Do you remember when video games based on movies used to not be trash?

[funnier6]

When I was little, my family had very little video game knowledge and thus I usually ended up with games that were based on a movie, which these days would mean a sloppy cash in intended to sell by name alone and not by any standards of quality. But back then a little more love and care was involved that made it something truly enjoyable, if not the triple A big name stuff. Games like Shrek 2, A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Nightmare Before Christmas Oogie’s Revenge, and yes even the Spongebob movie game are among the games I spent hours and hours replaying just for the sheer fun without being aware Super Mario Sunshine even existed.

So I ask you people, do you have any nostalgia for when movie based games weren’t just cheap imitations? Do you regret the loss of quality in the last decade? Or did you simply play big name stuff and weren’t even aware other games existed?

 

[DekuNut]

 

[Doc]

I totally forgot about the Spongebob Squarepants Movie game! That actually wasn't bad!

Also, my nostalgia has been triggered and I am gonna blab about all my favorite games growing up.

The old Madagascar video game is one I remember fondly. The game wasn't all that difficult, and made almost no attempt to follow the movie, so there was a lot of freedom the creators took. They invented a few characters that my young mind adored and was honestly super diverse in gameplay.

The Incredibles video game was also pretty sweet. It was mostly just fighting enemies as Mr. Incredible/Elastigirl with a few Dash levels thrown in (pretty sure Violet had only a single level in the game and it was undoubtedly the worst level). Regardless, I have great memories playing this game.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was another fantastic title, which I remember very little about. It's all flooding back to me right now, and would spend days trying to beat it. The game was awesome and fun, and I remember it giving a lot of freedom.

 

[YIGAhim]

I remember doing the Lego Indiana Jones games a lot when I was younger. They were fun.

 

[Spirit]

No, every single game based on a movie that I've played based on a movie has been nothing but trash.

 

[Princess Niki]

The ones I have played and enjoyed are Aladdin for the SNES, Home Along for the SNES, The Incredibles for the GBA, Bratz Rock Angels, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the GBC (My friends older sister was the only one of us to beat Aragog) and the Lego series is pretty fun to play.

 

[Dio]

I liked a few of the Harry potter ones. The first two especially. Also the Fantastic 4 and Spiderman 2 games were pretty good.

 

[the8thark]

Do you remember when video games based on movies used to not be trash?

No. Because Goldeneye aside, games based on movies have always sucked. Here's a quick short but not at all definitive list of games based on movies or IPs that were movies before they become games.

Spoiler: Approximately 200 video games based on movies

0–9
3 Ninjas Kick Back (video game)

A
Action Man: Robot Atak
Æon Flux
Aladdin
Alex Rider: Stormbreaker
Alexander
Alice in Wonderland (2010 video game)
All Dogs Go to Heaven
Alvin and the Chipmunks
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012 video game)
Anastasia: Adventures with Pooka and Bartok
Angry Birds Rio
Arctic Tale
Around the World in 80 Days
Astro Boy: The Video Game
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1986 video game)
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1991 video game)

B
Back to the Future (1989 video game)
Bad Boys: Miami Takedown
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (video game)
Battleship (2012 video game)
Beetlejuice
Beowulf: The Game
Beverly Hills Cop (2006 video game)
Beverly Hills Cop
Blade II
Blade Runner (1997 video game)
Blair Witch
Blazing Lazers
Bram Stoker's Dracula (handheld video game)
Bram Stoker's Dracula

C
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory video games
Charlie's Angels
Chicken Run
Chō Jikū Yōsai Macross: Ai Oboete Imasu ka
Clash of the Titans
Cloak & Dagger
Congo The Movie: The Lost City of Zinj
Coraline
The Crow: City of Angels
Curious George
Cyberwar

D
The Dark Crystal
Darkman
Days of Thunder
Demolition Man
Dennis the Menace
Dick Tracy
Die Hard Arcade
DinoCity
Dirty Harry (1990 video game)
Disney's Activity Center
Disney's Animated Storybook
Disney's Animated Storybook: 101 Dalmatians
Disney's Animated Storybook: Hercules
Disney's Animated Storybook: Mulan
Disney's Animated Storybook: Pocahontas
Disney's Animated Storybook: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Disney's Animated Storybook: The Lion King
Disney's Animated Storybook: Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
Disney's Animated Storybook: Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too
Disney's Pocahontas
Disney's Print Studio
Don 2: The King is Back
Double Dragon
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Dragonball Evolution
Driven

E
Ecks vs. Sever
Enchanted
Eragon

F
The Fifth Element
Fight Club
Firefox
From Dusk Till Dawn
Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots

G
G-Force
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Ghajini – The Game
Ghostbusters (2016 video game)
Ghostbusters II (NES video game)
New Ghostbusters II (NES video game)
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
The Godfather (2006 video game)
The Godfather II
The Golden Compass
GoldenEye
Gotcha! The Sport!
The Great Escape (2003 video game)
The Great Escape (1986 video game)
Gremlins
Gremlins 2: The New Batch

H
Hudson Hawk (video game)

I
Ice Age
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Ice Nine
The Incredibles
Independence Day
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1991 video game)
Iron Sky: Invasion
The Italian Job (2001 video game)
The Italian Job (2003 video game)

J
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Judge Dredd
Jumper: Griffin's Story
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park 2

K
The Karate Kid (video game)
Kick-Ass 2: The Game
King Arthur
Kirikou
Krull
Kung Fu Panda
Kung-Fu Master

L
Labyrinth: The Computer Game
Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green
Last Action Hero
The Lawnmower Man
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
Lego The Hobbit
Lego Jurassic World
Lego Marvel's Avengers
The Lego Movie Videogame
The Lego Ninjago Movie Video Game
Lethal Weapon (NES video game)
Lethal Weapon (SNES video game)
Lion King
The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy
Little Nicky
Lego The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (Game Boy Advance)
The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North

M
Mad Max
Manos: The Hands of Fate
The Mask
Masters of the Universe: The Movie
Miami Vice: The Game
Michael Jackson's Moonwalker
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
Minions Paradise
Monster House
Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

N
New York Race
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
A Nightmare on Elm Street

P
Pacific Rim
Pandorum
Phantom Fighter
Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension
Plan 9 from Outer Space
Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier
The Polar Express
Porky's

Q
Quest for Camelot

R
R.I.P.D. The Game
Rango
Ratchet & Clank
Reign of Fire
Reservoir Dogs
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Robocop (NES video game)
Robocop 2 (NES video game)
Robocop 3 (SNES video game)
Robots
The Rocketeer
The Room
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

S
Saw
Saw II: Flesh & Blood
Scarface
Scarface: Money. Power. Respect.
Scarface: The World Is Yours
Scene It? Twilight
The Scorpion King: Sword of Osiris
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game
Seven Samurai 20XX
Shark Tale
Sharknado: The Video Game
Shrek 2
Silliwood
The Smurfs
A Sound of Thunder
Space Chimps
Space Jam
Spider-Man
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 3
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
Star Wars - A New Hope (NES video game)
Star Wars - Empire Strikes Back (NES video game)
Super Star Wars - A New Hope (SNES video game)
Spuer Star Wars - Empire Strikes Back (SNES video game)
Super Star Wars - Return of the Jedi (SNES video game)
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
Star Wars: Episode I - Racer
Stargate
Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendancy
Street Fighter: The Movie (arcade game)
Street Fighter: The Movie (console video game)
The Sum of All Fears
Sweet Home

T
Tasmania Story
The Thing
Timecop
TMNT (Game Boy Advance)
TMNT (video game)
Toki no Tabibito: Time Stranger
Top Gun: Danger Zone
Toy Story
Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue
Toy Story 3: The Video Game
Toys
Transformers Autobots
Transformers Decepticons
Transformers Revenge of the Fallen: Autobots
Transformers Revenge of the Fallen: Decepticons
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Transformers: The Game
Tron RUN
Tunnel Rats: 1968

U
Underworld: The Eternal War
Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure
Uuno Turhapuro muuttaa maalle

V
Vampire Hunter D
Van Helsing
Virus: It is Aware

W
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Wanted: Weapons of Fate
WarGames
WarGames: Defcon 1
Warlock
The Warriors: Street Brawl
The Warriors
Waterworld
Wayne's World
White Men Can't Jump
Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin
Willow
The Wizard of Oz

Y
Young Sherlock: The Legacy of Doyle

So many video games based on movies and 99% of them are utter garbage.

 

[Castle]

Yeah. When have video games based on movies ever not been trash? I mean, sure maybe there's a handfull of decent ones, but the number of video games based on movies that are any good can be counted on one hand compared to the hundreds of games on the trash heap. These are so bad they're the first to be dumped from the bargain bin.

Interestingly, it's a sign of the times when companies have stopped making these cheap video game movie tie ins altogether. Really, when was the last one? I think the Wii is the last console we'll ever see these on because it was cheap to produce for. Modern production pretty much precludes these cheap one off cashins that devs would mostly use to supplement their income. Bad as they were - which is to say they were a blight on the industry - they were a significant revenue source for a lot of devs who would otherwise go out of business. It's no surprise then that a lot of devs have gone out of business.

 

[Quin]

Most of them are pretty trashy yeah, but you can't forget those old genesis/SNES disney games, Goldeneye and Spider-Man 2. I also remember liking the Harry Potter games as a kid but they probably weren't as great as I remember them being. They sure look awful though, even for PS1 games. Same with A Bugs Life, Toy Story 2 and the Emperors New Groove on PS1, but I recently played some of those and I would call them bad.

 

[the8thark]

Yeah. When have video games based on movies ever not been trash?

The's the right question to be asking. Almost all of them are utter garbage.