After two decades, the Pokemon franchise is back with the release of New Pokemon Snap. Once again tasking players with traveling to unique environments and taking pictures of Pokemon in their natural habitats, New Pokemon Snap got us thinking, what other video game franchise would be perfect for a photography-based spinoff?
Question: What game would you like to see get the Pokemon Snap treatment?
Marvel's Spider-Man - Ozzie Mejia, Freelance Photographer
Alright, hear me out on this.
Yes, it's fun to swing across Manhattan and take down bank robbers, muggers, and wacky bad guys in costumes as everyone's Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. But what if there was a game dedicated to Peter Parker's day job as a photographer? What if the main component of the game involved setting up Peter's camera in such a place that it could capture key moments from Spider-Man's epic battles?
Tell me you wouldn't want to get Jonah some pictures of SPIDER-MAN!
Dragon Quest - Donovan Erskine, Zenithian photojournalist
One of the few games that can even hold a candle to Pokemon in terms of having a diverse roster of creatures to discover is Dragon Quest. A Dragon Quest photography game could see players snapping pictures of metal slimes, dragons, golems, chimaeras, and so many more. The franchise also features a great variety of locations, from the stunning beauty of Zenithia to the sweeping deserts and jungles, Dragon Quest is an excellent pick to get the Pokemon Snap treatment.
Street Fighter Beach Blanket A Go-Go - Blake Morse, Co-EIC
While the Street Fighter gang is mostly known for kicking ass, the whole crew is no stranger to showing off ass as well. In fact, there’s more than one collection of art that features Guile’s toned physique in a patriotic speedo or Cammy and Chun-Li showing off the goods in bikinis. So, why not a game where you get all your fave fighters all oiled up and shiny and have them strike a pose for you? Just imagine doing a bubble bath photo shoot with E. Honda or taking Juri to the beach for a little fun in the sun? Udon’s art books are already raking in the cash for them and Capcom. Why not just take the concept of beach bods Street Fighters to its logical conclusion?
My dream Snap already exists - Chris Jarrard, Has better opinions than fellow staffers
The game I would like to see get the Snap treatment already exists in the form of Forza Horizon 3 & 4. Both games feature more than 200 unique vehicles and are built around open worlds that are littered with NPC vehicles that can be raced or are just there for fun. The game has a mode where players are rewarded for discovering and photographing all the various rides. Some are more common than others and a few models are very rare, but this makes the hunt all the more enjoyable. The Photo Mode tools also allow for cool effects, adjustable exposure, and much more. Plus, I actually understand what a 1992 Acura NSX is supposed to be, unlike a Pikachu. WTF are those things, anyway?
Viva Pinata - Sam Chandler, Filled with fun
I would love to see a Viva Pinata game where the objective is to take photos of them. I want to try and lure them out into the open, and snap pretty pictures. The groundwork is already there from the base game, needing special plants and seeds to get some critters to show their faces. Really, I just want another Viva Pinata title.
theHunter: Call of the Wild - Bill Lavoy, Co-EIC
A game that needs a dedicated and detailed photo mode where your objective is to get unique and quality shots of your subjects is theHunter: Call of the Wild. That game is all about taking guns and bows and hunting and killing animals, but one of my friends put me onto an idea about how it could easily pivot. You see, ChalkOne, from the Shack Air flights you enjoy every Thursday on Twitch, has no interest in hunting animals to kill them, but he does have an interest in walking around a gorgeous world and getting as close to animals as he possibly can to take incredible photos of them. Sure, you can sort of do this now with screenshots, but if theHunter: Call of the Wild got some in-depth love and more content that focuses on snapping pictures, I think a lot of people would dive into that.
Mario Kart photo finish photography - TJ Denzer, winning news by nose
So I was thinking, what would be a beautiful environment full of engaging and riveting opportunities, subjects, and events for photography? Then I thought about the concept of the photo finish in racing. Finally, I thought of one of the most colorful, dramatic, and heartbreak-central racers around: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
The premise in my mind is you act as a Lakitu or whatever character following Mario Kart races on each track from the stands or certain pivotal points and it’s your mission to get the best action, drama, tragedy, and finish shots you can get. I think of something like what Dead Rising was doing with its photography where a photo is judged by metrics in relation to what’s going on. A close finish to the race decided by a hair? That’s drama and would be awarded drama category points. A lead racer out in front getting blue-shelled? That’s heartbreak and should be awarded as such. Two racings battling back and forth trying to hit each other and narrowing defending or overcoming one another. That’s some fine action photoshooting.
Whether you’d be assigned to predetermined races where the action was scripted to happen before your eyes or something more random, I think Mario Kart could supply one of the most intensive and engaging mission-based opportunities available for a photography style game, and the opportunity to take pictures of a championship photo finish on Rainbow Road sound like magic in the making to me.
Super Mario Photoghraphy - Steve Tyminski- Livestream personality/Contributing Editor
New Pokemon Snap releases this week and it gets us thinking about what other games would we want to see get the Pokemon Snap treatment. There are a few franchises that would be interesting to become a “take photos, ask questions later.” That being said, I think it would be cool to see a Mario game based around taking pictures from all over the various worlds. You could start out in the Mushroom Kingdom and then make your way to different worlds like Grass Land, the Metro Kingdom, or Sahasra Land. It could be neat to see other places such as locations from Mario sport games get a mention as well. There are so many locations to choose from, Mario fans would be in heaven.
House of the Dead - Bryan Lefler, wants you to suffer, like G did.
Pokemon Snap is already a rail shooter without the shooting, so let’s take a classic rail shooter franchise and turn it into a photo shoot! House of the Dead is no stranger to weird and quirky spin-offs with Typing of the Dead transforming Dreamcast owners into WPM machines. I say it’s time to dust off that moldy franchise and give those zombies a chance to shine! The game could use photography as a means of defeating enemies or it could be a truly fetid fashion shoot. Make sure you catch those zombies in their best light, these photos would require some really nasty negatives.
Those are our picks for this week's Shack Chat. Tell us, what video game do you think deserves the Pokemon Snap treatment? Let us know in the Chatty!
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