Staff Picks, April 2025: All The Adaptations (opens in new tab)
The April 2025 edition of Discord’s “Staff Picks” highlights video game adaptations across television, film, and anime. Staff members praise adaptations such as *The Last of Us*, *Five Nights at Freddy’s*, and *Cyberpunk: Edgerunners*, while suggesting games like *BioShock*, *Ace Attorney*, and *God of War* for future projects. Their choices emphasize strong storytelling, distinctive worlds, memorable characters, and creative visual adaptation. ## Upcoming Video Game Adaptations - April 2025 features several major releases: - *A Minecraft Movie* on April 4 - Season two of HBO’s *The Last of Us* on April 13 - The *Until Dawn* movie on April 25 - The article uses these releases as a starting point for discussing staff members’ favorite adaptations and dream projects. ## Veronica: *The Last of Us* and *BioShock* - Veronica considers HBO’s *The Last of Us* her favorite adaptation. - The original game’s cinematic presentation made it seem naturally suited to television. - The series exceeded her expectations and expanded the game’s lore. - She specifically praises the emotional impact of the third episode. - She is enthusiastic about the adaptation of the divisive but personally beloved second game. - Her ideal future adaptation is the *BioShock* series. - She wants to see the underwater cities of Rapture from *BioShock* and *BioShock 2*. - She is also interested in seeing Columbia from *BioShock Infinite*. - Although adaptation rumors have circulated, she remains cautiously optimistic. ## Cody: *Five Nights at Freddy’s* and *Ace Attorney* - Cody selects the *Five Nights at Freddy’s* movie despite its relatively mild scares. - He enjoys its predictable jumpscares and accessible PG-13 horror style. - The film’s animatronics are especially effective because they were built as real puppets by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop rather than created entirely with CGI. - He would like the *Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney* trilogy to receive an anime adaptation. - The original *Ace Attorney* trilogy already has an anime series. - The Apollo Justice games feature a more comedic and cartoony cast that could translate well to animation. - After spending more than 100 hours playing the trilogy, Cody also hopes Capcom eventually produces a new mainline entry. ## Emi: *Cyberpunk: Edgerunners* and *God of War* - Emi praises *Cyberpunk: Edgerunners* as a standout adaptation. - The anime quickly builds emotional investment in David, Lucy, and the residents of Night City. - Studio Trigger’s animation and visual effects are so striking that she rewatched individual scenes. - The series’ music, particularly “I Really Want to Stay at Your House,” remains emotionally powerful. - Her dream adaptation is the *God of War* franchise as a television series or film. - The Greek and Norse storylines provide a large narrative scope. - Kratos’s character development, cinematic scenes, and supporting cast give the series strong adaptation potential. - She hopes reported plans for a screen adaptation eventually lead to a release. The staff’s recommendations show that successful game adaptations can preserve a game’s atmosphere while expanding its characters, lore, and visual identity. Viewers looking for game-inspired entertainment can start with *The Last of Us*, *Five Nights at Freddy’s*, or *Cyberpunk: Edgerunners*, while fans can look forward to possible adaptations of *BioShock*, *Ace Attorney*, and *God of War*.