People often say bad things about movie video games, but there are some that really stand out.
In the early days of the video game business, games based on movies were very popular. In fact, selling products that promoted each other (like movies and video games that went with them) was a fairly new and smart way to market. As time went on, there were less and less good games based on movies.
Even with all of that, there are still well-known video games today that were based on movies. There are also a lot of bad video games based on movies, but there are also some “diamonds in the rough.” This is a reference to Aladdin that will make sense soon.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
You probably can’t even count how many great movies have been turned into bad video games. But it’s likely that you can count on one hand the number of bad movies that were turned into great video games. Wolverine is a rare four-leaf clover, according to X-Men Origins.
The fights in the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game were violent and bloody. Even Wolverine’s own flesh would fall off during a fight and grow back. The controls are easy to understand, and the game loop is fun. The story didn’t even cover the whole movie (thank goodness). Some of the best parts of the game were stories and parts that weren’t in the movie, like a tough boss fight with the Sentinels.
Mad Max
Max Rockatansky is a nomad and an all-around badass in a post-apocalyptic world. Bandits would be smart to stay away from him, but they won’t learn. This game came out in 2015 and was made by Avalanche Studios. It is based on the Mad Max movie series. Even though Max doesn’t look like Mel Gibson or Tom Hardy, it does have the same look as a desert in the Outback as shown in the movies.
Max uses a style of fighting that is similar to that of Shadow of Mordor and the Arkham games. Also, behind the wheel of Max’s Magnum Opus, there’s a lot of full-throttle action to be had. Even though the setting is dry and dusty, Mad Max is a beautiful and fascinating look at a harsh and dangerous world.
The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay
Riddick is a kind of anti-hero in sci-fi. He was made by the director David Twohy. Vin Diesel played Riddick in the action-horror movie Pitch Black, which came out in 2000. Since then, he has been the main character in two more movies and two video games. Starbreeze Studios made Escape from Butcher Bay as an adventure game for the Xbox and PC only in 2004.
The game is played from the first-person perspective, and Riddick looks like Vin Diesel. The game even uses the actor’s voice for the part. As Riddick escapes from prison, he goes on a series of killing missions. The game loop includes shooting from the first-person view and fighting with your hands. From the movie, you can even find out how Riddick got his special “eyeshine” upgrade for his eyes. It’s something that no fan of the movie would want to miss out on.
Aladdin
Definitely a diamond in the rough. During the time of the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo, Aladdin was just one of many games that got a platforming makeover, for better or for worse. This game, which came out in 1993, was eventually put out on many different platforms with different details. But the version for the Sega Genesis is by far the most memorable.
The levels are full of interesting challenges, and fighting is easy and smooth to control. It’s considered one of the best games of its time for a reason.
GoldenEye 007
Let’s be honest: this game is probably how most kids of the ’90s first heard about James Bond. GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64 introduced 007 to a whole new generation of gamers and made a big step forward for the first-person shooter genre. Many people might say that the game doesn’t hold up well over time, since it was stuck on an old platform with controls that are hard to use. But with the release of the remastered version of the game on the Xbox, which has a new control scheme, that argument can be put to rest.
GoldenEye might really only be for people who like to play it because they remember it from their childhood. But no one can deny that it changed games and the whole 007 series. Still, it’s a lot of fun to get together with four friends for a split-screen multiplayer session.
The Thing
This game from the early days of the PS2 is a bit of a surprise hit. Fans of The Thing, a movie by John Carpenter that came out in 1982, are probably well aware of this game, though. It’s surprising that “The Thing,” which was made by a team called Computer Artworks that wasn’t very well-known, turned out to be a good third-person shooter.
The game is even a stand-in for a sequel that was never made, and it takes place right after the events of The Thing. A team of U.S. Special Forces is now up against the alien organism that is trying to take over Earth. You are in charge of a group that looks into the original incident. Even though you’re in charge of a team, there’s nothing hard about this, which makes it a fun thrill ride.
Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader
Since the first three Star Wars movies came out, there have been a lot of games based on the galaxy far, far away. In fact, this list could easily include a few Star Wars games. But Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader wins because it is easy to play and has a lot of different ways to play.
Rogue Leader is a great aerial combat game in every way. This GameCube-only game built on the original Rogue Squadron by adding Squadron commands, making the controls better, and adding features that made space travel a little less confusing. Rogue Leader is still one of the best Star Wars air battles you can have.
Alien: Isolation
You might expect a lot of great games to be based on this sci-fi horror property. You’d be wrong, though. For some reason, it has been hard for developers to find a winning formula for the Alien franchise. All of that changed when Alien: Isolation came out. Developer Creative Assembly didn’t try to make yet another shooter. Instead, they went for a claustrophobic horror game.
In the first movie, the real nightmare was a single Alien on a ship killing the crew one by one from the darkest parts of the ship. In 8 Ball Pool game, you try to avoid being killed by a single, unstoppable Xenomorph that is after you. Your best friend is paranoia, and the best way to stay alive is to hide. Taking the Alien games in this direction was a risk that paid off.