Games that would make crappy movies

[Tranquility]

Fair point, though I'd argue that watching someone else play is different to just statically watching a film. When it's a game, you can give tips, point out things the player hasn't seen, laugh together at the dumb things you or they do...

My first exposure to Zelda was watching my older brother play through Ocarina of Time. I still enjoyed it immensely though, because we'd talk about how to solve the puzzles and what to do/where to go next, so even when I'm not playing I'm still involved on some level. Watching Link stand in the dungeons staring at the walls trying to solve the puzzle in a film is a whole different experience to trying to nut out the solution with a friend.

It would definitely be a different experience, but that doesn't mean it is predetermined to be bad.

I think trying to capture the essence of a video game in a movie will always fail. Trying to portray Link figuring out puzzles every room is going to be a disaster. Many game movies have tried that, and they have failed remarkably.

That doesn't mean that they are all destined to fail. A good director, a good script, and good actors can pretty much make anything decent. The problem is that the majority of the time they try to rely on lame and/or cheesy gimmicks as a shoutout to the game, and it just demolishes any semblance of credibility.

They mostly fall victim to the same problem that happens when games are made based on movies. They feel this deep desire to throw in references and they just kill the immersion. For example, Lord of the Rings: The Third Age. Fantastic game, and the story might have been able to stand on it's own (probably not), but every time they threw in Gandolf, spouting quotes directly from the movie thrown in during semi-related moments just made me laugh at the entire thing.

Another example, I liked the Silent Hill movie. I had admittedly not played the game, therefore if they threw in cheesy moments from the game (the nurses at the end), I missed them, and they didn't cheapen the movie or make me giggle at the entire thing.

Good video games do one thing really well that can translate to movies, and that is making a world. The world of Dark Souls is definitely one that I would like to see in movie format. Is the story the greatest in the game? Not really, and would I like watching the main character die over and over and run back to pick up their bloodstain? Not really. However, I would very much enjoy a movie in that world, before or after the events of the game, with no cheesy "oh, this mechanic was in the game so we need it in the movie" crap. No watching the main character run back to his bloodstain, no lame writing messages on the ground, no lame watching them mess with the interface.

 

[Blunderboy]

Pretty much every game ever.
I've never understood this obsession people have about it.
"It's got such a great story." Yes, and you just played it. Why do you need to experience it again but with less interaction?

Having said that, there are certainly some game universes that would be an interesting back drop for an original story.

 

[Arqus_Zed]

Any JRPG ever, unless you're willing to turn the game into a septology (length) and throw a 4 billion dollar budget against it (SFX).

Also, "experience" games like ICO, Shadow of the Colossus and Rez.

They made a movie of Final Fantasy VII, although A. It was technically a sequel, and B. I thought it was rubbish. FFVII was a very good game, but it made a lousy film.

Well, obviously, Advent Children doesn't count because of that (and despite being worthless in the story department, I have to admit I still liked the action - though I hated the aesthetic of the Bahamut they used).

Same can be said about Final Fantasy: Spirits Within. Yeah, it carries the name of the brand, but it's not a game turned into a movie. (In fact, Spirits Within didn't have anything to do with Final Fantasy in general).

Now, if they would ever decide to make a 7-part movie series from FF VII, with a big enough budget... I don't know, it might result in something decent with the right talent behind it. I'm not saying they should, I'm merely saying they could. Even though FF VII isn't even one of my favorite games in the series.

 

[Tranquility]

Well, obviously, Advent Children doesn't count because of that

Does that mean the games in this thread have to exactly emulate the game, except in a movie format?

If so, none. There's literally no game that can be improved by taking away the game. Again, aside from games that wanted to be movies to begin with, see: David Cage.

 

[yuval152]

Almost every FPS that exists because the protagonist never talks.

 

[marurder]

Most games wouldn't work as movies. Certainly of the good ones. They are best told as games and that's why they are good. Movies are not interactive and as soon as it is over you move on (unless you dwell on it) and referring to a game can make the experience... less so enable, as many games have a weak story or a story added to the end of something rather than a story environment where there is more depth.

For example;
A good movie in the Fallout universe wouldn't even have a vault, wouldn't reference any character in any game made. BUT would reference events or groups - but not interact or feature any in anyway other than a brief cameo.
Reason for this is you want to build a new story without destroying the old one, it also allows you to branch out into new areas ADDING to the universe, not milking the old one to death (as we have seen)

 

[Lamnidae]

You could make a good movie out of anything I think...
But what's gonna mess it up?

A lack of devotion from the directors...

A lack of good devoted actors...

Cutting of the movies so it can fit the screenplaytime, like 90, 120 or 180 minutes...

The age-rating... PG13 isn't going to work for most games I'd like to see a movie about...

And of course the budget the moviecorporations grant the production of the title...

What I would really like to see?

Well, I don't think there's a gamefranchise I couldn't see a movie about...
There's lots of games I don't like playing...
But would I like watching a movie about it? Even in theatres?
HELL YES!!!

SO IT'S MORE OF A 50/50 CHANCE A GAME CAN BE A SUCCESFULL MOVIE!
I'D SURE WANT TO SEE THEM ALL...

ESPECIALLY:

BIOSHOCK, DARKSIDERS, DRAGON AGE, DEAD SPACE, AMERICAN MCGEE'S ALICE, BAYONETTA, BORDERLANDS, BURNOUT, CASTLEVANIA, CRYSIS, LOST PLANET, DANTE'S INFERNO, DARK SOULS, DRAGON'S DOGMA, DUKE NUKEM, DIABLO, STARCRAFT, WORLD OF WARCRAFT, ENSLAVED, F.E.A.R., GOD OF WAR, KILL ZONE, KINGDOMS OF AMALUR, MASS EFFECT, MIRRORS EDGE, NINJA GAIDEN, OVERLORD, PORTAL, RATCHED AND CLANK, SLY, JAK AND DAXTER, RAYMAN, RESISTANCE, SACRED, SHADOW OF THE DAMNED, NEVERDEAD, LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW MASSACRE, ARMORED CORE, SPLIT SECOND, THE ELDER SCROLLS, THUNDERCATS, THE DARKNESS, WAR FOR CYBERTRON, VANQUISH, WARHAMMER, MARIO, ZELDA, METROID, HALO, JERICHO, UNDYING...

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WELL ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AS LONG AS IT KEEPS TRUE TO THE CHARACTERS PORTRAYED IN THE GAMES AND THE MAIN STORYLINES...
HELL... IT WOULD BE AWESOME!

 

[Avalanche91]

'Troughout the battle against a unknown alien invasion, many sacrifices were made to make this operation possible. A straight Line to the heart of the invaders, to whipe them all out. They are Line Squad.'

'Brought to you by the mind behind Battleship; Tetris the movie'

Yeah that wouldn't work.

 

[Arqus_Zed]

Well, obviously, Advent Children doesn't count because of that

Does that mean the games in this thread have to exactly emulate the game, except in a movie format?

If so, none. There's literally no game that can be improved by taking away the game. Again, aside from games that wanted to be movies to begin with, see: David Cage.

Well, I thought that was the idea. I mean, if this topic revolves around just making a movie situated in the same universe of a certain game, well, then I think it is possible to make a good movie out of any game. Simply by changing time and place, maybe using a side character as the protagonist. Do a character piece about someone other than the main character or view the situation from the side of the enemy, maybe work with vignettes or a non-linear storyline. If you're not bound to the story of the game and there's just a certain mindset or atmosphere to work with, you can literally make a good movie out of anything.

Also, when you say "there's literally no game that can be improved by taking away the game", it doesn't really have any relevance to this topic. It's about "games that would make crappy movies", not "games that would have worked better if they were movies". Actually, that would be a nice idea for another topic...

 

[Starik20X6]

-snip-

That is true. I suppose I've just seen things I like made into terrible movies too often, and would rather have no movie than a bad one.

Hang on, hang on. Something's not right. It seems like we're having a reasonable discussion... on the internet!

 

[Lechimp89]

A Mass Effect movie (like most people have said) would be a bad idea
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1482455/
oh.....

 

[MidnightSt]

Planescape: Torment.
1. It has too long and complex story for a single movie
2. It would have to be done really good and sensible
3. There's nobody in the world I could imagine not fucking it up (Except maybe Darren Aronofsky)
4. Even if someone did it, and did not fuck it up (according to movie standards), I love the game so immensely that I can't imagine not being angry for slightest changes made to its story out of "movie craft" necessity.

 

[Cerebral Force]

QWOP.

I'm just going to write some stuff down here, because I;m sure there's no need to explain why this would be a ridiculous movie. BUT! I bet it could make $1m if Michael Bay directed it, because he can do that apparently.

Also: CAPTCHA = Mumbo Jumbo, strange. Just like my opinions.

Also Also: So I misclicked. I got 'LOOK OUT BELOW!'

I'm scared.

 

[Brutal Peanut]

Psychonauts, unless Schafer was given full reign - it would probably be poop. They'd give Michael Bay control. Lily would be a mediocre (albeit attractive) actress and Raz would be Shia Labeouf - there would also be soooooo many explosions - and everyone is from space, especially Mr. Pokeylope.

 

[Saregon]

QWOP.

I'm just going to write some stuff down here, because I;m sure there's no need to explain why this would be a ridiculous movie. BUT! I bet it could make $1m if Michael Bay directed it, because he can do that apparently.

A QWOP movie directed by Michael Bay.. Could be quite a story there, imagine, after suffering from an accident making him lose his fine motorcontrol, poor QWOP is hooked up to a bomb by an unknown bad-guy, and forced to run for his life, and if he falls, well, it's a Michael Bay movie, you can imagine what happens. Also he has the power to rewind time to try again for some reason, else it would be the shortest movie ever.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Any. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tekken:_The_Motion_Picture] Fighting. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_of_Fighters_%28film%29] Game. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortal_Kombat:_Annihilation] Ever. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOA:_Dead_or_Alive] Made. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Fighter:_The_Legend_of_Chun-Li]

You have to admit the campy Mortal Kombat movie was pretty fun and at least one of the Street Fighter anime movies was decent (I think it's just the one titled Street Fighter II). BlazBlue would make a good anime... not so much a film however >.>

Animation is likely the only way to turn a game into a movie without it becoming a joke; No need for expensive sets and CGI, and animation tends to be a whole lot friendlier when it comes to suspending ones disbelief.

Whether anime is the way to go, I don't know. The last few animes based on games (Halo, Dragon Age) weren't anything to write home about, and that new Mass Effect anime doesn't look too splendid neither. And traditional animation in the West is all but dead, dang it!

 

[Gincairn]

Silent Hill, I mean we should all count ourselves lucky that a Silent Hill film DOESN'T EXIST!

As for others, there are way too many to choose from, but Dues Ex springs to mind, I don't see it working at all, or at least I don't see it working until such time as directors and producers work together with writers to actually portray the story that the game originally tried to tell.

Instead of going with a "I think what the writers actually wanted was. . . " approach.

 

[White_Lama]

Well, I'd say that games with multiple choices line of storytelling would kind of be odd to make a movie out off since you'd either piss of the people going 100% good or the ones goind 100% bad.




MIGHT BE SPOILERS BELOW PEOPLE!

Dead Space was a film before it was a game. Well kinda... Event Horizon, if you haven't seen it yet I highly recommend it!

Event Horizon is quite infamous among my group of friends for that one scene where (I can't remember if it's a recording or what) there's that flashback or something to what happened to the people on the ship. Why? Because if you slow it down there's a shot of a man in an afro/coonskin cap getting fisted.

We are still laughing about that.

 

[lemonadeader]

Minecraft, who wants to see a movie about you making something and running away from those bloody creepers? If someone were to do it then i'd imagine that they'd focus wayyyyyyy too much on the combat and not so much on the 'ooh a pretty building' part, also fanboys everywhere would most likely explode with impotent rage

OTOH i actually liked the res evil movies, in the way that i had time to kill and they filled that role easily enough