Summary
Typically, games based on movies are less than desirable due to the product being rushed out near a movie’s release to make some extra profit. These days, they are rarely ever made, but in the 90s and 2000s,movie-licensed gameswere seen with every major blockbuster release, for better or worse.
While most were of poor quality, fans occasionally were gifted with decent or sometimes great games based on movies. In one or two cases, they were considered better than the films they were based on, but in a world where licenses and copyrights are constantly in flux, even the best ones end up being delisted or simply abandoned by publishers, and now gamers can no longer buy them.
Despite Christopher Nolan’s trilogy being the least adaptable Batman to video games,Batman Beginsdid get a video game tie-in withChristian Bale reprising his role as Batman. TheBatman Beginsgame loosely followed the story of the movie, expanding sections to allow more gameplay that was similar toSplinter Cellbut with more melee combat.
Oddly enough,Batman Beginsdid many things thatBatman: Arkham Asylumwould improve upon, from stealth takedowns to the use of gadgets to the way Batman traverses levels. Sadly, unless someone is lucky enough to snag a copy for the PS2 or Xbox off eBay or a local store, theBatman: Arkhamgames are the better option for satisfying an itch for virtual Batman action.
9Captain America: Super Soldier
A Diamond In The Rough That Was MCU Games
During Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, every solo superhero movie received a video game tie-in, such asCaptain America: Super Soldier, an adaptation ofCaptain America: The First Avenger. Where tie-ins such asIron Man,The Incredible Hulk, andThor: God Of Thunderwere lackluster,Captain America: Super Soldiermanaged to stand out.
Initially available only on PS3 and Xbox 360,Captain America: Super Soldierfeatured basic but enjoyable third-person action and thrilling World War 2 set piecesakin to theWolfensteingames. It won’t knock anyone’s socks off, but it remains the best option for a Captain America simulator untilMarvel 1943: Rise Of Hydrareleases.
8Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza
A Faithful FPS Adaptation Of The First Die Hard Movie
Die Hard: Nakatomi Plazacame out at the height of first-person shooter mania, inspired by howHalf-Lifereinvented the genre. It retells the story of the firstDie Hard film, making it one of the fewgames set during the holidays, allowing players to take control of John McClane fighting through Nakatomi Plaza to stop Hans Gruber and his terrorist organization.
Unfortunately, sinceDie Hard: Nakatomi Plazawas exclusively for the PC, it has since become abandonware, and takes a lot more effort to get working if someone manages to find a file or even a physical copy. This is a shame, since it is still arguably the best attempt at making aDie Hardgame sinceDie Hard Trilogyfor the PS1.
7Aliens Versus Predator 2
Three Campaigns And Multiplayer That Represent The Best Of Both Franchises
There have been many games about Aliens and Predators since the 1980s, butAliens Versus Predator 2is often considered the best of both franchises. With three first-person shooter campaigns focusing on the Xenomorphs, Yautja, and Colonial Marines, Monolith’s sequel took everything great about the first game and simply improved upon it.
Sadly, it is another example of abandonware, but fans have worked hard to keep theAliens Versus Predator 2multiplayer servers alive, even if getting the game to work is a challenge. Fortunately, untilAliens Versus Predator 2is given a modern port to make it work, theAliens Versus Predatorreboot from 2010 is still available to purchase and remains a strong successor.
Often considered one of the mostrevolutionary games of the 1990s, especially in the first-person shooter genre,GoldenEye 007was the beginning of a whole series of James Bond games. Much to the dismay of fans, not all of them can be purchased today, includingThe World Is Not Enough,Nightfire, andAgent Under Fire.
However,GoldenEye 007remains a beloved classic by Rare. It is most famous for its Nintendo 64 port but has since become available to anyone with a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack or Xbox Game Pass. The chance to purchase the game on its own only comes about if someone manages to find a Nintendo 64 cartridge, which is rarely available or cheap.
5Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis
It Walked With Dinosaurs So The Jurassic World Evolution Games Could Run
Before theJurassic World: Evolutionseries, the ideal way for players to create their own dinosaur theme parks was viaJurassic Park: Operation Genesis. Many mechanics ofJurassic World: Evolutionbegan withOperation Genesis, including sending out teams to unearth dinosaur bones, from which scientists could extract DNA to make viable genomes and create dinosaurs.
WithoutJurassic Park: Operation Genesistaking its first steps, the games most people know today wouldn’t be running. This makes it sad that Universal hasn’t allowedOperation Genesisto be readily available for everyone, sinceit is a quality dinosaur game. Instead, it is yet another case of abandonware, with physical copies going for ridiculous prices online.
Vin Diesel’s passion project is theRiddickfranchise, as shown by him producing and starring in a video game prequel toPitch Blackknown asThe Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay. Since Richard B. Riddick is known for being a slasher killer of villains,Escape From Butcher Bayfeatures the titular anti-hero sneaking through a prison using his Eyeshine and stealth takedowns.
In many ways,Escape From Butcher Bayis a first-person precursor toBatman: Arkham Asylum, featuring many similar ideas and even a nearly identical concept. With Vin Diesel still playing the character, this game and its overlooked sequel are often considered on par with the blockbuster movies, but over the years, it has become more difficult to own the games, as they were not particularly popular at the time.
Thanks to Raven Software being given extra time to hone their craft,X-Men Origins: Wolverinemanaged to not only bea quality Wolverine video game, but is often considered better than the movie. Where the movie is a watered-down mess, the game put Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine into a bloody, gritty, and epic story that felt closer to something from the comics.
WhileX-Men Origins: Wolverineis a hack-and-slash clone of the classicGod Of Wartrilogy, that style of gameplay simply fits the character, and as such, the game has since become a cult classic. Tragedy struck when Activision lost its Marvel licenses, andX-Men Origins: Wolverine,along with many other Marvel games, became delisted everywhere, breaking the hearts of fans.
Before working onPredator: Hunting GroundsandKiller Klowns From Outer Space, Illfonic stepped onto the asymmetrical horror game scene viaFriday The 13th: The Game. One player controls Jason Voorhees, going up against a group of other players controlling Camp Counselors trying to escape Crystal Lake.
While it was far from perfect,Friday The 13th: The Gamewon the hearts of many byremaining loyal to the iconic slasher movies, and featuring gameplay can be as horrifying as it can be funny. Due to the long-lasting legal troubles happening with franchise rights, Illfonic’s ongoing development ofFriday The 13thended up being shut down, and the game was sadly delisted.
With Adrian Brody, Jack Black, Naomi Watts, Evan Park, and more all lending their voices to their characters,Peter Jackson’s King Kongis often considered a shockingly good adaptation. While it deviates from an already well-made movie, the game expands on Skull Island even more as a first-person action-horror shooter, casting players in the role of Brody’s Jack Driscoll.
Peter Jackson’s King Kongaccurately portrays the island fauna as horrifying animals to reckon with and, since Jack has no HUD, the player is forced to listen to Jack’s counting of magazines and rounds to know when they’re out of ammo. Fighting dinosaurs and giant bugs is equally terrifying as it is thrilling, but Ubisoft and Universal sadly have yet to allow the game to be playable on modern systems.
