Movie Tie-in Games

Everyone should be aware by this point how awful most movie tie-in games are. Not only does a studio have to try and adapt a movie to fit into a video game format, but there's also the time constraints to ensure the game releases in time with the movie. It may seem strange for a studio to shell out the cash for a video game just to promote the movie, but that is the intent behind most of these games. And, really, who can blame these developers for just pushing something out of lesser qualty? The game is just a marketing tool in the grand scheme of things and the pressure of the release date is enough to make any studio just breeze through these projects.

The fact of the matter is, not all movies can be so easily adapted to a video game. I mean, come on, E.T. as a video game? Really? Some studios can't help but churn out garbage like that because of the limitations they are presented from having the game follow the movie. Of course, there are other studios who just take a movie and miss the mark entirely. Let's take Battleship for example. The movie had a premise that could have transitioned well into a game: a fleet of U.S. ships stumbles upon an alien craft and a battle ensues. Well, why not make a strategy games based on that? The player controls one fleet of ships and the AI controls the alien fleet. Easy. Instead, we got a first person shooter that had a 4 hour campaign and each mission had the exact same objectives. Yes, Battleship of all things became an FPS.

One game tie-in series that never seemed to quite get it right were the Harry Potter games. I still remember owning the Sorcerer's Stone game for PS1. That game had absolutely hideous character models, but it actually allowed you to explore Hogwarts. Even a few of the games that came after in the series would follow the same trend as the first game. Yes, these games were actually open world in a sense and allowed you to walk or fly around the castle; to explore the world the movies could only give you glimpses of. Sounds awesome, right? Well, it would be, if the exploration got you anything. Flying around the castle can only be so entertaining when there aren't any secrets or hidden references to be found. But what about the spells, surely they didn't screw up there? Well, from what I recall, the games did have a variety of spells, but they all devolved down to: here's your spell for burning trees, here's your spell for pushing blocks, and here is your spell for combat. Those games had quite a bit of potential, but I'm guessing the time restraints really got to the developers and hindered progress. And then we got the Harry Potter Kinect game. Not sure what they were thinking with that one.

Another game that couldn't quite get it right was the Star Wars: Episode 3 tie-in game. This was a hack-n-slash style game that had you playing as both Obi-Wan and Anakin on and off again depending on the scenario. The combat system was actually very satisfying as it relied on a combo/juggle mechanic to defeat enemies. While I couldn't help but smile as I stormed through the Jedi Temple as Anakin to slay younglings, the game; unfortunately, was just too repetitive and had little enemy variety. Not to mention the force powers were the same old Force push, pull, jump, dash, etc. that had been seen too many times before and were pretty insignificant overall. The real saving grace for this title was the multiplayer which was, surprisingly, a "Duel" mode that used all the Jedi/Sith characters from the game. This was where the combat really shined and revealed that this game had some of the best lightsaber combat since Jedi Academy.

And now we come full circle to the movie tie-in games that did get it right. One example would be the LotR: Return of the King game. Like Episode 3, this game is a hack-n-slash that takes players thought each movie set piece, but the combat system here is isn't as flashy or fluid. What this game does have going for it is a plethora of playable characters, 3 different campaigns, a fun local co-op, and the joy of hacking down waves upon waves of enemies. This game definitely does not have much in the way of enemy variety, but it makes up for it by having an experience system that allows the player to purchase upgrades and new attacks to perform for each character. This game can even be a challenge as it is not afraid to throw tons of enemies at the player who are more active in their attacks than, say, Dynasty Warrior enemies. This title even has a degree of replayability with character unlocks that can be used in any campaign. I mean, come on, who wouldn't want to play as Samwise at the Battle of Minas Tirith?

Of course, you can't talk about this subject without mentioning The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. Why was this game so well done? Well, it may have had to do with the fact this game is actually a prequel to the Vin Diesel movies. There certainly was a time constraint with the game's release coinciding with the Chronicles of Riddick film, but a prequel allowed the studio to take a more open approach. Indeed, Starbreeze actually took inspiration from other games and films and it really payed off for them. Not many games can blend first person and stealth as well as Escape from Butcher Bay did and all without giving the player a HUD. Not to mention a varied and satsifying combat system really made this game stand out from the usual travesty of movie games. It really is a shame more studios aren't allowed this kind of creative freedom for tie-in games.

Thinking back on all the movie-tie in games that have come out, it would seem like there have only been really bad ones these past few years. Any good or even decent game that had a direct tie to a movie franchise came out in the mid 2000's. Almost everything before and, certainly, after has been absolutely terrible. Why did we fall back into the hole of terrible tie-in games? There was potential, there was hope, there were good movie-based games being made! What happened? Did the industry decide these tie-in games just weren't worth it any longer? While it is a shame good tie-in games have not occured recently, I can also understand why. Games based off of a franchise are best suited for independent concepts and releases (most of the time). Escape from Butcher Bay and Return of the King may have been exceptions, but there are so many other games tied to a franchise that are better executed when they don't have to emulate a film. I say it's best to let video games and films remain separate.