of tiny champions charging ultimates and firing spells at large towers on either side of the map. But beneath that lies a whole spectrum of drama; a small part of it is explored in the steampunk spectacle with watercolor motifs, arcane.
This Game Awards 2022 Winner series explores the origins of orphaned sisters Vi and Jinx, who are separated in the posh, utopian city of Piltower amid rising tensions. With a dense plot that touches on the aspect of duality, be it the morals of the main characters or the conflicts of the cities, and an even electrifying soundtrack to boot, arcane is a deserved must-read for fans and newcomers to the franchise alike.
The Witcher series
For fans of Henry Cavillnow might be the best time to catch up on his previous days as Geralt of Rivia season 3 arrives Netflix Summer. Post this, Liam Hemsworth (The hunger Games movies) takes over the role the mostly silent monster hunter trying to understand the complexities of the Elder Blood that Ciris (Freya Alan) veins. Secure, The Witcher Series doesn’t technically count as a video game adaptation as it’s derived from the original Andrzej Sapkowski novels and all. But it certainly fits as a companion piece, serving to deeply expand the lore within the story CD Projekt Red games.
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Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher
Photo credit: Netflix
