Video Game Novelizations?

[JPchicre]

Anyone ever read one those, either official or fan-made/fan-fiction, Is there any decent or good ones? Or even weird ones? Heard that the Doom one really goes off the rails.

 

[MasterEn]

Anyone ever read one those, either official or fan-made/fan-fiction, Is there any decent or good ones? Or even weird ones? Heard that the Doom one really goes off the rails.

i read the dot hack novels when i was younger. they were pretty good. it told the game's story from blackrose's perspective; adding in some lore and backstory and a few new moments between characters.

 

[jon2]

Bionic Commando novel

Never played the game, but the novel is decent for a kid's action book

 

[BeauBeauBradley]

Street fighter: Where strength lies is a banger! The metal gear solid and doom novels are pretty good as well!

 

[ZombieFish]

Can confirm Doom is worth a read. Matter of fact I think I’ll reread it now.
There’s a short story in the Tie Fighter manual I enjoyed when I was 12. Dunno if that counts. Also the Resident Evil novels.

 

[Isegrim]

Decades back, I first played Simon's Quest (Dracula 2: Noroi no Fuuin) on the Famicom Disk System. I loved Castlevania 1 on the FDS but the second game was more puzzle based full of clues in Japanese text. I really wanted to know more about the in-game story and finish it so I bought anything that could help me. (No Internet yet. The U.S. version of the game, Simon's Quest was not sold in my country but gaming books and magazines from all over the world were.)

One of them was a novelization of the game: Worlds of Power (4) - Simon's Quest. The author turned it into an Isekai (long before that word was known commonly) and made it about a typical teenage high school boy who somehow ends up in Simon's Quest. It was really weird, almost comedic putting in elements that made it resemble a Saturday Morning Cartoon. It definitely wasn't the actual story so I had to filter out the idiotic parts and process the original plot line out of it somehow. There were clues on beating the game at the end of the chapters and one of them proved to be a key clue but it wasn't enough to win the game (which I eventually did in time). If it wasn't for that clue, I'd be more critical of the novel.

In any case, as anyone who's played Simon's Quest, most of the clues in-game were lies and useless so even if I did understand it, it would probably confuse me even more. In the end, I pieced together the clues from the novel, absorbed some tidbits from other game magazines and even learned some Japanese to translate some parts in order to win the game.

 

[destinyduelist]

I read the Resident Evil 3 novelisation, it's actually pretty good to be honest.

 

[soulsas]

I recently read the novel version of God of War, and honestly, I thought it was pretty solid. Some parts felt off, probably because I have the game burned into my memory, but in other areas, it actually added something new. The book works both for people who already know the game and for those who’ve never played it—though it definitely helps if you’re already a fan.
There are a bunch of references to Greek mythology, and it gives you a look into Kratos’ mind and his view of Olympus. It’s like an epic legend brought to life for people who didn’t get the chance to experience the game firsthand. So yeah, overall, it’s a good read... but it’s not without its flaws.

Pros:

Epic legend vibe
Dual perspectives (Kratos and Olympus)
A story about grit and determination
Lots of Greek mythology references

Cons:

The pacing is uneven (starts slow, ends super fast—like they rushed the ending)
Some forced events just to match the game
Repetitive words and phrases here and there
A few typos and awkward translations
Lacks emotional punch and drama in the narration
Abrupt ending