Well gang, we’re kicking off yet another week of discussion meant to cultivate the opinions of REAL GAMERS as we CRY HAVOC and let our VOICES BE HEARD! This week we’re celebrating (kinda) the release of Iron Man 2 (both the film and the game) by asking YOU to tell us how you think film-to-game translations should be made. What do you want out of these types of games (since we KNOW we’re gonna get them anyway) and how do you think the game devs/pubs should go about making a meaningful experience instead of just cashing in on all the Hollywood hype?!?!?! We discuss the matter on Skirmish 074 of EpicBattleCry, so check that out here if you haven’t already, but right now we’re gonna kick the week off with some thoughts from Coky14 who has some high hopes and great ideas for an interactive entertainment experience based on the popular flick District 9.

Coky14 says:

My Battle Cry this week goes to a game adaptation of the fabulous District 9. And this is why…

The problem in film-to-game video games is the time taken to develop a game based from a movie because it has to be release in time for the movie. Because Disctrict 9 is already released (in theathers and DVD), there won’t be that problem, they can take their time doing the best game possible, without the pressure from the marketing team on their backs.

The choice of studio is also very interesting to look at. Has Bioware, Bethesda, Infinity Ward(B.K. Before Kotick), Bungie, or any awesome independant game developer developed a movie to game adaptation? The answer is NO! We’ve mostly seen the from EA (the horrible G.I.Joe), Ubisoft (the very dispointing Avatar game) and SEGA (the more than disgusting Iron Man game). The machines of those enormous companies just go for a product with a movie name knowing really well the game is gonna sell even if it’s shit, which is an other agrument on why they suck. Why would you invest more if you know it won’t result technically in more sales!!!

This is why Discrit 9 would be an awesome game! Think about playing another character than the main protagonist but experiencing a story in the same universe as in the movie. You could play as an alien and as a human. I’d make it an action RPG open-world game, a fallout where scavenging is important but more actionny. The 3 major clans (black market, military and aliens) would make for awesome interaction with the player. It must not be restrained by what the movie did, but inspired by it.

Finally, my Battle Cry goes to the latest baby of video games and movie orgy, Prince of Persia : The Forgotten Sands. While it’s not based on the movie, but it is set the released in time with the movie, and from the videos I’ve seen, the combat seems not fleshed out enough (problem many gaming editors have found as well). I just hope they won’t f*** up (guitar sound) the video game franchise in the game just as much as in the movie…  

END

Good BattleCry Cocky…To be fair, studios like BioWare, Bungie, and a host of others are under the umbrella of larger corporate outfits to at some point the “Bottom Line” is gonna come down to game sales, but I understand where you’re coming from. In fact, I agree that it is the SPIRIT of the game developer who seeks to create a MEANINGFUL, MEMORABLE experience that would help elevate movie tie-in games to a worthwhile status and often times its the publisher that requires the short turnaround times and poor production factors that contribute to the crappy experiences we have with these sort of games. I dunno, I could be wrong…If anyone out there knows any better than please let us know in the comments section below!!! Alright, if you want to sound off on a DIFFERENT GAME-TO-MOVIE TIE-IN, then feel free to do so on this week’s topics starter post where you can SUBMIT A NEW TOPIC:

SUBMIT YOUR MEMBER BATTLECRY IN THE COMMENTS SECTION HERE.

Alright gang, that’s all from me for now, but stay tuned throughout the week as we carry on this important discussion, gather your thoughts, and make some noise on behalf of the EpicBattleAxe.com Community!

Peace,
DK