I think we might have our first truly great adaptation here (Gaming)

by cheapLEY , Monday, March 22, 2021, 20:05 (1129 days ago) @ CruelLEGACEY

So I do get your point, and I generally agree, but I think TLoU being adapted to TV is very different from TLotR being made into films. Movies and Novels are just drastically different experiences, with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. TLoU already has a very cinematic, dramatic presentation. It’s storytelling didn’t feel “held back” due to being a video game, the way so many games end up feeling. A TV series can certainly reach a different (potentially broader) audience. My main concern though is that TLoU: The Game is one of the absolute triumphs of the entire medium. What are the chances that a TV adaptation will come anywhere close to reaching a similar high?

I hear this a lot, and I disagree. I think adapting a game to film is almost as big a change as adapting book to film. While it is obviously a more similar medium, I think the removal of gameplay presents as much of a challenge as translating text. The structure is the major change in either adaptation.

To us, the story wasn’t held back. But it’s held back in that not many people are going to play a 20 hour video game, in the same way that many people might not read a thousand page book.

See, I think the way TLoU wove gameplay into the emotional arch of the story is precisely what makes it so fantastic AND unique. Take that out of it, and you’re left with a well made story with great performances. Still totally stands up on its own, but it’s not like there’s a shortage of similar content already on TV and in Film. We already have The Road, Logan, or The Walking Dead (granted, TWD has been all over the map in terms of quality, but at its best it certainly was deserving of the hype IMO).

Funny you mention that, as I honestly expect Logan to remain the best film version of TLOU.

In a vacuum, it’s totally fine if the TLoU show comes out and it’s decent, or even really good. But my fear with this particular choice is that if it doesn’t receive a comparably glowing reception to the original game, it might put a bit of a chill on studios willingness to try more video game adaptations in the future. I don’t think TLoU is special because of any of its “big picture” attributes. For me, it’s the countless tiny details that all came together like lightning in a bottle. I just can’t help but think the odds of a TV series duplicating all those successes are vanishingly small.

I don’t disagree with that at all. The story is told and presented well, for sure, but being a game is what makes it special, I think. I guess I’m just totally fine with watching a decent adaptation. Sure, it’s a well worn genre, but since when has that mattered? The Godfather existing didn’t prevent anyone from making their own gangster movies. I feel like this is the same discussion that happens every time a book is made into a movie. I’m kind of at the point where I don’t care, I guess. It doesn’t really matter—at the end of the day the game still exists and is still amazing. But I do think the story is good enough to warrant being adapted.

I actually think a franchise like Destiny is a much better option for screen adaptation, because there’s so much rich source material to pull from, but all the room in the world to create a new, unique stand-alone story that doesn’t have to match any pre-existing narrative beat for beat.

I can’t disagree with that either!