The recent announcement that Ubisoft is rebooting the Avatar series with a new video game got me thinking, what other old movie-to-game adaptations deserve a next-gen reboot?
We’re not just talking about a port of game with a better resolution either, we’re talking games that deserve the full Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora treatment.
The relationship between Hollywood and video games is going through somewhat of a revival at the moment, as more and more crossovers between the two are announced.
It feels like we’re now moving away from the era of bad movie-to-game adaptations. Developers are harnessing the selling power of Hollywood to create exceptional experiences.
The Warriors
Back before Rockstar was obsessed with GTA V and shark cards, it created a game based on the 1979 movie The Warriors. Featuring beat’ em up gameplay, voice actors from the original movie and a plot that mostly follows the movie, The Warriors was critically praised at the time of its release and holds an average score of 84 out of 100 on Metacritic.
A new game in the series could incorporate the beat’ em up gameplay in an open world environment, mimicking the gameplay of Yakuza. A new game would also make sense considering there were rumours of a reboot flying around a few years ago.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
Often considered in the discussions of best movie video games, Escape from Butcher Bay is an exceptional first-person action game. Featuring tense stealth sections, high-octane set pieces and a believable performance from Vin Diesel, Escape from Butcher Bay set a new standard for games based on movies. Vin Diesel was famously hands-on with the game as well, and got involved with many elements of design.
The Chronicles of Riddick 4 is reportedly due to shoot sometime this year. Vin Diesel was supposedly handed a script for the movie last year. Escape from Butcher Bay was ahead of its time in many ways. A new game could simply follow the same format. Improve the visuals and add modern gameplay mechanics and the developers could still find a huge amount of success.
The Godfather
Labelled one of the best movies, the video game certainly didn’t match up to those expectations. It was still a fantastic game in its own right though, featuring an open-world that felt incredibly familiar to Mafia. The Godfather video game gave fans an entirely new way to experience the world. It not only paid reverence to the film series, but offered enough new content to feel like its own experience.
There aren’t currently any plans for a reboot or sequel, however Paramount hasn’t ruled out the possibility. A new Godfather game with an original story could help Paramount test the potential interest in new projects. The graphical possibilities of the PS5, Xbox Series X and PC could also facilitate the creation of an incredibly cinematic experience.
Alien Vs. Predator 2
I know, I know. The movies were terrible, but hear me out. Alien Vs. Predator 2 on PC was actually a very competent multiplayer shooter. The game featured three playable classes including aliens, marines and predators. The game also featured story modes for each of the classes as well. While certainly not a Halo or Unreal Tournament killer, AvP2 was a fun game that still retains an active community to this day.
There are no plans for future Alien and Predator crossovers. However, both films reportedly have projects in the works, so it’s not unrealistic to imagine a next-gen multiplayer shooter based on either property, or a crossover.
Constantine
Released in 2005 alongside the movie of the same name, the Constantine game was an action-adventure video game. Although the game received mixed reviews at the time, so did the movie. In recent years, fans have found a new respect for the film, so it’s possible a new video game based on the same property could find some success.
It also helps that there is a new Constantine project in development. The unnanounced project will feature the much beloved Keanu Reeves reprising his role as John Constantine. Much like how Frontiers of Pandora will release before a new movie, a new Constantine game could do the same.
Read More: Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora marks a new era in movie-to-video-game adaptations