Movies that Should Get Xbox Adaptations - Ultimate Guide

For a long time, a blockbuster cinematic release would be accompanied by a tie-in video game release. At the pinnacle of the practice, it offered a superbly immersive one-two punch of seeing the story in its ultimate cinematic form before getting a first-hand experience in the world with a bit more control. It extended the movie-going experience from a couple of hours to several, only enhancing the fandom behind the movies hoping to make the biggest splashes at the box office.

Of course, the practice quickly ran aground. Movies remain relatively quick to produce, while the rapid evolution of consoles and the tech needed to produce video games made the timelines incompatible. It now takes several years to make a non-mobile game that’s up to scratch, while even the most special effects-driven flicks take a maximum of two years to create. Working the other way around, we’re experiencing somewhat of a boon in video game adaptation movies, with Tomb Raider, Uncharted, Sonic, and Super Mario finding success on the big screen.

Having swept up at the 2023 Academy Awards, Everything Everywhere All at Once was on the minds of millions of moviegoers for months. The movie certainly presents itself as a potentially epic, action-packed basis for a video game. The multiverse-hopping flick has great settings, colorful sequences, a strong story, and excellent hand-to-hand and melee weapon combat scenes. Picture a Sifu meets Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and there’s certainly a lot of potential for a game adaptation.

The so-called “sidequel” game Blade Runner that came out in 1997 – 15 years after Ridley Scott’s flick – was a hit. It’s since been given an Enhanced Edition but it doesn’t seem to have gone down too well with modern audiences. Blade Runner 2049 was a great movie when it came out in 2017, even if a few elements weren’t quite in line with what came before. In any case, the cyberpunk universe, neo-noir depiction, and the presence of replicants all make for a grand setup for a modern video game. You can name any good sci-fi RPG or action game as a way to lay this concept.

James Bond is an incredibly long-running franchise of films based on a series of novels, and as you’ll likely know, it has a grand history in gaming already. Perhaps the most important James Bond game is GoldenEye 007, which was pivotal to the FPS genre and beyond. Now, with Daniel Craig’s run as the titular character coming to an end rather emphatically, perhaps it’s time to create a modern shooter for his well-received turn as 007. It could start at the poker table against Le Chiffre and end with motorcycle chase scenes around Sassi di Matera.

The incredible Andy Serkis somehow made a CGI chimpanzee a captivating lead across a whole trilogy of movies. The humans and, particularly, the antagonists helped this a lot, but few were siding with their own kind over the apes throughout the trilogy, which ended in 2014. Playing as Caesar, be it from the encampments of the second movie or even the start in the pens, could make for a great narrative or even a base-building type of game. The mechanics for the apes in the game have already been laid out well in the Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey controls, so the foundations are essentially there for a Planet of the Apes game adaptation.

The Leprechaun movies may not represent the best of the horror genre, but the first film, from 1993, certainly has some charm and delivers a brand-new look for the mythical creature. For the most part, leprechauns are depicted in entertainment as chirpy creatures and are always linked to their gold and rainbows. The most popular rendition of this leprechaun depiction is in Rainbow Riches. You seek to catch the leprechaun to make it take you to its pot of gold or to its wishing well. These traditional themes help it work well as a theme in the slot game. The Leprechaun movies, however, are much darker and more murderous. Still, a one-vs-five setup where one plays as the Leprechaun in a way akin to Evil Dead: The Game or the Dying Light DLC could make for a thrilling game if the Leprechaun were given some sneaky powers and grumble noises.

Released in 2019, John Wick Hex certainly offers past-paced shooting thrills, but following the success of the concluding movie and its inspirations, it seems worth giving the IP another run in gaming. The superbly well-received overhead shot in John Wick: Chapter 4 was actually inspired by The Hong Kong Massacre, and could certainly be incorporated into a more expansive game or a shooter with an over-the-shoulder camera for the most part. Then, it’ll be about going from scene to scene, having a brief chat, and then escaping with the weapons in hand.