{"id":1508,"date":"2014-08-21T13:37:39","date_gmt":"2014-08-21T13:37:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/?p=1508"},"modified":"2015-04-13T16:09:22","modified_gmt":"2015-04-13T16:09:22","slug":"are-movie-based-video-games-as-bad-as-everyone-thinks-we-used-science-to-find-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/2014\/08\/21\/are-movie-based-video-games-as-bad-as-everyone-thinks-we-used-science-to-find-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Are movie-based video games as bad as everyone thinks? We used science to find out&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Movie-based video games have a reputation for being terrible, and it\u2019s not hard to see why. Over the years, gamers have been served up some real tie-in stinkers: the infamous <i>ET<\/i>, <i>Fight Club<\/i> and <i>Street Fighter: The Movie <\/i>(which is a game based on a movie based on a game) being just a few.<\/p>\n<p>Now gaming has become a \u201d\u02dcserious hobby\u2019 (read: makes a lot of people a lot of money), developers appear to be putting more time and thought into their movie tie-ins. Have movie tie-ins got better as a result?<\/p>\n<p>We decided to find out by testing some recent movie tie-ins and assigned them a <b>good <\/b>or <b>bad<\/b> rating.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The Lego Movie: The Videogame<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/the-lego-movie.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1087\" src=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/the-lego-movie.jpg\" alt=\"The Lego Movie\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/the-lego-movie.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/the-lego-movie-300x187.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>TT Games have been knocking out brilliant Lego-themed games for quite a while now, yet their <i>Lego Movie <\/i>tie-in<i> <\/i>never quite hits the heights of<i> Lego Batman<\/i> or <i>Lego Star Wars<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s certainly not for lack of trying though; the gameplay itself is more or less the same as other <i>Lego<\/i> games, and the trademark cheeky humour is still present.<\/p>\n<p>The main problem, weirdly, is the source material. The game just doesn\u2019t have the same amount of interesting characters or years of plots to draw upon as other games in the Lego series do.<\/p>\n<p>That said, if you loved the movie, you\u2019ll probably love this.<\/p>\n<p>Verdict: <b>Good<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>Star Wars: The Force Unleashed<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RkBiYpD3SDc\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Beyond the untouchable original trilogy, <i>Star Wars<\/i> movies and games generally fall into one of 2 categories: well-meaning failures or cynical cash-ins.<\/p>\n<p><i>The Force Unleashed<\/i> is a rare exception to that rule, a lovingly-crafted action-adventure that recreates all the excitement of lightsaber duels while telling a story that adds genuine value to the massively-bloated <i>Star Wars<\/i> canon.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not perfect by any means, but it\u2019s as good a <i>Star Wars<\/i> game as you\u2019re going to play.<\/p>\n<p>Verdict: <b>Good<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>Aliens: Colonial Marines<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ypHORmiLe3I\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><i>Aliens <\/i>is one of the scariest, exciting movies ever made, pitting a helpless team of well-trained marines against a seemingly unstoppable extra-terrestrial threat.<\/p>\n<p>By contrast, <i>Colonial Marines<\/i> is a slightly above-average first person shooter pitting your single well-armed marine against a ridiculously stupid army of aliens (and people. Yes, they added people with guns too).<\/p>\n<p>It isn\u2019t even like it\u2019s a rushed cash-in, either &#8211;\u00a0<i>Colonial Marines<\/i> \u00a0took <i>7 years<\/i> to make!<\/p>\n<p>Verdict: <b>Bad<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>Quantum of Solace<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fcU1dTZw9Sw\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Basing a game on the worst Bond movie of the past 20 years is asking for trouble, but <i>Quantum of Solace<\/i> isn\u2019t actually that bad. It doesn\u2019t have much in the way of spying or lady-charming, but it\u2019s a fairly enjoyable third-person shooter that you can blow through in a couple of hours.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest problem with <i>Quantum of Solace <\/i>is that&#8230;erm, it\u2019s not actually based on <i>Quantum of Solace. <\/i>A sizeable chunk of the game is taken up by bits from <i>Casino Royale<\/i> although, confusingly, some of these bits are \u201d\u02dcbased\u2019 on <i>Casino Royale<\/i> rather than recreations of scenes in the film. Confused? Just don\u2019t think about it too much and you\u2019ll enjoy the game.<\/p>\n<p>Verdict: <b>Good (just)<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>Toy Story 3<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/f5yFPkXmvSs\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><i>Toy Story 3<\/i> makes no qualms about the fact that it\u2019s a game for kids, with a fairly simplistic story mode and quests that an average adult could complete while hanging upside down with a blindfold on. It\u2019s your standard adaptation of a kids\u2019 film, basically.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s only half the story, however. <i>Toy Story<\/i> <i>3<\/i> has an ace up its sleeve called Toy Box mode, which is essentially an open-world <i>Toy Story <\/i>game where you can build your own world \u201d\u201c the A.V Club described it as <i>Grand Theft Auto: Toy Story<\/i>. It\u2019s like making your very own Toy Story movie, and propels this tie-in above standard movie fodder.<\/p>\n<p>Verdict: <b>Good<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>South Park: The Stick of Truth<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H-zs0ezaXng\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Alright, it\u2019s not strictly a movie but we just couldn\u2019t leave <i>The Stick of Truth<\/i> out. It\u2019s everything a tie-in should be and more, combining the trademark humour of the source material with a genuinely engaging game.<\/p>\n<p>Part of the reason for <i>The Stick of Truth\u2019s <\/i>success is the direct involvement of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who scripted the plot and oversaw the project. See, <i>Aliens: Colonial Marines<\/i>? This is what happens when you put a bit of effort in!<\/p>\n<p>Verdict: <b>(Very) Good<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The Amazing Spider-Man 2<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/k_JJzq5BCqo\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>LazyGamer described this as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lazygamer.net\/xbox-360\/the-amazing-spider-man-2-review-electro-boogaloo\/\">\u201d\u02dcone of the worst Spider-Man games ever made\u2019<\/a>, and while we wouldn\u2019t quite go that far, it is pretty disappointing. The combat is similar to the <i>Arkham<\/i> games, only not quite as refined, while the plot is a bit messy too.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest sin, however, is that web-slinging between buildings is made difficult by a confusing control system and a camera that has a mind of its own.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a valiant effort, but not quite good enough.<\/p>\n<p>Verdict:<b> Bad<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>Brave<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PmQN6uMsX_A\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Remember Brave? Well, this is the tie-in and it\u2019s every bit as memorable as the movie it\u2019s based on (i.e. not very). <i>Brave<\/i> is a standard 3<sup>rd<\/sup> person platformer with a bit of archery thrown in for good measure. It\u2019s pretty fun, but not the kind of game you\u2019ll feel compelled to play more than once.<\/p>\n<p>Verdict: <b>Bad (just)<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The Smurfs 2<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H5ZcxenR2Y8\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s never a good sign when a game is based on a rubbish film and unfortunately,<i> The Smurfs 2<\/i> doesn\u2019t manage to escape the shadow of its source material. It\u2019s a shallow platformer in the vein of <i>Super Mario<\/i>, but without any of the charm or invention. The characters move very, very slowly as well, considering they\u2019re so small.<\/p>\n<p>Verdict: <b>Bad<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>So, based on our study, we can conclude that movie tie-ins are&#8230;good, by a score of 5 to 4! Okay, that actually suggests they\u2019re a bit of a mixed bag so our advice would be to express caution before spending your cash (as you should with any game!).<\/p>\n<p>And remember, if you\u2019ve finished any of the games in this list, you can <a title=\"sell them for CASH right now with musicMagpie\" href=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/entertainment\/trade-in-games\/\">sell them for CASH right now with musicMagpie<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Movie-based video games have a reputation for being terrible, and it\u2019s not hard to see why. Over the years, gamers have been served up some real tie-in stinkers: the infamous ET, Fight Club and Street Fighter: The Movie (which is a game based on a movie based on a game) &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1511,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[593,16],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1508"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1508"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3911,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1508\/revisions\/3911"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}