Games
What would life be like if more games were like Bad Piggies?
Rovio's Angry Birds has spawned plenty of spin-offs, but the one that sticks in our mind is 2012s Bad Piggies, which put you in control of the notorious hogs. But what if other games adopted this switch-around approach? Join us as we imagine what Grand Theft Auto would look like through the eyes of a detective, FIFA as a referee, or even DayZ as a zombie.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Police
Rockstar's classic Grand Theft Auto series has had you stealing cars, mowing down pedestrians and committing all sorts of crimes since 1997, but what if it was flipped on its head, and you took the role of a badge-wielding detective instead? Forget the snail's pace and clue-sniffing of L.A. Noire – we're thinking of an action-filled romp through the streets of Los Santos, cracking down on crime and corruption, all in the name of justice. Plus a customisable police car to boot.
Just like with the original titles, each successive star would relate to the scale of the criminal threat you're facing, and the response you can give. Rack up five stars in GTA:V, and you'll have NOOSE vehicles swooping the streets to take you down. But flip it around, and we're picturing a RoboCop-style battle suit to help you clean the streets, complete with a whole arsenal of tools and weapons. Throw in DLC options like a Starsky & Hutch-style Gran Torino car or Life on Mars-esque Cortina, and you have the makings for the perfect crime-busting game.
FIFA: Referee Edition
There are plenty of cheats on the pitch, so why not take the role of the referee and give them their due? In FIFA Referee Edition, it's your job to catch the divers, hackers, plain time wasters, and those looking to recreate Diego Maradona's Hand of God as you work your way up the ref ladder to more prestigious events.
You'd play from a single-player perspective, just like the minor PS1 classic Libero Grande, or FIFA's better known Be a Pro mode. Throw in linesmen for added picture-in-picture perspectives, bonuses for calling the offside rule perfectly, and quick action triggers for yellow and red cards, and you're sure of a fair game. Maybe you could give the odd wink to your favourite team, too.
DayZ: Zombie POV DLC
It's one thing escaping from the Zeds of DayZ with your friends, but how about stepping into one's torn and blood-spattered shoes? You could with some zombie-POV DLC.
We picture you playing as a military or civilian zombie, complete with relevant stats, and lurching around the massive game map, feasting off the human population and converting them into soldiers for your ranks. Team up with zombie pals and hunt in a pack to get flesh-toting mortals and even go up against rival zombie hordes – after all, even if you're all united under the undead flag, everyone's gotta eat.
Halo: Covenant
If you're a Halo fan, surely you've thought about laying down your MJOLNIR armour and joining up with the Covenant to plunder the universe, but all Bungie and Co. have given us is the chance to play as the Arbiter in Halo 2. That's why we'd love to see a new Halo title from the eyes of the Covenant, where you take control of your own starship, have to find new planets to take over, more races to bring into the Empire, and of course, Spartans to defeat. You're already able to play as an Elite in many of Halo's multiplayer modes, so why not a fully-fledged Covenant campaign? 343 Industries, let's see this happen.
Pokémon: Team Rocket
We love Pokémon, no doubt about it, but we get a bit tired of being the goody-two-shoes hero all the time. That's why we want to become a member of Team Rocket, to rise up the ranks of the nefarious organisation from a lowly operative to a high-ranked executive, and maybe even replace Giovanni as the head of the syndicate.
Add in private jets to take you from region to region, rival operatives who're after your position, hero trainers trying to stop your ascension, and pesky legendary Pokémon that always seem to be out of reach, and you'd have the perfect anti-hero adventure. Now, where do we sign up?
