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By Contributing Writer Rob Pecknold When I think of movie-to-game converions, the first thought that usually pops into my head is, "Dear God, make them stop!" As you can probably tell by now, I don’t particularly enjoy movie-to-game conversions. After the almost suicide-inducing movie-to-game conversions of the past, you would think that companies would learn their lesson. But no, the movie-game conversion industry (dear God, is there one?) is on an extreme rise with the pending releases of Tarzan and Tomorrow Never Dies. Wait, this just in: it seems that a little company called "LucasArts" is releasing two games based on a virtually unknown movie series called "Star Wars." Go figure. Well, here, in this very article, I’m going to take a look at the past of movie-to-game converions, preview the new ones, and tell you if there’s a bit of an upswing going on in the genre. In the past, Acclaim was the biggest culprit in this field. If there was a remotely successful movie in the theaters, you had to live with the sick reality that one day soon Acclaim would make a horrible video game based on it. Once the public realized that Acclaim hadn't released a decent game since 1987, they stopped buying Acclaim's games and it almost killed the company (although I think when you release dozens of crappy games, you probably deserve to be forced out of business). As for all this talk about "the new Acclaim" that they've been hyping since they started making PlayStation and N64 games, go play Crow: City of Angels for the PlayStation and see for yourself just how "reborn" Acclaim is... but really, Acclaim is not the only guilty party here. Lots of companies have made crappy movie-to-game conversions in the past. Even Capcom got into the act with Street Fighter: The Movie Game. Once one got past the idiotic concept (it's a game based on a movie based on a game), they would find that the gameplay sucked even worse. Now, let’s make one thing clear: I’m not one to find something blatantly bad and chew it out. That’s only ONE of my many personalities. The personality I’m currently inhabiting is the strong, silent type who enjoys long walks on the beach and candlelight dinners with someone I love.... but enough of that. What I'm trying to say here is that movie-to-game converions aren't all bad, and in 1997, Goldeneye 007 singlehandedly turned them into a respectable genre. Goldeneye proved that there is hope for movie-to-game conversions, which we will now refer to as MGCs. (Hey, it was either that or GTUTSBNTMBOKITAMBAGDT, or Games That Used To Suck But Now They Might Be OK If They Are Made By A Good Development Team.) Come on, I’m sure that only about two N64 owners didn’t like Goldeneye, and those two people were probably the only two N64 owners who didn't buy it. After Goldeneye sold millions of copies and everybody saw that good MGCs can sell, more and more companies are jumping on the bandwagon. First on the list of MGCs being made in the wake of the Goldeneye is Tomorrow Never Dies, the official sequel to Goldeneye made by MGM Interactive and Black Ops. Judging from what I've seen so far, this might be an honest commercial for Tomorrow Never Dies: ANNOUNCER: In a greedy attempt to exploit the cash cow that is Goldeneye 007, an amazing new title has been released! Your jaw will drop at its crapiness! Yes, this ugly, gruesome monster is.... TOMORROW NEVER DIES, STARRING PEIRCE BROSNAN AS THE LIFELESS TEXTURE-MAPPED FACE THAT DOES WAY TOO MUCH AT ONCE! As you can see, I’m not pleased with early looks at Tomorrow Never Dies. A game where you ski, drive, AND fly a plane? When a company to do that much in one game, it's usually a good sign that all the different modes of gameplay suck (with some rare exceptions like Die Hard Trilogy). Of the two big games based on Star Wars: Episode 1 (Racer and The Phantom Menace), the one I’m most looking forward to is Racer. Why? Because I’ve played the darn thing. Down at my local Toys R Us is a shiny display featuring Racer, which was jampacked with nerds with raspy voices and long haired Obi-Wan look-alikes when I got there. I had my nerd whip in hand, so I just had to take a few "wo-pahs" and I had cleared a path large enough for the last 800 pound transvestite lesbian that appeared on Jerry Springer to go through. I pried the controller from the unconscious hands of the dork who had been playing, and began to control Anakin Skywalker's pod. It controlled magnificently, and the physics seemed right on. Based on my playing experience so far, I'd say that Racer is looking pretty good. I've said it before and I’ll say it again- Goldeneye is the only thing that has restored my faith in movie-to-game conversions. Now the future of the genre rests on the shoulders of LucasArts and their Episode I games. If the Star Wars games suck, LucasArts will be screwed. Screwed like a dog in heat, and screwed like Acclaim after making all those crappy Batman games. You can e-mail Rob at rob@mastergamer.com
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