Castlevania’s animated series released on Netflix recently and the show has a lot of people talking. A second season with extended episodes was announced the day that the series became available and there’s already talk of an Assassin’s Creed animated series also in the works. All the excitement has the staff here at CGMagazine thinking about other video game franchises that would work well on the small screen. Here are five game series that we think would make great animated TV shows.
Overwatch
Since Overwatch’s release last year, Blizzard has continued to expand the world of their ultra-popular hero-based shooter. With so many unique characters and interesting back-stories, there’s no real question that Overwatch would work as an animated series. In the past, Blizzard has talked about wanting to create a CG movie, and the studio has released multiple animated trailers to introduce new characters. Overwatch’s latest character, Doomfist, received a trailer that gave us a glimpse of the characters in an anime style. Because such a big part of Overwatch‘s charm is in its characters, it would be a big treat for fans to see their favourite heroes fully animated.
Streets of Rage
When a criminal syndicate who has taken control of the government begins invading the streets, three former police officers decide to take matters into their own hands. Streets of Rage captures so much of what made the 90s awesome. The game featured over-the-top street brawling action with even crazier set pieces. On top of that, Streets of Rage’s gameplay was accompanied by some of the best house music to be found in gaming of that era. Later Streets of Rage titles swap in new characters as part of the main cast, which would work well if the series ended up having multiple seasons. Overall, an animated series based on the Streets of Rage games would make for a fun trip through 90’s nostalgia.
Final Fantasy
Any of the Final Fantasy titles could serve as an entire animated series of its own. Final Fantasy games are already character driven theatrical dramas, each taking place in their own fantastical world full of monsters and magic. Square Enix has made attempts to develop animations based on the Final Fantasy series before with projects such as Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and the more recent Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, but neither of those were direct adaptations of their source material.
Street Fighter
The stories of fighting games are often overlooked since they’ve never been the main draw, but a lot of them are far deeper than you’d expect for games about a bunch of people beating each other up. And while a lot of fighting games would make for a great TV show, what makes Street Fighter stand out above the rest is how universally well-known its characters are. Street fighter paved the way for fighting games with its release in 1987 and its characters continue to be relevant today. There have been multiple adaptations for Street Fighter in the past, including both animated and live-action films. A full animated series would add a whole new layer to the relationships between the characters as well as explain how the events between each game tie into each other.
Super Smash Bros
While many of Nintendo’s franchises could work individually as an animated series, nothing would beat having all of them together. When the last Super Smash Bros. game was in development, Nintendo had a lot of fun with the introduction of its roster. Trailers animated in a variety of different styles showcased the company’s iconic characters battling it out against each other and they all looked incredible. With the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Nintendo introduced a story to the series for the first time, giving the characters a motive behind why they’re fighting. It may never happen, but a Super Smash Bros. animated series could be one of the best shows ever made.
Have an idea of what games you would like to see made into a TV series? CGMagazine would love to hear some of your suggestions. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
