Why not just skip to the Platform
Do we all remember a little game called Total Recall for the NES? Sure, if you are a old school gamer, you would. It was a game that was put out after a successful movie. The Atari had one, called E.T: Extra Terrestrial. A game so bad that there is a landfill somewhere in Nevada that holds all the copies ever made....well, about 97%. It appeared in EGM last year, and I found a copy at a local thrift store. A quarter, couldn't turn it down.
There has been a curse, or at least a bleak legend in the gaming industry where movie license games turn against the producers and eat into the profits they forcast. Good example being Enter the Matrix.
The idea behind such a game is cool. While the movies were 'happening' in the theaters, you could play some of the background story, and connect wit hyour favorite matrix characters during their theater hiatus. The plot was the same, and it had that familiar feel. So, why did it suck? Rushed and Sloppy. Did it recover the money that went into it? No. But, I don't think it was even meant to. It was a brillant marketing tool.
With the new year, something interesting started happening. Movie Licenses started getting good. Actually, it was a underground trend for a short time, but it is getting better. Just like Video game movies have been getting better. Long gone are the days of Jean Claude sporting a Guile outfit and kicking semi-interesting ass. God rest Dennis Hopper and the dective guy from Who Framed Roger Rabbit for playing in the Super Mario Bros movie.
In particular, I am talking about Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. There are other games that are out there, but this one really caught my attention. I don't like the Xbox, never have. But, the game was fantastic. And it created a mythos all of it's own, while filling in some back story. This isn't your average " Star Wars Bombad Racing" movie licence game. This is a fully-created game that doesn't rely on the movie all that much. It is great.
So, the shift from gaming license to videogame movies now has to be approached. The quality of console game licenses are improving, how about the movies?
Tomb Raider... meh? The first one was a no brainer romp that was ok, the second was crap.
Final Fantasy: A Spirit Within... I am a fanboy, that is true. The storyline was reminsent of XIII, to me, and the animation was great. But, the problem is I hated FF VIII...
Resident Evil.... this is a tough call. IT took the games and pretended, for the most part, that they didn't exist. I am a big Res. Evil fan ( Hell, I bought the series again on the Cube), and the movei was decent. It was a watch more than once kind of movie. But, as it clashes in the mythos of the game, I am leary. Res. Evil: Apocolypse looks even better, and again, I will be torn at the idea of going when it comes out. Wait, who am I kidding..I am a consumer whore.
The fact that the state of the movie license games is on the upswing, doesn't mean that the market will get splattered with a unpresidented flood of movie license games. I mean, if you see a Cold Mountain strategy game, you might want to steer clear. Just know, they are getting better.