This year,The Game Awardswill feature 29 individual categories, and like many other award shows out there, some viewers won’t think all of them are totally necessary.The Game Awards' Best Adaptation category tends to be one such category, with it often feeling as though just one or two nominees actually deserve the title of “Best Adaptation,” making the other 3–4 nominees feel like filler.
Unfortunately, that same criticism is likely to be levied atThe Game Awards 2024’s Best Adaptation category. Once again, five nominees are currently up for this year’s Best Adaptation award, but three of them feel a little as though they’ve only been placed there to fill the nominee list. So, while any of the nominees could technically win, the race for this year’s Best Adaptation Game Award is really being run by just two contenders.
The Game Awards 2024’s Best Adaptation Nominees
Arcane
The Game Awards didn’t have a Best Adaptation category until 2022, and despite releasing in November 2021,Arcane’s first seasontook home the debut trophy. An adaptation that transcends its video game source material,Arcanehas essentially become its own entity. Though its characters, world, and certain plot points all have strong ties toLeague of Legends' lore,Arcanestands alone, and as such, has become an incredibly successful show in its own right.
Arcanehas just wrapped up its second and final season, and it’s been just as much of a cultural phenomenon as the first.ArcaneSeason 2has earned acclaim from both fans and critics alike, and it stands an excellent chance of winning The Game Awards 2024’s Best Adaptation category thanks to its gorgeous animation, riveting story, top-notch character work, and stellar performances.
Cast
Arcane is an animated series developed by Alex Yee and Christian Linke that follows a the story of Piltover and Zaun, two pivotal locations in the League of Legends universe. The first season follows the stories of Jynx and Vi, as well as Jayce and Viktor.
Fallout
Much likeArcane, this year’sFalloutAmazon Prime show became a bit of a cultural phenomenon, being hugely popular both among fans and the general viewing public. Along with breaking viewership records for anAmazon Prime Original show,Falloutwas a big hit among critics, with it capturing the game’s tongue-in-cheek tone and often absurd world remarkably well.
Amazon’sFalloutis a rare adaptation that truly understands the source material and understands what fans want to see brought to life. Some exciting twists and turns, great special effects, impressive attention to detail, and charismatic performances giveFallouta very good chance of winning The Game Awards' Best Adaptation trophy this year.
Created by Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout is based on the post-apocalyptic RPG gaming franchise that started in the 1990s. Set hundreds of years after the Great War, Lucy leaves her Vault bunker to travel the Wasteland in search of her kidnapped father.
Knuckles
Another record-breaking entry,Knucklesbecame the most watched Paramount+ original series upon its debut earlier this year. A spinoff from theSonic the Hedgehoglive-action movies,Knucklessees Idris Elba reprise his role as the red Echidna, who’s tasked with training the human Wade Whipple in his warrior ways so that he can win a bowling tournament in Nevada.
While critics praisedKnuckles' performancesand action sequences, the show was met with a middling reception overall, with many taking issue with the series' overreliance on human characters, its run-of-the-mill setting, and its premise that felt a little too similar to the firstSonicmovie.
Like a Dragon: Yakuza
Though it was originally intended to be one movie,Like a Dragon: Yakuzareleased on Amazon Prime as a 6-episode live-action series back in October. While the show technically has an original plot,Like a Dragon: Yakuzatakes many of the plot points and characters ofSega’s firstYakuzagame, including main protagonist Kazuma Kiryu.
Unfortunately,Like a Dragon: Yakuzastands out on this Best Adaptation nominee list for its somewhat poor critical reception. Though the show’s performances were praised, aspects such as its action scenes, tone, pacing, and writing all paled in comparison to its video game source material.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
While many video game adaptations are direct translations of the source material’s plot and characters,Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croftstands out for being a canonical sequel that continues the story ofCrystal Dynamics’Tomb RaiderSurvivor Trilogy. Now a solo adventurer,Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croftsees the iconic titular hero attempting to recover an ancient artifact that’s been stolen from Croft Manor.
Critics were a bit divided onTomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. While some believed it to be a great adaptation that captured the adventurous spirit of the games and delivered a pitch-perfectcharacterization of Lara Croft, others thought it was a bit lacking in the animation and writing departments.
Final Prediction
When all is said and done, there are two clear contenders for The Game Awards 2024’s Best Adaptation category.ArcaneandFalloutearned much better reviews across the board thanKnuckles,Like a Dragon: Yakuza, andTomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, and it’s highly likely that one of those two will walk home with the award.
But determining which one is another matter entirely.Arcanealready won the Best Adaptation Game Award in 2022, and that could mean that the jury is less likely to vote for it as it already received its flowers. But that could also just as easily mean the jury is more likely to vote forArcaneas it’s a known quantity that’s already proved itself.
It also greatly depends on how the jury interprets the category’s definition. According toThe Game Awards' official descriptionof the Best Adaptation category, the winner should be an “outstanding creative work that faithfully and authentically adapts a video game to another entertainment medium.”
Arcaneis an absolutely stunning show that has no shortage of great qualities, but in terms of an adaptation that “faithfully and authentically adapts a video game,“Falloutmight have the edge.Falloutgoes above and beyond with its world-building, not just adapting its source material and presenting fans with a fewEaster eggs, but continuing to flesh out the games' universe through major plot points.Falloutadds a lot of canonical lore, and while an argument could be made thatArcaneis the better show,Falloutmight be the slightly better adaptation, at least according to The Game Awards' definition.
