No matter how much you love a movie, chances are good that its tie-in video game will be a pile of hot dookie.
For video game developers, movie tie-in games are not what one might consider "passion projects." On the contrary, movie tie-in games tend to be cheap rush-jobs that studios churn out for quick profit from all the grandparents who don't know what birthday presents to buy their grandkids, but then remember that lil' Brayden has a Game-chamacallit and probably saw Shrek 5. Of course, when Brayden actually tries Shrek 5: Battle of the Swamp, he realizes it sucks ass and goes right back to Fortnite.
But sometimes that's not the case. Once in a blue moon, a movie tie-in video game will actually be great, doing justice to its inspiration and, in the rarest of occasions, even surpassing it. These are those few times:
GoldenEye 007
Rare
Rare's GoldenEye 007 for Nintendo 64 is the go-to example of what a movie-based video game can be when a development studio tackles it with a real vision.Based on the 1995 James Bond GoldenEye film, GoldenEye 007 completely changed the conversation around first-person shooters when it released in 1997.
The game featured complex single-player missions, multiplayer deathmatch modes, and stealth elements, none of which had ever been implemented in a home console shooter. It also included tons of crazy "cheat" modes ranging from "Big Head" to "Paintball," making the game a hit for serious shooter fans but also kids who just enjoyed goofing around. As such, GoldenEye 007 is looked back on as one of the most important video games ever made, and a treat to return to even years later.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Uncaged Edition
Marvel
The X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie is famous for being one of the worst superhero films ever made, so it might come as a surprise that the tie-in video game—X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Unchained Edition—is actually great. Or, at least the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 releases are. This is largely because the developers at Raven Software had been working on a violent, standalone Wolverine game based on God of War and Devil May Cry prior to the existence of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and it only got shoehorned into the movie skin at the last minute. The result is a very loosely connected "movie" game that does Wolverine way more justice than the movie.
Toy Story 3: The Video Game
Disney
Instead of simply attempting to replicate the movie in video game form, Toy Story 3: The Video Game actually approaches its subject matter with an eye towards the fun and creativity of playing with toys. The game's standout feature is its "Toy Box Mode," which allows players to customize a big Western toy town, and play around in it, doing missions, finding collectibles, and generally having a good time. It's exactly what a Toy Story video game should be. The PS3 version even lets you play as Zurg.
Spider-Man
Marvel
The first Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie game also happened to be the first game to actually nail down Spider-Man's web-slinging mechanics in video game form. Slinging around the city actually felt exciting, and the brawler-style fights made combat a joy, too. Best of all, you could enter cheat codes that let you swap Spider-Man's aesthetics with different character skins, resulting in every tween boy who played inevitably watching the Mary Jane kiss scene play out with two Mary Janes.
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
New Line Cinema
In a lot of ways, The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King is a pretty generic hack-and-slash action game with a Lord of the Rings skin. That said, there's a reason hack-and-slash games have always been so popular (they're a lot of fun), and getting to play as a slew of LOTR characters with different skillsets and play styles makes the game feel like a nerdier version of the genre's most classic offering, Gauntlet. All things considered, a good, somewhat generic genre game is a much better route for a movie tie-in the phoned in action-adventure games we usually get.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game
Ubisoft
While Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is more heavily based on the original graphic novel than the movie, it was still released as a movie tie-in and, therefore, is still eligible for this last. But the Scott Pilgrim video game isn't just a good movie game. It's a great game, period. Modeled after classic brawlers like River City Ransom, the game offers you an assortment of distinct playable characters to fight their way through seven levels, with an Evil Ex-Boyfriend boss battle waiting for you at the end of each one. It's very well-executed, with flawless multiplayer, a killer soundtrack, and tons of references to other video games. Unfortunately, the game was only released digitally and is no longer available for purchase, but it remains one of the best movie tie-in games ever made.
Aladdin and The Lion King
Disney
Originally released as two separate titles for SEGA Genesis (and also SNES for Lion King), the Aladdin and The Lion King games were both your average mid-'90s platformers. Neither game reinvented the wheel, but the best '90s-era platformers were known for their wonderful art and challenging gameplay, and both Disney games lived up to their genre. Amazingly, they even still hold up today as relics of their time period, with both games recently bundled together and released as a two-pack for modern consoles.
Robocop
Orion Pictures
The 1988 RoboCop arcade game was, without a doubt, one of the best arcade games of its era. Featuring an inspired mix of beat 'em up and run-and-gun gameplay (both very popular arcade genres of the era), RoboCop would continue to hold up for years, being ported across various computers and game consoles from the Apple II to the original Game Boy. A somewhat altered version released for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum, amongst other systems, featured an especially excellent title theme, too.