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I'm sure most of us have played that game where we say, "man, that [insert movie, TV show, or book] would make an awesome game!" Leaving aside the over-use of the word "awesome (seriously, cut that out), we keep doing that because we might latch onto what the characters do in the series and assume that it would articulate into interesting gameplay. I'd venture this isn't too far off from the process game studios and TV networks go through when they greenlight a game based on an IP that ultimately sinks to the depths of licensed horrors.

With that in mind, I decided to try and come up with a few of my own. More than anything else, this is an exercise on my part to see if I could a.) articulate what was good about the show through a gameplay idea and b.) see if I could avoid the licensed property trap of thinking something was cool while missing the point of what made it cool through the game, and c.) in a couple of cases, simply let you know a few of these shows exist.
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Tags Breaking Bad, Fringe, TV, Twilight Zone, Video Games

The network teams up with producer Scott Rudin to make the documentary a half-hour show.
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Tags fez, HBO, indie game: the movie, James Swirsky, jonathan blow, Lisanne Pajot, Phil Fish, Scott Rudin, super meat boy, team meat

Blue Dragon's anime adaptation gets a second season released in the U.S., The Old Republic takes comics, and Mass Effect gets a fancy art book and third issue of its Dark Horse miniseries.
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Tags bioware, Blue Dragon, Dark Horse Comics, DC Universe Online, mass effect, Non-Gaming Game News, star wars: the old republic

We asked Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony today if they would be airing commercials during this weekend's Super Bowl. Nintendo hasn't responded, Microsoft said no...but Sony pointed us towards a Coca-Cola video game-themed TV spot with a PSP. To view the whole commercial, keep reading. Read more...

Those hoping to play a virtual version of near-invincible cheerleader Claire Bennet anytime soon are going to be disappointed.

Ubisoft has confirmed to MTV Multiplayer that the company is no longer publishing the "Heroes" video game based on the NBC television series.

Here's the statement from public relations director Jaime Cottini:

"The rights to the 'Heroes' video game have reverted back to NBC Universal. Ubisoft will no longer produce a video game based on the TV series."

The game was officially announced in July 2007 and slated to release in late 2008. Ubisoft's announcement follows NBC's firing of the program's executive producers, reported by Variety this past weekend.

The series is currently in its third season, and despite being a huge hit and a critical darling in its first season, it has received low ratings. Many fans have soured on the show due to increasingly convoluted plotlines.

Ubisoft has also published other games based on TV shows, such as ABC's "Lost" and CBS's "CSI." The high ratings of both series haven't exactly translated into high Metacritic scores.

Readers, would you still like a "Heroes" console game to see the light of day?

Related Posts:
Do TV-to-Game Stories Have To Suck? 'Lost: Via Domus' vs. 'Sopranos' Vs. '24' Vs. Others
'Lost' Video Game Preview — Writer Taunts Me With Knowledge Of Black Smoke And Four-Toed Statue

Ken Hoang, a contestant on the next season of "Survivor" is already used to heavy competition: he's one of the nation's top "Super Smash Bros. Melee" players.

Though he's already won over $50,000 playing competitively, Hoang is now setting his eyes on the million-dollar prize in the upcoming season of the CBS reality show. The top-rated program, in its 17th run, pits 18 people against the wilderness, various physical challenges and each other to remain the last one standing.

So will his video game skills help the 22 year-old Westminster, California native outlast the rest? He told Entertainment Weekly in their exclusive cast preview published online today:

"Gaming will help me because I do well under pressure. I always come through. I rarely choke. I'm the underdog, I think all the fans will root for me to win. I would root for myself if I was watching TV.''

We'll be rooting for Hoang too. Check out a video of him talking about the show here, and you can see how well he does when "Survivor: Gabon" premieres on September 25.

[Image from CBS.com]

Games show up in unexpected places.

I never expected to be catching up on episodes of "30 Rock" and discover Tracy Morgan's character Tracy Jordan, the star of the fictitious comedy show featured in the sitcom, attempting to make a porn game.

In the most recent season, Morgan decided he needed to leave his children a legacy, and set out to combine his two favorite hobbies: porn and video games. The arc spanned several episodes, starting with episode 13 ("Succession") and concluding in the season finale ("Cooter").

"A porn video game? It can't be done," quipped co-worker Frank Rossitano in response to the idea. "Look, Tray, histories greatest perverts have tried -- Walt Disney, Larry Flynt, the Japanese -- but they can't do it because of the uncanny valley."

Frank then explained the uncanny valley in terms of -- what else -- "Star Wars." Morgan retreated to his office before coming through with the brilliant name of his revolutionary new game: "Gorgasm: The Legend of Dong Slayer."

It has a nice ring to it. You can scope out the episodes for yourself on Hulu.com.

Have you been watching a TV show or movie and seen games pop up out of nowhere?

Waaaaaaalt!

Sorry.

I spent this past weekend playing the four-hour adventure that is Ubisoft's "Lost: Via Domus" (last visited by Stephen in January) You can scope out more of my critical thoughts at 1UP. As a hardcore fan (some might say "obsessed," but I call it "passionate") of the television show, completing "Via Domus" was a forgone conclusion, for the same reasons I made it through "24: The Game" a few years ago.

The stories presented in the weekly episodes aren't enough; the games provide me with more.

I didn't boot up "Via Domus" expecting to enjoy the game itself; rather, this experience was purely about fan service and having a little fun in a mysterious island of my own. What intrigued me, though, was "Via Domus"' storytelling. It got me thinking about the wildly different approaches licensed products take.

Consider the following approaches (some with movie games, but you get the point). Which was wisest?

• "Lost: Via Domus": Invented character who sees the major events occur around them, but doesn't participate in them
• "24: The Game": Story occurs between two seasons, thus avoiding stepping on TV's toes and simultaneously bringing a new story for fans
• "Sopranos": Road to Respect: Set in the same world as the show, incorporates main character interactions, but plot is otherwise separated
• "Scarface: The World is Yours:" Occurs after the film, thereby contradicting the movie's ending but freeing it from its storyline
• "The Godfather": Also features an invented character, but unlike "Via Domus," the character is an active player in major events from the films

"Lost" is a series anchored in meticulously doling out answers to its layered mysteries. Devising a story that allowed the player to explore Lost's world without contradicting the already established doesn't sound simple. Maybe "Via Domus" should have taken a cue from the sentiments in last season's "Greatest Hits" episode, embraced the existing moments and simply let us become part the show's most pivotal moments.

I don't want to punch 4-18-15-16-23-42 inside the hatch as Elliott, some random background castaway that's suddenly been shoehorned into the storyline. I want to be John Locke. Or Desmond Hume. Or Jack Sheppard. Or maybe I'm just too hard to please as a fan.

Readers, what do you want out of your licensed games that so heavily rely on good stories? Is there a better approach?

Over the next few days I'll share with you some of the more interesting things I heard and saw at a recent Ubisoft video game showcase. First up is a treat for you "Lost" fans: details of "Lost: Via Domus," the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC game coming out February 26.

If you don't watch "Lost," skip this post. Really, you're not going to get much out of it.

If you do watch "Lost," keep reading. But expect a typical "Lost" experience as you read this: answers that lead to questions that lead to evasions. At least I got some intel on the big four-toed foot statue!

I was shown "Lost: Via Domus" on Xbox 360 at a penthouse suite Ubisoft reserved in midtown Manhattan. The man demo-ing me the game was Kevin Shortt, whose two-sided French/English business card identified him as a script writer/ story designer and a scénariste. He was a co-writer on the game, which was developed in Ubisoft's Montreal studio.

On Tuesday afternoon Shortt controlled the demo. I tried to control myself. "Lost" series co-creators J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof have told him secrets. He knows what the black smoke actually does. That's big. And it's something I need to know. I had to press him. And on some other stuff too.

See, non-"Lost" fans? I told you not to bother reading. For the rest of you, it's spoiler-free (just not tease-free), so keep going…
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As a female gamer myself, lately I've been thinking a lot about women in the gaming industry.

And it's not just me. Other people have been discussing the topic during the past few weeks.

From extreme and public cases, such as the recent sexualized comic about "Assassin's Creed" producer Jade Raymond to even subtle instances where male developers overlook me to speak to my male associates, I've noticed that women gamers are viewed and treated differently from (and by) their male counterparts. But this is nothing new, and people have talked about it before.

Recently, I decided to track down some major women in the industry to really discuss what it's like to be a woman working in games. In this special week-long Multiplayer series, I'll be publishing an interview with a different woman every day. From journalists to developers to publicists, these women told me about their personal experiences. Had they encountered sexism in this predominantly male industry? Is the gaming industry an environment where women can thrive? What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a female in this field?

One woman that first came to my mind was G4's Morgan Webb. As the co-host of the video game program "X-Play," she's a highly visible woman in gaming, and last week she gave me an honest interview over the phone. Here's an excerpt, where she answers my question about the negative attention some women gamers get, particularly on the Internet:

Webb: I do not read fan e-mail because 0.1 percent of people ruin it for everybody, and I don't read forums because 0.1 percent of people ruin it for everybody. And it would be really great if I could go on a forum and talk to people who like the show and talk about games, but I can't because there's some 14 year-old jerk somewhere who just wants to be an idiot and try and get attention.

Make the jump to read more of Ms. Webb's candid responses about posing for Maxim, Jade Raymond, and why the world doesn't really need more women playing games...

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