Over the weekend during Xbox’s E3 press conference, a partnership between Gears of War 5and the upcoming Terminator: Dark Fate movie was teased:
Some warriors are born. Others are built. Get the Terminator Dark Fate character pack when you pre-order #Gears5 or play within the first week. #XboxE3https://t.co/8Nrh4tQvhb pic.twitter.com/4Ai27nY7VC
— Xbox (@Xbox) June 9, 2019
No matter where you stand on another Terminator sequel/reboot, that looks awesome, and many fans would probably like to see more things like that. So what other fictional characters would we like to see in video game franchises?
Westworld characters in Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption has memorable characters in its own right, but how great would it be to play with The Man in Black from Westworld? The online mode in RDR2 would be difficult for Westworld fans to put down if they are able to play with MIB or Dolores Abernathy, and having those characters in a western setting wouldn’t be far-fetched, so this is something that should be explored from both a marketing and gameplay standpoint. The Man in Black, Dolores, and other Westworld characters would basically be like different skins that don’t need big changes, as it’s not like they have special powers that would need to translate to the game.
Game of Thrones characters in For Honor
From the moment For Honor was released over two years ago, it was the closest thing to a Game of Thrones-style fighting game—especially the Knights faction that includes a “Warden” character. Now, the characters in For Honor are pretty extreme, and they can take a bunch of hits without dying; but no one would care about that if they can get epic characters like Jon Snow, Jaime Lannister, and Brienne of Tarth in the game. Also, For Honor has many different weapons in the game, so we could get swords like Longclaw and Ice from a For Honor-Game of Thrones partnership.
Fictional basketball players in NBA 2K
There was a time when the best sports video games had at least a couple of fictional teams, but unfortunately that’s changed in recent years. Basketball might be the sport with the best fictional characters—from movies, TV, and other video games (NBA Street in particular)—and it’d be cool to get some of them in Blacktop mode at least. This recent viral tweet with amazing artwork has many of the fictional characters that could make their way into NBA 2K:
'The Blacktop' 🏀
T-Shirts, Hoodies, Posters, & Canvases Available! Link In Bio pic.twitter.com/z8BfteYosO
— WrightArtist✏️ (@TheWrightAr) June 9, 2019
Tarantino characters in Grand Theft Auto
This one is a little more out there because it might include a movie director asking for a lot of money to have a number of his original characters exclusively in a video game. But Quinten Tarantino characters like Vincent Vega, Jules Winnfield, Mr. Blonde, and Louis Gara in Grand Theft Auto would get a massive amount of fanfare. Tarantino’s movies have delivered plenty of spontaneous violence that you’ll see in GTA, so the fit is perfect.
Fast & Furious characters in Need for Speed
Forza and Gran Turismo both pride themselves on being realistic racing games, and Fast & Furious is the opposite of realistic, so that probably wouldn’t work out. However, the Need for Speed video game series, which isn’t what it used to be, could use a boost in the form of playable F&F characters and cars in future games. Need for Speed publisher EA has no issue making things purchasable ad-ons, and Fast & Furious DLC would help them rake in extra cash.
I would pay double ($120) for a Westworld or Game of Thrones game in general.
GoT in FOR HONOR!