3. The Zeta Project
The Zeta Project is a two-season spinoff of the Batman Beyond television series, first airing in 2001. The main protagonist, Infiltration Unit Zeta, is an espionage and assassination droid with many advanced capabilities. This becomes a problem when he suffers an attack of conscience; his target is an innocent man. Zeta promptly rids himself of all weapons he carries, and vows to never kill. However, this means he is at odds with the government who created him for that purpose, and so begins his life on the run, searching for his creator and an explanation as to why he is. Along the way, he makes many allies, as he strives to improve the lives of those he encounters and protect them to the full extent of his power. This property asks you to make a game that possibly examines existentialism and the individual's relationship to the society he finds himself in, combined with the gritty cyberpunk edginess of the Batman Beyond setting and a hero who must build relationships and use problem solving to survive. It's not a usual concept, but it is one worth considering.
How This Could Work: Zeta, being both robotic and an artificial intelligence, is easily fit in to a reward and upgrade schema. Any human companions are more difficult to reward, but they are also generally not in the thick of the action unless forced. The story of an individual trying to find his reason for being is pretty compelling, too. Also, Zeta has not disabled or discarded any of the espionage devices he holds that are nonlethal, he can still use a gun (just not to kill) and he's resistant to damage, so he's just an action hero of a different stripe. He also has many human allies that can be plot driver, asset and liability.