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Video game adaptations of movies have always been an opportunity for publishers to cash in on the brand, rather than focus on the quality of the finished product. There have been a few gems in the previous decades, but the 00s in particular was a poor time for video games based on movies.
The movies featured in this list are some of the biggest blockbusters, a perfect fit to be translated into a video game. Not all the games in this list were reviewed particularly well, but they did attempt to capture the essence of what made the movies so entertaining.
10/10 The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay/Assault on Dark Athena
Before Vin Diesel became one of the biggest stars on the planet with The Fast and the Furious movies, he arguably played one of the coolest anti-heroes in Pitch Black in 2000. Pitch Black introduced the world to Riddick, a no-nonsense genuine badass that was dangerous and exciting.
Such was the allure of the character, Riddick would go on to appear in two more movies, comics, and video games. Both The Chronicles of Riddickgames are regarded as two of the best examples of video games linked to movies. Some critics go as far as saying the video games were better than the films.
9/10 Alien vs. Predator
Monster mash-ups aren’t a new idea. They date back to the 40s, with films like Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man and House of Dracula. Modern movie fans have had some of their fantasy film face-offs fulfilled with the likes of Freddy vs. Jason, Godzilla vs. Kong, and Alien vs. Predator. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, the latter movie was a financial success, but was mauled by the critics.
Alien vs. Predator video games were in development long before the movie appeared in theaters. There are few to choose from depending on one’s favorite gaming genre. Capcom’s 1994 arcade game was similar to side-scrolling beat ’em ups like Final Fight and Captain Commando. The Atari Jaguar version was extremely well received upon its release, and became one of the few must-own titles for that system.
8/10 The Lord of the Rings
Many balked at the announcement that Peter Jackson was going to direct the Lord of the Rings movies. Aside from the critically acclaimed Heavenly Creatures released in 1994, Jackson’s previous work included low-budget gore fests such as Bad Taste, Dead Alive (AKA Braindead), and Meet the Feebles. However, The Lord of the Rings trilogy would cement Jackson’s place as one of the best directors in history, as well as show off some of his low-budget horror roots.
There were many Lord of the Rings video games long before Jackson’s award-winning trilogy, but the games released to coincide with the movies are fondly remembered. The Two Towers and Return of the King were third-person hack-and-slash games published by EA. Both were faithful to the source material, using the original voice cast and recreating key scenes from the movies. The player could also choose their favorite characters, like Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas.
7/10 Hulk
Ang Lee’s take on the Hulk is a divisive movie for some. While many praised the cast and dramatic depth, others felt it was lacking in the action stakes. Attempts to bring the Hulk to the big screen in a standalone movie haven’t always been easy.
The official movie video game adaptation of Hulk had mixed reviews upon its release in 2003. The cel-shaded style graphics and the return of Eric Bana, who voiced Bruce Banner, were the highlights. However, despite not being based on the movie, The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction is arguably the best video game to play as the man you don’t want to make angry.
6/10 King Kong
How does one follow up on one of the most successful movie trilogies of all time? This is the question Peter Jackson faced when deciding what to work on after The Lord of the Rings movies. Not wanting to shy away from a challenge, Jackson decided to direct King Kong. Despite it being one of the most expensive movies ever made, it was a financial success.
King Kong the video game was a first-person shooter where the player controlled Jack Driscoll. There were also third-person sections which gave the player chance to feel the might of Kong himself as he battled dinosaurs. The game was praised for its atmosphere and voice cast, many of whom were original actors from the movie.
5/10 The Bourne Conspiracy
The Bourne trilogy of movies helped propel Matt Damon into super stardom, and also gave a certain suave British spy a run for his money. Whilst 007 was contending with invisible cars and other outrageous gadgets in Pierce Brosnan’s final Bond movie, Die Another Day, Bourne was a stripped-back spy movie. The focus of the Bourne films were the characters, suspense, and vicious sharp violence.
The Bourne Conspiracy was a “jack of all trades” style game which had multiple styles of gameplay. The fighting sections were relatively straightforward, but they featured the bone-crunching style used in the movies. There were some stealth sections with gunplay, and a driving section that was taken straight from The Bourne Identity. Although Matt Damon’s likeness wasn’t used in the game, this didn’t detract away from the fun gameplay or the exciting tone of the movies.
4/10 Saw
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There’s no denying that the Saw franchise is a license to print money. Since the series started in 2004, it has gone on to make over 1 billion dollars at the box office. Even more impressive, the budgets for each movie are relatively small, meaning more profits go to the studio.
Konami’s Saw video games attracted a fair bit of controversy upon their release for the gruesome depictions of gore and violence. Although the gameplay wasn’t particularly good, the game was faithful to the movie series, with writers James Wan and Leigh Whannell lending a hand to the script.
3/10 Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 is widely recognized as one of the best superhero movies of all time. Sam Raimi struck gold with the first movie in 2002, but Spider-Man 2 took the Webslinger to new heights. The movie was a financial and critical success, and for many years set the bar for what fans should expect from superhero movies.
The Spider-Man 2 video game tie-in carried on with the high quality which was set by the movie. The realistic open-world Manhattan setting was praised by critics, as was the swinging mechanic. Another bonus was the return of the original voice cast from the movie, as well as horror icon and long-time Sam Raimi collaborator Bruce Campbell, who acted as the narrator.
2/10 Lego Star Wars
For some, the Star Wars prequels were a huge disappointment. After years of waiting for a new Star Wars movie, the announcement of three prequels generated huge excitement for fans. Maybe they were never going to meet the huge expectations, or maybe they were just not very good movies. But despite negative reviews, the films were a huge financial success.
The officially licensed video games based on Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith received mixed reviews. The best video game based on the prequels is the Lego Star Wars games. Released in 2005, Lego Star Wars was hugely successful and kick-started a trend of Lego games based on famous movies. The most recent installment, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, is the definitive way for fans to experience adventures in a galaxy far, far away.
1/10 X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Although X-Men Origins: Wolverine may have been a disappointing movie to some, it does have a few notable moments. The opening scenes showing Logan and Victor Creed fighting together through the ages are truly excellent. Liev Schreiber also has fun in the role of Creed/Sabretooth. Despite being a financial success, the movie was poorly received by critics and is not remembered as a fan favorite.
Not much was expected from the video game adaptation, but it was a fun hack-and-slash title that included many elements that fans felt were missing from the movie. The game was extremely bloody, which was perfectly demonstrated by Wolverine’s health system. Chunks of flesh would be ripped from him as he took damage, which would slowly regenerate as he healed. This was the last Wolverine game released, but it won’t be long before fans get to experience a brand-new Wolverine game. which is being developed for PlayStation 5 by Insomniac Games.
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