Pitch Your Game: “For Real” Version

Last week, we ran the first edition of Pitch Your Game, our brand new GamerSushi feature where Anthony and I came up with the most absurd video game pitches we could think of, and pitted them against each other in mortal combat. It was Thunderdome meets a think tank.

This week, we go to the other side of the coin, where Anthony and I actually take serious pitches at game ideas that we think might need to be explored. At the end, you weigh in on which game you think you’d rather play.

 

 

Anthony’s Game

THE PITCH: Gotham City. Home of some of the most infamous and insane criminals in the world. And the only one who will stand up to them is a hero who is lives on the edge of sanity himself. Arkham Asylum has been closed down due to “questionable” diagnostic techniques. All the prisoners must be transferred to Gotham Memorial Hospital.

Batman oversees the transfer, but certain elements of Gotham have other plans. A large scale attack frees some of Batman’s most formidable foes: The Joker, The Penguin, Two-Face, The Riddler and Ra’s al Ghul, Batman must track down and capture all of them while keeping Gotham’s people safe…

BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS

THE GAMEPLAY: Batman: Gotham Knights would be an open world game, but not a GTA clone. Think of something more along the lines of Metal Gear Solid 4, but with improved hand to hand combat. Take an open world setting and add the stealth elements and you have the right idea. The game would be broken into chapters with each chapter involving the capture of a villain. For example, a simple bank robbery turns into a case that leads Batman to apprehend the Penguin, set over the course of a number of missions. Batman would use stealth and clues to find and capture each villain until the final mission takes him back to Arkham for a final meeting with the Joker.

As Batman explores Gotham, events will take place, involving minor villains, such as Scarecrow terrorizing the citizens of Gotham or Bane robbing a diamond store. If Batman responds to these events, he gets experience points to unlock new combos and weapons. In addition to the Batmobile, he has the Bat-Pod and the Bat-wing to fly travel through Gotham.

Batman would earn more experience points for keeping a low profile, so stealth would come into play more than straight out warfare. But Batman still must defeat his enemies, he simply does more damage if he is undetected when he strikes the first blow.

Online Co-op would be a blast in such a game and the chance to play as Nightwing, Robin or even Catwoman would be a fun idea. Plus, once you beat the game, you can play as certain villains, complete with special attacks, dialogue and a bonus mission for each one.

 

 

Eddy’s Game

THE PITCH: The sun sets over a luminous city skyline, tall buildings spiraling endlessly into the darkening night sky. Our camera comes out from the bay and swoops in over downtown. Liberty City has grown and prospered since we last saw it, complete with hovering cars, neon billboards at every turn, and a city street that is much too clean.

It’s Grand Theft Auto as we’ve never known it. We’ve seen it in the 80’s with Vice City, the 90’s with San Andreas, the present day, and now- the future. Only, it’s the future as Rockstar sees it, full of parodies, puns, satire, and a whole lot of vertical real estate to explore.

GRAND THEFT AUTO: UTOPIA

 

THE GAMEPLAY: Now that the government has consolidated its power, it’s up to one lone criminal to rise through the ranks of the underground, gain supporters and topple the regime that is trying to create the perfect world, starting with Liberty City.

Your main character starts as just a grunt, with a whole city to explore. Flying cars, a futuristic arsenal, all the tropes of the future (and satires of them) are here for your perusal. Gain respect by defeating other gangs, sticking it to “The Man” and just plain creating chaos.

On your way, choose to be a cause for good while you create chaos, or a cause to replace the old regime with your own. Introducing good and evil mechanics in GTA is something sorely needed, and GTA: Utopia takes care of that as well as some of the naysayers criticizing the game for its violence.

In addition, one of the main aspects of gameplay would be the idea of vertical and horizontal exploration. Not only does the city sprawl as far as the eye can see, it also sprawls upward, with storefronts and skyways criss-crossing like a spiderweb across all of the skyscrapers. Imagine leading police on a chase through the skyline, navigating your way up, down and around other vehicles. The game ends when the regime is toppled.

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I think it’s pretty funny that both of us chose open world games. Which of these games do you think you’d rather play? What sounds compelling to you? I think both are kind of sweet. Tell us your thoughts!