TCC’s Top 5: Video Games to TV Series
It’s always exciting when whispers of the latest games console begin to gain momentum. This time it’s Sony’s turn with the PlayStation 4 NEO (also known as PS4K/PS4.5) said to have 4K resolution and more power-efficient components. Due to have the release date confirmed on 7th September at the PlayStation Theater in New York, it’s an exciting prospect for gamers worldwide. In wake of these circulating rumours, we’ve decided to round up our top five TV and web series that have been based on video games.
1. Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn
Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn is a military sci-fi series that was made available on Netflix in 2013 based on the Halo franchise. Starring Tom Green and Anna Popplewell, the series focuses on Cadet Thomas Lasky who attempts to thwart a massive faction of the Covenant. To any non-Halo followers, the Covenant is the dominant authority made up of alien species that maintain control over the Milky Way galaxy. Intense, right?
2. Street Fighter: Assassins Fist
Released on Machinima’s YouTube channel and then later in TV/DVD formats in 2014, this live-action martial arts series (known in Japan as Ansatsuken) is based on Capcom’s game Street Fighter. Dealing with hot-blooded and potentially fatal showdowns, the main characters, Ryu and Ken, uncover their master’s past and begin to discover the secrets of the Dark Art, Ansatsuken.
3. Assassins Creed: Lineage
This series of 3 short films serve as a prequel to the Assassins Creed franchise. Made by Ubisoft and released online, the films were made very closely with the game makers to replicate the authenticity of the video game. Both the short films and the games share a common cast: the actors’ faces were even scanned and used for the avatars, along with their vocal recordings.
4. Mortal Kombat: Legacy
This series was released via YouTube in 2011 based on the American fantasy-horror fighting video game, Mortal Kombat. The creators kept the east-Asian inspired mysticism and fantasy elements to explore the origin stories of the characters. Mortal Kombat is notorious for its high levels of bloody violence, including the infamous ‘Fatalities’, whereby the gamer inputs a series of commands to create a combination kill.
5. Pokémon
This list wouldn’t be complete without Pokémon: the video game focusing on fictional creatures called Pokémon which humans catch and train to battle each other for sport. First released in 1996 in Japan for the Gameboy, this game was revolutionary. It is now the second best-selling video game franchise of all time…behind the Mario franchise, obvs. The animated television series watches Ash Ketchum following his dreams to become a Pokémon master, fighting Team Rocket along the way. Protect the world from devastation and all that…
Tell us your favourite video game-turned-TV series by commenting below or let us know on Twitter or Facebook!