Watchmen is just full of surprises. We would have never thought anyone could make a competent movie of the epic graphic novel but, if
the trailer is any indication, Zack Snyder may be doing just that. We also would have doubted that the book could be made into game form, but it seems Warner Bros. is surprising us once again. The company will release two downloadable episodic games on PC, Xbox Live and PSN, to coincide with the theatrical and DVD releases of the film.
All we know is we can expect Nite Owl and Rorschach in an action title developed by Deadline Games, which is currently crafting
Faith and a .45. We actually think making shorter games to hit deadlines is a smart way to break the terrible licensed games cycle. But of course, if they're short
and terrible ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ck @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:07AM
This is a smart move. Hopefully the film and movie will be terrific. I'm eagerly anticipating March after watching the trailer.
And with Snyder's running time of 3+ hours (he doesn't want to shorten it, but the studio does), maybe the game will be shorter than the actual movie. That would be a first.
Vegnagun bwf @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:17AM
This is a dumb move. Go read the book and come back and bitch with me.
You can't possibly fit all that there is in Watchmen into 3 hours. Can't be done without butchering it. Snyder is garbage, so he'll just make this an action movie so bad that it'll give Alan Moore a heart attack.
ck @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:28AM
Of course it's not going to live up to the book, what movie can? They're two completely different medias. BUT, the movie looks like a GOOD movie. While you're on your couch bitching about life, I'll be enjoying Rorschach kick some ass.
makishima @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:33AM
@Vegnagun bwf
Oh no!! You mean it wont be a carbon copy replication of the book that myself and many others have read time and time again so that I can predict every single line and action in the movie!?! I don't go to the movies to be entertained sir! I go to see a moving version of the exact same thing I have already seen the ending too 100's of times!
Enough. You sound like all the people who complained about the LOTR movies not being exactly like the books. I already read that story. I'm there to be entertained, not taking notes about inconsistencies so I can rush home and complain about them all on the internet.
Vegnagun bwf @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:45AM
I don't care about it being a carbon copy of the book. I care about a good book turning into a crappy action flick for mindless action buffs.
You go enjoy "Rorschach kick some ass".
Roto13 @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:45AM
Vegnagun: You're not familiar with the word "adaptation", are you?
I've read the comics. Best miniseries ever. The movie still looks awesome.
Alan Moore bitches and complains about everything. He's a decrepit old hippy. That's what they do. He may be a genius when it comes to writing comics, but that appears to be the extent of it.
Obie @ Jul 23rd 2008 1:12PM
Vegnagun: How about you watch the movie first before you give yourself an aneurysm, k?
LaughingTarget @ Jul 23rd 2008 3:01PM
The guy with the Rorchach avatar is excited about the movie, you should be too. Though I'm not sure why Joystiq picked the corny YouTube preview picture over a decent shot of Rorchach.
Dan @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:07AM
Action game?
'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"
copa @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:38AM
I agree completely. Punch-kick-shoot has absolutely nothing to do with Watchmen. There are a million other comic franchises where this would be appropriate, I do not understand why they have to debase Watchmen by making an action game out of it.
I am not up-to-date on the licensing shenanigans here. Is Alan Moore completely powerless to stop this sort of thing?
Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Jul 24th 2008 1:14AM
Since he took his name off of anything related to the movie? Yes he is powerless.
Matt @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:08AM
So I guess the rorshach, I mean, question now is, who QA's the Watchmen?
(don't hit me, it's boring today at work...)
Maurice M @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:21AM
Ya, I see what you did there...
Vegnagun bwf @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:45AM
That was actually pretty good right there.
Xoviet chiK @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:10AM
Totally forgot about Faith and a .45, looks great - thanks for reminding me!
That trailer was pretty solid, I hadn't been paying much attention to the film, but now I'm quite impressed. Excellent cast, hope they do the graphic novel justice. Likewise, I hope these games are actually good.
oldmeme @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:13AM
The Movie looks fantastic, the Book was (and still is) one of my favourite books, but if they screw up with this game that could be a sour slice in this delicious pie :/
Vegnagun bwf @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:14AM
This is disgusting. Watchmen isn't an action packed super hero flick, it's a really well crafted and complex story that has incredible characters and themes. Snyder is going to screw this up by making it an action movie for every prick who fell in love with 300, and now there is going to be episodic action games for Watchmen?
Years ago they were going to make a Watchmen movie. The director decided against it because Watchmen is too good to ruin in movie form. Snyder doesn't care about art, so he's going to shit all over it for some money and fame.
thesimplicity @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:28AM
Amen. The trailer kind of irks me with it's slow motion action shots... I can't imagine how angry I'll be after seeing footage from the game.
This IS NOT a superhero blockbuster like Batman or Superman. There's no need for a tie in game.
ck @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:47AM
If you actually read interviews with Snyder, he's a huge fan of the novel. Don't think this is going to be another 300, simply because the way the trailer looks. You'll get a very good idea of how faithful the movie is going to be when he shows it at Comic-Con.
And if you don't think one of the most celebrated graphic novels ever is worthy of movie blockbuster status, than what is?
Vegnagun bwf @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:52AM
Snyder can't read, so don't give me that crap. He's going to bog down Watchmen with fighting and slow-mo.
thesimplicity @ Jul 23rd 2008 12:01PM
@ck: I think we have different definitions of 'blockbuster.' For me it's not really a positive label. When I think of blockbusters, I think of stuff starring Will Smith with 4 billion dollars of CGI.
capital_T @ Jul 23rd 2008 12:15PM
@Veg Not sure where your Snyder hate is coming from. 300 was pretty much a shot for shot recreation of Frank Millar's original. If you didn't like the action and violence of it then you wouldn't like the original books.
As for this, everything we see in that Watchmen trailer is lifted directly from the book. He's even using a lot of Gibbons' framing and angles. At least it will be better than V for Vendetta.
Faar @ Jul 23rd 2008 2:40PM
I'm not neccesarily convinced he's going to 'shit all over it for money'. Looking at the trailer, I see a great many scenes that are visually strikingly true to the original comic - ahem, forgive me: graphic novel.
I'm sceptical about what appears to be Ozymandias in costume, but willing to cut them some slack because Dr. Manhattan looks just facking amazing.
If you stop and think about it, there's a fair share of raw violence in Watchmen. Naturally there's going to be more of it in a movie, that's just life. People go to the movies to see fights and action. That doesn't mean the movie's going to suck AND rape Alan Moore at the same time (though I'm pretty sure he'll hate it regardless of how good it turns out, lol). LoTR had way more action in the movie adaptations than in the books (which I've read several times), but I enjoyed all 3 flicks regardless.
I never read 300 in comic form, but I did quite enjoy the movie. And from what I've seen so far - which ISN'T much so far I admit - they do appear to treat Watchmen seriously. Anyway, even if they are forced by the studio to cut down the movie for theatres, there'll be a 3+ hour bluray version later and it will be way cool I'm sure. :P
Benny @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:18AM
Wow, I hadn't seen the Watchmen trailer yet, but it looks epic.
Oh, and by the way: my 'ban' from commenting is bloody ridiculous.
Churchy @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:26AM
If it's only gonna be two games, why not just call it "two short games" instead of episodic? For whatever reason it seems like episodic should imply many episodes.
baby sea tuna @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:31AM
Alan Moore is overrated. He's a competent writer, sure, but he's certainly not genre-defining enough to justify how much of a pretentious weirdo he is. Especially when compared to some of the other Vertigo writers who write books that are more interesting than his *and* still manage to give interviews and make con-appearences/signings/readings/etc.
In his defense, I'd be a crybaby too if studios kept shitting out awful films based on my properties. I'm thinking Watchmen may be the one to break that cycle, however.
NvM @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:48AM
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was terrible.
But V for Vendetta was actually kind of good.
Roto13 @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:51AM
Alan Moore himself is incredibly overrated, and he certainly is a pretentious crybaby. But Watchmen is amazing anyway. :P Kind of like how Frank Miller sucks all kinds of ass, but Sin City is good.
Faar @ Jul 23rd 2008 2:48PM
Meh. Alan Moore's a genius IMO. V for Vendetta and Watchmen are well and truly masterpieces in the world of comics. He may be a complete weirdo nutter in real life (and reading his Wikipedia page that does seem to be the case, lol), but he does have talent. A lot of it.
Frank Miller was at his best in the 80s IMO. Ronin, Dark Knight Returns, Batman Year One, Give Me Liberty - those are his best, and he's never surpassed any of them in my eyes. And they're awesome as well.
NvM @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:46AM
What kind of gane would this be?
Most of of Watchmen is dialog.
Point and click adventure?
A Rorscrhach stealth game?
Text based Adventure?
Early adventures of Nite Owl and Rorscrach?
Joe @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:47AM
If they dig into the olden days with the Crimebusters back in the 60s and 70s (post-Vietnam, but pre-Keene Act), I can see it working well.
I'm still ambivalent on the whole thing, but every time I watch the trailer, I get more excited. (So you know it was a nerdgasm when I saw Dark Knight in IMAX yesterday).
The trailer alone pushed the graphic novel to the number one spot on Amazon.com, though...
jackbauer (mk:4811-7496-3209) @ Jul 23rd 2008 12:01PM
watchmen should be required reading in schools.
Faar @ Jul 23rd 2008 2:51PM
Not possible in America, because you can see a man's penis in it.
Dan @ Jul 23rd 2008 12:34PM
Ideally, an adventure game of the old school variety.
Watchmen is a thriller with the odd fisticuffs that just so happens to feature super heroes. An action game is entirely the wrong way to do this...
film looks good though. The trailer is just a visual sample of what they're doing with the material and in on way marks it out as a 'dumb action movie'.
And did I catch someone claim 300 was stupid for being an action film? haha- have you read the thing? It's 90% dismemberment!
ScallionN @ Jul 23rd 2008 1:44PM
Hurm.
An action game could work, if they make it a spin-off. While I agree that the adventure game formula would work best (the Narrative would have to be too tight) we've seen action games with entertaining scripts before. It won't be GAME OF THE YEAR, but hopefully, it'll be one of the more decent licensed games.
And I'd love to hold Rorschach in place and look at his face change.
theturtle363 @ Jul 23rd 2008 3:57PM
I love watchmen and can't wait for the movie, but I have no idea how they could make a game on it without ruining it. That said i'd pay 60 bucks to beat people up as Rorscach, it's a lot cheaper than the Halloween costume i had planned