Books that would make good games

[Treeinthewoods]

Well, I've read a few books that were inspired by games(Splinter Cell, Doom) and I've read some books that were made into games (I guess technically Harry Potter is a game based on the movies) and it made me wonder if anyone here can think of and great books that would make awesome games.

I think the Redwall series could make for some good games but they may be to kid friendly for some of us. I also think that Armor (about robo armor clad solders battling ants on a toxic planet called Banshee) would be exciting to play as well.

 

[Rasputin1]

Yknow, I don't think any book would make a good game. There's so much in any book, that you just can't really convey into a game. I mean, to people who hadn't read said book, it might be a brilliant game, but if anyone who actually read it, then played, would more than likely be disappointed.

 

[Kpt._Rob]

I don't know if it would make a great game, though if it had the necessary funding it could be mind blowingly awesome.

Still, I've always wanted to see a Something From the Nightside game. Not based directly on the books, but set in the world. If someone did it right it could be amazing.

 

[Nossy]

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.

Think about it. Play as Honest Abe: Save the US and kill vampires! What more can you want from a game?

 

[Rasputin1]

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.

Think about it. Play as Honest Abe: Save the US and kill vampires! What more can you want from a game?

Hookers and machine guns? Unless this game already has them

 

[lightningmagurn]

Any of the Jack Reacher books. Just fix the small errors when talking about the military.

 

[Kpt._Rob]

Yknow, I don't think any book would make a good game. There's so much in any book, that you just can't really convey into a game. I mean, to people who hadn't read said book, it might be a brilliant game, but if anyone who actually read it, then played, would more than likely be disappointed.

It's true that direct translation of a book to a game usually goes horribly awry, since things like conversations, character's thoughts, etc... hardly make for good gameplay.

That said, you can set a game in the book's world, using themes and set pieces from the books. I think that applies to any game that is a translation from something from another medium. I mean, I don't think many people would argue with me if I said that Batman: Arkham Asylum was the best Batman game, and part of what made it really good is that instead of trying to translate the plot from one of the comics or movies into the game, they made a completely new plot that worked well to facilitate the gameplay.

Granted, there are still books with which this simply wouldn't work... I mean, I can't see anyone running to the store to pick up Huckleberry Fin's: Extreme River Rafting no matter how much they bent the plot, but with certain books, Lord of the Rings for instance, using the set pieces from the book's world, but not directly translating the book into the game, can produce really good games.

 

[Dango]

Mogworld.

Also, since there is no way you can prevent me from including manga, Rurouni Kenshin games (before he became a wanderer, though).

 

[iplaygamesyo]

The Book of Mormon... Think about it, celestial kingdoms, multiple wives to form space families with, having your own galaxy, and alien Jesus. You can't beat it. You could make it like a Sims Space Afterlife game.

 

[no oneder]

Carrie.

EDIT: No, wait. Not Carrie, since there's already a Carrie game. So then The Great Gatsby. Or Tom Sawyer.

 

[iplaygamesyo]

Everybody Poops would be a decent game too but only if Bioware made it.

 

[mrpmpfan]

Fight Club if done well or Pygmy also if done very well. Pygmy would only be great as a super-M rated title much like Bully. Look the book up on Amazon to understand what I mean by that.

 

[sketch_zeppelin]

The Disc World books

i know they've already made 2 or 3 games out of the series but they we're both point and click games and the last one was made back in the 90's so i think we're due for a new one. you could come up with any story you wanted, it's the getting the world correct that would matter. Bring in Prattchet as a consaultant. With a world full of such creativity it wouldn't be hard to make somthing out of it that stood out from the storm of shooters about space marines.

 

[OblivionRegained]

Dune. End of Discussion i win your souls!

P.S. It has to be either a Fallout 3 type RPG/FPS or an MMO.

You the public, DECIDE! =D

 

[octafish]

Dune. End of Discussion i win your souls!

P.S. It has to be either a Fallout 3 type RPG/FPS or an MMO.

You the public, DECIDE! =D

Sorry it's an RTS.

Umm, Mathew Reilly's Scarecrow books, hell, Just Cause 2 almost is one of these.

 

[Rasputin1]

Yknow, I don't think any book would make a good game. There's so much in any book, that you just can't really convey into a game. I mean, to people who hadn't read said book, it might be a brilliant game, but if anyone who actually read it, then played, would more than likely be disappointed.

It's true that direct translation of a book to a game usually goes horribly awry, since things like conversations, character's thoughts, etc... hardly make for good gameplay.

That said, you can set a game in the book's world, using themes and set pieces from the books. I think that applies to any game that is a translation from something from another medium. I mean, I don't think many people would argue with me if I said that Batman: Arkham Asylum was the best Batman game, and part of what made it really good is that instead of trying to translate the plot from one of the comics or movies into the game, they made a completely new plot that worked well to facilitate the gameplay.

Granted, there are still books with which this simply wouldn't work... I mean, I can't see anyone running to the store to pick up Huckleberry Fin's: Extreme River Rafting no matter how much they bent the plot, but with certain books, Lord of the Rings for instance, using the set pieces from the book's world, but not directly translating the book into the game, can produce really good games.

While I agree with you, to a point, I just don't think books make good games. Okay let me rephrase that, I do think some books can make good games, but said games cant live up to the books.

If you take a person, (im going to take Wizards first rule by Terry Goodkind as an example) who has never read this book, then they may find the book, to be at least an adequate(spelling?) game. But someone who has read this game, cant really expect it to live up.

So much Characterization, plot advancement, and such goes in books that a game, as much as it can try, just cant compare against.

While I may have phrased my point badly, What I'm saying is , storywise, games cannot possible compare.

 

[Joe Matsuda]

I'd like to see a Battle Royale game

...bunch of highschoolers stuck on an island forced to kill each other until there is only one left...

how is this not a game yet??

 

[Pegghead]

Definitely Mortal Engines, though preferably if it didn't follow the plot of the books and instead was just set in the same universe. It could even be an open-world type job and you could have reputations with groups like the anti-traction league or the guilds of London and try to take down cities like Collosuses...or is that Collosi?

 

[Chester41585]

The Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks.