Video games based on movies

We all know that films based on video games suck, and that is an undeniable fact. Sure, you might like Postal, or maybe the first Mortal Kombat movie, but generally, these films are never all that faithful to the source material. From slow-motion gunfights in House of the Dead, to Doom where there aren't even any demons(all of the monsters in that movie were the result of some strange viral epidemic), none of these movies can hold a candle to the games they are based on. But in video game land, how do games based on movies fare?

Since the days of the Atari, video games based on movies have been created to make a quick buck. From Halloween, where you you play as some nameless babysitter being hunted by Michael Myers himself, to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, most of these games have ranged from lackluster to god-awful. Halloween might be a rare, obscure game(at least until the AVGN reviewed it), but that isn't really a testament to its quality. Neither is Charile/the Chocolate Factory, which was one of the worst PS2 games I have ever had the "pleasure" of playing.

Ironically, one of my favorite games of all time is actually based on a movie, and one I loathed with a passion at that: Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. The game is a prequel to Pitch Black, and features Riddick(voiced fantastically by Vin Deisel, not a sound-alike) attempting to escape Butcher Bay, a maximum security prison. The graphics are fantastic, the gameplay is awesome and with a small learning curve, and, best of all, it makes you feel like a badass while playing. The game was codeveloped by Tigon Studios and Starbreeze Studios, and in fact, Tigon is owned by Vin Diesel. Another good movie adaptation was Peter Jackson's King Kong: The official game of the movie. Don't let the long-winded title scare you off, because this game is atmospheric, tense, and, best of all, fun to actually play. This game was also overseen by someone close to the movie: Peter Jackson himself.


In the end, we have witnessed some Good, Bad, and just plain awful movie adaptations, but I believe that if some movie and game studios actually begin to give a crap about creating a quality product, movie video games will finally no longer have this notorious reputation of being rushed and made soley for the money.

Hey, I can dream, can't I?