Video games and movies are a perfect pair in many ways. The action on the screen tends to translate well to the video game console and vice versa in many ways, but there is definitely a certain type of movie that works best. Movies with heavy action tend to be the strongest fit, or ones that create a universe that is ultimately fun to explore. Superhero movies tend to work especially well, too, and usually attract a similar audience of fans.
Critics, however, typically don’t love these movies. Yes, these films are incredibly fun, but they’re mostly just summer blockbusters opposed to the award-winning classics of the silver screen. After all, how in the world could you make a video game about The Sound of Music or Gone with the Wind? There have been a handful of Academy Award-winning movies that have gotten the video game treatment, though. In some cases, the results turn out surprisingly well, while others should have been left at the movie classics they are.
The Godfather and The Godfather II: The movies are treasures of American cinema and regarded by many as the greatest movies ever made. Their video game partners are not quite to that level, but they are both incredibly entertaining games. Electronic Arts released The Godfather in 2006 where characters started as a low-level mob goon and plot their move up in the world by accomplishing some missions loosely tied to the movie’s plot. Players could also create their own mob empire, earning money from local businesses for “protection” while fighting off rival families. The game received acclaim for including some of the actors from the original movie, like Robert Duvall, to lend their voices to the action. The gameplay called many to refer to the title as Grand Theft Godfather as it mirrored Rockstar’s amazing Grand Theft Auto series.
Gladiator: The 2000 Academy Award winner provided a lot more action than your typical best picture nominee, which is great for gamers. Gambling.com features an article on a Gladiator-themed game where characters pretend to be Maximus to take down enemies. The site also features information on a slot based on Rocky, the 1976 winner for best picture also. The Rocky movies have gone down a long road from awesome to horrible to horribly awesome, so it’s sometimes easy to forget that the series started with a cinematic classic that launched the modern sports movie.
Braveheart: Another one that appears like it would make an excellent video game adaption. The 1995 Academy Award winner appeared as a PC strategy game. You take control of a Scottish clan and try to take over the country. It’s pretty similar to a lot of games that are popular now like Clash of the Clans. The game never had a huge user base, mainly because the gameplay lagged behind. It was the perfect example of a game that stole a good concept, but then forgot to, you know, make an actually good experience. A review at GameFAQs sums it up pretty well.
As you may have realized, most good movies don’t necessarily translate to good games. That’s usually because of the developer, though, and not the game’s premise, which this list clearly demonstrates.