The Plague of Movie Games
Category: Game Industry -
Post Date: Jun 1, 2008
As to whether or not this is really "news," it is at the least an editorial from a hardcore gamer. Many people on NapalmRiot would call themselves something more than a casual gamer. In fact, I would venture a guess that most of the active people here have a passion for gaming, it's more than a hobby; it's a lifestyle. So why do big corporations continually slap us in the face with movie tie-ins?
If any of you have ever played a game based off of a movie or a television series, you'll know what I'm talking about. There are some exceptions to the rule (Game: The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay for one). In fact, I'm really looking forward to its pseudo-sequel, Assault on Dark Athena. But how many gamers pick up Game: Jaws: Unleashed and wanted to vomit in disgust? I, for one, am sick of game companies putting out movie tie-ins and sub-par games (knowing they are sub-par) in the name of marketing and money. For some reason, many of the games based on movies that should be great just plain suck. Doesn't it make sense that a Hulk or Spider-man game should kick ass by its very nature? These franchises were created in the comic universe and should translate easily to a game universe, which provides even more freedom and storytelling opportunities in one package.
At least Gore Verbinski is taking a stand. Verbinski is the director of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and a man who is continually moving towards the video game industry. In fact, he gave the keynote address at the 2009 DICE Summit, a conference for the video game industry. Gore expressed his displeasure at crappy movie tie-in games, including the games based off of his Pirates movies. "This is the time for madness. This is the time to go down dark allies," added Verbinski. "The game designer has a fiscal responsibility and a creative obligation to make the suits shit themselves. You must make executives uncomfortable." His statements at DICE show his commitment to creativity and the game industry and the same frustration gamers everywhere have with the continuous lack of creative, fresh, original content in new games.
Gamespot even did an article on superhero games. The subtitle simply states "Action-packed comic adventures should fit gaming like a spandex jumpsuit, so why do so many of them turn downright villainous?"
Video games are one of the most creative mediums in entertainment, and certainly the most versatile. As gamers we should demand our money's worth (even if we don't buy the game, we end up paying for the company's losses on stupid endeavors through their lack of creative content in the future). Gore Verbinski will attempt to lead the way out of the 2-D dark shadows in 16 color mode, taking on the project of the BioShock movie in the near future. We are the gamers, and we decide what games make it and which ones don't.
If any of you have ever played a game based off of a movie or a television series, you'll know what I'm talking about. There are some exceptions to the rule (Game: The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay for one). In fact, I'm really looking forward to its pseudo-sequel, Assault on Dark Athena. But how many gamers pick up Game: Jaws: Unleashed and wanted to vomit in disgust? I, for one, am sick of game companies putting out movie tie-ins and sub-par games (knowing they are sub-par) in the name of marketing and money. For some reason, many of the games based on movies that should be great just plain suck. Doesn't it make sense that a Hulk or Spider-man game should kick ass by its very nature? These franchises were created in the comic universe and should translate easily to a game universe, which provides even more freedom and storytelling opportunities in one package.
At least Gore Verbinski is taking a stand. Verbinski is the director of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and a man who is continually moving towards the video game industry. In fact, he gave the keynote address at the 2009 DICE Summit, a conference for the video game industry. Gore expressed his displeasure at crappy movie tie-in games, including the games based off of his Pirates movies. "This is the time for madness. This is the time to go down dark allies," added Verbinski. "The game designer has a fiscal responsibility and a creative obligation to make the suits shit themselves. You must make executives uncomfortable." His statements at DICE show his commitment to creativity and the game industry and the same frustration gamers everywhere have with the continuous lack of creative, fresh, original content in new games.
Gamespot even did an article on superhero games. The subtitle simply states "Action-packed comic adventures should fit gaming like a spandex jumpsuit, so why do so many of them turn downright villainous?"
Video games are one of the most creative mediums in entertainment, and certainly the most versatile. As gamers we should demand our money's worth (even if we don't buy the game, we end up paying for the company's losses on stupid endeavors through their lack of creative content in the future). Gore Verbinski will attempt to lead the way out of the 2-D dark shadows in 16 color mode, taking on the project of the BioShock movie in the near future. We are the gamers, and we decide what games make it and which ones don't.
$Nirach
Professor of Boozeology!
The only thing I have a response for here is the super hero games.
Yes, they should kick ass, but when you consider that the very 'kick ass' nature of most super heroes is that they are practically invulnerable (Even those with no superpowers that cause it, Spiderman, Batman and so on).
There is no learning curve if you can do anything and everything from the off. The game would be slated for being boring, easy, and over the top from the very start.
Imagine if you started at level 70 in WoW, but still had to do the starting quests against level one and two enemies. It'd be frustrating, because you'd want to go straight out into the game and fight the bigger, more impressive enemies.
Based on that alone, I will never play a super hero game, because there is no way that the games version of a super hero can even begin to live up to the super heroes we see on the TV, in film, comics and books. There will always be the element of 'suck' in a super hero game, and it will always overshadow the rest of the game.
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+crazycycoclown
Shoots Rage-Quitters In The Mouth
Nirach this is why i listen to you... you make good points
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