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July 06, 2007
What This Country Really Needs, Right Now, Is A Doctor Who Game
Science fiction and video games have enjoyed a special relationship over the years, particularly when it comes to film and television franchises branching out into gaming. We've had Star Trek games, Star Wars games, an attempt at a Stargate SG-1 game, and more movie tie-in dreck then you can shake a tricorder at, but surprisingly there have only been two games based on the UK's Doctor Who released over the years, and they're both for now-ancient Commodore hardware. With the revived Doctor Who series setting ratings records in the UK and an international run drawing respectable attention, perhaps it is time for the Doctor and his world to return to gaming.
I started watching the series when it was brought back to life in 2005. I understand that it has a much longer history though - over forty years worth of stories and productions - but I think any new game based on the Doctor should focus on his latest incarnation and only glancingly draw upon older material (much the way the television series itself does in dealing with the character's older foes) while carefully (re)introducing older unfamiliar concepts for a contemporary audience. I'd love to see a modern console game focusing around the Tenth Doctor (as this generation of the character is known) and his human traveling companions. The game could use a new story crafted with the aid of the show's prolific writers or re-enact memorable moments from previous episodes. Either is fine just as long as I get to face down a Dalek or dodge the Toclafane. Better yet, how about a Nintendo Wii-specific version that casts the Wii remote itself as the Doctor's trusty sonic screwdriver?
There's loads of potential for a new Doctor Who game, and obviously any firm ideas I come up with are just me spinning my wheels, but if nothing else today I'd like to hope that I'm planting the seed in the mind of someone at the BBC to get the gears turning and make such a project into a reality. Doctor Who's third season of shows has just finished on the BBC, but thanks to licensing agreements it just begins tonight in the USA on the Sci-Fi Channel. Consider it recommended.
Posted by MattG on July 6, 2007 at 02:50 PM in General | Permalink
Comments
Wooh, you get Dr. Who in the USA? It's fantastic isn't it?!
Is it on terrestrial or do you have to have extra?
Posted by: Duncan | Jul 6, 2007 3:30:46 PM
It's on the Sci-Fi Channel which means that it's a cable channel, as in, something we have to pay extra for. It typically comes with a whole bundle of other channels though, so you can't just buy that one channel by itself.
Posted by: MattG | Jul 6, 2007 5:11:30 PM
That would Rock!
Posted by: mattb | Jul 6, 2007 10:45:57 PM
Not that I would ever condone piracy, but you could always just download it off a torrent site, like http://eztvefnet.org
That's where I download a lot of American TV shows that either don't get shown in the UK or aren't out over here till months later (such as the Colbert Report and Lost etc.)
Also, a Docter Who game does have a lot of potential for a good game... I imagine a game like that would be best set over a set of episodes, with an over arching story, Pretty much the same as the series (you'll notice that during the course of each series there is always little pieces that end up culminating into a big finale during the entire series.)
Posted by: Rico Ricardo | Jul 7, 2007 10:51:40 AM
A Dr. Who game would be fantastic. The beauty of the series is that the story is only contained by the writer's imagination. That kind of complete freedom in the game could lead to some awesome experiences.
Personally, I never fully realized why the show didn't have a biger fan base in North America. I mean, it's an alien, who can travel through space and time, who is the last of his kind, and has sworn enemies that he is always thwarting and what not. And, nowadays, always has a cute chick along for the ride. What's not to love?
And David Tennent is just downright awesome. I didn't think he could replace Christopher Eccleston (who was awesome in Heroes), but he certainly did a good job.
Posted by: Grasshopper | Jul 7, 2007 11:30:23 AM
I think part of the reason it hasn't taken off here in the USA (aside from the fact that it's sci-fi which is just so 'uncool', nevermind the mainstream success of shows like Lost and Heroes) is that A) it's not an American show, so the stereotype is that it can't possibly be any good, and B) it has decades worth of backstory which does come off as intimidating if you're new to the show. I think the important thing is that the new series doesn't require the audience to be aware of the older production. Anything from the past that is important is reintroduced clearly and cleanly.
Posted by: MattG | Jul 7, 2007 2:32:31 PM
I couldn't agree with you more,. I've been saying the same thing for ages.
Here's what I'd like to see though: a game that begins and ends with the tenth doctor, but actually includes a number of the more popular doctors over the years, kind of like when they did the episodes The Three Doctors/The Five Doctors in the original series. You can tell one hell of a story if you interweave past and present events, and EVERYBODY loves Tom Baker.
Posted by: Jim Squires | Jul 9, 2007 8:59:31 AM
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is also showing Doctor Who so if an American is living close enough to the border, they can pull it off the the airwaves from CBC.
Posted by: Kari | Jul 16, 2007 10:38:19 AM
The Doctor Who series would be so perfect for a video game that I can't believe I haven't heard it mentioned before. The Doctor's style of problem solving seems like it'd be easier to translate properly into a game than just about anything other than shooting things.
There's a lot of interesting things you could do with the structure of the game, as well. I imagine hopping into the TARDIS and getting to pick an era Chrono Trigger style right off the bat, solving little episodic adventures at each location, and having each of those adventures give you a clue to a larger time-traveling plot.
Somebody hire a writer.
Posted by: Squash Monster | Jul 20, 2007 3:41:39 AM
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