Increasing video game costs have led to the loss of certain aspects, such as cheaply done video games, adapted from movies. Long gone are the days when one would come across a tie-in game that released with every new film.
The fun part about these was that the source material didn’t have to be obscure or action films. These didn’t have to be movies that have legit video game systems around them. This led to a surplus of bad movie video games, but they were still very fun to play.
We are going to talk about some of the best video games that were adapted from movies, in the list below.
Movies That Had the Best Video Game Adaptations
Golden Eye 007 (1997)
James Bond movies took over popular media discussions all over the world when Pierce Brosnan was cast. It was only a matter of time before we got a video game adaptation. Little did people know that one of those adaptations would go on to be incredibly influential.
Golden Eye 007 might be one of the best video games adapted from movies ever. At the time of Nintendo’s new Nintendo 64 console was the hot topic of discussion. The console revolutionized 3D viewing in video games.
While Mario 64 was mesmerizing everyone with the 3D movements, in 1997, studio Rare decided to drop their adaptation of Golden Eye 007 for the console. At present, it is still considered one of the most addictive and memorable James Bond games.
Aladdin (1993)
Disney animated films were taking the world by storm in the late 80s and 90s. So it is natural that some of those were licensed and adapted into video games. There are a lot of Disney platformers and side-scrolling titles that were popular; one of them was Disney’s Aladdin.
This is not to point out that Aladdin (1993) was the only popular Disney game ever released. But it was definitely one of the most played ones. One may find playthrough videos of the classic game even now on platforms such as YouTube.
The game was originally published by Sega, but it was released for almost every platform back in the day. It followed Aladdin platforming through the streets of Agrabah, equipped with a scimitar and throwing apples.
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (1998)
Star Wars, as a film franchise, was revolutionary when it was released back in the day. It gave filmmakers a new perspective on techniques for visual effects in science fiction filmmaking. It is still to date one of the biggest franchises, and with that also comes famous video games.
Star Wars has had a lot of video game releases. For this particular discussion, we want to shed some light on the 1998 Star Wars: Rogue Squadron.
Influenced by the Star Wars: X-wing – Rogue Squadron comic book, LucasArts dropped the game for PC in 1998. It was phenomenal for the time, and is brought up in discussions with the likes of Nintendo’s famous Star Fox series, for its aim and rail shooting mechanics.
King Kong: The Official Game (2005)
We had to shorten the title, but the actual title of the game is “Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie”. King Kong is one of the oldest creature feature movies, and Peter Jackson’s version of the film is probably one of the most famous remakes.
The same version was adapted into a video game by Ubisoft, back when they made more games than Assassin’s Creed. King Kong: The Official Game has kind of turned into a cult classic, with many considering it one of the best movie tie-in games ever.
The game plays from a first-person perspective following the film’s plot. You travel through the Skull Island in meticulously designed encounter pieces, including dinosaurs, giant creatures, and natives.
Scarface: The World Is Yours (2006)
Scarface was an influential mob movie released in 1983, starring the legendary Al Pacino. Its Miami crime setting has gone on to influence various video games over the years, most notably, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
In 2006, Radical Entertainment developed a video game that adapted the actual Scarface movie. It was compared with games such as the Grand Theft Auto series, which was a huge compliment back in the day.
You play as the main protagonist, Tony Montana, trying to take control of the drug trade in Miami. The gameplay falls into the category of imitating the Grand Theft Auto series, which was common with a lot of titles releasing back in the day.
Shrek SuperSlam (2005)
Shrek is one of the most popular animated films of the 21st century. The green-skinned swamp dweller is synonymous with the internet culture as he is constantly referenced in memes.
The Shrek IP was popular enough to get its own movie tie-in games, but the one we are going to talk about is a spinoff game. Shrek SuperSlam was a 3D beat ’em up fighting game developed by Shaba Games and published by Activision.
At first glance, it may seem like a regular fighting game, but you’ll be surprised to know that the game is a cult classic with its own tournament scene.
The game has around 20 characters to pick and choose from. There’s a surprising amount of combat depth, which is a reason why so many people are drawn to it. Over time, the community has developed new terms for mechanics such as block dropping and cancelling, exclusive to the game’s tournament scene.
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
The incredible thing about Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 is that both the film and the adapted video games are considered masterpieces. The first movie was already revolutionary among superhero movies, but the second one took the storytelling to new heights.
Spider-Man 2, the game, was developed by Activision, and it innovated game design with ideas that are still being used in modern games. The game had an open world unlike any game before it. Sure, GTA games had an open world, but in Spider-Man 2, you could seamlessly swing through it all in view.
Speaking of swinging, Spider-Man 2 also innovated new tech for swinging animation that would make it feel authentic. It received immense praise for the mechanics and went on to influence Marvel’s Spider-Man on the PlayStation 4.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
The Harry Potter franchise is a global phenomenon that was adapted from novels. There have been many games that have been adapted from the movies. But the one that we are going to talk about is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets game for PC.
Making video game ports back in the day was weird. A single video game played completely differently on separate consoles. In the case of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on PC, the game was memorable and had a fun gameplay loop, with the aim of casting spells.
The first Harry Potter game and the Second one aren’t too different in gameplay. But they still hold up if anyone’s fond of old-school movie tie-in video games.
Godzilla Unleashed (2007)
We don’t think there is anyone out there who doesn’t like Godzilla media. The Kaiju made his debut in the 1954 Japanese film and has never looked back since. But we’re here to focus on the games adapted from Godzilla movies, especially Godzilla Unleashed.
We couldn’t have chosen a better title as an excuse to add another fighting game to the list. There have been Godzilla fighting games previously. But Godzilla Unleashed is probably every PlayStation 2 owner’s most played game based on the Kaiju.
Just like how Shrek SuperSlam doesn’t follow any exact movie storyline. It rather gathers the iconic kaijus and throws them in the middle of a city to duke it out.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Here’s another superhero movie tie-in game that had one of the most fun combat systems that we’ve ever seen. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is probably one of the most brutal and gory video games adapted from movies.
Hugh Jackman, in his role as Wolverine in the X-Men movies, became popular enough to get his solo storyline films. X-Men Origins: Wolverine was the first of these, but it got mixed reviews. The video game, on the other hand, was so well-received that it is still talked about to date.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is one of the best hack-and-slash games to come out of superhero movie adaptations. But the caveat was that it had to be banned in certain regions like Germany, due to the excessive gore and brutality.
