Every once and a while a game becomes such a big hit, it manages to grow into mediums other than games. Heck, an entire movie was based off of Battleship (or seemed to be, based on the commercials. I never found that movie interesting enough to watch fully.) How should this be done and what makes it successful?
Games in Japan quite regularly get Manga or Anime adaptations. Persona 4 has a manga, anime (with a followup "true-end" movie), and had two live action stage shows (each half of the game). Now, I know not how successful the anime was (presumably very, to get dubbed and released in America), but I do know it's quality. It is the best show based on a video game I have seen, including the few video game movies that exist. Why though, is it good?
It took the rough plot of the game. The general plot stayed the same, which is very good. People who were unable to play the game were able to watch and understand it rather easily, and those who had played it were in a familiar area.
It also added some things. Many little jokes were added, and the Protagonist, by necessity mostly silent in the game, talks, and has a very sarcastic sense of humor. Some jokes were lifted from the game, but they were usually the funny choices, as oppose to the good ones when you got to choose. Small subplots were added, although many from the game were altered slightly, or completely remade in order to fit the time constraints and the format.
It was animated. I feel like, generally, movies or shows based on games need to keep roughly the same art style. Persona 4: The Animation was consistent with the games artwork and cut scenes. While this is partly due to it being an Anime, it makes sense. As the characters look the same, you get the sense that they truly are the same characters.
The voice actors were the same. Similar to the above, it gave you the feeling these were the same characters as in the game.
It stayed true to the spirit of the game. Everything that happened would have made sense to have happened in the game. None of the characters had traits changed (though some had them explained more) and one particular added character was referenced heavily as a joke in the game and brought into the anime.
Finally, it didn't take itself too seriously. This was an anime based on a game, and it is pretty clear. The animation itself isn't the best, but it makes up for it with great writing that is funny. This truly makes it fun to watch, and even in serious situations you're never more than a minute away from a joke.
While this applies particularly to animated movies based on games (perhaps the best choice, as game engine technology becomes better), most could also be taken to live action films. Resident Evil wasn't my favorite movie because it was confusing, and relied on knowledge of the first game (which I did not have, I had knowledge of the second game). Still, as games increase as a media, so will film and t.v. adaptations.
Games in Japan quite regularly get Manga or Anime adaptations. Persona 4 has a manga, anime (with a followup "true-end" movie), and had two live action stage shows (each half of the game). Now, I know not how successful the anime was (presumably very, to get dubbed and released in America), but I do know it's quality. It is the best show based on a video game I have seen, including the few video game movies that exist. Why though, is it good?
It took the rough plot of the game. The general plot stayed the same, which is very good. People who were unable to play the game were able to watch and understand it rather easily, and those who had played it were in a familiar area.
It also added some things. Many little jokes were added, and the Protagonist, by necessity mostly silent in the game, talks, and has a very sarcastic sense of humor. Some jokes were lifted from the game, but they were usually the funny choices, as oppose to the good ones when you got to choose. Small subplots were added, although many from the game were altered slightly, or completely remade in order to fit the time constraints and the format.
It was animated. I feel like, generally, movies or shows based on games need to keep roughly the same art style. Persona 4: The Animation was consistent with the games artwork and cut scenes. While this is partly due to it being an Anime, it makes sense. As the characters look the same, you get the sense that they truly are the same characters.
The voice actors were the same. Similar to the above, it gave you the feeling these were the same characters as in the game.
It stayed true to the spirit of the game. Everything that happened would have made sense to have happened in the game. None of the characters had traits changed (though some had them explained more) and one particular added character was referenced heavily as a joke in the game and brought into the anime.
Finally, it didn't take itself too seriously. This was an anime based on a game, and it is pretty clear. The animation itself isn't the best, but it makes up for it with great writing that is funny. This truly makes it fun to watch, and even in serious situations you're never more than a minute away from a joke.
While this applies particularly to animated movies based on games (perhaps the best choice, as game engine technology becomes better), most could also be taken to live action films. Resident Evil wasn't my favorite movie because it was confusing, and relied on knowledge of the first game (which I did not have, I had knowledge of the second game). Still, as games increase as a media, so will film and t.v. adaptations.
No comments:
Post a Comment