No matter when you grew up, we all have memories of enjoyment with some sort of Warner Brothers property. Perhaps you were like me and watched the Tim Burton 1989 Batman more times than you could count or would catch Freakazoid! after school. One thing that disappoints me all these years later though – WB Interactive Entertainment does not utilize their full catalogue of properties when it comes to top-tier games. In this hypothetical situation where I gain the reins of WB publishing, I want to detail some games I would greenlight. From here on out, I am Mr. WB.
First off, don’t expect some throwaway content. I take this seriously as do my dev teams. I know in the past some games from these properties have been synonymous with trash, but that was then…this is now. We aren’t talking about the handheld products that were churned out so frequently in the late 90’s and early 00’s. No. We publish what we fully expect to fully succeed. Anything less invites failure, and that’s not what we are about here at WB Interactive Entertainment.
Below is a list of five games I expect our dev teams to work on and what I would like to see them try and do.
Gotham Central
We here at WB know how popular Batman is with today’s gamers. Our successful Arkham franchise is critically acclaimed, but we here want to branch out of the Batman series. Let me present to you Gotham Central.
In Gotham Central, you will not be playing as Batman although you might find his assistance from time to time. Instead, you take the role of his friend Jim Gordon as you work the streets of Gotham bringing in the worst of the worst. The best game to liken this to would be L.A. Noire, but the focus would be less on facial recognition and instead evidence finding.
In this open world game, you can undertake a plethora of missions ranging from smaller street thugs to more notable Batman villains such as Two-Face, Scarecrow, the Penguin, and many more. Piecing together what happens at each scene of the crime brings you one step closer to nailing the perpetrator and putting them behind bars. Be careful though, if the clues aren’t put together correctly, there may not be enough proof to lock them away. Although you may get fortunate in having some help from a caped crusader.
As you can see, Gotham Central is a new way to bring about justice in Gotham City. We want to prove that what makes these characters interesting extends beyond Batman and constant combat. By the end of the game, the Gotham precinct will feel more fleshed out than they ever have been in the games and you will have a better appreciation for the men in uniform that patrols Gotham City.
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
The mysteries don’t end there! Instead we move to another mystery solving crew that has dealt with Batman in the past as well. The popular Scooby-Doo franchise will make its return in video game form though this time as a narrative experience similar to Until Dawn or Life is Strange.
Broken up into different episodes featuring new creatures and mysteries, Scooby and the gang will venture to different locations unraveling each case and the connection to something larger amongst all of them. Multiple paths lead to multiple endings and this kid-centric adventure will feel ripped out of the television show both in appearance and casting.
Yes, this game will be animated to look like one of the old cartoons while also featuring the voices of those you’ve come to recognize as Mystery Incorporated. We want this game to feel as authentic as possible while delivering a new story in a format that hasn’t been tried with this series before.
Scooby-Doo is another property that we own that transcends the age differences amongst our consumers. Taking it the narrative heavy adventure game route is a good fit for the series and one that we here at WB can’t wait for you to get your hands on.
Animaniacs
Now it’s time for Animaniacs. As the reboot is underway, we wanted to make sure the video game end was covered as well. In this open world (more like open studio-set), you can switch between playable characters Yakko, Wakko, and Dot as you wreak havoc on the Warner Brothers studio lot trying to avoid the security guard Ralph and their psychiatrist Dr. Otto Scratchansniff.
In the world, various missions will open up side stories with characters also seen in Animaniacs ranging from Pinky and the Brain, Chicken Boo, and Buttons and Mindy. Each of these missions play out similarly to their cartoons-within-a-cartoon from the show where they tell a complete story in a short time frame. Fortunately, you will run across these characters many times as you progress.
The game itself will be completely open allowing the Animaniacs to maneuver in and out of buildings all around the set. This means running across other WB cameos or wacky games that litters the world will keep players engaged when they don’t actively set out to complete the main plot. The more you do, the more you unlock in abilities, costumes, playable characters, and more!
Locking them in the tower may result in them losing the stash they’ve obtained, but you do not want to miss out on becoming an Animaniac. So throw some baloney in your slacks and lose your mind like the Animaniacs!
Space Ghost: Coast to Coast
We here at WB are fans of the simulation genre. Whether it games like Rollercoaster Tycoon, The Sims, or Game Dev Story; we thought we would enter that space as well with…well…Space Ghost. What better way to do that than to attach it to his 1990’s revival as a talk show host?
In Space Ghost Coast to Coast, you are responsible for the ratings behind the show. Not only do you have thousands of clips of the Coast to Coast show, his 1960’s series, hundreds of clips of celebrities and WB characters to use as guests and more; players also have another option: themselves.
That’s right, you as the player can insert yourself into the game as well. Want Space Ghost to interview your cat? Go ahead. Want to have an incomprehensible conversation with Brak? You can do that too! We want this game to allow for players to make unique and hilarious experiences because these can also be uploaded online for the rest of the world to see.
Use your best judgement and acting to make each show worth watching as not only does the game rate your performance to unlock more options, but the world can rate you too for extra perks. All of these options at your disposal can piece together shows will give a new and fun experience in the simulation space with a recognizable and nostalgic character as the focus.
Loonatics Unleashed
We would be fools not to try and do more with one of our most long-running cartoons. So Looney Tunes will be making a splash as well in video games. What better way than to have a throwback game to the widely beloved (4th Wall Break: Remember, I’m a WB person here) Loonatics Unleashed series.
Loonatics Unleashed will play much like the Marvel Ultimate Alliance series. Harnessing the powers and skills of the Loonatics, including newly created ones not in the original show, you will play through a cohesive story battling a group of villains looking to take over Acmetropolis. Combining powers to unleash incredible attacks will be a key goal for success.
This doesn’t have to be a single player experience though. Team up with two to four friends and combat these baddies. Unlocked abilities and powers all carry over to a friends game, so don’t worry about being limited if each person is at a different progression point than others.
Loonatics Unleashed has the capability of being something far greater than an old tv show, and we here at WB Interactive can make that happen. Fusing exciting action and that known Looney Tunes humor, Loonatics Unleashed will be one lively game to look for in the future.
The Wrap
That concludes our WB Direct for today. This is just a few of the titles we are cooking up with more to discuss in the future. While we have nothing to show at the moment, the rumors of the following are true as well:
– A Jonny Quest third-person action-adventure game
– A Histeria! edutainment title
– An episodic Twilight Zone adventure series
– A DC Comics card game
– An Osmosis Jones game headed up by VGU’s Emmett Watkins Jr.
When the time comes, we will reveal more about those titles as well. Until then, please leave us your feedback about WB products and hopefully in the next seven years we can also reveal news about the next Batman Arkham game.
So how did I do? I know there is plenty in their arsenal they can use and these were just a few ideas, even if on the silly side.
What WB properties would you like to see made into video games? Leave your suggestion in the comments!