That’s kind of a bold statement, but it’s the truth since several series can be used as examples to back this up. There’s a lot more that can be done with animation than live-action, no matter that both can be equally impressive in their own way. The heavy use of special effects in live-action movies usually earns a great deal of criticism for poorly executed CGI, less than stellar casting, and several other mishaps that can’t really be helped. While animated shows might suffer a few setbacks here and there, the physical limitations are usually less of an issue since animation isn’t bound by anything other than imagination. There are indeed limits that are wise to place on animation since turning one series or movie into the equivalent of a free for all that resembles a Looney Tunes episode. In other words, unless one character or another has abilities that allow them to defy the laws of physics, animation still needs to be able to depict a down-to-earth cast that isn’t comprised of super-powered individuals that can do anything and are virtually unstoppable.
One great example of this that’s been seen in recent months is Arcane, since the Netflix adaptation of the popular game, League of Legends, which has been played by more than a few people since its appearance in 2009. Arcane does feature several individuals that have insane abilities and enhanced characters that are capable of great things, but it also remains grounded in a manner that’s fun to watch since it does indicate that there are limits to each character that can’t be sloughed off whenever it’s convenient. The realism granted to this show is uplifting in a big way since there are still plenty of elements within the story that is so far beyond reality that they might have dominated the series if not for the fact that the overall story was still grounded in its own reality in a way that made it obvious that the world wasn’t dominated by super-powered characters.
Other movies that have made good use of the stories that have inspired them have managed to keep within the limits of their lore, as series and movies such as Mortal Kombat and several others have been interesting since they’ve gone beyond the video game in several ways, but have remained within the scripture that gave rise to them. In this manner, it has become possible to see video game stories as worthwhile and entertaining for the fans. When one looks at one video game after another it’s fair to state that a lot of them have very well-thought-out stories that are easy enough to develop if they’re followed without too many deviations. As it’s been seen in the past and is still being seen in the present, live-action shows are still being ripped apart by critics and fans to ensure that things are ‘the way they should be’. Halo is a great example since many people have been wondering for the past couple of episodes now why things have been shown in ways that they don’t quite agree with.
Some of this is the decision of the directors and doesn’t exactly have much to do with the actual lore of the game, but there are moments when physical limitations, even when it comes to special effects, can cause a live-action series to falter and eventually be looked at as less than effective. An animated show by comparison tends to have fewer if any, real limitations since those in charge of bringing these characters to life can work with the characters in a manner that isn’t bound by the physical form of the individual quite as much. Many other factors go into the efficiency of animated video game series and movies, but the main thrust of this is that animated series, while they still don’t have to follow the story as close, are bound to be a better idea is that the effects in many video games tend to require a lot of special effects that are bound to cost a great deal and are a little more temperamental since they tend to be far more temperamental than any effect that’s capable of being enacted in an animated series.
A live-action series is indeed capable of being impressive when it’s given the type of treatment that can please the fans, but the truth is that animation is just as efficient. Thus far when it comes to series that are inspired by video games, animated shows have been amazing the fans far more than the live-action versions have, for several reasons. it’s bound to happen that live-action will continue to be a common practice when it comes to video game representation in movies and TV, but animation is looking far more impressive as of late.
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