HBO's The Last Of Us has gamers demanding future adaptations respect the damn source material

We all had a feeling that HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation would be good, but I don’t think any of us were prepared for this level of hype and success. The premiere episode has certainly been the hot topic of conversation this week, and we’re just a few days away from starting the whole process again when episode two drops this weekend.

The Last of Us is officially HBO’s second-largest debut since 2010. In fact, in the first two days of release, The Last of Us drew in a massive 10 million viewers in the United States. Fans are blown away by how certain scenes perfectly mirror the game, plus it’s fun to spot familiar faces. Merle Dandridge returned to reprise her role as Marlene after portraying the character in the game. It’s definitely what you would call a faithful adaptation - something that many gamers are pointing out. This is what happens when you respect the source.

Take a look at what’s in store on The Last of Us in the weeks ahead.

The Last of Us is by no means the first adaptation to ‘break the curse’ like some people have been saying. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and Arcane were both great, but The Last of Us undeniably finds itself in a new league. It’s early days but already, it feels like the show has appeal far beyond those who have previously played the game.

Even if it isn’t the first project to break the video game adaptation curse, it is a masterclass in doing so. It’s simple really. Respect the source material. Users gathered on Reddit to discuss some of gaming’s less impressive adaptations, particularly touching on what they could’ve learnt from The Last of Us.

Juan-Claudio wrote, “Mark Wahlberg was in both Max Payne and Uncharted. Not saying he's the one who ruined them but, he sure didn’t make them better either,” while Epicdude5726 added, “Imagine if they just based Halo off of the original trilogy. A season for each game. How great it could’ve been.” IMB88 said, “HBO should be the only one allowed to make shows from games. How rad would Resident Evil be on HBO?” I’d like to see it. Which adaptation would you like to see get another chance?