While Telltale Games has been around for a while, giving us the adventure games we need and deserve, it wasn’t until Back to the Future: Game dropped in late 2010, that their star rose for giving different takes on popular licensed franchises. Things blew up with Walking Dead at the height of its popularity and possibly its most critically acclaimed game Wolf Among Us this past year with games for Borderlands and Game of Thrones forthcoming. As Telltale can’t miss right now, Taj Williams and William Evans came up with ten franchises that could thrive under the Telltale treatment.
24
During 24’s run, the series won numerous awards. Most thanks to our favorite resident badass/antihero Jack Bauer. Who has been kicking ass and taking names all for the greater good for 9 seasons. With brilliant acting, great storytelling, great fan support, and a fun challenging format. The real question is why hasn’t Telltale jumped on adapting this franchise before? Although the show recently wrapped up it’s limited television event entitled “Live Another Day” the streets are literally foaming at the mouth for more 24. C’mon Telltale, take a crack at Jack! -Taj
Avatar: The Last Airbender – Bridging to the Legend of Korra
We’ve had a full run of the TV show and comics that have followed that show, but we still don’t have an adult interpretation of Aang when he had solidified his friendships with allies and foes that we watched play out in the initial series. We saw very small glimpses of it in the first book of Legend of Korra, but it would be cool to navigate as Aang in political and physical battles that he had to deal with in helping build Republic City. The Avatar always has to maintain a balance, so the choices and actions could play a large role in constructing the narrative. -William
Battlestar Galactica
While only one of the many Battlestar Galactica timelines or stories has largely succeeded there is SO MUCH fertile ground. The early years of Adama (Blood and Gold). The birthing of the Cyclons (Caprica). The re-imagined series. You could follow any number of characters and alter the decisions they had to make in war, how they dealt with the Cyclons, who they sacrificed, where they settled. Literal endless possibilities. Tons of morality decisions, tons of deaths and reveals that send repercussions throughout the story. This is custom built for an adventure game. -William
Bioshock Infinite – The Rise and Fall of Daisy Fitzroy
Let me just say that a game doesn’t have to be perfect for it to be a masterpiece. Bioshock Infinite is a masterpiece. You know how there are really great albums where every song is good, but they don’t feel like masterpieces? It’s probably because they don’t have that odd, experimental track that just catapults the material to another plane. The abolitionist movement and revolt led by Daisy is that track in Infinite. They could’ve woven together a typical trippy and inspiring story without it, but once you started seeing the posters, the segregated areas and poor ghettos in Columbia, this made the game something daring and experimental. Heading that revolution was Daisy, the fiery leader of the Vox Populi. She’s charismatic, brutal and has a great eventual death scene. This one is baked in, people. -William
The Dark Tower: Tales of the Gunslinger
I know, I know, part of what makes the Dark Tower series so irresistible to want and adapt to something and almost impossible to do so is the complete endlessness of it. The world is about as big as any work of fiction that exists and the environments, characters and motivations of its inhabitants are literally changing by the day. In essence, Stephen King has created a limitless playing field. Morality is a fallacy in the Dark Tower universe, but decision making still could play a big role: who get protected, who you choose to befriend, what goals do you feel are most important in your quest to find the Dark Tower. Roland is especially a great character to play as, because no “good” or “bad” choices would be uncharacteristic for him to make. -William
Dexter
Let’s get one thing out the way, the series finale wrapped up Dexter HORRIBLY. You know it, I know it, hell even Michael C. Hall knows it. But I have a question: remember when you didn’t hate this show? Remember when you were actually excited for Sunday nights? Dexter’s premise has always been an interesting one, if you don’t know Dexter is a forensic analyst for the police department by day, and serial killing vigilante by night. Dexter is no stranger to video game adaptations as a game made for mobile and pc that recapped season one. It did fairly well and was a hit with reviewers, but in order to please current gamers Telltale needs to go big or go home. All the Dexter fans are sitting in front of the screen doing the birdman handrub because they know what I’m getting at. The streets demand a game based on season 4. Season 4 of Dexter featured our favorite antihero married and dealing with 3 children as the presence of the “Trinity Killer” portrayed BRILLIANTLY by John Lithgow come forth to disrupt Dexter’s way of life. The season was brutal, gruesome, and surprising with lots of twist and turns. Everything that Telltale does great. -Taj
Firefly
Now I wanted to start this off by saying that you could probably choose any project in the Whedonverse and turn it into a episodic interactive adventure and it would end up a success. In fact Buffy was another contender for this list but as you can see I decided to go a different route. Back in 2010 I remember sitting in front of my tv with Netflix on, really unsatisfied with the selection. It was that moment I would select a show I had heard good things about and put in my queue months earlier but had forgot and neglect it. I didn’t move from my bedroom for two days. I literally sat there and watched all 14 episodes and the movie in one sitting..it was my first binge watch. Whether it be the perfect blend/execution of sci-fi and western, excellent casting, great dialogue, even better character development. I was just taken aback and like the rest of America was wondering why this show ever went off the air. Whether it’s gathering at Comic-Con to celebrate the shows 10th anniversary or campaigning to get the show back on the air it’s no secret that the “Browncoats” love their show and would kill for some original content to soften the sting a bit. I think Telltale could be the company to bring back that same feeling I had when I first took a trip on the good ship Serenity. -Taj
Freddy Vs. Jason
Originally I wanted to go solely with Nightmare on Elm Street as my pick for this list but hey, go big or go home right? Why not bring back the two titans of the horror genre to finish what they started in the film “Freddy Vs. Jason”. The game could very well have similarities with the film as the story can be told from a point of view of human characters being caught in the middle of this brawl between these two demonic entities as they try to figure out how to stop what’s going on or better yet how to survive it. With Freddy being able to enter and kill in the dream realm and Jason just being an unstoppable killing force that he the possibilities are endless for Telltale to redefine storytelling in the horror genre of gaming. -Taj
Saga Prequel – The Will’s Journey
Incredible and colorful characters? Check. Huge expansive world with plenty of varied locales? Check. Warring and competing factions? Check. Kick ass protagonist? CHECK THAT SHIT, B! Come on, aren’t you wondering how The Will came up in the bounty hunter game? Where he got lance/sword weapon? How he met Lying Cat? How he came to be named THE WILL??? You could create a brand new story on top of Brian K. Vaughn’s amazing script (with Vaughn penning it hopefully) without messing with the current story at all. You could actually dive deeper into some of the other civilizations or his relationship with The Stalk. Seriously though, I’m here for the Lying Cat origin story. -William
X-Men
With a long rich history, compelling characters, and serious themes of prejudice and racism. Marvel’s X-Men was a no brainer for this list. 2011’s “X-Men: Destiny” lets you explore the X-Men universe from the perspective of one of three new mutants. Each with their own unique power and backstory as they try to find their place within the continuity. This game although commercially and critically panned could ultimately serve as a model for the direction Telltale could go with. Me personally I would try to adapt the Schism storyline since it’s a pretty current and has a great story. This will also gives Telltale a chance to develop new younger mutants (1 which will be player controlled) since young mutants play a big role in this event and based on your actions to events you experience in game. At the end, players can choose to stay and hone your abilities in Westchester or fight alongside Cyclops as he preps his mutant army to protect mutants from outside threats. Going the Schism route could also lead into other storylines such as A vs X and many others as the number of X-books these days seem to be endless. It would be interesting to see how Telltale could adapt and put their spin on our favorite band of mutants. -Taj
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