With blockbuster movies becoming ever more cinematic, video games have tried to emulate their style – something which may either serve as a tribute or insult to the medium itself.
One way video game movies attempt to mirror cinema is through live-action filmmaking; however, some incredibly exciting examples exist where computer-animated video games have found a place in theatrical motion pictures.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Video games provide an escape from reality. Anyone who has played them knows that good games can be both relaxing and challenging – therefore, movie adaptations of video game should capture this same essence of its source material.
Illumination and Universal’s new Mario movie exemplifies this point perfectly, featuring his journey down an underground passage.
The movie also provides backstories to some beloved gaming characters such as Princess Peach and Luigi. These narratives give depth and empathy to these figures that gamers have come to know and love.
As a result, the film has become an international smash hit – breaking opening weekend records and becoming one of the highest grossing animated movies ever released.
So far, it has earned $508.7 million at the box office – making it the most successful video game movie of all time, surpassing Warcraft ($439.4 million), Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (449.8 million), and Frozen 2 ($1.145 billion).
The Mario franchise offers fans much to look forward to, with more films like this in development. If successful, we may see Luigi’s Mansion brought to the big screen or another Super Mario spinoff featuring ghosts or other supernatural beings.
Assassin’s Creed: Origins
Origins is an outstanding video game, boasting some of the finest worldbuilding seen recently. Unfortunately, its heavy XP-based gameplay forces you into side content to level up and advance through its main narrative story arc; this has caused much disappointment among gamers by game’s end and contributed significantly to its weaknesses.
As it might be strange to play as someone who recently experienced the death of their young son in video game form, Bayek does an admirable job of maintaining humor and humanity even through his grief. This quality distinguishes Bayek from other AC protagonists who tend to act more like Lone Wolfs rather than people with compassion.
One factor contributing to his success may be that Bayek enjoys an extremely close bond with Aya and their extended family, meaning he isn’t simply an aggressive fighter in a gun battle; rather he’s a caring partner who cherishes both home and wife equally.
Origins takes advantage of this relationship to add emotional depth and complexity to its story, as it helps drive his motivation to seek revenge against those responsible for his mother’s death. It serves as an excellent example of incorporating parental loss into video game storytelling, adding another layer to make the story darker and more complex.
Ghost of Tsushima
Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima was one of the first video games to receive live-action adaptation. Based in feudal Japan, its plot follows Jin Sakai who must defend his island from Mongol invaders almost alone.
Taken as an inspiration by classic samurai cinema, this game follows in the footsteps of directors such as Akira Kurosawa. Additionally, its „Kurosawa mode” adds a grainy black-and-white filter that lets players experience it like old school samurai films.
Ghost of Tsushima features an exquisite world, filled with fields of pampas grass and bamboo forests dotted throughout. Golden birds and foxes can help guide players along their way, along with other animals – giving the experience an unreal feel.
Ghost of Tsushima draws its tranquillity from its natural world. This makes for a much more relaxing gaming experience compared to Ubisoft’s fast-paced action such as Assassin’s Creed or Far Cry titles, making Ghost of Tsushima an immersive yet peaceful experience.
Ghost of Tsushima offers both beauty and joy; yet its experiences can also be frustrating. Like most open world outlaw games, there are various quests available within Ghost of Tsushima for players to complete.
Quests range from one-off side missions to mythic quests that feature supernatural elements. Mythic quests can be particularly exciting as they allow players to explore Tsushima’s surrealist culture while learning more about its people and culture; however, many quests don’t remain memorable and may become tedious over time.
Cyberpunk 2077
Night City in 2020 is a vibrant metropolis devoted to power, glamour and body modification. You play as V, an outlaw mercenary in search of an irreplaceable implant he believes holds the secret to immortality.
Dexter DeShawn hires V and his friend Welles as agents to steal a biochip from Arasaka Corporation with the hope of reviving Johnny Silverhand (Keanu Reeves). However, V’s plan goes awry when they witness Yorinobu murdering Arasaka’s CEO with his treachery half-robot brother Yorinobu as their accomplice.
The story follows V as they strive to remove an implant that threatens to fill their body with the memories and personality of Johnny Silverhand. You’ll embark on an open-world adventure, taking part in various missions and building your reputation while unlocking new upgrades.
Cyberpunk 2077’s world is truly breathtaking, thanks to NVIDIA RTX Direct Illumination which provides full ray tracing. As such, virtually every neon sign, street lamp, LED billboard and car headlight emit accurate shadows with enhanced depth, detail and realism for enhanced depth perception and realism.
Although CD Projekt Red initially encountered one of the worst launches for its game, players have since discovered it again in droves. Since two years ago, players have returned to its fold.
Cyberpunk 2077 provides players with more freedom in creating their own storyline than Mass Effect does, creating a more hands-on feel and making it easier for sequels or major story-focused DLCs to fit seamlessly.
The Last of Us
Lately, video game adaptations have been underwhelming; one exception being HBO’s forthcoming remake of The Last of Us. Written and co-produced by Craig Mazin (HBO’s Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann of the original video game series.
This film marks a breakthrough for live-action video game adaptations with its flawless staging and superbly adapted text, creating a cinematic experience faithful to its source material. The Last of Us marks a new era in video game adaptations.
TV and movie producers have historically found it challenging to adapt some video games, especially those with complex narratives, into cinematic adaptations without ruining or distancing players from their experience of playing them.
At first, it came as quite a shock when HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us hit such high marks with its storytelling. Although it veers off from its main storyline of the original game, it still manages to capture some of Joel and Ellie’s most poignant moments from their journey together.
Ellie and Joel’s characters are so realistic, it’s easy to be won over by them. And their actors – such as fan-favorite Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Melanie Lynskey, Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett – bring out the best in them.
Tetris
Tetris is one of the most captivating video games ever made, and is an iconic example of how interactive media can tell compelling narratives.
Tetris’ history begins at the end of the 1980s when Alexey Pajitnov, working for the Soviet Academy of Sciences, needed something fun and challenging to occupy his time during breaks from work. Inspired by tetra (Greek for „four”) and tennis as his preferred pastimes, he developed Tetris: an acronym composed from these terms.
He realized that people would become fascinated with a game involving randomized blocks, so he wrote some code and created Tetris.
As Tetris spread around the world, it quickly became a hot topic of conversation among gaming fans. Some saw Tetris’ proliferation as bad idea since players often became obsessed with its rules; others felt that playing the game helped increase IQ levels among its players.
After some years, Rogers decided to pursue the rights to sell „Tetris” on handheld game consoles. To this end, he traveled to Moscow and met with Elorg, the state-owned Russian firm that controlled home electronics production in the Soviet Union.
Elorg wasn’t keen on giving Stein the licensing rights for Tetris, so instead offered it to Maxwell Communications, a British publishing house based out of London. Rogers was initially suspicious, but Belikov reassured him it was legal contract.