Video Games That Would Work As Movies

[The Deadman]

What are some video games (that HAVENT been made into a movie just yet) that would work as a film version? I feel like Dead by Daylight would be a good attempt at one, as long as it stayed faithful to the game.

[drgon78]

The first 3 Metroid games as a movie trilogy.

[Leo656]

They've allegedly been trying to make it forever, but Metal Gear Solid would be the obvious choice.

That said, as a HUGE fan of the franchise that movie terrifies me with its potential to be terrible. So I kinda don't want them to even though the potential for an AMAZING movie exists within the material. I just don't trust Modern Hollywood to do it properly is all. Especially not Right Now.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Alex Kidd can maybe become an animated movie

Castlevania (I know it has a television series, but not a live-action movie)

Donkey Kong (instead of another King King reboot)

Final Fight (just retell the original kidnapping story)

Mega Man (Dr. Light builds robots for peaceful purposes, but Dr. Wily steals them)

Space shoot 'em up games like Darius, Gradius, R-Type and Thunder Force can become military science fiction films

Zelda (just skip the medallions and don't split up the Tricforce, just have Link searching for the Master Sword and beat up Ganon, find the Tricforce and rescue Zelda)

[AquaParade]

I agree 100% on Metal Gear Solid. It could be really cool, but it most likely wouldn't be in today's day and age.

Those games are such unique forms of entertainment though, it's hard to imagine entering that universe but missing out on all the amazing touches that make those games so unique. You just can't replicate a large part of what makes that experience so special. The controller-port swapping, the fourth-wall breakage, etc.

So, yeah, it's still great material to adapt in terms of unique story, characters, and concepts, because MGS has a lot going on, but it's also nearly unadaptable in the way some say Watchmen is.

[CyberCubed]

Resident Evil but they did that already and the movies were terrible

[AquaParade]

I really like Mega Man, but I don't know that it's uniquely suited for a movie adaption above anything else. It's got cool concepts and a legacy, so that's something. Imagine Neil Blomkamp doing Mega Man X. Would probably be weird and taste sour, but I want to see it. Meanwhile a Disney-esque animated, "classic" Mega Man runs simultaneously.

Next, a Donkey Kong movie by whoever directed "George of the Jungle". Both have trees and such.

Look, I know no one wants to see these but me, but I'm having fun here.

My real choice would be a movie adaption of the game "Street Fighter: The Movie".

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

I agree 100% on Metal Gear Solid. It could be really cool, but it most likely wouldn't be in today's day and age.

Those games are such unique forms of entertainment though, it's hard to imagine entering that universe but missing out on all the amazing touches that make those games so unique. You just can't replicate a large part of what makes that experience so special. The controller-port swapping, the fourth-wall breakage, etc.

So, yeah, it's still great material to adapt in terms of unique story, characters, and concepts, because MGS has a lot going on, but it's also nearly unadaptable in the way some say Watchmen is.

Yeah, it's like SO much of what makes the games such an amazing experience is that it's "you" being actively engaged with it rather than just spectating - I will forever maintain that the whole "YOU are Big Boss" ending scene of MGSV is one of the most bad-ass things in the history of video games and a PERFECT way to ride out the series, especially after playing through the entire series - but at the same time, there's a ton of "Holy SH*T!" moments from the games that would look amazing on the big screen.

The thing is that I love that series' story so much that if they changed any of it at all, I'd be furious. Like it's this perfect thing exactly the way it is. But the people making the movie already said they're making big plot and character changes so I'm already less interested.
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Movies that were just straight up 1:1 retellings of the first Castlevania and Legend of Zelda games would be incredible.

[CyberCubed]

2 hour movies would be too short to cover Metal Gear (assuming each game was 1 movie), it'd probably work better as a series.

[AquaParade]

Imagine all the schlocky ways they could attempt to break the fourth wall in the theater though. The screen turning off, credits starting. If only they could get the lights to come up.

[Leo656]

It depends. The first MGS, especially, could be trimmed down to a tight 2.5-hour movie if you condense the keycard stuff and a few of the other scenes. You could keep 99% of the plot elements exactly the same and get it to "theater-length" without too much bloodletting.

I think most of them actually would work like that, to be honest. I'd want them to keep as much as possibly obviously but there are SOME things you could trim.

Of course, if I were God, we'd get "Metal Gear Solid: Ultimate Cut", directed by Zack Snyder with full-on 4.5-hour "go f*ck yourself" runtime and everything nearly 1:1 with the source material, "Watchmen"-style.

That would be the BEST way to do it, but since we're living in the Flashpoint timeline where everything sucks it'll never happen.

[CyberCubed]

I mean just watching the MGS4 cutscenes on youtube comes out to what...like 10 hours? And that's without any of the gameplay.

[Leo656]

MGS4 is like one of the shortest ones in the series.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Yeah, it's like SO much of what makes the games such an amazing experience is that it's "you" being actively engaged with it rather than just spectating - I will forever maintain that the whole "YOU are Big Boss" ending scene of MGSV is one of the most bad-ass things in the history of video games and a PERFECT way to ride out the series, especially after playing through the entire series - but at the same time, there's a ton of "Holy SH*T!" moments from the games that would look amazing on the big screen.

The thing is that I love that series' story so much that if they changed any of it at all, I'd be furious. Like it's this perfect thing exactly the way it is. But the people making the movie already said they're making big plot and character changes so I'm already less interested.
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Movies that were just straight up 1:1 retellings of the first Castlevania and Legend of Zelda games would be incredible.

Wow, Legend of Zelda really could be cool. It sounds like a delicate one but if they nail that fantasy atmosphere...like Neverending Story but better, that could sure be special.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

My real choice would be a movie adaption of the game "Street Fighter: The Movie".

That would be a movie based on a video game based on a movie based on a video game.

[IMJ]

Zelda - treat it like Lord of the Rings in tonality - maybe a little more light hearted

Metal Gear Solid - Built to be a movie in every way. Film it like a Bourne flick but with Jack Ryan-movie (Clancy) sensibility and story pacing.

Uncharted - they are making it but I don't have faith. It needs Nathan Fillion or Chris Pratt but needs to be 90% Indiana Jones grit and 10% Tomb Raider action-hunting.

Dead Nation - The best zombie-action shooter ever??!?! Basically Smash T.V. with Zombies. Make this movie with the best elements of Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead and The Walking Dead, man!

The Sunken City - Amazing game and anything from Lovecraft should be adapted faithfully.

[Turo602]

Video games are such a great medium for storytelling already that even movies can't capture what makes them special in the same way people always say "the book was better."

Like books, video games allow you to engage with stories and worlds in ways a film simply can't and you experience them over a much longer period of time. You just can't fit that much world building and character development in 2 hours, let alone capture the same essence of the characters who are just as, if not more iconic than even Hollywood's most popular roles.

However, video games are also becoming so cinematic that adapting them to cinema is just downright redundant. Games like The Last of Us and Red Dead Redemption II just can't be done justice on film. The performances, the writing, musical scores, and set-pieces are already up to Hollywood standards, except you're actively engaging with it and completely immersed into the story and characters.

Even Spider-Man on the PS4 delivers a much more fulfilling cinematic experience than any of the recent Spider-Man films, which further highlights just how far the medium has gone. So much so that characters like Indiana Jones and James Bond are getting fully original video games that will no doubt attempt to rival their Hollywood counterparts, which is completely possible now.

As if that wasn't enough, Hollywood hubris pretty much guarantees that video game movies will always miss the point of why video game IPs have become so popular that they themselves would want to capitalize on it and make a quick buck. Hollywood always wants to leave their own footprint on a brand and take credit for it.

This is why I've always believed animation was the best route for video game adaptations, because whether it's a movie or series, at the very least, they can perfectly capture the visuals and performances of any video game IP.

But even that's not always a flawless solution as evidenced by the CG Resident Evil films that try to tell stories between the games without directly compromising them. It's great as supplemental material, but they're just not as interesting as the games and it's pretty much impossible to replicate what makes certain games like Resident Evil special onto film because it's such a gameplay driven experience.

[Wildcat]

Crazy Taxi: Fare Game - Underground competition where cab drivers race for customers in an attempt to take business back from rideshare services.

When rideshare apps get hacked their customers are taken by a band of yellow taxi cabs that always show up faster than they can. Nobody can keep up with these high speed hot rods but customers aren’t complaining. They’re arriving at their destinations in record time...even if that means going off road.

I don’t care what anyone says. It would make an awesome action/car movie. It would purposely be over the top like the games. Not violent but cheesy or whatever you wanna call it. That’s the point. It works better than ever now because of services like Uber.

[Andrew NDB]

The Legend of Zelda.

Metroid.

The Secret of Monkey Island.

The Adventures of Willy Beamish.

King's Quest.

Space Quest.

Leisure Suit Larry.

Quest for Glory.

Crystalis.

Actraiser.

Red Dead Redemption.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Alternately, IV or V.

Wolfenstein.

Dying Light.

Diablo.

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Resident Evil but they did that already and the movies were terrible

One could say by that token (and others) that they did NOT do that already.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by IMJ

Zelda - treat it like Lord of the Rings in tonality - maybe a little more light hearted

Metal Gear Solid - Built to be a movie in every way. Film it like a Bourne flick but with Jack Ryan-movie (Clancy) sensibility and story pacing.

Uncharted - they are making it but I don't have faith. It needs Nathan Fillion or Chris Pratt but needs to be 90% Indiana Jones grit and 10% Tomb Raider action-hunting.

Dead Nation - The best zombie-action shooter ever??!?! Basically Smash T.V. with Zombies. Make this movie with the best elements of Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead and The Walking Dead, man!

The Sunken City - Amazing game and anything from Lovecraft should be adapted faithfully.

Zelda in that scale would be incredible.

Metal Gear, while cinematic, actually seems almost antithetical to film in a lot of ways. Not really built in every way to be a movie, imo. Still, I'd like to see it attempted. Favorite game series.

Uncharted - also cinematic and seemingly perfect for a movie. I don't see the point, personally. The games have fun characters and voice actors already, and the true thrill of those movies is interacting with an Indiana Jones type adventure. A movie is just Indiana Jones light without what makes it special, in theory. The story is just standard blockbuster fare, so you lose a lot of what's special when it's not you controlling Drake as he engages in a shootout inside of a crumbling skyscraper. Without that, he's just another action dude, to me.

Dead Nation seems rather uninspired as a movie to me. It always comes down to execution but zombie genre seems stuffed. With so many interesting game concepts out there, zombies seems like dime-a-dozen to me. What sets it apart in a truly meaningful way?

The Sunken City I haven't heard of. I'm intrigued.

Who said Grand Theft Auto? Andrew?
That's an interesting one for sure. I'm not even sure how I feel about that but I'd be intrigued. Maybe the name is just that big.