There has never been a good video game about....

what? What has there never been a good video game based on or about?

World War 2.

Ah, I got nothing.

I’ll get started. Stephen King! The man has sold hundreds of millions of books and has had dozens of popular movies but not a single decent video game.

jrralls wrote:

I’ll get started. Stephen King! The man has sold hundreds of millions of books and has had dozens of popular movies but not a single decent video game.

It's interesting you'd say that. Nadia Oxford over at US Gamer has talked about how influential Stephen King has been to video games on the Axe of the Blood God podcast as well as wrote an article about that very thing.

I don't really know, I've thought about this and you could pluck loads of subjects really, it's hard because so many games work on a fantasy element.

I'd still say the true horrors of war (particularly WW1) need to be really captured in games, when I loaded up the first mission of Battlefield 1, I was like "OK, this is it, we're getting a game that shows how much large scale war really sucks!" But as the game went on, it just got tacky, Hollywood-like and stagnant. Valiant Hearts was a good attempt, but I felt like it just taught me more about the war rather than capture me in that feeling of the true horror of WW1. But like I said, there are plenty of periods of history that seem a bit untapped for story-based games.

I'd say, at a push, that there was a game called Republic: The Revolution that had an interesting concept that was based on propaganda politics. I'd love a game that was heavily political and influencing much like that, I know there are Paradox strategy games that have that element, but this was a game very focused on the element of social corruption in East Europe, and at the time I felt that was such a cool concept.

Being a religious Prophet.... however I suppose it wouldn't make that great of a game, as you'd typically end with losing everything, and then your messagebeing co-oped....

However, maybe a corrupt TV-Preacher Sim would be fun! Don't think we've seen that yet. (If you have PLEASE share!)

jrralls wrote:

I’ll get started. Stephen King! The man has sold hundreds of millions of books and has had dozens of popular movies but not a single decent video game.

Alan Wake is the best Stephen King game.

There are some subjects for which video games aren’t the right medium. Think of a game like Papers, Please. It’s brilliant, it uses a game mechanic to illustrate how average people can become corrupted by corrupt systems. And yet it doesn’t feel like enough to me.

ShiftyD wrote:

Being a religious Prophet.... however I suppose it wouldn't make that great of a game, as you'd typically end with losing everything, and then your messagebeing co-oped....

Isn't this basically Ultima 4-7?

Being a Veterinarian. Or being a doctor in general.

Or even broader, what about a game where the main character is a Healer?

EbonyPegasus wrote:

Being a Veterinarian. Or being a doctor in general.

Or even broader, what about a game where the main character is a Healer?

The Trauma Center series was pretty good.

Djinn wrote:
EbonyPegasus wrote:

Being a Veterinarian. Or being a doctor in general.

Or even broader, what about a game where the main character is a Healer?

The Trauma Center series was pretty good.

Yeah, that's the only one I could think of. You only really do surgery though

ton's of 80's properites have never had good games.

The Goonies.

Neverending Story.

Princess Bride.

Gremlins.

Back to the Future.

Roger Rabbit.

Thomas Edison or Tesla

ShiftyD wrote:

Being a religious Prophet.... however I suppose it wouldn't make that great of a game, as you'd typically end with losing everything, and then your messagebeing co-oped....

However, maybe a corrupt TV-Preacher Sim would be fun! Don't think we've seen that yet. (If you have PLEASE share!) :)

There's a game called "Cults and Daggers" where you start a religion and try and spread it while competing with other religions. It's older and its like a board game on pc. Heard it was fun.

Game of Thrones is probably due a good game. Total War or Elder Scrolls the obvious choices for it, but I wonder if the license restricts profits (as in those games can make enough on their own merit without having to give a cut to someone else).

The Foundation Series
Mesopotamia
Africa (Not counting Far Cry 2)
Superman
China (Although I have Oriental Empires in my pile)

Someone prove me wrong. I'd be happy to learn about or have someone remind me of games I may have forgotten.

Superman! I was thinking that as well.

Some thoughts about others mentioned:

Back to the Future - The Telltale game was pretty good
China - Sleeping Dogs or Dynasty Warriors games
Game of Thrones - If you like Crusader Kings 2 there is a mod that turns everything into GoT.

Here's another one I thought of though, any Robin Hood games? Like at all? Assassin's Creed: Sherwood Forest?

India.

EbonyPegasus wrote:

Superman! I was thinking that as well.

Some thoughts about others mentioned:

China - Sleeping Dogs or Dynasty Warriors games

Yes! Sleeping Dogs was great but that's more of just a Hong Kong story than anything else.

Magic.

Okay, so I'm exaggerating a bit, but generally it's depicted as a set of weapons roughly analogous to firearms or other modern weaponry, or it fills other roles which could be similarly filled by other more mundane means. Magicka came closest to making something that felt truly arcane, but it still just results in a set of weapons and tools, wrapped up in a game that isn't nearly as fun as the system is potentially interesting.

I might be missing some games that do it better, but I feel like magic in games is a bit like fantasy in games, something that should be unique and interesting a lot of the time, but often feels rote instead.

ISP Tycoon. Considering all the budgeting and moving pieces, it's a business I'm really surprised has never been represented in any game I've ever seen.

jrralls wrote:

ton's of 80's properites have never had good games.
Gremlins.

The Gremlins game on the NES is pretty good. It's a top-down shooter/platformer with some fantastic music.

Djinn wrote:
jrralls wrote:

ton's of 80's properites have never had good games.
Gremlins.

The Gremlins game on the NES is pretty good. It's a top-down shooter/platformer with some fantastic music.

I don’t remember it is being good but haven’t played it in 30 years so can’t say for sure.

Also...

Highlander.

Dinosaurs. I mean, yeah, there have been some OK games... but never a really good game.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

EbonyPegasus wrote:

Here's another one I thought of though, any Robin Hood games? Like at all? Assassin's Creed: Sherwood Forest?

The old Sierra one- Conquests of the Longbow was pretty good. One of my favorite Sierra games in fact.

gewy wrote:

Dinosaurs. I mean, yeah, there have been some OK games... but never a really good game.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Recall years ago Firaxis/Sid M. were making a civ like game with Dinosaurs... think it got to almost complete when it was shelved, think they said it simply wasn't fun : ) Always wondered if they ever let a demo or concept art out on that one - or just let people have at it...

Warriorpoet897 wrote:

Alan Wake is the best Stephen King game.

Kind of polarizing, though. I sit with the camp that wonders if the devs for Alan Wake read every single Stephen King book, spare for On Writing. Either way, though, it's strange that there's such a paucity of King material directly given game treatment.

Per the topic, I'd love yo see something RDR like move elsewhere. Personally, I'd find it pretty fun if it moved to Australia and focused on bush rangers.

Ok, so I love me some Roller Derby. Love the scene, love the game. But there's nothing out there that even remotely represents it as a sport. I can think of a single wii game that covered it, but it wasn't very good (nor was it accurate).

It's legitimately a growing sport, with proper rules and regulations. Gone are the days of WWF-style over-the-top theatrics and fist-fights. If lacrosse can get a videogame , roller derby should stand a pretty good chance.

Clusks wrote:

I'd say, at a push, that there was a game called Republic: The Revolution that had an interesting concept that was based on propaganda politics.

That was my first thought as well. Republic had a great concept but poor execution.

As far as I remember, aside from hex based wargames, there hasn't been any decent title based on the US Civil War since North&South .