Films and video games have had a rocky history. Whether it’s adapting a movie into a game, or vice versa, the end results haven’t always been pretty. One would think it’d be like combining cookies with milk, yet sometimes you getpickles with ice cream. Thankfully, in every garden of thorns, there is a rose.
8 Best Video Game Movie Adaptations
Recent video game adaptation successes include Super Mario Bros, but which ones stand out in a sea of Postals and Warcrafts?
Where most licensed games end up as failed cash grabs that fade into obscurity, some manage to crawl their way into becoming fan favorites among players and moviegoers. So put down that remote and grab a controller, because it’s time to play the top video game adaptations of movie franchises.
10Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of The Sith
Experience Order 66
Star Wars: Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith
There are moreStar Warsgames than there are stars in the sky. This isn’t one of the originals that take place in the expanded universe, however, but one that stands among thegreats in adapting the movies. Star Wars: Episode 3 comes as close to playing the entire third movie as you can get, while also expanding on the locations and enemies from the film.
Play as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker in some of the most satisfying lightsaber combat of the PS2/Xbox era. Fight from the space battle over Coruscant all the way to the climatic duel on Mustafar. Also, this andBattlefront IIare the only games to let players experience the infamous Order 66 event where you and your Clone troopers march on the Jedi Temple and exterminate the Jedi. So it’s fun for the whole family.
Rampaging In the Post-Apocalypse
Set in the post-apocalyptic desert of theMad Maxuniverse, this underrated gem is a must-play for fans of Mad Max: Fury Road and open-world games. You’re not out to save the world or fight for some ideology. The objective is simply to build the best vehicle in the wasteland and drive off to better places.
To achieve that goal, you’ll be tearing through the desert, exploring landmarks, collecting materials and infiltrating enemy fortresses before tearing them apart. When you’re not customizing your vehicle and racing through the post-apocalypse, you’ll be combating the mad and the lawless as you juggle multiple opponents before finishing them with a brutal takedown. Like Fallout and Dying Light, Mad Max makes the end of the world a blast.
8Peter Jackson’s King Kong
The Best King Kong Game
Peter Jackson’s King Kong
AlthoughGodzillahas gotten the lion’s share of video games, his hairy counterpart King Kong has been given slim pickings. It’s one of the reasons why the adaption of Peter Jackson’s King Kong can be consideredthe greatest King Kong game ever made. If that wasn’t shocking enough, the game blends afirst-person shooterwith a monster adventure.
The bulk of the game takes place on Skull Island, where you play as both King Kong and Jack Driscoll. As Jack, it’s a fight for survival as the enormous insects, dinosaurs and other nasties lurk around every corner. Relying on whatever weapons you can scrounge, you’ll have to shoot your way out to get everyone to safety. As Kong, it’s about controlling your dominion as you wreak havoc and battle the monsters who dare pose a challenge. Say what you will about the Peter Jackson movie, but the video game version is perfect.
7X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Better Than the Movie
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Uncaged Edition
In a mutated twist comes anX-Mengame that far exceeds the movie it was based upon. Even more bizarre, while the X-Men Origins movie was rated PG-13, the video game possesses a hard Mature 17+ rating. For the better, though, because this is one of the most violent yet phenomenal games to feature the adamantiumMarvelhero.
Wolverine plays like the Doomslayer, ripping and tearing through enemies in ruthless executions. His claws and abilities all feel powerful, as they should. And if you desire to play as the costumed Wolverine from the cartoon or comics, the game features unlockable alternate looks. Even cooler, the game makes Wolverine’s healing factor look incredible. When taking damage, pieces of Wolverine’s clothes and flesh chip off, revealing more bits of bone and gore only to fade when he heals. Now, take this gameplay and use it in a new Deadpool game.
6GoldenEye 007
License To Kill the Competition
GoldenEye 007
Before there was Halo or Call of Duty, there was GoldenEye 007. From theNintendo 64library comes a gem that changed the FPS genre. Those familiar with the James Bond film will recognize characters and locations as every important scene is used throughout the game. Though the game encourages pacing and precision, it’s hard not to run and gun as GoldenEye 007 offers a laundry list of weapons to choose from.
Best of all, you can carry as many as you want – there’s no loadout limit and you can even dual wield. The replay value only improves once you start unlocking the fun features like Paintball Mode, DK Mode and much more. GoldenEye 007 was also one of the first console games to introduce players tomultiplayer. Granted, this was before online was optional, so it was mostly split screen deathmatch, but that doesn’t take away from the impact it had.
5RoboCop: Rogue City
“I’d Buy That for A Dollar!”
RoboCop: Rogue City
Step into the metal shoes of an iconic hero. Part man. Part machine. All cop. Set in Old Detroit between the events of RoboCop 2 and 3, crime is on the rise and the public’s faith in RoboCop is slipping. Armed with his iconic pistol and new upgrades, the decision is yours over which prime directives to follow – uphold the law or serve the public trust.
The best way to describe the experience would be to call it a power trip. You feel powerful and heavy as your footsteps thud with each step, as does the combat when you enter a room and leave it a mess of gory destruction. When you’re not dishing out justice, you’re investigating crimes and conversing with characters, and the choices you make will impact the story and world around you. All in all, this is a RoboCop game that was made by fans for fans.
Though the game has its bugs and minor hiccups, RoboCop: Rogue City comes highly recommended.
4Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Web-Swinging Through New York
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
TheSpider-Manname has long been associated with the world of video games. While the games made byInsomniacare crowned by fans as some of the best to feature the wall-crawler, however, when it comes to licensed adaptions, the 2004 release based on the second Tobey Maguire movie ranks as the most fun.
What is it that made Spider-Man 2so great? The combat ranges from clunky to somewhat decent, and the side content could get repetitive at times, but what remains timeless is the web-swinging and exploration. Every swing has momentum, making every leap and jump feel great as Spider-Man launches himself or free falls. The game drops you into a rather accurate depiction of New York, where you’re able to go wherever you please. Swing across the city to the top of the Empire State Building and even the Statue of Liberty.
3Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
It Belongs in a Collection
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
The Indiana Jones movies had a big impact on the world of adventure gaming. Temples, artifacts, traps; if it wasn’t for the good Doctor Jones, franchises like Tomb Raider and Uncharted might not have happened. So, of course, there had to be video games. Among the collection of releases,Indiana Jones and the Great Circlehas taken the prize for best adaption.
10 Games To Play If You Love Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Seeking more action after the latest Indiana Jones adventure? Crack the whip at these gaming treasures.
The globe-trotting adventure plays like you’ve just stepped into the motion picture through Indiana Jones’ eyes. You’ll be searching in lost tombs while jumping across traps and solving puzzles. Getting into fistfights with Nazis or just lashing your whip at them. If you consider yourself an Indiana Jones fan, this game checks all the right boxes the more recent films have failed to check.
2Alien: Isolation
The Scariest Horror Game in Space
Alien: Isolation
In space, no one can hear you scream. Unfortunately, your neighbors will once you start playingAlien: Isolation. Taking place between the events of the first and second movies, you play Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, searching for clues about her missing mother, which leads to a decaying space station that’s fallen into chaos after a Xenomorph infestation.
Alien: Isolation is not only one of the best games in theAlienfranchise, but also stands strong as one of the scariest games in thehorrorgenre. Unlike previous entries where fending off the alien takes but a few bullets, the Xenomorph here is tougher, downright terrifying and can kill you easily. To survive, it’s about stealth and thinking on your feet to accomplish tasks, though it’s hard to concentrate when a towering abomination is hunting you in the darkness, waiting to sink its second jaw into your face.
Honorable mentions include The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and Terminator: Resistance.
1The LEGO Games
Fun For All Ages
Yes, this is cheating. There are moreLEGOgames than any list can count, one of the reasons they’re the best at adapting licensed movies. With an extensive catalog like Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel, Batman, and so on, they have more than enough fine examples.
LEGOs were already fun enough, but there’s nothing like building with colorful bricks while undertaking an adventure through memorable movies. Because even when the story is over, the adventures continue as you go back to find collectibles and other characters to play with. Platforming, puzzles, flying, magic, guns, lightsabers, the LEGO games have something for players of all ages.
