Video game cash ins of Hollywood films have been the norm for almost three decades. For a while video games based from movies began simply as supplemental marketing for the film. The sub-genre has evolved to sometimes adding to a particular film's universe. As games emulate Hollywood's aesthetics more frequently, the quality of those cash ins become less and less. Here are some releases that have stood above the rest in the last ten years.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay - 2004
Vin Diesel wanted The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay to be more than another video game based on the then recently released The Chronicles of Riddick film in 2004. Alongside creating video game development house Tigon Studios, it seems on paper that he put more energy into the tie-in game than the film itself. Escape From Butcher Bay not only received a better reception than its cinematic counterpart but also set a few new standards for the first-person shooter genre.
Wanted: Weapons of Fate - 2009
Wanted: Weapons of Fate wasn't perfect but, it was one hell of a ride. Looking to contemporary shooters like Gears of War and Max Payne for inspiration, Wanted: Weapons of Fate takes place five hours after the film as Wesley Gibson looks to discover what really happened to his family. The biggest feature is it's take on the film's (based on Mark Millar an J.G. Jones' comic) "bullet bend" mechanic that allows Gibson to hit any foe by curving bullets. The story was decent and though short, was one ball of lighting from beginning to end.
Cars - 2006
Video game tie-ins are normally marketed to children because most of the time, they can care less about quality and all the stuff adults with in-disposable income worry about. Cars isn't only a pretty good game based on a movie but one of the few open world games that children can play. The driving engine is pretty solid on all platforms including Nintendo's Wii(it was a launch title).
The Warriors - 2005
What Rockstar did with The Warriors was take a cult classic from 1979 and adapt it for the gaming generation. Taking things one step farther, The Warriors plays both adaptation and prequel of the film. This makes the fates of lead characters in the film even more heartbreaking. Most importantly, its one of the best co-op brawlers of this day and age.
King Kong - 2005
Ubisoft didn't want to just make a game based on Peter Jackson's remake. The French developer actually teamed up Jackson for its video game adaptation. King Kong as a game will mainly be known for lacking a heads-up display during its first-person shooting approach and those extremely epic Kong moments.
