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From Games to Films and Films to Games

November 8th, 2017 by Irwin Fletcher Comments

Sectors within the entertainment industry heavily influence each other, with these influences often leading to complementary releases that tell the same story behind a certain product. For example, we’re used to seeing films being adapted into games, but more frequently, we’re seeing popular games being transformed into films.

But which way works best? Is a film more in-depth and engaging if it’s based on a game or does it lose some of its uniqueness? Or is a game that’s made after a film better, allowing the gamer to get truly involved in the story?
We take a look at this below:

Games to Films
Released in 1995, Mortal Kombat wasn’t the first game to be made into a film but some would argue it was the first to be done moderately successfully. For those who had grown up trying to fight their way through the game on Super Nintendo, seeing the characters of Goro, Sub-Zero and Scorpion brought to life was quite a thrill.
However, this wasn’t the same for the recent Assassin’s Creed (released in 2016), as many critics argued that film directors were trying to do too much with a gaming genre that had never really succeeded within the film industry. The result? A lacklustre film that left viewers complaining that the talents of Marion Cotillard and Michael Fassbender had been well and truly wasted.

Films to Games
In 1990, fans of Total Recall were left cold when developers produced the film as a game – and no, it wasn’t the lack of realistic graphics that they blamed. Instead, gamers felt as though little effort had been made to produce the game with them expecting a bit more than the stereotypical ‘green shirt guy’ (aka Arnold Schwarzenegger) and some fearsome opponents in the shape of leotard-wearing circus acrobats – just like the film. The limited graphics didn’t help things, though, as even though some of the film’s most iconic scenes were recreated, the aforementioned generic qualities of the game meant this was just a downright flop.

There was, however, one film that was successfully turned into a game. And this was done so successfully that many vintage gamers will recall this game with fond memories – Goldeneye. Often talked about as one of the best video games made from a film, Goldeneye was addictive and boasted multiplayer first-person shooters that many developers tried (and failed) to imitate.
Other video games hailed as a successful adaption of a film include The Thing, Shadow of Mordor and Alien: Isolation.

Conclusion
The iGaming industry also transforms films into slot games, e.g. The Godfather and The Matrix, which are available through a number of apps produced by those at Cherry Rush. This also attracts many film fans to the gaming industry. And, overall, it would seem as though games based on films offer a more all-round experience than when the opposite is done, as the latter tends to result in sub-standard films that leave gamers wanting more.

I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.