The Top Six Video Game Lines That Could Stand The Apocalypse Treatment

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After reading up about how Tomb Raider was looking to get what at the very least seemed like a dose of post-apocalypse treatment, it got me wondering, there are quite a few games that could do with a similar treatment. Sure, we don’t know that we’ re looking at a post-apocalypse Lara Croft title (though that by itself is an exciting enough idea–sending the adventurer we all know and love through a wasteland of post-human life and plunging into the great relics like Fort Knox, the Louvre, and whatever’s hiding in Area 51, for example), but it certainly couldn’t hurt. Also, of course, we all know how well the Fallout series is doing. And so, I put together a list of the top six games that could stand a dose of the post-apocalypse treatment.

6. Fable

We’ve seen Fable do a lot of things–we’ve seen heroes struggle against evil, attempt to rebuild the world, and even stage a coup. But one thing we haven’t seen about the Fable series so far is a dose of the old apocalypse to start things off. And indeed, this idea is well suited to Fable–the rebuilding following such a disaster would be a perfect opportunity for a legendary hero to rise and take on the forces of good and evil, to see which direction he’ll proceed in. Will he remake the world for better…or worse?  See? Tailor made for the Fable line. It may be a bit medievalist for some people, but inserting an apocalypse and starting from there wouldn’t be out of line.

5. Metroid

We all know that Samus Aran has been a legendary bounty hunter since we were all amazed to discover she was a woman back in the eighties, but what we’ve never done is put her in an environment with a global cataclysm. Lots of possibilities here–after all, if the Courier can hunt bounty in New Vegas, then why can’t Samus hunt bounty in a Zebes (or anywhere, for that matter) torn by apocalyptic natural fury? Maybe she can even go after the people responsible for the apocalypse, if any. The shock value of an apocalypse is somewhat diminished for a futuristic universe where interstellar travel is the norm, but there’s always the possibility of a wider apocalypse. Plus you get the added bonus of seeing how the apocalypse affects different planets.

4. Dragon Age

Dragon Age lends itself well to an apocalypse: considering that the last one revolved around a war so widespread that virtually no one came out untouched by it. So imagine how much better things could get if some kind of horror was unleashed on them that was so great that their previous divisions would have to be overcome just so they can focus on the true horror. Imagine the possibilities with a plotline like that…that’s what you might get out of a Dragon Age apocalypse. A little of that old “factions resolving their differences to work together” is often good for a storyline, but consider how many factions may not agree with the idea. Then you get not only resolution but also refracturing, and that can make for a very entertaining title.

3. Bully

It may sound strange, though the various factions of Bullworth Academy could really do a number on a plot in which they were forced into an apocalypse. Would they work together, as they did near the end before Gary got fully involved? Would they fight amongst themselves? Would they spread out into the town of Bullworth and take its resources as part of a larger effort? Or would something even worse happen, as Gary the sociopath, only expelled from Bullworth, decided to make his presence known once again, maybe even again in full Nazi regalia just like his Halloween romp? And with Jimmy fully reformed and nominally in charge of the student population, how would he respond to such an event? The possibilities are manifest, and a taste of Bully: Apocalypse would likely be terribly entertaining.

2. Batman: Arkham Asylum

The best part about this idea is that it’s already been done, kind of. Batman: No Man’s Land, in which a massive earthquake hits the Gotham area, spent a whole lot of time being downright apocalyptic. Couple a plotline like that on with the gameplay and writing skill of Batman: Arkham Asylum and you’ve got what at least sounds like a serious winner. If you’ve already done it successfully, once, then what’s to stop you from doing it successfully again in a different direction? We know the Batman universe resolves itself well to apocalypse–just living in Gotham day to day is kind of dystopian all by itself–so running with the ball that’s already out there practically speaks for itself.

1. Dead Rising

This is a strange one, but also the one with the greatest potential. The unifying thread about everything that’s happened in the Dead Rising universe so far is that it’s been local. There are no widespread zombie outbreaks. Dead Rising one was largely contained in the city of Willamette. Las Vegas followed, and then, Fortune City. What happens to the Dead Rising world when there is no place untouched by the zombie horde? What happens when Zombrex doesn’t cut it any more? There’s lots of possibilities here for a really apocalyptic Zombie Apocalypse, and that’s when Dead Rising becomes a really worthwhile zombie romp.

And there you have it–six examples of incredibly horrifying and deep plotline-inspiring apocalypse video games. Lara Croft’s not the only one who can bust it up in the grandest of apocalyptic fashions, and this list helps to prove that nicely.

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