Tweet
It's a well known fact that most movies based on video games are rubbish. As it turns out, it's not an angry bald man with a red tie that made Hitman cool, but rather the feeling of pulling off the perfect simulated murder. It wasn't the nightmare nurses or occult story that made Silent Hill a hit, but the oppressive sense of dread as you navigated it twisted world. Doom wasn't amazing because of its demons on Mars, but rather because it let you obliterate said demons on Mars. There is one video game movie that gets this right, however, only we don't think about it as it's technically still a video game.I'm talking about Tales from the Borderlands, Telltale's latest whimsical attraction in its winning formula that can best be described as a "choose-your-own-adventure movie". With minimal character control and only the slightest hint of a puzzle, Tales from the Borderlands practically plays itself. You only choose the dialogue and key actions.
So far, so Walking Dead. But what convinced me that Tales from the Borderlands had more in common with cinema was seeing it played by a crowd of 800+ fans yelling at the screen at PAX Prime. Whichever side would make the most ruckus would get their voices heard by the developer running the live show. Suddenly Telltale's latest jam wasn't enjoyed with a controller, but by a screaming, partially inebriated audience. Just like a film.
Read more…
More...