When it comes to video game movies, it takes a very rare breed to break through the ice and prevail as a truly successful entity in what is a crowded sector dominated by mediocrity. Films such as the Resident Evil franchise and the arguably positive Silent Hill may have garnered their fair share of fans, but it hasn’t always been this way.
The first attempts were narratively loose, riddled with unfathomably bad CGI and littered with devastatingly bad acting, the video game movie has come a long way.
Not ones to give up completely – especially with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard leading an Assassin’s Creed charge in the near future – we have compiled a list of video games that simply demand to be made into a feature film.
With Tekken 2: Kazuya’s Revenge on out DVD and Blu-ray next week we’re taking a look at games which, if they were adapted for the big screen, could restore faith to put in this sub-genre of cinema.
5. The Last Of Us
Quite arguably one of the best console games to have graced the Playstation in over a decade, we dare you to find a gamer who doesn’t love The Last Of Us. Upon its release, this was a horror-based game that not only garnered rave reviews, but also drew demands for actors to be cast for a future film.
Names such as Ellen Page and Maisie Williams were immediately thrown into the mix for the character Ellie, while Sony were quick to pick up the film with Sam Raimi attached to produce. Since then, little has been heard with regards to development, but with a game so stooped in horror brilliance you cannot help but imagine this particular game lighting up the big screen.
From the terrifying scenarios within the dark depths of the infection, to the chaos and carnage first experienced by gamers, The Last Of Us could help to reinvigorate gaming and horror movies in one swift movement.
4. Bioshock: Infinite
While a large, spanning entity such as Fallout could prove to be a big screen adaptation deemed too ambitious to create, a game such as Bioshock: Infinite is primed for the Hollywood treatment.
A game that ultimately built upon its predecessors’ world and ignited it with a larger scale and whole new dimension, Infinite was one of the most enthralling and exhilarating narrative experiences gamers had ever experienced. This was mainly thanks to a solid core created by the characters of Booker DeWitt and Elizabeth.
Imagine this pair on the big screen, tackling the bad guys, utilising their ever-evolving powers and bringing that much required emotional edge to an action movie that would be like very few others.
The very fact that Infinite’s events take place in a floating Columbia in 1912 and features a skyline system very much in similarity to Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland speaks volumes in its ambition. A one-of-a-kind vision of beauty, this would be a scintillating sight to behold in the right hands and, along with a strong backbone in its story, would see crowds flocking to the cinemas.
3. Halo
Of all the potential movie properties to emanate from video game origins, it feels like an absolute shock to see that Halo still hasn’t been forged into a movie. Guillermo Del Toro, Peter Jackson and Neill Blomkamp; all names who have been attached to this project in the past, yet none have prevailed in making the jump for Bungie’s flagship title.
Disappointment aside, it could be argued that if Forward Unto Dawn and Nightfall can be made then there is so much potential for a feature-length Master Chief adventure to finally surface and send fans into rapture.
This is a science fiction story that defines gaming and has made the leap from each generation of console to remain an essential part of video game legacy. If there was ever a title that demands its own movie then Bungie’s behemoth is the one.
2. Uncharted
Essentially the Indiana Jones of the gaming world, Nathan Drake quickly became the male equivalent of Lara Croft and solidified himself as the exemplar action hero of this gaming era. Put simply, this guy was born to see his adventures come alive on screen.
That being said, the journey of Nathan Drake to the big screen has been one riddled with turmoil. Avi Arad, David O. Russell, Seth Gordon have all been involved along the way – each dropping out – while Mark Wahlberg previously stated he would play Drake, with both Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci involved as his father and uncle! At current, this project is slated for a 2017 release with little to go by at this stage.
Difficulties in bringing the project to life aside, Nathan Drake is certainly an individual cut from the same cloth as various historical figures of cinema and he would slot into the action-adventure fold with the utmost of ease.
1. Half-Life
Gamers have long-awaited another Half-Life game to surface after a long overdue departure from the fold, but the idea of a film version of the acclaimed series is something that would make all dreams come true.
Gordon Freeman and his adventures haven’t been voted among the very best in the business by critics and fans alike for no reason; this is science fiction brilliance at its very best. With the potential to lay waste to all those alien invasion flicks that are simply throwaway, a Half-Life movie has infinite potential.
Just imagine an Alien-esque terror voyage through the depths of the Black Mesa Research Facility before heading out into an open world ruled by ever-evolving otherworldly creatures baying for human blood. This would be one epic to never forget.
Tekken 2 is out on DVD and Blu-ray on the 19th of October.
