Movies made into video games, video games made into movies

[Darth Groovy]

This is a thread I have posted before, but I didn't leave it open to enough ideas. The purpose of this thread is to post wether you feel either a video game should be made into a full length theatrical release, or a game that should be based on a theatrical release. Please try to have fun with this and be descriptive as possible. Let your imagination run wild!

 

Let's first look at the history. Video games that have been made into movies. Most of them were terrible, some of them still managed to be popular.

 

Games made into films:

 

Super Mario Brothers:

Popular game. But one of those "love it or hate it" type movies. Mixed reviews, mixed feelings. You can still get it on DVD.

 

Street Fighter:

 

Abysmal. I don't know many people that actually like the movie. The game was one of my favorites as anyone else. The fact that it was Raul Julia's last film made it even MORE sad.

 

 

Mortal Kombat: It was never good, but it spawned two sequals and made a killing at the box office. Mostly ages 12-14 got into it, and a new target audience was found.

 

Tomb Raider:

 

Though I found this movie to have potential, it really sucked in my opinion, yet it was popular enough to spawn a sequal which alot of people seem to like.

 

Resident Evil:

 

This is the one that REALLY bothers me. The game itself borrows heavily from George Romero's Living Dead series. At one point I believe George Romero was targeted to direct a sequal, which seemed a sacrilage by my standards. Fortunately he was turned down. The Resident Evil movie is predictable as it is pretentious, yet ALOT of people thout it was great. Maybe it was because Milla Jovavich played the protagonist. I thought it was utter crap, but it still made enough money to spawn a sequal. I will say however that the sequal DOES have a clever trailer that involves a commercial for the Umbrella corporation.

 

Aliens Vs Predator:

 

Here is a touchy scenario. The game was based on the MEGA popular Alien Trilogy, and the equally popular Predator films. Now you have to ask yourself is the movie being based on the game, or the movies? The AVP2 game still holds up good today as one of the best online games ever. After Alien Resurection (which was not TERRIBLE, but was met with mixed reviews) it seems that Ripley is no longer the heroine. The AVP movie seems to have a cast of virtual unknowns wich probably only bridge the gap between the two alien species duking it out for blood. Time will tell on this next film, but it seems like it is more than obvious on how it will turn out.

 

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

 

Looked like good animation, but fans were confused, because it didn't have alot to do with the game, and the movie was pretty uninteresting too, once you get past the "oohs and ahhs" of computer animation. Seemed like a good idea, but it did not sell well at all.

 

Ecks VS Sever:

 

Neither the game nor the film got rave reviews, so it baffles me how the film got off the ground in the first place, let alone got past the QA dept.

 

Now let's look at films that have been made into video games:

 

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (psone)

 

Terrible reviews, bugs out the wazzu, obviously a rush job to coincide with the film, which didn't anyway. (due to the bugs they didn't fix at all)

 

Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles

 

Another unimaginative and awkward controlling game. Around 2000, they tried to sell a second rate equivilant of a "beat-em-up" type game to an older audince, and the game just sucked.

 

Star Wars Demolition:

 

Tried to capitalize on the succest of Vigilante 8, and Twisted Metal, in making a vehicular combat game set in the Star Wars universe. Interesting concept, but the game becomes extremely boring after about a half an hour.

 

Star Wars Rouge Squadron:

 

A starfighter based flying game became very popular. Spawned several sequals.

 

Star Wars: Dark Forces

 

Possibley the best Star Wars game to date. Places you as Kyle Katarn a mercenary working for the rebels to steel plans for the Death Star, as well as uncover the mystery behind a mysterious project the empire has endorsed called the "Dark Troopers", a bio-engeniered top secret military force. This game had a great story, with top notch action to follow.

 

Star Wars: Dark Forces II, Jedi Knight

 

This game is quite possibley the best Star Wars game ever made. It combined the best elements from the FPS standpoint, and elements from the popular "third person standpoint" (such as Tomb Raider) and allowed you to wield a lightsaber for the first time. The cutscenes were very movie-like with real actors, and the story seemed very well thought out. Alot went into the making of this game, and LucasArts scored tons of brownie points for this game.

 

Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi (psone)

 

Well, it was a 3d figher game. Meant to follow in the footsteps of the popular Tekken Series. The game is good for a few days....then you beat it, and the replay value expires. Not alot of story.... just a 3d fighter game, nothing more. Did not hold up too well among contenders.

 

Star Wars: XWING VS Tie Fighter

 

The series holds up to this day as a classic.

 

Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

 

Using the popular Quake III Engine, LucasArts managed to make a ripple in the gaming world by offering a game that would allow it's players to grab a lightsaber and duel online over the internet. The game set records and still holds well this day as a huge hit.

 

Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds

 

It's fun for the fans, but it is more than obvious that LucasArts took the engine of Age Of Empires and slipped in a Star Wars theme. It's not a cutting edge game, but definitely worth wasting a few hours of your life on. If you never had playd AOE, you are in for some real fun.

 

Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic

 

The first serious Star Wars related RPG. An instant hit on the XBOX, and later on the PC. A sequal has fans drooling.

 

Star Wars: Jedi Knight III: Jedi Academy

 

Still for some reason utilizes the now aging Quake III engine. The game is very customizable, but fans of JKII, have little to be impressed by. Basically , JA is more of an expansion of JO, which didn't help it get much recognition. There really are not enough differences other than the SP campaign which not may people seem to care about any more.

 

The Thing:

 

Based on John Carpenter's remake of the 50's classic. The game plays quite well. Basically it follows the incidents from the film. You lead a squad to the abbandoned artic site, to find out what happened. Your team get's nervous, and you actually have to do various things to calm them down and keep them on yourside. A well made horror game.

 

The Terminator Series:

 

Nothing has been successful that involves the Terminator in years. Not since the Shooting game that was popular in the early 90's

 

Robocop:

 

Another series that succeded only once in the Arcade as a side scrolling shooter. When made into an FPS game for XBox it tanked. The premise has potential but they proceed to screw it up.

 

The Great Escape:

 

Not a bad game for fans of the film, but the game itself capitalizes on games that have already been established such as Splinter Cell. But most kids are not old enough to remember Steve Maqueen and "The Great Escape" so this game never really got off the ground.

 

The Matrix: Enter The Matrix

 

Very anticipated, yet it's use of "bullet time" was overshadowed by a previous game called "Max Payne". Despite that, the bugs in the game made it unpopular.

 

There are alot of movie to video game duds that I shall not mention for the sheer length of my post, but there HAVE been a few successes:

 

The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay

 

Riddick cannot be imprisoned, it is your mission to break out of Butcher Bay, the toughest slam in the universe. You have one part RPG, Stealth, FPS, and head to head fighter style compat. It blends flawlessly, and makes for an interesting game to play. EFBB, is currently holding the record ad the only movie tie in game that holds it's own as a respectable game by it's own merrit.

 

Now, these are movies that I feel would make great games:

 

Escape From New York:

 

Follow Snake Plisken in his attempt to rescue the President of the USA from the crime ridden New York that has become a Prison in the near future. This could have potential if done right.

 

Big Trouble In Little China:

 

This could be a good beat em' up, or even a good adventure game. What will make it good, is if they don't take it too seriously. This movie is goofy and fun, and the game should be the same.

 

The Outlaw Josey Wales:

 

Probably the best Clint Eastwood Western Flick ever made. The XBOX and PC is in Dire need of a good Western Title, if this game is done well on graphics and AI, I think it will be very popular.

 

Now, for Video games made into movies.

 

I am not a big FAN of this trend but sometimes it does work in the box office. These are games that I feel have box office potential:

 

Max Payne:

 

I would cast Ed Norton as the title character, and have John Woo direct the film. Granted, the whole "bullet time" effect has been done time, and time again, but Max Payne still has an intersting story involving a cop who goes undercover, gets his cover blown, and is wanted by both the mafia, AND the local NY law enforcement. He could be like a "Dirty Hairy" for the new century.

 

Serious Sam:

 

The ONLY way this would work is if you had The Rock play the tiltle character, and had Sam Raimi as the director. A movie like this would have to be goofy and fun, and it COULD work. Lots of wisecracks and close ups would make this movie very fun.

 

Now. I challenge all of you to either pick a movie that would make a great game, or a game that would make a great movie. Please be descriptive as possible, and let your imaginations run wild.

[Darth Rythe]

 

Oh, hang on!, Wrong move!

 

 

Umm.... I'd really like to see Halo the Movie, Red vs Blue is great but they need more!

 

 

BTW: Season 2 is finnished!, 3rd will be coming out soon, And the 4th will be released made from Halo 2!!!!!

[Sivy]

Originally posted by Darth Groovy

Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles

 

Another unimaginative and awkward controlling game. Around 2000, they tried to sell a second rate equivilant of a "beat-em-up" type game to an older audince, and the game just sucked.

 

 

i loved that game

 

Max Payne:

 

I would cast Ed Norton as the title character, and have John Woo direct the film. Granted, the whole "bullet time" effect has been done time, and time again, but Max Payne still has an intersting story involving a cop who goes undercover, gets his cover blown, and is wanted by both the mafia, AND the local NY law enforcement. He could be like a "Dirty Hairy" for the new century.

 

 

i would like to see that.

 

 

both the Hitman series and the Driver series are getting movie spin-offs apparently, and i suppose both could be cool if done right. but more likely they will be utter crap.

 

i think the original Deus Ex could make a good movie. with the right cast and director and keeping to the original story it could be really good.

[Sabretooth]

Deus Ex IS going to be made into a movie. Check around, the story is being written, but if that game becomes a movie, they'll have to modify it a bit, OR it's gonna be all cut out and screwed up.

[Troopr-Undr-Fir]

Originally posted by sabretooth

Deus Ex IS going to be made into a movie. Check around, the story is being written, but if that game becomes a movie, they'll have to modify it a bit, OR it's gonna be all cut out and screwed up.

 

That is an awsome idea.

 

Dun know who would play them all, but still would be awsome.

 

It could even be more grity than its video game counter-part.

 

 

 

I hope this is thought through though

 

 

 

If ya know what I mean

[manoman81]

Originally posted by Darth Groovy

Big Trouble In Little China:

 

Though I think the movie was funny, what would the premise of the game be and how would it be done? If it could be done, I would be up for playing it.

 

Max Payne:

 

I would cast Ed Norton as the title character, and have John Woo direct the film. Granted, the whole "bullet time" effect has been done time, and time again, but Max Payne still has an intersting story involving a cop who goes undercover, gets his cover blown, and is wanted by both the mafia, AND the local NY law enforcement. He could be like a "Dirty Hairy" for the new century.

 

That would be awesome! Ed Norton does great voice overs in his movies. He'd have to make his voice a little bit deeper, though.

 

I think that a Max Payne movie is all that I am waiting for. Even thoug the Austin Powers thing has been done, I think it might cool to see a No One Lives Frever movie.

[obi]

Originally posted by Darth Groovy

 

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (psone)

 

Terrible reviews, bugs out the wazzu, obviously a rush job to coincide with the film, which didn't anyway. (due to the bugs they didn't fix at all)

 

 

You take that back! I Mean it! >

 

I want to see a Price of Persia movie. I think that would be awesome.

[RoxStar]

Originally posted by Darth Groovy

Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles

 

Another unimaginative and awkward controlling game. Around 2000, they tried to sell a second rate equivilant of a "beat-em-up" type game to an older audince, and the game just sucked.

 

[/b]

 

I was looking for a PC Version of that game when I found Jedi Outcast.

[acdcfanbill]

big trouble in little china, one of my favorite movies of all time i dont think it should be decimated with a game or a sequal tho. there is a snake plissken game being worked on, or so i hear, so escape from NY game might be a reality

 

also i always thought system shock 2 would make a good movie.

[Alegis]

Originally posted by obi-wan13

You take that back! I Mean it! >: (

Yeah I liked the phantom menace for PC as well a lot. Only the last level was a bit easy (ok you're supposed to fight a very hard darth maul, but you can push him in the cliff right after the cutscene "I killed your master, young jedi..and now it's your time to die, young jedi!"

[manoman81]

I thought of another game that might make a good movie. Rainbow Six. Well, maybe not the game but the book was very good. The game basically follows the book...

[Troopr-Undr-Fir]

Originally posted by manoman81

I thought of another game that might make a good movie. Rainbow Six. Well, maybe not the game but the book was very good. The game basically follows the book...

 

Yeah I guess, but the characters would need, well, more character . They don't exactly have that much feeling to them . And that my friend is teh real trick.

[CapNColostomy]

I'd like to see a Max Payne movie as well, but not with Ed Norton. I don't actually know who I'd rather have, and I even like Nortons work. I just don't see him as a good Max Payne.

 

As for films made into games that have been crap, and deserve a better go, I'm going with the Evil Dead series. I'd love to see one of those done well. I've played both games that I'm aware of that have went to consoles, and I didn't care for either.

[Sabretooth]

The Sims!

 

<_<

 

>_>

 

*runs*

[toms]

someone mentions the sims and runs in every thread. Is it a banning offence to mention it?

 

 

This thread is gonna get pretty long as every movie that comes out these days has an attached game ready to go (Riddick, spiderman, van helsing, etc..)

 

Movies from games:

 

Mortal Kombat

I thought the first one was great. It was completely stupid, but great fun and the music was very catchy. It didn't try to do too much and suceeded on it's own terms. I still watch it occasionally after a few beers on a saturday night.

 

The sequel sucked though. The tv series looked ok in a chessy Xena kind of way.

 

Others

Cant think of any other good ones. SMB, SF both sucked. Remember Double Dragon? That sucked too. Res-evil confused me because if they stuck to the game it would have been great, but they turned it into some sci-fi action movie instead of a creepy horror film. weird.

 

AvP

Based on his previous films i fully expect this to be a very average dumb cgi-fest summer action movie, with none of the cleverness of the games. oh well.

 

Max Payne

I don't see the point. MP is just a collection of films rolled into a game. Why convert it back into a film that is just going to be like all those films? I think if you are going to convert a game into a film it needs a unique setting and characters, not a generic one. So i'd suggest:

 

Thief

This has such a great setting, feel, factions, characters that it would make a great setting for almost any typeof film they wanted to make. Garrett is just cool. The steampnk setting is cool.

 

Interstate '76

Again, it is the unique setting that would make this a cool film. Think mad max meets starsky & hutch with Samual L Jackson as Taurus and Mathew McConahey (Dazed & confused) as Groove.

 

Others that would be cool: Deux Ex (maybe, but a bit confusing and a bit of a danger of turning into a matrix clone), system shock (either), Zelda (hmmm..),

 

Games from films

 

That rule: Goldeneye, Spidey 2, DF/JK, Xwing series (especially TF)

 

Robocop

They really should make a decent robocop game. It is such a fitting franchise i can't see how you can mess it up.

Make it a GTA/Spiderman type fps/tps where you stop crimes, get framed and chased by the law, upgrade your systems etc... easy.

 

TerminatorNew game coming up. but don't have high hopes.

Terminator: Furture Shock and Terminator: Skynet were both GREAT games. FS came out before quake and had full 3d, plot, buildings you could enter, drivable vehicles, mouselook etc... and got great reviews... unfortunately quake came out a few weeks later and everyone forgot it. I though the plot, pacing, feel and weapons were great, although the AI and a few other bits were pretty limited. Wish bethesda could still afford the license instead of those console fools.

 

Escape from new york

Good Idea!! That would make a great game.

 

Mad max

Can't beleive no-one has ever made a 3d game of this. Carmageddon and i76 came close i guess, but one with the actual cars and settings would rule. A full 3d cross between Road Wars, i76, GTA and loose cannon (what happened to that?).

[ET Warrior]

If a decent script and storyline could be written, I think that the MechWarrior series could be an exciting movie. The possibilities for some wicked battles are nearly endless, and as long as there could be SOMETHING motivating the characters driving those mechs around, and some decent dialogue outside of the mechs, and I think you could have a pretty awesome movie on your hands.

 

I also think that Crimson Skies could be a pretty fun movie, if cast and directed well.

[Kain]

Majesco is in the process of making a Blood Rayne movie. I believe they've finished casting or are in the final cuts. I got no idea about the script though. They did some of the casting at the latest E3.

 

 

Expand your Imagi-Nation

[TiE23]

Originally posted by Darth Groovy

Escape From New York:

 

Follow Snake Plisken in his attempt to rescue the President of the USA from the crime ridden New York that has become a Prison in the near future. This could have potential if done right.

 

In Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty/Substance, Solid Snake covers name from Raiden by saying his name was Iriquois Plisken!

Clicky

 

TiE

[Curt-Man]

 

I want to see a Price of Persia movie. I think that would be awesome. [/b]

 

they are making a prince of persia movie, man that game was so damn fun, an daddicting so i beat fairly fast, meh who cares, awesome game

 

KotoR would be a hard movie to make, but it does have a good story and 2 potential good endings so yeah, i also think red dead revolver would be a wicked movie, it by far is the wickedest western game ive ever played

[Doomie]

Beyond Good & evil played like it was a movie already, a very good one too... but i wouldn't like to see it turned into a real movie.

[Kain]

Want a game based of a movie that sucked? Evil Dead: Hail to the King.

 

Talk about lame.

 

 

Expand your Imagi-Nation

[Kain]

Want a game based of a movie that sucked? Evil Dead: Hail to the King.

 

Talk about lame.

 

 

Expand your Imagi-Nation

[Redwing]

Originally posted by Darth Groovy

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (psone)

 

Terrible reviews, bugs out the wazzu, obviously a rush job to coincide with the film, which didn't anyway. (due to the bugs they didn't fix at all)

 

Terrible reviews, because alot of reviewers couldn't get past the highly aggravating Gungan jumping level. But seriously, this game was a real diamond in the rough...just too much "rough".

 

It was my first game. I absolutely loved it. Great sense of humor, great world building (except for the aforementioned retarded jumping levels that seemed like were placeholders for actual content...). Plus, the Duel of the Fates sequence was rushed, and was rather lackluster, and peppered with more filler jump sequences.

 

The game would've been truly great if the devs had just been given more time. Like Enter the Matrix, to a lesser extent. Rushing a game is the surest way to kill it.

 

*ahem* Anyways. Back to the topic at hand.

[Sabretooth]

You know, they can make a good Human/Skaarj wars movie from the Unreal universe...

[toms]

Bloodrayne is another of those titles that is soo generic that i can't really see the point. It'll be ok i expect, but it'll just be like underworld/blade/matrix/everything else.

 

Prince of persia MIGHT make a cool film, if it was done right.

 

Beyond good and evil was a great game, but wouldn't work as a movie.

 

Crimson skies would work as it is another setting that is pretty unique and hasn't really been explored in film... although that upcoming Sky Captain movie looks pretty similar.

 

Mechwarrior would probably work, if it had a decent plot and characters and wasn't just good looking dumb kids and big SFX (like Wing Commander... another that sucked).

Maybe the upcoming Evangelion movie will start off a craze for giant robot movies and see all those types of license picked up.

 

Eternal Darkness would make a good movie, but that might just be cos i am playing it at the moment.

 

In general "great games" (quake, duke, command & conquer, diablo, far cry, max payne etc..) wouldn't make good movies as they are often "gamified" versions of film genres anyway, and the qualities that make them great are often gameplay, not setting and plot.