The Suicide Squad video game could be a lot of things: a story about a team of anti-heroes, a DC Movie Universe expansion, and a new twist on the super-hero film. What more could we want?
A good Suicide Squad video game, that's what we want.
No, we won't settle for a rush-job console release or a mobile app. Here are 10 things we want from a real Suicide Squad video game.
1. Voice-acting by the actual cast
Since Suicide Squad is full of actual A-list actors like Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club), Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street), and Will Smith (I Am Legend), fans will expect nothing less than their actual voice talents for the game.
We know the stars are busy, but quality voice work has faired well for other film-to-game products like Lego: The Hobbit. Some of the things other games did can easily be redone for Suicide Squad:
- Focus on the lesser-known cast members in the game.
- Use sound clips from the Suicide Squad movie.
- Repurpose recordings from scenes that were cut from the film.
- Get at least one big name to make up for a lack of the others.
2. Story tie-in with the DC hero films
A video game for Suicide Squad that is placed, for example, ten years before the current DC movie universe might still be cool, but it would feel like an attempt to isolate the game from the current story.
I'll even throw another suggestion out there: in a 2-hour film, there's going to be a lot of stuff the characters do that we won't see on-screen. Why not let us play through those parts of the story in the Suicide Squad video game?
3. A big reveal that isn't in the movie
Face it: if you pay $15 for a movie ticket and $60 for a video game, you expect the video game to have some competitive, original content.
For DC, big video game plot twists aren't unprecedented, either. The only thing is that, as fans, we'd need the Suicide Squad game's story to remain true in the future - for the movies and video games that will inevitably grow out of the new DC film universe.
Example: don't kill off Harley Quinn in the Suicide Squad game if that type of thing won't fly in the movie universe.
But what if Deadshot accidentally witnessed Bruce Wayne's parents being murdered years ago? That's more like it.
4. Character backstories from outside the film
Take the time to develop some characters we won't know much about from the Suicide Squad film. If Suicide Squad already showed everyone's full history, there wouldn't be time for anything else in the movie.
Use the game to do justice for oddballs like Katana, El Diablo, Slipknot, and Enchantress, among others.
5. Playing co-op triggers new material
Suicide Squad has a cast so large it opens up numerous duo dynamics. An original and changing co-op mode encourages a multiplayer system in a world where gamers will settle for nothing less.
In a good BioWare game, your party members talk to one another, and the conversations change depending on who you have with you. Over time, the dialogue progresses based on previous interactions. Why not have the same story shifts based on your main character selections in Suicide Squad?
And it may be asking too much, but it'd be nice to see the actual missions adapt to the number of players, or to have two-player attack combos open up.
6. A sense of humor
DC movies and games are known for being dark in tone, but when we're talking about a bunch of misfit psychos, it might help to lighten up from time to time.
The Suicide Squad video game could really stand out in the genre with a few well-placed jokes and optimistic quips. If you take a heavy subject and make it even heavier, a Suicide Squad video game could get really depressing.
Keep it funny, keep it fun. Your fans will thank you for the imagination.
7. A modern soundtrack
Though this aspect is often ignored, a video game needs a good soundtrack to really get the player involved. Even Super Mario Bros. thrived on its music. Now more than ever, the era of cheap, meaningless, ambient music on repeat is over.
It would make sense to snatch some tracks from the movie, but expanding the soundtrack for the Suicide Squad game would be a wise move. This is a movie starring real people in a modern world, not a medieval fantasy. It needs actual music by actual musicians if it's going to seem real.
8. Different character play styles and skins
The essential idea that we're all imagining for the Suicide Squad video game is that there will be lots of characters, and that each of them will feel unique when played. Maybe Harley Quinn uses her mallet and agility, but Deadshot needs to use positioning and range.
That being said, many of these characters are classic DC names. Having imagined them dozens of ways over time, the Suicide Squad game could really draw in the super-fans with different movie and comic character skins.
If it's too much to ask, at least offer more characters and skins as premium content. It's not like it would be a major shift from current studio income strategies.
9. Online multiplayer
Whether it's perfectly balanced or not, we're going to want to see our favorite Suicide Squad characters square off against one another in online multiplayer.
If it's really unfair to have someone like Killer Croc duel against The Joker, then the solution is team fights. An online multiplayer with 5 different characters on each team working together to beat the other team would be, well, killer.
A smoothly-integrated online co-op mode would be nice, too.
10. Replay value
It's not every day you get to make this type of game and expect commercial success. Let's hope the studio does something great with it.
Replay value means having more than just a single strong element or hook. If we have to grind through the weak points in a Suicide Squad video game just to get to the end, odds are that we won't replay it.
It's essential that the studio doesn't drop the ball on the little things:
- Create a variety of different enemies and puzzles so we're not bored
- Add a few choices so that we'll want to decide differently next time
- Let each character be fun and different enough to merit their own playthrough
Did we hit everything? A good game takes a lot more than just 10 good things, but we come to expect the rest as the bare minimum.
Once the game is out, it'll be good to look back and see how it matches up to our expectations.
What else would you like to see in the Suicide Squad video game? Let us know in the comments!
Published: Oct 10, 2015 08:48 am