Film Based Games Vs Book Based Games (Round 1)

First off lets start with a currently playing list:

At the moment I am currently playing:

- Fire Emblem: Path Of Radiance (Gamecube)
- Advance Wars: Dual Strike (DS)
- Red Dead Redemption (360)
- Project Zero/Fatal Frame (PS2)

Anyway today's post is inspired by Christian's comments (the main commentor on my blog) about games being based on books turning out better than games based upon films. Now obviously there are exceptions to this rule but I agree. Games that are based on books are usually far better than than games based upon films.

Christian asked me a simple but important question. Why?

Well just from my own knowledge I think there are a few different reasons for this. You'll soon see that these issues overlap and relate quite closely to each other.

Making a quick buck

Most games that are based off of movies are usually released at the same time as the film in question is. It is made purely to sell. No more, no less. Publishers know that a game based on a popular license or movie series will sell so they get a rubbish developer or hire people who really don't care about what they're doing to make the game. Basically just to rip us off. For example they would know that a game based on James Cameron's Avatar or the animated show Avatar will sell like hotcakes but no matter how much you like the game it'll still be pretty bad. This is legalised extortion at it's worst.

It's the final countdown! Duh duh duh duh. duh duh duh duh duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...excuse me
Studios are often given ridiculous deadlines to finish the game. This is to coincide with the film it's based on to gain the highest sales possible. A studio or a team is hired to make the game and given very little direction as to what to do (sometimes teams are assembled just for that game specifically) so they really have no idea where to go or what aspect to base the game on. The most notorious example of this is the game made of E.T. for the Atari 2600. It is said to be one of the worst games ever made. The main designer was given 6 weeks to come up with a game. (God I've hardly managed much on my blog so far - let alone a fucking video game!)

Sometimes this overlaps and combines with making a quick buck. When this combination happens then you get the worst results possible!

I can't do it captain! I don't have the power!

This kind of links in with the first point but sometimes a game is to be made and the movie it's supposed to be based on, simply isn't game material due to narrative structure, lack of action or that the actions carried out in the film just don't qualify as game material. Again E.T. like so many others falls prey to this. I can't imagine how you would make a game base on ET, make it fun, creative or even making it last.

For example I can't imagine a game based on Eraserhead can you?

Which brings me onto my next point. Time frame. A film has a finite time of running. So there is only a certain amount of material from which a game can take from. It's very hard to pad out what is already there. Your average film lasts about 90-120 mins and a game usually has a much longer playtime than that. With a book it depends on what kind of reader you are. You may re-read sections or you may spend longer on certain sections to get a better idea in your mind's eye of what's going or to further examine a plotpoint.

Also everything is shown to you on screen in a film. Thus everyone has similar expectations of how a game based on a film will look due to the visual style already being dictated in film format. This doesn't happen with a book. Although a description of a location in words never changes, people partly create the location in their mind for themselves. Little details maybe different and people will come up with their own interpretations of how it looks and there can be more possibilities.

Or sometimes the movie the game is based on is a pile of shit and the game is doomed from day one. I can't imagine Shigeru Miyamoto being able to make a good game out of say Epic Movie. Actually...lets not give anyone any ideas! Don't blame me if it happens!


We can find a better place in this twilight

So after all of these portents of doom you would think that all games based on movies should be avoided right? No actually for there are a few which break the mold and show that if you go about it the right way you can get a great game for both fans of the films and for gamers in general.

Here are some of the best in my opinion:

- The Super Star Wars Trilogy (SNES)


Now there have been many games based off of the Star Wars universe, many of which are great games. But out of the ones that take their story directly from the films, this trilogy of games is brilliant. But beware the difficulty can get a bit tough in these games. I would include the lego star wars games too but I'm sticking to just one franchise at a time!

- Goldeneye 007 (N64)


Not just one of the best video games based on a movie ever made. But one of the best video games ever made. I know people who don't care about the movie or James Bond but they love this game. It was the game that every FPS afterwards tried to emulate.

- Spiderman 2 (Gamecube, PS2, Xbox, PC)


This game let you do what makes spiderman awesome, swinging through a big city with web powers exploring the sights with nothing to stop you. And you got to play out the story from the film which is hailed as a great comic book movie. Need I say more?

- The Warriors (PS2, Xbox)


Based off of the late 70's film. This game is essentially a beat em up which features so much of the Warrior's universe (I use that term loosely as there was one film to my knowledge) in terms of character. There are plenty of missions to play through and also the story of the film is covered too. Add in co-op and you have a fun beat em up game which is definately worth playing

Other Recommendations (I haven't played them but they have a good reputation)

- Toy Story 2 (N64, Playstation, Dreamcast)
- Batman (NES)
- The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (Xbox, PC)

If there are any you like then share it in the comments section. There may be some I haven't played or missed out altogether!

Well that's the first round in the fight between film based games vs book based games. Stay tuned when I shall return with an examination of book based games and also bring another twist to the discussion. Thanks again to Christian who inspired this!

See you soon!

Oh and upon doing research into some of these games. I found out a video game of The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas really exists only in Europe. I think I may have to track it down to see how bad it is!

Quick Plays

Hey there all. This will be a very short post about what I have played ahead of schedule thus far and what I can tell you about a couple of games.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2

Now the demo is released on UK Xbox Live Arcade in a few days but I have managed to play the Japanese version already (I won't explain how but it isn't by illegal means). Here's a lowdown of what to expect from the demo and possibly from the finished game.

- The demo runs in both English and Japanese (I was surprised to find English on the demo!)

- The Xbox version features less clean graphics than the PS3 version. There are a few jagged edges compared to the PS3 outing (but since the first game was exclusive to PS3 it hardly comes as a surprise)

- The controls are quite different to the other Naruto games on the 360. Basically one button to attack and combinations of the four main buttons (most pressed simultaneously rather than in succession) to perform:
- Chakra Dashes
- Throw Chakra Shuriken
- Charge Chakra

- You also get different ninja items to use quickly with the D-pad such as ninja paper bombs and floating kunai (tied to balloons)

So far it's shaping up to be a fun experience and I will have a preview for this soon along with my next game.

Metroid: Other M

I was lucky enough to be able to play this at the London Film and Comic Con about a month back. Nintendo where there with it and I playtested the half hour beta demo which in short was a great play and the story is looking like a big part of the game. My only reservation with the game was the motion controls in the first person sections. Expect a preview within the week. Trust me!

Also we talked to some of the Nintendo employees about what they knew about the 3DS. One said they didn't know but a second one we asked gave us the same answer but after a chat and more questions they changed it to "Maybe this year". So could it be we found out the vauge time period of when the 3DS will be released.

More to come in the week.

As always feel free to comment on anything blog or gaming related. If you want me to cover something inparticular, do top 10's or any other ideas, then let me know and I'll get back to you!

Ones To Watch Out For - Hydrophobia

If you say "what?" or "I've never even heard of this game" then I forgive you.

It's been in development for sometime and it's something I would urge everyone to keep their eyes on as this looks like it could be a fantastic game.

What's It All About?

Essentially Hydrophobia is a dark adventure game with survival elements thrown in...and possibly a bit of horror (it's been dubbed with that title from some but seems more action based)

Get ready for a trip down futuristic dystopia lane.

The game is set in the middle of the 21st century and the world has become over populated. The game takes place on a city sized ship called "The Queen Of The World" which has been bombed by Malthusian Terrorists. They take their name and views from the writings of Thomas Malthus, who predicted that the human population would grow to large for all people to be fed and to be provided for. Because of this overpopulation the terrorists seek to destroy a large portion of mankind to solve the population crisis. In the trailer it says the seek to keep only half a billion humans alive. The reason they have struck the ship as a target is because it has been built and run by corporate giants. It is hinted that a technology to help the world in some way. But the Malthusians maintain that only the elite are benefitting.

The terrorists strike the ship and it begins to flood. They have a slogan to spread their message:

"Save the World - Kill Yourself"

You play Kate Wilson a systems engineer aboard the ship. You must survive this attack which is flooding the lower levels of the ship and stop the Malthusians. But the story seems like it will get far more indepth and that is something I most certainly welcome.

Let Us See It

When looking at the game for the first time I must say I was caught off guard when I learned it is to be released via Xbox Live Arcade in episodes. It was supposed to be released last year and for reasons unknown it did an Alan Wake and went away for awhile with a only a few trailers and screenshots, leaving a lot of mystery.

However luckily for us a proper trailer showing gameplay was released earlier this year and a playable demo was on hand at E3.

Here is the trailer:



And here is some gameplay footage from the folks at gametrailers.com:



Just before I finished this article - there was more on underwater combat at GamesCom



Anything Else We Need To Know?

Firstly, the games engine has been built from the ground up with a special engine commanding the phsyics of the water within the game (dubbed the "HydroEngine") and what the developer's promising sounds like it will make for a fun experience. As the engine simulates water phsyics as much as possible, the state of water, how water affects you character and vice versa, will be different on each playthrough.

The example we are given is if you do damage to a wall then water will enter from that point and could close off your way, forcing you to seek another method to your next destination. The aim of course is to make every playthrough unique.

Rob Hewson the designer has said this about the water physics:
"Player versus environment is certainly a large part of the experience, the wonderful thing about water is that it is constantly affecting every area of the environment, so you get incredible amounts of emergent behaviour. The player constantly has to adapt to the environment and react quickly because doors, walls and windows are going to cave in differently each time according to the distribution of water."

It is developed by the British studio: Dark Energy Digital formed by those of another games company called Blade Interactive (don't worry I ain't heard of them either!). Dark Energy Digital's resume mainly contains Snooker and Pool videogames. I haven't taken the delight of sampling them so for me they are a first time developer with no real track record. I'm always willing to give the new guys a try.

It is going to be released internationally including places like Japan with subtitles for multiple languages.

It was nominated for some awards at E3 by various journalistic types. Not that it means much to me but I found it surprising that a low key release such as this managed to get any attention at all!

What Do You Reckon Churchy?

For me it's a game that looks original, interesting, different and fun. It's just one of those things I get feeling about and that's before the more impressive and promising technical aspects come into play. This is something that looks truly original and fun. For some reason it has a very old school feel about it in terms of spirit. Also it's nice to see a female protagonist who isn't sexed up to the eyeballs (no jokes about other types of balls or round objects please!)

Everyone seems to be comparing it to Bioshock (because obviously anything with water means it must be somehow related to Bioshock) but if anything it reminds me of Overblood for the Playstation 1 in terms of it's spirit, darkness and hint of loneliness offered from what we've already seen. Unfortunately we still have no release date but you can expect a review and first impressions the day this comes out!

I urge you to keep watching this title and download the first episode when it's released as this one looks like it's going to be something special.