I'm a guy with many tastes, but I have most of my fun with video games. And a lot like an ill fated metaphor about combining ice cream and pizza, I tend to wonder if other things I enjoy just might make a good game. Considering the crazy range of play styles and tone from one title to the next there is certainly a whole lot of room for just about anything you can throw at it.

So this blog post is about something that could be a game. Take careful note that I say could, because as the saying goes. You could, but should you? Safe money and sanity says, no, but I want to have fun with it anyway.

It Could be a Game: Black Lagoon

Right up front Black Lagoon is an anime/manga series about a gang of pirates that operate out of a city in Thailand made up of mobsters, cartels, psychopaths, and drug dealers. The tone is very dark with a dash of grey morality kinda similar to Grand Theft Auto without the cheeky parodies of American culture. The action is very 80s what with torpedo boats taking out attack helicopters, unlikely displays of dual wielding handguns, and nearly indestructible women sometimes dressed up in maid outfits. I won't drag on about the plot because we have the technology if you want to know more.

Some of the appeal comes from a Japanese salary man out of his element who still finds time to survive using his head and carefully chosen words instead of mountains of bullets. I'll get around to that later. Some of the danger is that this would be a licensed game dooming it to indifference or a quick cash in. Although, there are alwaysexceptionstothe rule.

Tons of Guns, and Quirky Weapons Too

People who are familiar with Black Lagoon might find it a dead ringer for a third person action game or a sandbox type where you explore a city. But before we get that far, one thing Black Lagoon has going for it is a healthy selection of weapons. For me, most action games live and die with their selection of guns or tools of destruction. This is especially true in first person shooters where your "character" is really just a floating gun with a helping hand for reload animations. One of the show's more defining characteristics is the considerable detail spent on the various guns that are fired off from episode to episode. Everything from Berettas, to Browning Automatic Rifles, to Desert Eagles, to Kalashnikovs are well represented.

And then there are a few special weapons that were the partial inspiration for a blog like this. The kind of stuff that makes me wonder why this hasn't appeared in a video game yet.

Short explanation, Black Lagoon likes to take a lot of Japanese character types and put dark spins on them. Roberta the maid is no exception. But the important thing is her concealed weapons in the form of a combat shotgun umbrella and an LMG in her suitcase. I don't know how we've gotten this far without a game featuring some sort of concealed combination like this. C'mon video game industry. New Hitman game? Novelty Team Fortress 2 item for the Heavy? Someone get on this. It would be awesome.

Roanapur: A Little Slice of Hell in East Asia

The setting of Black Lagoon certainly leaves a lot of options for game play. Roanapur is a fictional city in Thailand overrun with crime and drug trade. There's no illusion of order as the police are completely useless and the criminal element kill each other day in, day out fighting for territory. The only thing keeping the streets from becoming a war zone is a tight balance struck up by the various mafias. It's not the most original setting as a city of sin and crime, but the international element allows a lot of interaction from all over the world. Setting it in the 90s allows for plenty of soldiers left behind from the Cold War and Communism to apply their training for personal profit.

The natural reaction is something like GTA, which the accompanying image I found on the internet shows someone agrees. I have a different, less obvious idea, which leads me to...

Black Lagoon feat. Dialogue Trees

I would be totally cool with an adventure game where you navigate the trigger happy world of Black Lagoon with nothing but a lot of smooth talking. Adventure games are hot now, right? Give it to Telltale. The main character, nicknamed Rock, of this series is really just a normal white collar guy trying to hold onto his soul in a city where people solve their differences with gunfire and grenade launchers. He gets away with a lot of shit using nothing but a cool head and a lot of talking. It would be fun trying to get away with the same stuff through careful use of dialogue trees.

Or in the case of the game giving you options (including massive failure), make a big a mess as you possibly can.

Of course, if you want shooting there are more than enough blood thirsty characters in this series to put together a battle of any kind. You could even make it Uncharted-like to take advantage of all the jumping and diving regularly featured in the show.

This is Probably a Bad Idea

But there's really no reason to limit game play to one character when there are plenty of quirky people you could rotate around... and that brings me to (probably) the most uncomfortable part of Black Lagoon, Hansel and Gretel. They're a pair of murderous pre-teen twins (maybe) that kill people with axes and a machine gun. They're all kinds of fucked up. And yet... I would be lying if I didn't think playing as them could be fun. Stalking people, luring them into a false sense of security, laying waste to bars and automobiles with a machine gun... and they would be weak to sniper rifles. I don't know what that says about me as a person, but if done poorly it would really cheapen their characters and probably show up on a news program.

Although, this concern probably depends on your familiarity with Hansel and Gretel and your tolerance for violence. I just can't remember many games where you play as murderous children beyond saving with a really, really fucked up past.

The Conclusion?

Black Lagoon could be a video game. It has everything it needs. Should it though? Probably no, considering how most licensed games turn out. The fact that there isn't an actual Black Lagoon game is evidence enough of that. Still, there are a lot of parts of the show I wouldn't mind getting borrowed for other games. If there is one thing from this blog that I would make real, it would be a shotgun umbrella. Preferably for a stealth game. That would be sweet.

I'm a guy with many tastes, but I have most of my fun with video games. And a lot like an ill fated metaphor about combining ice cream and pizza, I tend to wonder if other things I enjoy just might make a good game. Considering the crazy range of play styles and tone from one title to the next there is certainly a whole lot of room for just about anything you can throw at it.

So this blog post is about something that could be a game. Take careful note that I say could, because as the saying goes. You could, but should you? Safe money and sanity says, no, but I want to have fun with it anyway.

It Could be a Game: Black Lagoon

Right up front Black Lagoon is an anime/manga series about a gang of pirates that operate out of a city in Thailand made up of mobsters, cartels, psychopaths, and drug dealers. The tone is very dark with a dash of grey morality kinda similar to Grand Theft Auto without the cheeky parodies of American culture. The action is very 80s what with torpedo boats taking out attack helicopters, unlikely displays of dual wielding handguns, and nearly indestructible women sometimes dressed up in maid outfits. I won't drag on about the plot because we have the technology if you want to know more.

Some of the appeal comes from a Japanese salary man out of his element who still finds time to survive using his head and carefully chosen words instead of mountains of bullets. I'll get around to that later. Some of the danger is that this would be a licensed game dooming it to indifference or a quick cash in. Although, there are alwaysexceptionstothe rule.

Tons of Guns, and Quirky Weapons Too

People who are familiar with Black Lagoon might find it a dead ringer for a third person action game or a sandbox type where you explore a city. But before we get that far, one thing Black Lagoon has going for it is a healthy selection of weapons. For me, most action games live and die with their selection of guns or tools of destruction. This is especially true in first person shooters where your "character" is really just a floating gun with a helping hand for reload animations. One of the show's more defining characteristics is the considerable detail spent on the various guns that are fired off from episode to episode. Everything from Berettas, to Browning Automatic Rifles, to Desert Eagles, to Kalashnikovs are well represented.

And then there are a few special weapons that were the partial inspiration for a blog like this. The kind of stuff that makes me wonder why this hasn't appeared in a video game yet.

Short explanation, Black Lagoon likes to take a lot of Japanese character types and put dark spins on them. Roberta the maid is no exception. But the important thing is her concealed weapons in the form of a combat shotgun umbrella and an LMG in her suitcase. I don't know how we've gotten this far without a game featuring some sort of concealed combination like this. C'mon video game industry. New Hitman game? Novelty Team Fortress 2 item for the Heavy? Someone get on this. It would be awesome.

Roanapur: A Little Slice of Hell in East Asia

The setting of Black Lagoon certainly leaves a lot of options for game play. Roanapur is a fictional city in Thailand overrun with crime and drug trade. There's no illusion of order as the police are completely useless and the criminal element kill each other day in, day out fighting for territory. The only thing keeping the streets from becoming a war zone is a tight balance struck up by the various mafias. It's not the most original setting as a city of sin and crime, but the international element allows a lot of interaction from all over the world. Setting it in the 90s allows for plenty of soldiers left behind from the Cold War and Communism to apply their training for personal profit.

The natural reaction is something like GTA, which the accompanying image I found on the internet shows someone agrees. I have a different, less obvious idea, which leads me to...

Black Lagoon feat. Dialogue Trees

I would be totally cool with an adventure game where you navigate the trigger happy world of Black Lagoon with nothing but a lot of smooth talking. Adventure games are hot now, right? Give it to Telltale. The main character, nicknamed Rock, of this series is really just a normal white collar guy trying to hold onto his soul in a city where people solve their differences with gunfire and grenade launchers. He gets away with a lot of shit using nothing but a cool head and a lot of talking. It would be fun trying to get away with the same stuff through careful use of dialogue trees.

Or in the case of the game giving you options (including massive failure), make a big a mess as you possibly can.

Of course, if you want shooting there are more than enough blood thirsty characters in this series to put together a battle of any kind. You could even make it Uncharted-like to take advantage of all the jumping and diving regularly featured in the show.

This is Probably a Bad Idea

But there's really no reason to limit game play to one character when there are plenty of quirky people you could rotate around... and that brings me to (probably) the most uncomfortable part of Black Lagoon, Hansel and Gretel. They're a pair of murderous pre-teen twins (maybe) that kill people with axes and a machine gun. They're all kinds of fucked up. And yet... I would be lying if I didn't think playing as them could be fun. Stalking people, luring them into a false sense of security, laying waste to bars and automobiles with a machine gun... and they would be weak to sniper rifles. I don't know what that says about me as a person, but if done poorly it would really cheapen their characters and probably show up on a news program.

Although, this concern probably depends on your familiarity with Hansel and Gretel and your tolerance for violence. I just can't remember many games where you play as murderous children beyond saving with a really, really fucked up past.

The Conclusion?

Black Lagoon could be a video game. It has everything it needs. Should it though? Probably no, considering how most licensed games turn out. The fact that there isn't an actual Black Lagoon game is evidence enough of that. Still, there are a lot of parts of the show I wouldn't mind getting borrowed for other games. If there is one thing from this blog that I would make real, it would be a shotgun umbrella. Preferably for a stealth game. That would be sweet.

Being able to play as either Rock or Revy would be awesome. One for talking, one for shooting. Then...I dunno, do an arc of playing as Balalaika with all the powers of her Ex-Paratroop squad. Then as Roberta. Or like, unlockable at the end with unique abilities.

If done well, it would be amazing (but then so would a load of games). Still, having the Paratroop squad at your command would be the best.

That's an amazing OP. I heard that Black Lagoon is quite fucked up. Though, I like the idea of a pair of twins fucking shit up with BARs and axes. Preteens, maybe.
 
I kinda want a GTA of Black Lagoon right now.
 
Never seen it, though.

Really good ideas, now we just need some developer who is willing to do this.

You know, as much as I love Black Lagoon, I don't want a game made out of it for much the same reasons that I don't want movies made of games.  
 
Not to mention the fact that Black Lagoon updates extremely slowly and you could burn through the current material in about 5 hours. 

I love Black Lagoon (in fact, I helped write that page on AV; nice job on the rest, by the way), but I'd be terrified if it were to be licensed for a game. It's not like licensed games have a good track record - Chronicles of Riddick and similar are a few gems amongst many, many steaming piles of feces. I'm not sure the setting would work as an adventure game as you suggest, and while a GTA clone would be cool if done right, history suggests it'd more likely be a bad clone.

I'm all for more Black Lagoon stuff (seeing as I ran out not too long ago; Roberta's Blood Trail is awesome), but I want it to be good content. It's kind of a niche thing...I can't really see any well-known developers going for it.

Thanks for reminding me of Black Lagoon. Great show. I think a game could work for the reasons you listed but it would most likely turn out poorly.

@SoylentGreen said:

I love Black Lagoon (in fact, I helped write that page on AV; nice job on the rest, by the way), but I'd be terrified if it were to be licensed for a game. It's not like licensed games have a good track record - Chronicles of Riddick and similar are a few gems amongst many, many steaming piles of feces. I'm not sure the setting would work as an adventure game as you suggest, and while a GTA clone would be cool if done right, history suggests it'd more likely be a bad clone.

I'm all for more Black Lagoon stuff (seeing as I ran out not too long ago; Roberta's Blood Trail is awesome), but I want it to be good content. It's kind of a niche thing...I can't really see any well-known developers going for it.

Don't worry about Black Lagoon's page on Anime Vice. Black Lagoon has one of the best filled out pages on Anime Vice. Did you see them? Thanks to FoxxFireArt who made it complete and detailed.

• Black Lagoon (Anime)
• Black Lagoon Second Barrage
• Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail

Sotyfan16 wrote a killer guide on it. There is lot of publicity about the anime on Anime Vice especially the article that Foxx wrote about strong women.

At first, the pictures looks like Black Lagoon can be a visual novel game, but that does not sound like good for Black Lagoon.

For the gta game, it must be longer and have a lot of options than the actual anime to be successful.

Love the blog's creativeness. I believe it can be a good game if it's in good hands of experts who know how to make good video games and the anime.

@Capum15 said:

I dunno, do an arc of playing as Balalaika with all the powers of her Ex-Paratroop squad. Then as Roberta. Or like, unlockable at the end with unique abilities.If done well, it would be amazing (but then so would a load of games). Still, having the Paratroop squad at your command would be the best.

When I was writing this up and thinking of some hypothetical game where you could play as Balalaika, I definitely agree she would have a bunch of squad commands like sniper support and covering fire. Most characters are easy to imagine since they just grab their weapon of choice and go. But in the show she never really gets her hands dirty (unless she wants to) so it makes sense she would rely on her comrades to get things done.

@SoldierG654342:

Yeah, the pool of material to draw from for Black Lagoon isn't very much. Certainly not as much as other series. You'd have to be pretty creative or take some serious liberties with the story... and I know how touchy a subject that can be.

@SoylentGreen:

I hear you, I would definitely prefer Black Lagoon related material to be on the same level as the stuff put out so far. Speaking of Roberta's Blood Trail, did they plan to work on that with the Ocean Group voice actors like they did with the other DVD releases? I haven't been able to find much on it in terms of release dates.

@Sarumarine: I have no idea. I really hope that they get all of the same VAs back again, if they do get Ocean Group to do it - I just got used to Revy's English VA, I don't want to have to do that again!

The only way I can see it working is if they made it kind of like GTA with some small Skyrim elements thrown in. So say you could make your own character, the map's Roanapur with a few other nearby territories, and you could join any of the bigger or more powerful groups running Roanapur. I'd personally wanna join Hotel Moscow. You'd be able to join the Lagoon Company as well of course. It'd be great to run into the anime characters as you played the game through the different quests depending on which group you chose. I personally see such a game being on the PlayStation. It'd take a lot of money to make and the demands aren't high enough on the anime or manga to have it done sure thing. I doubt any game developers would take it on because of that. Either way it's not a bad idea. I could see something like that going far.