Summary
The union between the world of cinema and the world of video games can be truly fascinating. Thanks tomovie tie-ins, audiences can re-experience crucial scenes from their favorite movies and/or explore some of the most beloved cinematic universes ever made. There’s a lot of value in these types of products, even though a good number of them can also be quite bizarre.
Whether it’s because they were developed alongside their movie or because they were released decades after the film they’re based on, this business practice has led to the release of some infamousmovie tie-in games that are particularly strange. Though countless unusual ones exist, these are some of the most egregious examples.
TheE.T.game for Atari 2600 is the most infamous example of a weird movie tie-in game, and it has already been very well documented how it was a product ofAtaribuying the rights ofthis successful movieand rushing its development in order to release it during the holiday season. Because of this, it’s understandable why this game ended up the way it did.
What didn’t help was that most Atari 2600 players were not used to the relatively complex gameplay that came with this title. That and the fact that the characters and the environments looked nothing like what they did in the movie made things even worse. It’s no wonder why many copies ofE.T.ended up buried in the desert.
9Street Fighter: The Movie
A Game Adaptation Of A Movie Adaptation Of A Game
As far as video game movies go, 1995’sStreet Fighterisone of the most infamous.But at least it seemed like it didn’t need to get a tie-in game if it was already based off of a popular video game franchise. However, it still got one in the formofStreet Fighter: The Movie(The Game), which felt a tad redundant.
There was no real need for this game to exist, and the gameplay wasn’t enough to save it. It shares absolutely nothing with the originalStreet Fighterseries since it has completely different fighting mechanics and weird digitized graphics. All of this made it feel more similar to the franchise’s main competitor,Mortal Kombat.
8Warpath: Jurassic Park
A Bizarre Fighting Game With Dinosaurs
Jurassic Parkis the biggest dinosaur IP in the world, which led to countlessvideo games based on the movies, which covered many different genres. And the weirdest one of them all wasWarpath: Jurassic Park, which is not a first-person shooter nor a survival game and is instead a fighting game.
For a franchise that is mostly responsible for reigniting the public’s interest in paleontology,Warpaththrew all of that science out the window in order to make way for a really silly and over-the-top fighter where players can control a vast array of dinosaurs that look nothing like they do in the movies. This odd title is still fondly remembered by many players, even though it was quite bizarre.
7Little Nicky
A Cartoony Platformer Based On An Adam Sandler Comedy
Adam Sandler’sLittle Nickyis the last movie someone would expect to see adapted to a video game, as this was a raunchy adult comedy that was poorly received at the time. But it happened, as Ubisoft published a 2D platformer based on the film for theGame Boy Color.
The weirdest part is that theLittle Nickygame was praised for its fun gameplay, detailed sprite work, and catchy music. It was nothing special, but at least it wasbetter received than the original movie. Nevertheless, the fact that a cartoony platformer based on one of Adam Sandler’s most infamous comedies exists on aNintendohandheld is truly unbelievable.
6Shrek
An Eerie Experience With A Strange Lack Of Humor
When a movie tie-in game is made at the same time as the movie and developers have little-to-no information on the content they have to adapt, it can result in some really strange products. And that was exactly the case with the veryfirstShrekvideo game.
The only characters from the movie are the Magic Mirror and Shrek, and the latter doesn’t have a single line of dialogue in the entire game, making things eerily silent. This game doesn’t have the charming personality or satirical sense of humor of the movie, so the whole experience feels very uncomfortable. And the weirdest part is that this was anXboxlaunch title thatMicrosoftused to promote the release of the console.
5Charlie’s Angels
Wasted The Opportunity To Adapt A Popular Movie
Charlie’s Angelswas definitely one of themost popular action moviesof the early 2000s, so it obviously had its own game adaptation a few years later. But this product didn’t live up to the hype, and it is now considered one of the worst video games ever made.
TheCharlie’s Angelsgame is a repetitive beat ‘em up that does absolutely nothing to capture the essence of the original movie. It also tries way too hard to appeal to a male demographic. Weirdly enough,Cameron Diaz,Drew Barrymore, andLucy Liulent their voices to the project, too.
4Fight Club
A Dark Thriller That Became A Subpar Fighting Game
Despite its title, David Fincher’sFight Clubis not so much focused on actual fighting, as it’s more of an intense thriller that delves into thepsychology of a broken man. But, for some reason,Vivendi Universaltried to profit from this fighting element 5 years after the release of the movie.
TheFight Clubvideo game has to be seen to be believed, as it’s a very clunky fighter with strange mechanics and a small roster made out of characters that play pretty much the same, which even includes an unexpected cameo byFred Durst. To this day, it’s considered one of the worst fighting games ever made, which is a shame considering that it exists because of an incredible movie.
The mid-2000s saw a rise in game adaptations of classic movies from the 70s and 80s that nobody saw coming, and one of the most memorable was definitelyJaws Unleashed, based on the cinematic masterpiece that putSteven Spielbergon the map,Jaws.
This tie-in was made over 30 years after the original film, which is already odd. But what’s especially interesting is that, inJaws Unleashed, players cancontrol Bruce the sharkas they terrorize the oceans and beaches of America by eating all sorts of people and animals. It’s basicallyGrand Theft Autowith a shark, and despite some fun elements, it received mostly mixed reviews.
It is mostly unknown what inspiredRockstarto develop a game based on the 1979 filmThe Warriorsin the year 2005, but most people are quite thankful that they did because it ended up being one of the best movie tie-ins of all time.
Taking full advantage of the movie’s concept,The Warriorsis a fast-paced beat ‘em up that takes place on the streets of New York. With solid gameplay, a captivating atmosphere, and a great soundtrack – which was mostly taken from the original film – this is a true hidden gem, despite the fact that most people couldn’t comprehend why it was made in the first place.
1Rambo: The Video Game
John Rambois one of the biggest icons in action movie history, so most fans were hoping he would star in his ownviolent first-person shootersomeday. So, whenRambo: The Video Gamewas released in 2014 instead, it was incredibly disappointing because this is an arcade rail shooter that reenacted different scenes from theRambomovies, even using original voice recordings.
Nobody was asking for this type of game, and to make things even worse, it was a really dull product with boring gameplay and disappointing graphics. Ironically, developerTeyonwould later releaseRoboCop: Rogue City, which was more in line with what most fans were expecting from theRambogame.
