8 video games that would make perfect movies

The Sonic the Hedgehog movie was rubbish. Look, we know it did well, but a box office success does not a good movie make. Just look at the Transformers series. Still, with news of the Borderlands film picking up Eli Roth, it seems video game movies have more appeal than ever, and aren’t going anywhere soon. So, Sonic, you fuzzy blue ring-snatcher, you got us thinking at least. 

Surely, as video game narratives and visuals have progressed so much since the early days of gaming, there are better candidates for big-screen adaptation than a blue hedgehog that runs quickly. We know the Uncharted movie is already playing Go Fish with directors, but we’ve already discussed why that’d make a better fit for a TV show anyway. Instead, here are the video games that we think would make for perfect movie adaptations. Mom, grab the camera!

8 video games that would make perfect movies

Firewatch

Firewatch is one of the best backseat gamer experiences from recent years. Not only is it gorgeous, but the radio dialogue between protagonist Henry and his fellow Firewatch lookout Delilah is exceptionally well written and delivered. So we thought, why not remove the illusion of choice altogether and transfer this story to the silver screen? 

Delilah and Henry stumble upon events that appears to be much bigger than the two of them, unveiling a plot that’s both thrilling and heart-wrenching. If nothing else, a movie adaptation of Firewatch would be a brilliant excuse to shoot jaw-dropping footage of America’s National parks.

Control

Of all the gaming worlds we explored last year, the Federal Bureau of Control was by far the most alluring. Architecture that reformed itself in front of and behind our eyes was matched by a story and characters reluctant to divulge their messy secrets. It was enrapturing from the get-go.

We reckon Control’s visual and narrative style would be a perfect fit for Christopher Nolan - he of Inception and Interstellar fame. Heck, his new film Tenet looks to be eliciting that exact kind of mystery in its trailer. We’d love to see him have as much fun playing around with our heads in The Oldest House.

God of War

Norse Mythology has been around a long old while. Roughly two and a half thousand years by our books, though the whole "myth" status was likely a more recent adjustment. Still, it’s remained a popular source of inspiration for stories throughout European history since, which makes it all the more impressive that Santa Monica Studios created a novel and engrossing take on the subject matter. 

As you might have guessed, we’re talking about the 2018 God of War, unquestionably best entry in the series. Even if you haven’t played the other titles, Kratos and Atreus’ journey grips and doesn’t let go, like an Leviathan Axe aimed straight at your emotions. Watching Kratos come to terms with his unpleasant past and learn to be a better person by raising and loving his son outshines even the spectacular combat, which is why we think it’d make for a brilliant experience on the screen as well.

Horizon Zero Dawn

Okay, okay, so we did list Horizon Zero Dawn in our list of games that would make great TV adaptations, but anyone who enjoyed Aloy’s story will likely agree that it’d work just as well in a movie too. The world of HZD is brilliantly unique, and one that’d be best served with the bigger budgets of movies to bring it to life. Lord knows those robot dinosaurs are going to take some animation work. 

Give us Aloy’s outcast tale of discovering self-worth alongside an advanced yet damaging lost civilization. Condensing the story would be tricky, but we’re pretty certain we can comfortably cut the 5+ hours of resource gathering and crafting, yeah? No need to stick that close to the source material.

StarCraft

As one of the most popular strategy games from late ‘90s and Early 2000s, StarCraft has been the inspiration for may a fan-made video and story over the years. As those who grew up planning Zerg rushes and Terran assaults developed their movie-making skills, we got to see their attempts to honor a beloved sci-fi world. 

For all Blizzard’s comical unit animations and dialogue, the StarCraft universe is far from a cheery place, with colonies relentlessly ravaged by the unstoppable force of the Zerg. We thoroughly enjoyed RocketJump’s rather macabre take on the universe in their short video The Rush, and would definitely be up for seeing a longer, more serious take on Blizzard’s world. Then again, given the studio's love for Overwatch lore cinematics, perhaps that’s a safer bet.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

Cinemas bloody love showing off their audio. Before every film there’s a sequence of rustling leaves, soaring space ships and more, reminding you just how brilliant their surround sound is, even if it’s largely just going to be used to throw bass out as Captain America punches another man in the face. Well, a film adaptation of Hellblade could be the perfect opportunity to really show what those setups can do.

We’d rather not delve too far into plot points here, as Senua’s journey is one well worth experiencing for yourself, but with the right care and detail, it could also be a movie that truly deserves to be experienced in the cinema, not streamed on your laptop while you’re half asleep in bed.

Dishonored

A tale of betrayal, revenge, and maybe even learning not to become a mindless stabbing machine. We’d love to see Corvo sneaking his way through a series of increasingly complex environments, choking guards and possessing rats as he makes his way to the target. It’d be just like a heist movie, only with more stabbing. 

Naturally, the movie would also be sure to remind Corvo that, as much fun as he’s having setting Spring Razor traps for unwitting guards, he might not be setting the best example for Emily Kaldwin, the future ruler of the country he’s trying to protect. The only thing missing would be Arkane’s brilliantly crafted character models that add so much personality to Dunwall.

Evil Within

So it’s pretty accepted that Christophe Gans missed the mark with their Silent Hill adaptation. Tossing random material from the games at the screen in a mishmash manner, about the only interesting decision in the movie was not to kill Sean Bean. 

Rather than risk rehashing the classic horror series once more, we suggest a turn instead toward Shinji Mikami’s The Evil Within. Already a very stylish cinematic and spooky experience, it packs plenty of unsettling enemies and environments as well as plot twists that’d land just as well in movieland. Directors, try The Evil Within instead of Silent Hill please, that series has suffered enough.

Those were our picks for video games that would makee perfect movies. Got another game on your mind that you think would make for a brilliant big screen showing? Let us know in the comments!