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Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

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Re: Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

#311

Post by verinus »

sirmarksalot wrote: post #44

So many video game movie projects are missing the simple question, "why?" So many of these games are inspired by movies in the first place, and their stories are mostly just cliches based on their source material. It's fine in the context of the game, because the player is doing something, but when you put that into a non-interactive medium, the flaws become obvious. If you take Indiana Jones, turn it into a game wit…

I often have the impression that the reason why for some movies is: "to make money". that in itself is always a bad reason for doing things imho.

Re: Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

#312

Post by verinus »

sametmax wrote: post #307
jitix wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think Mass Effect trilogy is fairly original and does away with a lot of the space sci-fi cliches like humans being the ruling class of the galaxy, or all species having a united voice, etc. I’d love to see it made into a movie.

I can't recall anything that was surprising in Mass Effect. It's basically a dumb down Babylon 5 environment, with a dumb down Deus Ex gameplay and a dumb down Hyperion twist, served on a fake open world made of long empty corridors or galaxy trajectories. If the fights were good I would forgive it, but even that is very basic. I really don't understand the appeal of this game. Maybe it appeals to people that don't r…

So true. Fallout 1+2 are my favorite RPGs of all times. They had real choice for example: you could talk your way out of different situations and even get better over all outcomes (vault city and the ghouls if I remember correctly) ah and humor- not forget humor :)

Re: Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

#313

Post by verinus »

avar wrote: post #25

The 2016 Warcraft movie doesn't count? It got a 77% audience score, and a 27% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, grossed almost half a billion, and is the highest grossing video game movie of all time[1]. I watched it out of a sheer morbid curiosity, and haven't played any Warcraft title newer than II: Tides of Darkness. I thought the movie was crap. But maybe I and critics just aren't the audience for these movies. Se…

I have been a fan of Warcraft since I played Warcraft 2: Through the Dark Portal I think.

I played WoW for years starting with US open beta (I'm from the EU) But the movie was just childish and simple. I'm starting to think that I moved on from simple plots to some more interesting things. Like Asimov instead of Star Wars...

Re: Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

#314

Post by sametmax »

verinus wrote: post #312
sametmax wrote: post #307

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't recall anything that was surprising in Mass Effect. It's basically a dumb down Babylon 5 environment, with a dumb down Deus Ex gameplay and a dumb down Hyperion twist, served on a fake open world made of long empty corridors or galaxy trajectories. If the fights were good I would forgive it, but even that is very basic. I really don't understand the appeal of this game. Maybe it appeals to people that don't r…

So true. Fallout 1+2 are my favorite RPGs of all times. They had real choice for example: you could talk your way out of different situations and even get better over all outcomes (vault city and the ghouls if I remember correctly) ah and humor- not forget humor :)

Honestly I really wanted to love Fallout 3. I was so excited when it was out, and I tried very hard to get into the game. But it was so shallow compared to the originals. And so short.

It's also possible that once you consumed a lot of excellent products you become picky. We are living on a creative golden age after all. And it's hard to come out with something new, so much have been done.

Plenty of things are probably "good enough", but we have had fantastic stuff already, so it's meh to go back. I'm sure if I'm honest, I can fan many so-so titled I enjoyed as a kid because they were new to me.

Re: Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

#315

Post by zaarn »

jitix wrote: post #233
sirmarksalot wrote: post #44

So many video game movie projects are missing the simple question, "why?" So many of these games are inspired by movies in the first place, and their stories are mostly just cliches based on their source material. It's fine in the context of the game, because the player is doing something, but when you put that into a non-interactive medium, the flaws become obvious. If you take Indiana Jones, turn it into a game wit…

I think Mass Effect trilogy is fairly original and does away with a lot of the space sci-fi cliches like humans being the ruling class of the galaxy, or all species having a united voice, etc. I’d love to see it made into a movie.

There have been Scifi Novels that undid that trope before it became a trope. Esp. in the latest Perry Rhodan Novels the humans on earth are not really that big anymore. It's not a new idea.

"Humans are insignificant" in scifi can probably be traced somewhat into the works of Lovecraft and similar, where this was thoroughly explored.

Re: Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

#316

Post by ByThyGrace »

sp332 wrote: post #171
coldtea wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Such as? Besides adventures games Infocom or Sierra style and their descendants...

That Dragon, Cancer; Portal 2; Grim Fandango; Her Story; What Remains of Edith Finch; The Vanishing of Ethan Carter; Papers, Please And just to make the point: the only games on this list I have played and finished are Portal 2 and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. The others, I either know of the story because people liked it so much I learned it second-hand, or the gameplay was so boring that I just quit halfway throu…

Papers, Please doesn't have a story per se, only a setting. You don't really beat the game, you just get one of several different endings which depend on more than just making mistakes and playing "badly". Getting a "bad" ending doesn't count as losing the game.

But that's what makes it perfect for an adaptation (for a different reason you were arguing about). Its movie script won't break a plot that doesn't exist, won't mess up any character development because there isn't one (recurring characters are secondary), and all it has to do is get the setting right. Writers can go anywhere from there.

Re: Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

#317

Post by michaelt »

bonesss wrote: post #299
beloch wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Movies and games are sufficiently different that the the key to making a good "video game" movie may be to pick a property that gives more options than it takes away. For example, Tomb Raider has to be based on Lara Croft raiding tombs, or it's not Tomb Raider. You have your main character, type of action, and key plot points determined before you start, and viewers will compare them to the games. This is very limiti…

> Create a movie that coexists with game plots rather than trying to sum them up or replace them and you'll have more freedom to make a movie that's actually good. The challenge with this is that a studio would be alienating fans and making a large investment into an IP and then throwing most of that in the garbage... Mass Effect isn't enough of a name to carry an untried, unanchored, narrative into the mainstream. M…

  The challenge with this is that a
  studio would be alienating fans
A standalone Boba Fett movie would coexist with Star Wars without much interaction with the main plot, but still attract fans as he's a cult character. The studio would benefit from the IP's profitable reputation, but they'd retain the freedom do new things and attract new audiences.

Re: Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

#318

Post by gaius »

emodendroket wrote: post #167
mozumder wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All of Paul W.S. Anderson video-game movies are entertaining AF. Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, Alien vs Predator. ALL well crafted & inspired movies. They're not going to win Cannes Palm d'Or, but they will hit the spot.

Aliens vs. Predator was one of the worst movies I've ever seen.

If AvP had been a straight port of the Atari game it could have been awesome.

Re: Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

#319

Post by gaius »

larrik wrote: post #10

It's funny that Assassin's Creed was mentioned as being too close to the game, but I thought it managed to miss most of the major points of the game series (which wasn't super complicated to begin with). I mean, it doesn't even succeed at convincing the audience they should root for the Assassins instead of the Templars. It's like they assumed everyone who was watching who didn't already know the story would be too s…

I was astonished that they got a star of the calibre of Marion Cotillard for that. I guess maybe she plays it herself!

Re: Why Can't Hollywood Make a Good Video Game Movie?

#320

Post by Lewton »

sametmax wrote: post #314
verinus wrote: post #312

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So true. Fallout 1+2 are my favorite RPGs of all times. They had real choice for example: you could talk your way out of different situations and even get better over all outcomes (vault city and the ghouls if I remember correctly) ah and humor- not forget humor :)

Honestly I really wanted to love Fallout 3. I was so excited when it was out, and I tried very hard to get into the game. But it was so shallow compared to the originals. And so short. It's also possible that once you consumed a lot of excellent products you become picky. We are living on a creative golden age after all. And it's hard to come out with something new, so much have been done. Plenty of things are probab…

Did you ever play New Vegas? It got a lot closer to the magic of fallout 1+2
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