Game adaptations superior to their source

[Random Encounter]

Weird premise for a thread maybe, but hear me out. I was watching someone do a bad movie review of the film The Mummy from 2017. The movie itself wasn't very good, but the game based on it is a pretty entertaining Metroidvania. It's only $20, and it still holds up.

There's also Sweet Home, the primordial survival horror game on Famicom that was a tie-in to a horror movie by the same name. The movie is okay, but the game was groundbreaking and would go on to inspire Resident Evil a few years down the road.

Can you guys think of any other examples of this premise?

[Althena]

I think the Parasite Eve game/movie were different enough to say they were both great in their own way. I also would like to mention that although I enjoyed the movie Angel Heart, particularly watching Robert DeNiro peeling an egg, I did prefer the games that movie inspired, the Gabriel Knight series.

[Kustom]

Oh nice! I could go for a while on this one.

Some low hanging fruit.

-Alien 3. I remember playing the shit out of this on SNES. The movie was okish. I love the Alien movies but 3 kinda falls right behind resurrection for being the worst.

-pretty much every game based on the Star Wars prequels. Pod racer was a must have.

-Goldeneye. Super meh Bond movie so this wasn’t hard even though the game was genre breaking at the time.

Obviously most of the movies don’t set the bar high but that’s how it goes with this stuff.

Also lowkey makes you think some about the almost endless list of stinker games based on movies over the years.

[Althena]

-pretty much every game based on the Star Wars prequels. Pod racer was a must have.

I remember how AWESOME Pod Racer was at the arcade.

[Kustom]

I remember how AWESOME Pod Racer was at the arcade.

Yeah that game was something.

[Skunkworks]

I remember how AWESOME Pod Racer was at the arcade.

I played the 64 version. It was no Mario Kart.

[Wandervox]

I was gonna mention the generally stellar game adaptations of so many Disney animated films but... It's objectively pretty tough to say the films themselves were meh.

Subjectively, though? I think the 1989 Batman movie was a travesty, but the NES game based upon it was wonderful, and everything it needed to be. Nothing particularly lacking, no unnecessary fluff. It rode the cusp of 'Nintendo Hard' difficulty but, great game, particularly considering the source material. God damn, I can still hear the soundtrack in my head to this day. <3

[Random Encounter]

Oh man, I adore the 1989 Batman! But the game really is awesome and has one hell of a soundtrack.

[Althena]

I also would like to mention the Mad Max game. Not better than the movie, but a genuinely enjoyable game that hit all the right spots for a faithful fan of the franchise, which I am.

This game is not talked about enough and so I mention it whenever I can.