Any geek worth their weight in beef jerky is familiar with NBC’s hit TV show, Heroes. Enjoying a third season, we've all watched the determination of Peter, the unlikely humor in Hiro, and the constant sobbing of Claire. While not a traditional world of good and evil, we see the basic elements of great comic book stories and a world any of the greats authors and artists could be proud of. With such readily apparent media buzz and marketing potential, we have to ask the question: Could this be made into a MMO?

The easy answer might immediately be "Of course!" based purely on the popularity of the show, but translating anything into a game can prove tricky. I'm not saying there aren't a number of advantages to making an MMO in the Heroes universe, but we'll get to those in a minute. For now, let's look at the challenges a developer would face making a Heroes MMO.

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"Can Claire and Peter really compare to Batman?"

The first issue, as I mentioned earlier, is that Heroes isn't based on the traditional good and evil system that we enjoy with many games. World of Warcraft has the Alliance and the Horde, Warhammer Online has Order and Destruction, and most AAA games follow those guidelines. Main characters bounce around from allegiance to allegiance changing sides more than Magneto. Gameplay would need to be faction based, similar to what we see in EVE Online. Players could side with Arthur Petrelli, the Company, or even Nakamura.

One thing that is included in almost every TV show that involves science fiction is a complex and rapidly changing set of stories. These stories provide a great foundation for a game, but things have moved so quickly in the Heroes world, someone unfamiliar with the show might not be able to pick up all the nuances that would need to be in the setting. Developers would be forced to pick a single point in time and expound from there, neglecting some great plots that have made the show such a success. It would involve some extremely creative story building off the existing framework. If implemented incorrectly, thousands of fans could be turned off in an instant.

The world of television and film is constantly changing, with many shows only lasting a few seasons. Gone are the days of Gunsmoke and other long-running classics. How much longer will Heroes continue to stay on the air? Sure, it's popular now, but with most games taking at minimum three years to develop that would put the series into season six; a length of time that is unusual for the average show. That isn't to say it couldn't still work, but you are asking for a risky investment based on a temporary IP.

Perk up if you are a fan however, it isn't all thorns and rain clouds. There are a number of opportunities

Heroes would have in the MMO game market. Let's take a look at a few of them.

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"Champions Online would be more along the lines of Heroes"

First, as we stated, the IP is currently strong and would be very easily marketed to the “geek” crowd. Anyone who watches mainstream television knows what Heroes is, and this could also open the door to non-traditional gamers who are fans. Advertising during prime time television as well as in-game would insure proper coverage for both products. You could even have publicity events for the game where some of the actors would make appearances and answer questions.

Heroes also has a wide variety of characters, and if you can dream up the ability, you can have it. The only restriction would be what they could physically pull off in the game engine. This is a huge benefit that offers what so many people search for in other games: customization. Ice, fire, telekinesis, flight, and so many more powers are already out there, meaning the sky is the limit in terms of creation. Could it offer more than we see in something like City of Heroes though?

The alignment issue I mentioned earlier may not fall into a traditional format, but also could be one of Heroes greatest strengths. Players want to feel that they have options, and sometimes we don't always want to play for the same side. Factions would allow people to move where they like and view the game from different perspectives, no longer restricted by a choice they made on their first day. It not only provides some very welcome flexibility but could reuse a lot of content, which saves both time and money.

Does the good outweigh the bad? Could we really see a Heroes MMO game one day? Realistically probably not, as these games can be high risk to develop, and with so many other conservative options already out there, the chances seem slim. While it might be cool to think about and put on paper, the superhero genre is still fairly untouched and in this economy investors are going for the “sure things.”

But what do you think? Is a Heroes MMO possible? What would you do to create the Heroes universe? Let us know on the forums or drop me an email. The Heroes universe definitely has potential, but I just don’t think there’s quite enough there to make a solid MMO. And I should know. I'm the Comic Book Guy.

Worst...story...ever.