I know it's become a bit passe to talk about popular IPs that should be turned into MMOs. I mean, why does everything have to be made into a game, and worse an online game? Can't we just leave some things as they are without trying to squeeze every last possible dime out of them? The short answer, as I put on my Armani suit and don my $500 Prada sunglasses is "No". Okay, let me take this stuff off, even I feel like a douche. Now, where was I? Oh, right. The agonizing way we ride pop culture like a broken pony into the dirt and then smother it with our adoration until it's a lifeless husk of what once made it great and no one cares anymore. In the grand American tradition of taking cool things and bludgeoning it into our consciousness until it's no longer worth a damn, we give you Five TV Shows That Should Be MMOs.
Take a look and add your thoughts!
5) The Land of the Lost
And no, I'm definitely not talking about that terrible Will Ferrell movie (though Danny McBride redeemed some of it). Don't get me wrong, I love me some Anchorman, but the modern remake of the original series was god awful. Those who may be too young or may have just missed it may not get the notion, but for those of us who were around before Terra Nova took over FOX, The Land of the Lost was a show about time travel, lost species, dinosaurs, and Sleestaks. Though the goal of the family on the show was to get home, I think it would be a far more interesting thing for the MMO to pose players against each other to fight over the Altrusian technology left behind in a setting rife with alien-like danger, dinosaurs, warring tribes, and tons of nasty beasts. In any case, just so long as we finally get a quasi-prehistoric MMO, I'd be happy.
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Just don't invite this guy...
4) Deadwood
I think we've said something like this on the site before: we want a Wild West MMO... and we want it really bad. Aside from Rockstar bringing us Red Dead Online, the next best thing could be something set in a series we've known and loved. Sure you could argue that that series should be Bonanza, but let's face it... Bonanza's not nearly as cool as the show that near single-handedly brought back the Western into the American pop culture conscience. Plus, I mean call us crazy, but who wouldn't want to see Al Swearengen immortalized in some crazy brothel that players "hearthed" to before logging out?
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Just do not tick him off... seriously.
3) The Muppets
Okay, I know... this one's a little weird. Why the Muppets? Well aside from the fact that I have a love and adoration for all things Jim Henson, I can't just ignore the fact that we need family friendly games as much as we need games about brothels, hookers, and killing lawmen (see above). If you haven't seen the recent movie yet (what's wrong with you?), there's ample character, joy, lessons, and fun to be had in the Muppet universe. Why not let players do as they can at FAO Schwartz stores and create their own muppet to explore the world with? Throw in the fact that the Muppets world is our own, the sheer amount of familiar activities could take part in (Gonzo the Great, Comedy Hour, Swedish Chef's cooking show, etc.) and I'd be proud to sit my kid down one day in front of this and play it with him. There's no conflict or killing or factional warfare to get all hot and bothered over, but not every game needs those things. Sometimes, an MMO world can just be about fun.
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It'd be absolutely inspirational and Muppet-ational.
2) The Walking Dead
And back to the killing. We know that this one's based on comic book series, and we know that there are already a handful of studios knee-deep in work on a Zombie MMO. But that doesn't mean we can wishfully think about what'd be like to cross into the world of Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead. Only for us, the real glory part of this game based on a show would be about the characters, their interactions, and the way humans become monsters when faced with strife. Think of SWTOR meets Night of the Living Dead. That'd about do it.
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Plus you know, there's all that sweet armor to get.
1) Masters of the Universe
I know it's cool to love the 80s lately, and I'll be honest, I was a just a kindergartener through most of the decade, but I'll be damned if I didn't love my Hasbro toys as much as the next kid. And what's more, despite the schlock and the goofy nature of the IP, there's some seriously cool lore behind He-Man and She-Ra and of course the coolest: Mossman. It'd take some tweaking, but the right company could make a lot of this crazy universe. There's plenty to draw from and build upon, and as much diversity as you can shake a stick at. Let's just leave out the below...
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It's okay, Courtney... no one will remember this crapfest.
