There have been movie tie-in video games pretty much as long as there have been ways to play video games. While some of them have been great, the majority have been sadly lacking in pretty much every aspect that made the movies they were based on special. This year, thankfully there is a bumper crop of great movie games out to enjoy- a couple of which may well be better than the films themselves!
First up there’s the official video game based on X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This all-action game is actually tons better than the film itself! Developed by Raven Software, the game features a rather different story to the blockbuster movie, but it does feature Hugh Jackman’s voice and likeness. The game features all of Wolverine’s attributes, which are used in an interesting way- especially his healing factor.
As far as Marvel games go, the X-Mane Origins: Wolverine movie video game is extremely violent, as you’ll see from the battlefield strewn with bloody body parts and other delightful things. Well, Wolverine certainly has claws. You get to make him use them to their full lethal effect.
Then there is the new game based on Terminator Salvation, the fourth film in the time travelling cyborg science fiction adventure series. Where both Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and its video game counterpart were awful, this seems to be going hand in hand with the bold new direction of the new film and is awesome to look at and play. Here’s another example of how movie video games are improving a great deal lately.
Now with two-player co-operative play, the Terminator franchise is catching up with other games such as mega-hit Gears of War, allowing for some serious split-screen action to be had. Pair this with the remarkably rendered post apocalyptic world that the game (and movie) takes place in, which you can use to your full advantage during the game, and you have one powerful prospect for the PS3 and Xbox 360. indeed.
The new Ghostbusters video game is something that is causing a huge stir. With news that Ghostbusters 3 is finally going ahead, 20 years after Ghostbusters 2 was released, now is the perfect time to get reacquainted with the original Ghostbusters characters and situations. Let’s face it, the first film is an absolute classic in every sense of the word, and finally there is a video game that does it justice.
The story behind the new Ghostbusters game was written by Harold Ramis and Dan Ackroyd, the writers (and stars) of the first two Ghostbusters movies, so the game may even be canon to a certain extent. The classic original four Ghostbusters characters have been recreated as awesome digital representations of the actors, and the whole game looks fantastic. All of your vital stats are displayed on your Proton pack, giving the game a similar feel to Dead Space. With all of the classic monsters showing up in the game, fans will be thrilled when they pick it up for their DS, PS3, PC, Xbox 360 or Wii.
After so many lackluster movie tie-in video games, it seems that the new titles that are being released are being made with much more reverence for the source material and also what the fans want out of a game based on their favourite movies. These are the best three around at the moment, and hopefully they’ll help you discover a whole new level of fun from your favourite films.