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Over the years there have been many tragic attempts to boost a movie’s profits with games. Like remakes and much awaited sequels, these games tend to disappoint more than they impress. However, there were a few that managed to stand out and came to be considered not only good movie-based games, but good games in general. If you’ve ever wanted to step into the shoes of some of your favourite movie characters, then try out these games for yourself.
Hercules
Disney has churned out a lot of games based on their films over the years, and not all of them have been winners. While Kingdom Hearts probably stands as the best Disney game out of all of them, there was one game back in 1997 that was actually pretty good; in fact, it was more than just pretty good.
The Hercules game was a clever two dimensional side-scroller that came out on PlayStation1. While technically simple and nothing special, there was something about this game that grabbed a lot of people and it’s become something of a cult favourite, right next to Aladdin. The difference between the Aladdin and Hercules games, however, is that Aladdin played it safe.
It’s pretty much a typical 8 bit Game Boy game, with the gameplay following the similar formula of ‘go right until you get to the end of the level’ and, to be fair, the Hercules games does pretty much the same thing, too. However, what made Hercules more special was the variety that was added to the gameplay. On some levels, you could follow paths and travel back and forth to different planes within the level, discovering hidden paths and figuring out your route to the level’s end. On other levels, the gameplay changes up even more, and you have to play through a first-person dash to the end of the level, dodging falling pillars, sword wielding dummies, distressed civilians and sharks to reach the end. Even the boss levels are interesting, with each boss battle requiring different plans of attack and incorporating 3D elements. While Hercules might not be perfect, the film and the game together are what made this character and although our favourite Greek hero has shown up in other games since, such as Ladbrokes’s slots game Age of the Gods, this early PlayStation game is still a firm favourite.
GoldenEye 007
GoldenEye is not just a great movie based game – it’s a great game in general. This game has been rated 9/10 and 10/10 across the board and it’s no wonder why. Released exclusively for the N64, this game defied all expectations and became possibly the most influential console shooter of all time. In fact, not too long ago it was announced that a documentary about the creation of GoldenEye may be on the horizon, exploring the team behind this ground-breaking game.
This first-person shooter had everything that Bond fans wanted: tactics based gameplay, a treasure trove of spy gadgets to utilise, guns galore, and just enough challenge to keep things interesting. The game’s AI is also impressive and gives the game that little bit of unpredictability. Enemies won’t always charge on sight like they might in other games; sometimes they wait and hide and are capable of being just as cunning and deadly as you are. In the main story there is great variation in the level styles and missions, and in the highly praised four-player mode you get endless fun from choosing your characters and weapons and beating the challenges. Overall, GoldenEye is up there with the greats and you would be hard pressed to find anything about the game that doesn’t impress.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
This game is exactly what people wanted but didn’t get from The Chronicles of Riddick when the film first came out. It has all of the brutal violence and twistedness that the fans wanted and matched it with action packed gameplay. Your aim is to escape a high security prison as Riddick, voiced by Vin Diesel himself. You can take two approaches to this game – burst in with guns blazing or stalk your prey from the shadows. With Riddick’s ability to see in the dark, you can stealth your way through the levels and feel the tension when the guard looks in your direction. On Xbox, this game was great, but the remastered version available on PC makes it amazing. The graphics are sharper and even more detailed, and the tragically short gameplay has been extended by an additional level. If you ever wanted to see the real Riddick – the cut throat badass we had all hoped for – then you’re going to want to get this game.