It's true that movie-based video games rarely work well. This is because most of them are rushing to coincide with the film's release and are riding its wave of hype, the main motive often being to take advantage of this initial popularity and quickly make 'money.
The sad truth is that even lukewarm or unadorned negative reviews won't necessarily put off hardcore fans who want to catch a glimpse of their favorite movies and characters in a virtual world.
Despite the many terrible couplings we've witnessed over the years, there are some movies from the past that we think could have been great games, if done right. And while well-executed movie licenses are definitely the exception, it's not like they don't exist.
In any case, these are the biggest missed opportunities in our opinion, with a short description of how the game could have gone. Or it could go away, given the nostalgia and revival fever of late that has strongly felt its presence in popular culture (and at the very least, resurrecting an old property would mean no deadline would be insane for the game's release).
1.Westworld
Westworld was originally a 1973 film, brought to our attention by the recent HBO television series, and is an ideal medium for a video game. Mainly because the imaginary world Westworld is essentially a "real" sandbox from a game (populated with Android NPCs) that you can explore, explore, etc.
Therefore, its appeal as an open-world PC game is obvious, but it has never been exploited. A Westworld game was actually created based on the TV series, but it was a purely mobile offering and a haven scam (literally, by all accounts, it was shut down due to a lawsuit brought by Bethesda).
So this ill-fated iOS and Android endeavor was a management simulation, and a theme park-like world builder could work well as a much larger PC version. But as mentioned, this is surely a perfect fodder for the search for an open world where you can play against a visitor from Westworld, but the most suitable option is probably to put yourself in the shoes of an android and to turn it into a game of survival. Can you survive the attentions of human hosts and all their dark needs? Probably not.
At least if we had something like that, we wouldn't have to worry as much about when (or if) Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to PC. And indeed, the Rockstar title is probably the reason a full Westworld game has never been made...
2. Bucket
Cube, a 1997 sci-fi cult classic horror film, tells the story of a group of terrified people who don't know why they are imprisoned in a giant cube, which is actually a series of small 26 x 26 x 26 pieces. cube-shaped, all interconnected with hatches on each wall. Some rooms are filled with all kinds of traps, and the large cube is permanently reconfigured by moving small rooms inside.
Alright, the movie seems a bit old-fashioned now, but it's still compelling regarding the psychological fear that's creeping up on it, as the inhabitants of the trapped cube start to turn against each other. And that's where the game capitalizes.
We envision a multiplayer frenzy with a complex and improvised element, or even hidden objectives (a player can be a "bad" initiate, or the game could introduce a mental health mechanism and, when enough nerves have been properly frayed), a goal of the game. player goes from escaping to sending others).
Director Vincenzo Natali really thought it would be a good game, noting that he often discussed with his co-author the possibility of writing a movie or a play: "Because he has really that kind of structure. So, I think it would fit wonderfully. It would be perfect. In fact, I wrote an outline for a game. I also thought it would be interesting because in addition to handling cheating, you will have to deal with other people. "
We are here, but unfortunately, no video game developer has, because these comments were made almost a decade ago. However, you never know what the future may hold (but it probably involves razor traps and acid traps, if Cube is anything to do).
3. District 9
District 9, one of our favorite sci-fi movies, is another futuristic property that has really asked to be turned into a PC game. And director Neill Blomkamp, who began his career as a 3D animator, even admitted at the time that it was a "fascinating" basis for a game in many ways (although he does worry about typical movie license pitfalls).
Blomkamp noted that he had filmed parts of District 9 in a manner similar to a video game production and that the film's setting took place in a poor Johannesburg neighborhood and served as a camp. containment for aliens, and your team of alien weapons on site for a match.
So yeah, he could have been a potentially superior shooter. But this is not a dumb shooter, but rather a diver who fully immerses himself in an alternate imagined reality with multiple factions (aliens, soldiers, gangsters) and finally releases RPG-like upgrade items.
If you want to see what a shooter from District 9 might have looked like, check out this video of a fictional level created by students creating games at the National Animation and Design Center of Canada.
Finally, Blomkamp was going to make a Halo movie at some point (but it was canceled) and in early 2019, he made a short film for BioWare Anthem. So perhaps unsurprisingly, it seems like a Blomkamp game might be on the cards before too long (even if it's not a movie conversion).
4. The Truman Show
This is definitely a bit more, but give in to us. We are fans of the movie, and the idea here is to give the player the role of the big bad monitor of reality TV.
We envision a game inspired by the Sims in which Truman Burbank addresses his daily life and work. It's up to you to lead and direct it, making sure it gets into situations that are entertaining enough to keep your audience going, while juggling things like product placement to keep your income flowing. During this time, of course, you must work hard to prevent Truman from discovering the true nature of his reality (which he later discovers in the movie).
If it was a contemporary game, which would make it really cool, is a Twitch integration element where broadcasters could have a real audience, as well as "real" viewing figures that had to keep their best Yes , this one is over the top, but we always think something along those lines could be a really compelling game.
5. Creation
After the release of Inception, Christopher Nolan informed us that a video game from the film was a possibility. At the time, Nolan had said: "We are planning to develop a video game based on the world of cinema, containing all kinds of ideas that cannot be incorporated into a movie."
Clearly this never happened and it's a shame, because we think an adaptation of the game would have yielded some very cool cheats, and we'd like to know what Nolan had in mind.
Certainly, it is to be feared that an Inception game is wrapped up in its own ambition, but the construction of strange and wonderful dream worlds also offers a lot of potential, which have intelligent interactions with each other, such as losing gravity. the movie, and plenty of room for an attractive global setting.
If Inception doesn't win you over, think about a great Nolan release: Memento. An epic crime thriller that unfolds in reverse...
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