#Game Adaptations

[brotoman-exe]

Look no matter what changes are done with the Netflix Castlevania shows, it will be fine versus the pure psychic damage that is Captain N Alucard

[thecosmiccircus]

'Fallout' Review: A Post-Apocalyptic Story Worth the Wait

Dust off your Pip-Boys, crack open a Nuka Cola, and get ready to enter the Wasteland! Fallout has blasted onto Prime Video after years of waiting. Whether you’ve braved the desolate land before or even if it’s your first exposure to Rads, you should immediately tune into this series. All episodes are being simultaneously released on Prime Video, which makes for a wonderful weekend binge. I’ve…

[dykekatana]

My personal favorite

Hell is when book covers get redesigned with the actors of the show/movie that was made based on it.

[fogaminghub]

🌟 Attention, horror fans! The Until Dawn movie trailer is here, just in time for the game’s 10th anniversary! 💀👀 Immerse yourself in a brand-new story filled with fresh characters and terrifying twists. It’s a love letter to the game that promises to keep you guessing till the end! 

🎥✨ Watch the trailer now!

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #667

Top Ten Videogames Based on Films

This is another of those topics where I kinda thought I’d already done it. I mean, getting on for 700 weeks, and I’ve never ranked the best game adaptations of films? Really? It seems like an obvious one, if only to bang on about Westwood’s Blade Runner, something I used to love to do. Going back and having a look, though, I wonder if it’s because there are a couple of biggies that I’ve never got round to playing, such as Alien: Isolation. However, being the sorta devil-may-care vagabond that I am, I thought I was well overdue having an excuse to stick the old C64 version of Ghostbusters in a list.

I’ve had movie adaptations on my mind recently because I’ve just started playing the frankly barnstorming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the best instalment in the Indiana Jones franchise since… well, I guess read on to find out. But it really is an exceptionally good game, something that I wasn’t really expecting; I thought it’d be a fun knockabout diversion, but instead it’s a masterpiece. That’s the best kind of surprise, really.

So that’s what this list celebrates, and really all there is to say on the matter. I’m being very specific in that these have to be based on a film; no books or TV or other, broader, “licensed properties”. However, I don’t think they have to adapt the plot of a film; it’s just the film (or film series) has to serve as the inspiration and background. And they have to be official; no Alien Breed here I’m afraid, even if for a long time it was arguably the best adaption of the Alien franchise.

So let’s dim the lights, grab the popcorn, and settle down for a top ten that manages to be half-full of Lucasfilm adaptations. I make no apologies.

GoldenEye 007 (1997): manages to make you feel suitably Bond-ian, as you sashay around levels sniping baddies through door windows; you seem both sneaky and also all-conquering, just like Bond. For the time, it had excellent levels and a sense of weight and space, with a variety of brilliant and fun weapons. Having had the joy of replaying it on Xbox recently, the gameplay absolutely holds up; it’s a massively enjoyable, genre-defining classic, regardless of the licence. And that’s before we touch the multiplayer.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003): simultaneously one the richest, deepest, and most enjoyable RPGs then produced, and also the game that most felt like taking a deep dive into the Star Wars universe. The systems are exquisite – including the now-unpopular “pause time” combat – and as your skills increase you really feel like a Jedi, the tactical combat allowing for the sorts of Prequel-era flourishes virtually impossible in real-time action games. and then there’s the amazing story, with one of the greatest twists in gaming history.

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (1992): like the previous two games, this managed to be both a high-water-mark for its given genre, as well as a perfect representation of the film it was based upon. Back then, this was the closest we felt to being Indiana Jones; a globetrotting mystery full of ancient ruins and tricksy puzzles, backed up with a pacey, rat-a-tat-tat script full of witty dialogue, and a tough-talking female companion at your side. Even today it holds up as one of the best classic adventure games you can get.

Blade Runner (1997): speaking of classic adventure games, this was one of the last gasps of the old genre before its more recent resurgence. I’m counting this as an adaptation of the film (rather than the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) because it so amazingly adheres to its style and tone; entire camera moves are recreated, and it really makes you feel like you’re a detective in the world of the film. The graphics, though dated, were extraordinary 25 years ago, and the divergent plotting with its multiple endings and revelations is still incredibly compelling.

Star Wars: Jedi Knight – Dark Forces II (1997): I really hope this gets the Dark Forces treatment with a spruced-up remaster, because for a while there this was just about my favourite game. On one hand it was a fast-paced mission-based shooter set in the Star Wars galaxy; on the other, though, it was an action-RPG with you as a nascent Jedi honing your powers. One of the first (to my knowledge) FPS games with a skill tree, you really felt like you were becoming your own Jedi, skirting Light and Dark sides, or finding a balance. The live-action cut-scenes were simply incredible back then, and although it didn’t exactly have the multiple endings of Blade Runner, it did offer a bit of divergence, and was a really compelling experience.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (2024): I’m not sure it’s recency bias putting it this high or if the fact I’ve only played it for a couple of days means it’s getting short shrift, but in the brief time I’ve had it, by God, it’s been amazing. Every aspect of this game honours the films it’s based on, and the actors, animators, and modellers have done a phenomenal job recreating the characters. you really feel like you’re Indy, and that extends to the incredibly interactive, tactile way you inhabit the world, from simply opening doors to traversing the environment to solving puzzles to the glorious, almost ludicrous combat that somehow manages to find that Indy sweet spot of making you feel like you’re scrabbling round on the back foot against superior forces but also totally in control at all times. If I ever do another of these lists, I bet it’s even higher.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (2022): I really wanted – no, needed – to include one of the Lego games, because I think they’re fantastic, and I love how they adapt and utilise their source material. However, the only ones that are really based on movies (rather than, y’know, Marvel and DC comics) that I’ve felt are worthy of mention here are the Star Wars ones, of which the most recent Skywalker Saga is arguably the best, simply by virtue of its size, scope, and improved gameplay tweaks (even if I think maybe it’s lost a little charm and focus in the process). These things are love letters to the franchise, with Easter eggs big and small, and a delight if you’re introducing younglings to the world of gaming.

Aliens Versus Predator (1999): there have been a few games of this name and with a similar premise, but this PC version 25 years ago is the one that blew me away by virtue of its honed gameplay loop (three different game style if you’re an alien, predator, or human marine) and simple but gorgeous graphics (not as complex as its contemporaries but excellent use of colour and lighting made it stand out). One of the most effective games at giving you the feeling of being hunter and hunted, and so much better than both the Aliens vs Predator movies that it’s ridiculous.

RoboCop 3 (1990): ah, here we get to my golden age classics. Like Alien, I’m pretty sure the more recent RoboCop game is going to be better than this clunky old warhorse; but blimey it was revelatory. Basically a fully-3D first-person shooter on the Amiga, despite its crude polygons it really did feel like you were “dead or alive you’re coming with me”-ing a bunch of crooks and creeps. Three gameplay modes played like mini-simulations, even if everything other than the FPS stuff I found borderline impossible. Like AvP, it’s also considerably better than the movie it was based on (and released about a year before than the film, too – that’s a whole other story).

Ghostbusters (1984): unlike the last two entries, I have actually played the more recent Ghostbusters game, but I’m still sticking with the classic. Why? Well, because it did something different, something astounding. This was a game that – even though I was very small – kinda redefined what I thought games could be. I expected a Ghostbusters game in the mid-eighties to be a side-on platform/shooting affair, but this was a moderately complex business sim. You couldn’t even ride ECTO-1! It was too expensive! You had to build your business up before you could afford it! The management gameplay coupled with the ghostbusting mini-game is a formula that I’m actually surprised they haven’t tried to replicate (to the best of my knowledge, at least). But for the time and place, this was a frankly stunning achievement.

Blimey! There we go. Ten excellent games. I nearly snuck in another Star Wars (Episode I Racer, in fact), and I’m sorry I couldn’t find room for any early-nineties platformers, such as The Addams Family, The Blues Brothers, or even Aladdin. But still! Good games. Might go watch the films now.

Or just go back and play Indiana Jones and the Great Circle some more.

[quibbs]

just had SO much fun with the fallout tv show... i love you missus okey dokey

[skull-pun]

God is dead and we killed him

[chloesimaginationthings]

Abby went into the pit and made a FNAF friend..

[prokopetz]

So, let me see if I've got this right: the Halo TV series took two full seasons to get around to introducing the actual Halo, i.e., the thing whose name is the title of the show, spent exactly one episode there, and then the show immediately got cancelled?

[bugblast]

my best friend ryuk and his best friend near

[jjadmanii]

film adaptations are all fun and games until ppl start watching the movie without reading the book,,then it just becomes the 10th circle of dante’s hell

[thecosmiccircus]

Marvel Video Games That Deserve a Sequel

Marvel has had a strong presence in gaming, delivering some truly memorable experiences. Many of these deserve a sequel due to their popularity and positive reception from critics, gamers, and fans of Marvel. Therefore, let’s look at a few Marvel games that genuinely need another chapter. Marvel’s Midnight Suns Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a game that surprised me when I played through it. I worried…

[bees-pees]

this one got me

[papier-ciseaux]

My first run of Hades in a nutshell.

My second run was actually worse.

No one cares but I made an approximate diagram of all my runs and death for fun. RIP to Zagreus but I like the administrative chamber a lot <3

As you can see my motivation to kill my dad dwindled after I finished the mainline story

[reputayswift]

New years are scary, tag this with something you’re looking forward to in 2025! 🎉🪩