i am legend(the book, not the travesty of a movie that bears its name, damn im still bitter at how that turned out, it is the second time that one of my favorite books has been turned to thrash on screen with will smith in it, though i dont think it is his fault)

i have no mouth and i must scream, granted it has been done before but a new and take on it wouldn't hurt

some of willam blake's poems could be a great source of material the entire mythos is very exciting.

the dark tower books could be awesome as an action rpg of sorts

cant think of anything else at the moment

Books to Games? Hmmm... Well books to movies are generally good (LOTR, H.Potter etc.) while movies to games are generally terrible. The main thing you have to look at is the length, movie games are bad because they are trying to stretch a 2 hour movie into a much longer game. Movies based on books take the best bits of the book and put it into those 2 hours. If I was to estimate I guess a book and a game are roughly the same length so on average a book game might actually be quite good.

Having watched the trailer for Dante's Inferno, I'm not optimistic. The thinking seems to have been somewhere along the lines of 'take one of the classics of literature, turn Hell and all the monstrosities in it into something from a Marvel comic, then stick Kratos in at the end'. Seriously, when did Dante ever go around slicing up demons and ramming silver crosses into their skulls?

I'm guessing this game isn't exactly going to be a deep examination of theology and the morality of the divine.

Nivag:
Seriously everyone, listen to me. Read Robert Jordan's 'Wheel of Time' series and tell me in wouldn't make the best MMORPG EVER. It's incredible and 100% unbeatable. To be fair it's not like we need any more medieval fantasies. Maybe Robert Jordan should punch Richard Garriot in the face and steal the last going fantasy MMO slot before everybody starts hating them before they're even confirmed.

Feasable but I think the main issue with that would be choosing at what point you wanna put the timeline?
Most MMO's are just a snapshot of a timeperiod and choosing a particular one in the wheel of time would be....hard. But yea it does have a lot of potential.

Starship Troopers might be able to be turned into an FPS.

Think about it, either humans vs. bugs a la battlefield style OR just have the players on the side of the humans and give the bugs some kinda evil AI like the left4dead one and have the humans try and win.

I have a friend who is very keen on seeing some kind of RPG based off of the idea of Special Circumstances from Iain M. Banks' culture novels. I'd have to agree with him that it's definitely an interesting idea.

Skulduggery Pleasant, Skulduggery Pleasant, Skulduggery Plea-
OK I'll stop.
Anyway, I toot this book's horn A LOT. Why? Because I love it. It's well written, humorous, and extremely gripping.
Which is why I think it should at least have a game based on it. Not a book-to-game adaptation, but maybe a game that draws from it's characters and such, but changes things around. For example, I just thought that the battle that originally killed Skulduggery could be a prequel level, where you fight hordes of enemies until you get to a certain point, where you die, and then the level ends.
And then, and then... I dunno, I think they could get the new parts written by Derek Landy himself (Skulduggery Pleasant's writer) so that they would stay true to the original style.
Basically, a game based on Skulduggery Pleasant definitely has potential to be an excellent game, it just needs to be handled correctly.

Virgil's "Aeneid"
God of War basically ripped this off but I would like to see a more accurate portrayal

Maybe if we get over the arrogant idea that the game MUST be like the book, since we have discussed that is either too difficult, or very very rare, or impossible, and just enjoy being in the world of the book, playing and interacting in the place we have all wanted to go. I would suggest a similar feeling towards books-to\-movies! I know Dante's Inferno will disappoint people who have read the poem, but come on - just envision the different worlds with their different characters, style, music, etc. It will simply be fun to see, I could care less if it follows some plot line - cause it's a game, NOT the book. I never expect them to be the same. Though, you can still judge a good game and a bad one. Just don't judge it for being exactly like the other media in which the idea was founded - unless it was stated to be just the same, then we can rip it apart for being a heaping pile of game poo.

FURY_007:
The count of monte cristo would be pretty interesting

I like that idea although you propably would follow the book too much to leave real choices to player?

mark_n_b:

glib much? Lord of the Rings Online is based on a book series, and it is traditionally MMO sandboxish in its design. And that's just one example.

You seem to be processing turning a book concept into a game as a period of directed game-play followed by being fed the book's text. Ignoring the several hundreds of successful games that follow that exact formula, I can name tons of Movie and Comic book franchises that do not use that game style.

Eyes roll at how remarkably dense a comment that was.

The last time this question was asked on the forums, I suggested Dante's Inferno would be a solid title for game development and what has been announced since?

Crime & Punishment would be an awesome sandbox title.

Shakespearean plays, Imagine the game-play that could be taken from Hamlet or Macbeth.

The Grecian theme is really popular right now, so How about a game based on Oedipus Rex or Orestes?

I could go on, there is a lot of potential in literature when it comes to developing interesting game mechanics.

Fair point. Although I have had several bad experiences with certain games that are based on novels but, like you've said, it's probably just a taste of the bad side of what possibly is a good idea. Note I say "possibly" for said reason of a lack of playing a decent novel based game in my lifetime.

Although I'm pretty curious about the frustration you portrayed in your last post, "Eyes roll at how remarkably dense a comment that was" perhaps being the most obvious. I would kindly suggest that if find a comment, like mine, ignorant in some way to PM me rather than vent it over the forums for everyone to see. ;-)

Don't get me wrong, I don't wish to start a fight because obviously there is nothing more pathetic than an argument over a forum, but I just wished to point that last bit out for you to consider in the future as you've pointed out my "flaws", so to speak, in your post.

What about a MIchael Crichton styled game, or Clive Cussler with Dirk Pitt? There is a lot of potential for a Crichton style psychological thriller that could be based on something like his book Prey. An adventure game with Dirk Pitt as lead character could work, only that it would be very similar to Uncharted. I think that the argument that because of characterization and dialogue books don't make good games isn't valid, since why couldn't a game focus more on the character's journey and who they are? Establish gameplay around them, and make them the focus of playing in general. Mix in the plot lines from these books and you'd have a diverse, fast paced, interestingly designed IP.

In my opinion the games that were based on books tend to suck a bit. No wait Fellowship of the Ring was quite good, and then there's The Hobbit.

...Nevermind.

Romance of the three kingdoms was made into dynasty warriors, the warriors turned into the warriors, theres plenty of book to games out there you just need to look.

There are a number of books I'd like turned into game but I'm not sure how well they'd work.

My favourite books are the Farseer Trilogy and the Golden Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb. But they're based so much on character development and internal thoughts that it would never work. Also it's set over many, many years so that also would be very difficult to do.

A book that could work is the Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathon Strauss. The main character is a demon who is summoned by magicians to do their dirty work. The gameplay would be quite stealthy as he flees from larger demons and uses cunning to get things done. Also he has a number of planes of vision (most demons aren't visible on the lower planes) which could be an interesting gameplay mechanic. It's also quite funny which is always nice to have in a game. Could be pretty cool to be honest.

I'd love to see a game about Jimmy the Hand, a thief from Raymond E. Feist's books. I'd actually think of it as something similar to Assassin's Creed though darker and more lockpicking and thievery.

I would play a game based on Cell(By Stephen King). But only if they made it open world and not linear.

Catcher in the Rye
It'd be a dating sim, except there's no way to win.

Though Technically a Manga Comic, then a film, then a book, i'd really love to see a game version of battle royale. naturally it'd have to be multiplayer and have realistic damage, would be hard as hell but awesome!

Tripods!!! The White Mountains series is begging to become a 3d action rpg or platformer. Running from tripods- participating in contests and fighting the masters in their cities would be epic.

Gulliver's travel's wouldn't be too bad for a family friendly game. Be a decent gaming world at least.

Journey to the Center of the Earth has potential.

If they made 1984 as a game it would have to be an MMO with the griefers playing as thought police.

Machiavelli's The Prince spawned a great classic game already- perhaps it could make a couple more strategy/economy/skullduggery games.

Quite frankly, this is an interesting topic. boss battles seem like a toughy, but overall seems like an interesting subject. i would like to see them try to make the foundation series by issac asimov into a game. lol

Axolotl:
Well a game based on Dante's Inferno is being made.

And it's probably the worst idea anyone has had for a very long time. It also looks to barely follow anything that literally happens in the book. That might be my very cynical opninion of EA, or the fact that someone sticks a crucifix into a shade's skull at the end of the trailer.

Johny_X2:
Clancy games and The Witcher...?
then there are things like LOTR games...

the witcher did a good job.

Meatstorm:

FURY_007:
The count of monte cristo would be pretty interesting

I like that idea although you propably would follow the book too much to leave real choices to player?

Yea i thought about that, but maybe it could be a deus ex type game

I dream about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, done in Mass Effect style.

King wiL:
Though Technically a Manga Comic, then a film, then a book, i'd really love to see a game version of battle royale. naturally it'd have to be multiplayer and have realistic damage, would be hard as hell but awesome!

That would be awsome dude, I can see that.

Ill say it again cause a couple people already said it. The wheel of time series. yes i know they made a horrible fps based on it but thats in the past it can get better. like say an mmo like someone else said?i also wouldnt mind a general dragonlance mmo.or even a new cprpg.forgotten realms has its games. greyhawk had a game. its time for dragonlance. and it does fit this thread since it had a ton of books in it. hrms. the shanara series. a stragtegy war game maybe based off of michael moorcock's the warhound and the worlds pain perhaps?
game set in the same world as gene wolfs tales of a new sun series.rpg probably

I'd say that The Edge Chronicles series by Pauk Stewart and Chris Riddell ould make a great game. It's a fantasy book set in a weird universe where everbody lives on a plateaux over a bottomless pit and rocks float when cooled suficciently. This produces a wonderful level of weirdness.

Hving read some of the posts on this one, No the bible does not produce good games. It produces boring, frustrating and unescessary ones. I think that angry video game nerd thing had a nice rant on bible games recently, and if you can stand his nasal voice then it's worth a look.

EDIT: Ok, maybe bible games would be okay on Wii, but apart from that no other console ha the same level of gimmickiness

Re: the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy idea.

It's far too weird. Far, far too weird

DraconianKing:

MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG!

Already been done, my freind. It was essential the card game, but fought in a fantasy world.

Also, maybe some sort of KOTOR like RPG based off the New Jedi Order books. You could be a junior Jedi fighting off the Yuuzahn Vong and the Peace Brigade.

There were several good games like:
I have no mouth and I must scream - with an extended interesting storyline
The Dark Eye - Beatifully directed adventure involving Poe's work
Stalker - loosely based on the great dark broody russian scifinovel "Roadside Picnic"
the ringworld adventures by Tsunami Games
Call of Chtulu: Dark Corners of The Earth - had some great Lovecraft moments

Here is a list
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Video_games_based_on_books

First of all I think any game made from Robert Jordan's series would be horribly made (yes there could be a exception) but it would be a slight on his long efforts, and his life's work.

Secondly in the past I thought a game made of the age before the current age in the books would fare well with me, but I can't see anything great coming from that without Robert Jordan writting it himself. :'( I can hardly look forward to the final book.

RIP Robert Jordan I will miss your writing forever. -for you who didn't know.

Kukul:

seydaman:

Johny_X2:
Clancy games and The Witcher...?
then there are things like LOTR games...

the witcher did a good job.

I'll probably be remembered as the guy who constatly bragged about how much he likes The Witcher, but I think they have the perfect formula:
1. Take existing books with interesting setting and characters.
2. Contact the author and have him write a game scenario for you.
3. ???
4. Profit :D

That way you can't know the ending or bitch about how they "ruined the book" while still beign able to make choices and enjoying a quality plot.

I hope they'll make The Witcher 2 soon. If Andrzej Sapkowski won't run out of ideas this game will kick so much ass now that they figured out what was wrong with the original Witcher (voice actors, loading times, combat, alchemy)

that could work, too well