Boondocks Adventure Game
If any of the head honchos are reading this, please make an adventure game based on the comic/cartoon "The Boondocks" Why? Read this article from Joystiq.
"Godfree over at Gamertag Radio has alerted us to a recent comment by Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder, in which he stated plans to bring his biting cartoon into the world of film and video games. A transition into film makes sense as the next big step for the series - which started as a comic strip and has moved into a successful Adult Swim series - but a video game? Here's where the franchise might be destined to stumble.
The problem lies within what makes the series great: its sharp wit and audacious social commentary. While the show is a cartoon, it is very story-driven and strives on its fleshed-out characters. These are common themes associated with titles prescribed to the genres of adventure and role-playing games; an action-oriented game could not retain the signature charm of the series. The idea of an adventure game, or a game which defies genre (much as the cartoon defies political correctness) would work, but franchised games rarely stray from proven formulas.
What might be successful for the show is an episodic adventure title, much like Bone and the upcoming Sam & Max adventure game. The Boondocks needs to keep its content fresh and its satire poignant. Cell-shading could perfectly recreate the visuals of the cartoon, but why stop there? Use that, but don't hesitate to make a 3D environment similar in style to the black-and-white comic strip. The technology is available and become easy enough to use that smaller developers like TellTale could theoretically churn out content pretty quickly (though, hopefully, for a cheap price).
I am, obviously, a huge fan of The Boondocks and I would love nothing more than to see Aaron McGruder's cartoon take over the world - it has had a wonderful transition from print to television. In some respects (you may take out your pitchforks now), Roger Ebert has a point - to what extent can a player can be given control of a character while still being presented a powerful story? Please tell us what you think - even if you are not a fan of The Boondocks, there is a universal problem inherent to this specific example."
It takes a while for the show to make each season and fans will need something to get their Boondocks fix. And an episodic adventure game series between each season of the show would be great. Telltale, if you are reading this, please contact Aaron McGruder to see if he can make a Boondocks adventure game series with you.
"Godfree over at Gamertag Radio has alerted us to a recent comment by Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder, in which he stated plans to bring his biting cartoon into the world of film and video games. A transition into film makes sense as the next big step for the series - which started as a comic strip and has moved into a successful Adult Swim series - but a video game? Here's where the franchise might be destined to stumble.
The problem lies within what makes the series great: its sharp wit and audacious social commentary. While the show is a cartoon, it is very story-driven and strives on its fleshed-out characters. These are common themes associated with titles prescribed to the genres of adventure and role-playing games; an action-oriented game could not retain the signature charm of the series. The idea of an adventure game, or a game which defies genre (much as the cartoon defies political correctness) would work, but franchised games rarely stray from proven formulas.
What might be successful for the show is an episodic adventure title, much like Bone and the upcoming Sam & Max adventure game. The Boondocks needs to keep its content fresh and its satire poignant. Cell-shading could perfectly recreate the visuals of the cartoon, but why stop there? Use that, but don't hesitate to make a 3D environment similar in style to the black-and-white comic strip. The technology is available and become easy enough to use that smaller developers like TellTale could theoretically churn out content pretty quickly (though, hopefully, for a cheap price).
I am, obviously, a huge fan of The Boondocks and I would love nothing more than to see Aaron McGruder's cartoon take over the world - it has had a wonderful transition from print to television. In some respects (you may take out your pitchforks now), Roger Ebert has a point - to what extent can a player can be given control of a character while still being presented a powerful story? Please tell us what you think - even if you are not a fan of The Boondocks, there is a universal problem inherent to this specific example."
It takes a while for the show to make each season and fans will need something to get their Boondocks fix. And an episodic adventure game series between each season of the show would be great. Telltale, if you are reading this, please contact Aaron McGruder to see if he can make a Boondocks adventure game series with you.
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