Thanks to the unqualified success of the film industry creating recognizable titles and hectic cult followings, merchandising has exploded all across the board. Maybe you own a Star Wars Light saber or thirty, perhaps you have a giant poster of Captain America across your wall spooning Tony Stark. Whatever your nerdy vice may be, it’s hard to argue against the impact films have had on the possessions we take in. With this in mind, it’s no wonder why the video game industry has never been shy with creating their own adaptations of popular films.

Let’s face it, most games based off movies are, well, terrible. In fact, some are just outright atrocious and serve no purpose in their existence. We’ve all played that one game, the one we asked our parents to get us for Christmas or a birthday, because we loved the movie so much. Then after 15 minutes you realized what a huge mistake you’ve made. However, believe it or not, there exists an elite group of movie-based games that are actually…good. Not just good, but great, worth owning even.

While movie-based games are a dime a dozen nowadays, the first video game adaptations of film didn’t start becoming a popular idea until companies like Atari and Nintendo helped bring gaming to the living room. Due to the sheer number of movie-based games coming out nowadays, the more modern titles deserve their own Top 10 list, and we’ll be exploring them in a separate article. For now, here’s a list of some of the best movie based titles from the early days of gaming.

10. Goldeneye 007

(N64)

Considered a revolutionary shooter that helped pave the way for future titles such as “Call of Duty” and “Battlefield”, this N64 exclusive title is based on the James Bond film of the same name released in 1995. This title is well known to be one of the first incorporators of stealth elements and the “deathmatch” multiplayer mode, which are considered commonplace nowadays.

9. Die Hard Trilogy

(PS, Saturn, Windows)

What’s better than getting a great game based on a great movie? How about three great games based on three great movies? Released on one disc together, “Die Hard Trilogy” not only allowed you to relive the thrills of the Die Hard films, but was an excellent action title in it’s own right.

8. Star Trek The Motion Picture

(Vectrex)

For those of you scratching your heads, the Vectrex was a mini arcade cabinet system released to the home market in 1982. While good in theory, the Vectrex suffered from it’s own ambition, as the graphics consisted mostly of lines and dots, far below “arcade quality.” However, if you manage to get your hands on one of the hard to find systems, “Star Trek The Motion Picture” is a surprisingly fun and addictive space shooter.

7. Super Star Wars

(SNES)

While not the first Star Wars video game adaptation, it was certainly one of the most critically acclaimed. To this day, “Super Star Wars” pops up on many gamer’s “Best Star Wars Games” lists, and occasionally on people’s “Best Video Games of All Time” lists. 

6. RoboCop Versus The Terminator

(Genesis, SMS, SNES, NES, Game Boy)

It’s the movie we’ve all secretly wanted, but never actually got. While “RoboCop Versus the Terminator” isn’t based on an exact single film, it does satisfy our cravings to see what it might have been like if such a film were to exist. Plenty of cheesy, old school action, humor and one hell of a crossover make this title worthy of a recommendation to ’80s action fans.

5. Raiders of the Lost Ark

(Atari 2600)

Nowadays, we have high budget adventure titles such as “Uncharted” or “Tomb Raider” to look forward to. Back in 1982, you had an Atari 2600 and a copy of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” if you wanted your high octane action adventure. While the graphics may not be remotely close to what you can get these days, adventure titles had to start somewhere, and this adaptation of the smash Spielberg/Lucas hit is considered one of the biggest stepping stones the Atari 2600 had to offer.

4. Aladdin

(Genesis, SNES, SMS, Game Gear)

Honorable Mention: The Lion King

Not only did the Disney Renaissance give us some of the greatest animated films in history, it also managed to give us some of the best Disney game adaptations to boot. Along side the engaging “Lion King” video game, Disney’s “Aladdin” made for one of the smoothest movie platforms of the ’90s. With many children growing up on these Disney movies, it was a welcome pleasure to see them growing up on equally fantastic games. 

3. Tron: Deadly Discs

(Intellivision, Atari 2600, Aquarius)

Its graphics are bare bones, the game play is minimal, but this adaptation of the popular Disney film Tron manages to be addictive in it’s simplicity. Much like today’s quirkiest app, it requires your immediate attention as soon as you pick up the controller, refusing to let you go until the game over screen appears. Yet, even then, you can’t help but keep playing. A household favorite from the days before the 1983 video game crash, this Intellivision game was one of the more popular titles before Mattel left the console market.

2.  Alien Trilogy

(PS, Saturn, MS-DOS)

Honorable Mention: Alien Vs Predator (Atari Jaguar)

Much like “Die Hard Trilogy,” this Playstation and Sega Saturn title contained three games that covered the course of, what was then the trilogy of Alien movies before Resurrection came out. Inspired by the likes of “Doom,” this survival horror title successfully encompassed the tense atmosphere you’d expect in an Alien film, and to this day stands as a worthy addition to any horror fan’s game collection. 

1. Toy Story 2

(PS, N64, Dreamcast, Windows, Game Boy Color)

One of the most beloved Disney/Pixar films gets an equally beloved video game. Both children and adults have connected to this rare treat of an adventure, not only entranced by the nods and clips from the original movie, but the equally fun and addictive game play. Plus, you get to play as Buzz Lightyear shooting lasers at bad guys. What’s not to love about that?

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