These are the best games based on movies. Every entry on this list is a great video game adaptation of popular movies.
Stranglehold
Yes, Stranglehold is not an adaptation per se… This game is the sequel to John Woo’s 1992 Hong Kong action film Hard Boiled. The director himself and the main actor in the movie collaborated in the development of this marvelous game. There are cutscenes that really look cinematic, despite their age. And it’s very safe to say that this is a worthy sequel and that it’s definitely worth playing even today.
Alien: Isolation
The Alien movies are still beloved by fans of many generations. Those brilliant sci-fi horror movies, the characters, and especially the monsters they created are super-iconic. Alien: Isolation is an adaptation of classic movies; it’s one of the best and most terrifying horror games available to play. It offers little chance for the player to fight off the horrific aliens, and instead, hide and focus on stealth. It looks really atmospheric too, and it’s a real treat for horror game fans.
Mad Max
The Mad Max movies were one of the first post-apocalyptic movies that depicted a world without strange creatures or zombies. The whole series has a lot of memorable moments and the most recent movie, Mad Max: Fury Road, which was released in 2015, was probably the best of them all. In the same year, this absolute gem of a game was released. Because of the bigger titles of the time, it didn’t garner too much attention, unfortunately. But the player count has only been increasing. In Mad Max, you play the titular Max in this non-canonical story. And the said story has been criticized by many, but it’s the gameplay that makes this game so good. There have been no other games that implemented vehicular combat as well as this did, and its open world is a joy to explore.
Scarface: The World Is Yours
Scarface: The World Is Yours is an alternate ending version of the classic crime movie Scarface which was released in the 80s. It’s an open-world game where you control the iconic character Tony Montana. While he’s not voiced by the legendary Al Pacino, the voice in the game is very similar to his original voice. There’s a lot of fun to be had in this game, with various criminal activities and great gunplay, and enjoyable driving mechanics.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
As you can see from the title, Knights of the Old Republic is adapted from the widely known and loved Star Wars franchise. While both Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 are quite dated, they’re masterpieces when it comes to narrative and RPG mechanics. If you can get it to run on your modern PC with a little tweaking, you’ll surely have a great time playing them. Outside of the story, there are non-linear quests and exploration too. The lore is pretty good as well.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Shadow of Mordor is an adaptation of the Lord of the Rings films. The game is set in Mordor and it’s non-canonical. That may put some players aback because the canon lore and the story of the Lord of the Rings are nigh unbeatable, this game (and its sequel: Shadow of War) is definitely worth playing because of its combat system, stealth, and especially the Nemesis system. The Nemesis system is a revolutionary system that makes defeating Orcs very unique and fun. For example, when an enemy captain kills you, he gains a promotion and he will rise among the ranks. And because you were killed by him, you must go and exact revenge.
GoldenEye 007
Here’s an oldie but goodie. GoldenEye 007 launched on the Nintendo 64 way back in 1997. Rare’s adaptation of the James Bond film of the same name came out two years after the film.
Given that licensed games had a poor reputation, GoldenEye was far from an assured success. Nonetheless, it won Game of the Year in 1997 and was the most successful first-person shooter on a video game console up until that point. Perfect Dark was released as something of a spiritual sequel that built off and improved upon GoldenEye 007.
After decades of demand from fans, a remaster is coming to Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles along with Xbox Game Pass. This will allow a whole new generation of gamers to enjoy this amazing film adaptation more than two decades after its initial release.
