10 Tie-In Video Games BETTER Than The Movie
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VOICE OVER: Aaron Brown
WRITTEN BY: Aaron Brown
These games broke the 'bad tie-in' curse by actually being better than their movies. For this list we'll be looking at 10 movie tie in games that defied the odds and managed to surpass their blockbuster counterpart. Our list of tie-in video games better than the movie includes “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (2009), “World War Z” (2019), “The Mummy Demastered” (2017), “Ghost Rider” (2007), and more!
Welcome to MojoPlays and for this list we’ll be looking at 10 movie tie in games that defied the odds and managed to surpass their blockbuster counterpart. What was your favorite game that was better than its source material? Let us know your favorites down in the comments.
While the film itself was a fun ride while it lasted, many lamented the fact it toned down the source materials' much darker and more violent tones in its big screen adaptation. Especially the lack of Wesley’s iconic suit. The video game adaptation remedied much of this and while it still manages to be a mostly standard 3rd person shooter, it's the bullet time and bullet curving mechanics that put it a notch above not only other shooters but even the movie itself. Wesley’s movements are incredibly slick and while the game does suffer from the drab browns and tans that were prevalent in nearly EVERY shooter in the late 2000s, his ability to curve bullets to hit targets behind cover is some of the best use of bullet time since Max Payne.
When you hear a title like “World War Z”, it brings with it some expectations. Namely that you’ll be fighting an entire world overrun by zombies. While the book, the game and movie are based on chronicles of humanity’s survival in the wake of a zombie outbreak and the search for a potential cure, the video game adaptation gives players exactly what they were looking for: swarms of the undead ready to be mowed down by your arsenal of weapons through familiar and major locations from the film. Although released a full 6 years after the film, the Left 4 Dead style formula was perfectly suited for a different type of zombie outbreak and players were given multiple classes each with their own set of skills to choose from. The real stars of the game, however, were the hordes themselves as the undead clamored over one another reminiscent of the most famous scenes in the movie.
We’ll be the first to admit, the bar was pretty low for this one even with the always entertaining Nicolas Cage giving his all as the Ghost Rider. However, where the film was unable to tap into the best aspects of the character, the game had no such shortcomings. Borrowing heavily, and we do mean HEAVILY, from the mechanics of God of War and Devil May Cry, players whipped their way through the game's many hellish landscapes battling all forms of demons and the undead with gameplay familiar to any fan of the aforementioned series. Interspersed with albeit finicky motorcycle sections, the Ghost Rider adaptation was easy to pick up and play for fans of action games and probably one of the best video game incarnations of the character.
While the original Matrix is one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time, the sequels and other game Enter the Matrix… not so much. That’s not to say they’re without merit, in particular their action scenes but they weren’t exactly what fans were expecting heading into the conclusion of the trilogy. The Matrix: Path of Neo remedies a lot of fan complaints, namely by finally letting players take control of “The One” and all the powers at his command as they guide Neo through some of the series most iconic action sequences. That’s not to say the game still wasn’t without issue, namely its unwieldy camera, but getting to take on a skyscraper sized Agent Smith complete with his iconic sunglasses was more than enough to make fans overlook many of the game’s shortcomings.
Another swing and miss for early 2000s Marvel films, The Punisher movie majorly PG-13’d the essence of the character and while Thomas Jane did an admirable job as Frank Castle, this simply wasn’t the same Punisher as in the pages of the graphic novels that made him an icon. The video game adaptation, however, had no such hesitation showing the anti-hero at his most violent. With Thomas Jane reprising his role, players were free to “punish” anyone who stood in Frank Castle’s way whether that was with his impressive arsenal of weapons or through one of the game’s numerous interrogation techniques. Fans immediately welcomed the familiar dark and gritty take and still has a loyal fan base even today hoping for a remake.
Another game made all the better by reusing mechanics from far better franchises, Van Helsing attempted to bring almost every creature in Universal's monster catalog under one roof and while the film was passable at best, the game was a much more entertaining experience. The Devil May Cry inspired combat suited Van Helsing’s more action centric take based on the film and managed to include nearly every actor reprising their role from the film. Although the game follows the movie pretty faithfully, perfectly capturing the spirit of the film as well as its monsters for Van Helsing to exorcize the demons. Many elements that made little sense in the film translated much better to the game such as Draucla’s “children” and the boss fights between Van Helsing and Dracula’s brides being some of the main highlights that were ultimately rushed through in the movie.
This one is honestly just bizarre. What should have been a VERY easy win for both Sony and Insomniac, the movie adaptation of one of the Playstation's longest running franchises was an absolute mess and felt stitched together reusing cinematics from the far superior 2016 remake of the original 2002 title. The video game updated not only the visuals but also the gameplay mechanics and story as well, incorporating many gameplay, story, and quality of life improvements from the series over the years. Presented as a retelling of the duo’s first adventure together as told by an imprisoned Captain Qwark, the game also acted as a soft reboot for the series after 2013’s “Into the Nexus” and went a long way to reinvigorating interest in the series as one of the most consistently solid 3D platformer franchises in Sony’s catalog.
Tom Cruise has been on quite the hot streak lately but The Mummy which was meant to launch Universal’s “Monster-verse” is unmistakably a blemish on his record as well as the worst adaptation of the iconic monster. The video game adaptation, however, is not only one of the best video game adaptations in the last 10 years but also one of the best modern Metroidvania games as well. While the developers easily could have made an adaptation similar to the games based on Brendan Fraser’s trilogy, they decided to take things more old school and the video game succeeded all the more for it. The game featured a massive map to explore and uncover and should the player die, they would need to battle an undead version of themselves to reclaim their lost gear.
Another game starring Hugh Jackman that was far superior to the movie, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, particularly the Uncaged Edition, was everything fans of the iconic X-Man wanted from the character, but the films were too chicken to adapt directly. The game fully realized the brutality of the Wolverine with his claws eviscerating everything in his path and Logan’s healing factor was on full gorey display as any wounds sustained in battle would be visible on his character revealing everything from muscle, tissue and even bone as his body slowly repaired itself. While the game still mostly followed the plot of the film, which means that horrendous version of Deadpool still remains, the video game managed to capture the pure quintessential experience of the Wolverine better than any movie until Logan ever had.
After becoming the breakout character of Pitch Black, fans were eager to see Vin Diesel’s effortlessly cool anti-hero in another violent adventure that put Riddick up against more impossible odds and horrifying creatures. And while we wouldn’t get THAT outing until the 3rd Riddick movie, fans of the galaxy’s #1 fugitive got to experience Riddick at his best in his sadly only video game adaptation from none other than Vin Diesel himself. Chronicling Riddick’s escape from Butcher Bay that launched a galaxy wide manhunt, players creep from the shadows and exchange blows with guards, other inmates and creatures that lurk in the shadows from a first-person perspective and even get to use Riddick’s trademark “shine” to see in the darkest areas of Butcher Bay. The game was a massive hit with both critics and fans quite unlike the film it released alongside.
“Wanted: Weapons of Fate” (2008)
While the film itself was a fun ride while it lasted, many lamented the fact it toned down the source materials' much darker and more violent tones in its big screen adaptation. Especially the lack of Wesley’s iconic suit. The video game adaptation remedied much of this and while it still manages to be a mostly standard 3rd person shooter, it's the bullet time and bullet curving mechanics that put it a notch above not only other shooters but even the movie itself. Wesley’s movements are incredibly slick and while the game does suffer from the drab browns and tans that were prevalent in nearly EVERY shooter in the late 2000s, his ability to curve bullets to hit targets behind cover is some of the best use of bullet time since Max Payne.
“World War Z” (2019)
When you hear a title like “World War Z”, it brings with it some expectations. Namely that you’ll be fighting an entire world overrun by zombies. While the book, the game and movie are based on chronicles of humanity’s survival in the wake of a zombie outbreak and the search for a potential cure, the video game adaptation gives players exactly what they were looking for: swarms of the undead ready to be mowed down by your arsenal of weapons through familiar and major locations from the film. Although released a full 6 years after the film, the Left 4 Dead style formula was perfectly suited for a different type of zombie outbreak and players were given multiple classes each with their own set of skills to choose from. The real stars of the game, however, were the hordes themselves as the undead clamored over one another reminiscent of the most famous scenes in the movie.
“Ghost Rider” (2007)
We’ll be the first to admit, the bar was pretty low for this one even with the always entertaining Nicolas Cage giving his all as the Ghost Rider. However, where the film was unable to tap into the best aspects of the character, the game had no such shortcomings. Borrowing heavily, and we do mean HEAVILY, from the mechanics of God of War and Devil May Cry, players whipped their way through the game's many hellish landscapes battling all forms of demons and the undead with gameplay familiar to any fan of the aforementioned series. Interspersed with albeit finicky motorcycle sections, the Ghost Rider adaptation was easy to pick up and play for fans of action games and probably one of the best video game incarnations of the character.
“The Matrix: Path of Neo” (2005)
While the original Matrix is one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time, the sequels and other game Enter the Matrix… not so much. That’s not to say they’re without merit, in particular their action scenes but they weren’t exactly what fans were expecting heading into the conclusion of the trilogy. The Matrix: Path of Neo remedies a lot of fan complaints, namely by finally letting players take control of “The One” and all the powers at his command as they guide Neo through some of the series most iconic action sequences. That’s not to say the game still wasn’t without issue, namely its unwieldy camera, but getting to take on a skyscraper sized Agent Smith complete with his iconic sunglasses was more than enough to make fans overlook many of the game’s shortcomings.
“The Punisher” (2005)
Another swing and miss for early 2000s Marvel films, The Punisher movie majorly PG-13’d the essence of the character and while Thomas Jane did an admirable job as Frank Castle, this simply wasn’t the same Punisher as in the pages of the graphic novels that made him an icon. The video game adaptation, however, had no such hesitation showing the anti-hero at his most violent. With Thomas Jane reprising his role, players were free to “punish” anyone who stood in Frank Castle’s way whether that was with his impressive arsenal of weapons or through one of the game’s numerous interrogation techniques. Fans immediately welcomed the familiar dark and gritty take and still has a loyal fan base even today hoping for a remake.
“Van Helsing” (2004)
Another game made all the better by reusing mechanics from far better franchises, Van Helsing attempted to bring almost every creature in Universal's monster catalog under one roof and while the film was passable at best, the game was a much more entertaining experience. The Devil May Cry inspired combat suited Van Helsing’s more action centric take based on the film and managed to include nearly every actor reprising their role from the film. Although the game follows the movie pretty faithfully, perfectly capturing the spirit of the film as well as its monsters for Van Helsing to exorcize the demons. Many elements that made little sense in the film translated much better to the game such as Draucla’s “children” and the boss fights between Van Helsing and Dracula’s brides being some of the main highlights that were ultimately rushed through in the movie.
“Ratchet & Clank” (2016)
This one is honestly just bizarre. What should have been a VERY easy win for both Sony and Insomniac, the movie adaptation of one of the Playstation's longest running franchises was an absolute mess and felt stitched together reusing cinematics from the far superior 2016 remake of the original 2002 title. The video game updated not only the visuals but also the gameplay mechanics and story as well, incorporating many gameplay, story, and quality of life improvements from the series over the years. Presented as a retelling of the duo’s first adventure together as told by an imprisoned Captain Qwark, the game also acted as a soft reboot for the series after 2013’s “Into the Nexus” and went a long way to reinvigorating interest in the series as one of the most consistently solid 3D platformer franchises in Sony’s catalog.
“The Mummy Demastered” (2017)
Tom Cruise has been on quite the hot streak lately but The Mummy which was meant to launch Universal’s “Monster-verse” is unmistakably a blemish on his record as well as the worst adaptation of the iconic monster. The video game adaptation, however, is not only one of the best video game adaptations in the last 10 years but also one of the best modern Metroidvania games as well. While the developers easily could have made an adaptation similar to the games based on Brendan Fraser’s trilogy, they decided to take things more old school and the video game succeeded all the more for it. The game featured a massive map to explore and uncover and should the player die, they would need to battle an undead version of themselves to reclaim their lost gear.
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (2009)
Another game starring Hugh Jackman that was far superior to the movie, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, particularly the Uncaged Edition, was everything fans of the iconic X-Man wanted from the character, but the films were too chicken to adapt directly. The game fully realized the brutality of the Wolverine with his claws eviscerating everything in his path and Logan’s healing factor was on full gorey display as any wounds sustained in battle would be visible on his character revealing everything from muscle, tissue and even bone as his body slowly repaired itself. While the game still mostly followed the plot of the film, which means that horrendous version of Deadpool still remains, the video game managed to capture the pure quintessential experience of the Wolverine better than any movie until Logan ever had.
“The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay” (2004)
After becoming the breakout character of Pitch Black, fans were eager to see Vin Diesel’s effortlessly cool anti-hero in another violent adventure that put Riddick up against more impossible odds and horrifying creatures. And while we wouldn’t get THAT outing until the 3rd Riddick movie, fans of the galaxy’s #1 fugitive got to experience Riddick at his best in his sadly only video game adaptation from none other than Vin Diesel himself. Chronicling Riddick’s escape from Butcher Bay that launched a galaxy wide manhunt, players creep from the shadows and exchange blows with guards, other inmates and creatures that lurk in the shadows from a first-person perspective and even get to use Riddick’s trademark “shine” to see in the darkest areas of Butcher Bay. The game was a massive hit with both critics and fans quite unlike the film it released alongside.
