Audiences like Movies. Gamers like Video-games. So what’s wrong with movie-to-videogame adaptations? Truth is, Movie Tie-ins are considered to be a curse among movie fans, and gaming fans. With the upcoming release of Captain America: The First Avenger, comes the daunting concept of another quick cash in that gaming companies use to scam their loyal fans into buying another piece of “merchandise”. Although, there once was a time where movie tie-ins were actually acceptable (spider-man 2), nowadays good movie tie-ins are a rare breed, which is dying. Continue reading after the break! - Wayne
In the span of 3 months, fans have seen the release of Thor: God of Thunder, Green lantern: Rise of the Manhunters, the list goes on. What do all these games have In common? They are all atrocious terrible movie tie-ins. But the question still remains, why do they all suck? The answer would be that, Movie tie-ins aren’t meant to bring a new level of gaming that revolutionizes gameplay mechanics, Movie tie-ins are simply a product that extends the life of a movie, giving the player another chance to experience the environment again. These types of games are meant to show a whole new perspective on the movies universe, however, is it possible to make a game that doesn’t feel monotonous and repetitive due to the player having to revisit the same world from the movie?
Another aspect of why these games are usually useless, would be that Companies are given such a small time to make these games, in which they try to make a game that would be realistic and respectful to the world and the movies universe, and that usually results into them rushing the quality of the game, the story, and most of all the entertainment quality. But surely there’s a way to improve these games? Of course there is, One simple way to improve Movie tie-ins would be to make it a fun experience worth playing that doesn’t feel like a cheap, mediocre game. However, game developers work eminently hard on these games, spending months upon months, trying to make the plot of the game make sense, and making sure the gameplay matches up with the tone of the level.
Another problem would be the release dates. It’s just not possible to create a game that is visually and physically stunning in such a short amount of time, Video games take Years of dedication to produce but in some cases, a game could be in production for over a decade a still be an abomination (Duke Nukem: Forever, I’m looking at you). Developers and studios usually don’t have the time to make sure everything is flawless and sublime, which usually ends up in them making the game ready, more than making it satisfactory. Nonetheless, Developers don’t care, they’re the ones getting that huge pay check, plus the cut out of the games revenue, which is probably going to be huge, if the movie, is.
The main problem I have with movie tie-ins, is that underneath all the bugs, flawed character designs, atrocious dialogue, bland gameplay and overall terrible quality, there is a game that has potential. Potential that can be unlocked by simply working on the product, rather than working on getting it ready for the release date.
It really is a shame to see these games to go to waste, these games deserve something much greater, But these games are made for the money, not for art. As soon as game developers realize these types of games require time and patience, then will they know how to make a good movie tie-in. Until then, Movie Tie-in games will always suck. Except for both Chronicles of Riddick games, they were awesome.
