Whether you are a fan of comic books or not, video game developers make sure to pay homage to their inspiration in these interactive works of art. In fact, some of the best widely regarded video games today are direct adaptations of some of the most famous comic books from DC, Marvel, or any other graphic novel publisher in the industry today. The crossover from both comic book and video game fanbases are very prominent as well, so most of these references are always widely appreciated. Here are some of the most popular and most iconic incidents that these two worlds collide in.
The Walking Dead
One of the more famous graphic novels that could have rivaled the superheroes of DC and Marvel in terms of popularity is The Walking Dead. Most people would know this tale of humans in the middle of surviving a zombie apocalypse from the long-running television series. But before it became a household name through AMC, it started out as a graphic novel written by Robert Kirkman. It has since spawned numerous issues, and is often considered one of the best graphic novels to follow today.
However, the premise has also proven to be an effective vehicle for video games. Even The Walking Dead online slots games, seen when signing up for a wildz bonus code casino, has an elaborate campaign based on the series. However, the highlight of the franchise in terms of video games is the series made by Telltale. This video game references the events and places that the main characters in the graphic novel went to. It has been highly-regarded as a stellar video game series for its ability to press the player into making the toughest decisions for its characters.
Mortal Kombat
If there is a video game out there that truly wears its comic book references on its sleeve, Mortal Kombat tops almost all lists out there. The once controversial fighting video game franchise has been incorporating many licensed comic book characters from different universes during its past few iterations. This was well-received by both fans of the video game and comic books, as it showed sides to their favorite characters that they haven’t thought possible, especially since they mesh well within the Mortal Kombat universe.
One of the franchise’s most prominent titles was Mortal Kombat vs DC Heroes, which saw the likes of Scorpion, Kano, and Sonya face off against none other than The Man of Steel and The Dark Knight. Since then, characters such as Peacemaker from Charlton Comics, Homelander from The Boys, Omni-Man from Invincible, and the well-beloved Spawn have all graced the fighting game.
Elden Ring
Arguably one of the biggest games to have come out in the modern age, the truly massive Elden Ring is widely famous for its use of comic book references, or manga, specifically. Apart from being a collaboration with Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, game director Hidetaka Miyazaki is also a huge fan of the late manga artist Kentaro Miura and his genre-defining work, Berserk. As such, fans of the manga could easily spot these references, in Elden Ring, such as Blaidd the half wolf or the Greatsword’s design, which is said to be a direct homage to the manga’s main character, Guts, and his iconic weapon, the Dragonslayer.
The probability of finding comic book references in video games is always high. Chances are, video game development teams had always loved reading stories in comics. To see them emulate these highly imaginative scenes for players to immerse through must be a dream for them! But more importantly, these are just references, which means these stories have also inspired them to create worlds and journeys of their own through these video games.
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