Do film-based games ruin the movie?

[Mara 29]

Something I have wondered about, being that I don't really play all that many video games based on a release of a film.

I have noticed that, most of the time, the video game is released a few weeks before the film is. And, while the gameplay may be a bit different, I am assuming that you go through most of the things that happen in the movie.

Does playing the game beforehand ruin your experience of the movie? Or enhance it?

[Andy 60]

I avoid those games. I'm tired of seeing games of movies out in the shops before the movie is out lol. 90% of the time they are going to be cheap crappy interpretations of the films they are supposed to be representing.

IMO, I think it's all about getting the name of their new movie all over the place so people know about it. lol

[Drake 53]

I avoid them as well. However, those are just the ones that are copies of the film. There are some games that are just based on the film but take place at a different time or place in the same universe, sometimes with different characters. For example, Enter The Matrix or The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay.

[Mara 29]

That's exactly my feeling. I just wanted to generate some discussion.

I'm not really a big gamer, but if I was, I would probably avoid playing the based-on games until after seeing it. (It's not like releasing soundtracks early--those generally don't give as much away.)

I just wonder how many people out there run to buy the game and then actually go to see the film. Even after they've already lived the movie.

[Ayingel 24]

it really depends...tho, its when movies are based on games that things are interesting ;)

[Tsl 7]

Movie based games usually suck because they were just something thrown together super fast and churned out to catch the wave of money that comes with a blockbuster film.

[rpm285sm 0]

While I would definately say that most games ruin the movie it has nothing to do with the storyline and everything to do with the game being so bad that you want to kill yourself for ever liking something even remotely similar to it.

[Uncle Du 22]

I know this is old, but I'm bumping because I read an article in GameInformer this month about how Hollywood and the video game industry seem to be getting on the same page now. I didn't realize how many films were being made based on some pretty big video games. I couldn't get the article from the GI site, but I did find this list on Wiki.

I seriously can't believe they got Jake Gylenhall or however you spell it, to be the prince in Prince of Persia.

A Gears of War movie though? How friggin' awesome will that be?!

[Uncle Du 22]

Looks like I'm still talking to myself here.

I wasn't quite sure which thread I should put this in, but I picked this one, so there. So, I was browsing through Ubisofts website, checking to see if there was anything else I could do with Assassins Creed and I remembered the Prince of Persia game that was released a year ago this month. I know I posted something about it earlier in the XBox thread. It was a good game, compelling story line, though it did get a little repetitive. I was really looking forward to the sequel, to see where the story would go, and guess what? They have completely scrubbed that story line and it's characters for the next game, which will coincide with the release of the movie. In thinking about the pros and cons of making movies based on video games, I have found a HUGE con. Canceling an entire sequel because a big production company paid you a sith ton of money to use your license. That's a con. I really liked the artistic style of the first PoP for nexgen consoles. They've completely scrubbed that look, and are modeling the new character after gylenhall. Played out man. Really played out. I am hugely disappointed, not just for abandoning something that had so much potential, but for also going BACK to where they were before. More sands of time stuff really. And that was all completed.

Bah.