# Great video games that would make terrible movies. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 29, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-video-games-that-would-make-terrible-movies/569370 "2011-01-29T03:13:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-video-games-that-would-make-terrible-movies/569370/1 "2011-01-29T03:13:52Z")
I’m not talking about Tetris here. I’m talking about story driven games that tell a great story but wouldn’t be good movies. For instance: Call of Duty Modern Warfare. This game is great, has great cinematics, and is action packed but would be a terrible movie. The reason is because every concept in the games has been a movie cliche for decades. The games are fun because you get to control the cliche in grand fashion. It would just be another mindless straight to VHS action movie though. Splinter Cell. For the same reasons as CoD. Any Zelda. The stories all amount to generic fantasy trash. The games are great because of the dungeon puzzles. That doesn’t translate to movies well. Contra. Same as CoD. Elder Scrolls. Would be very dull. Basically any game that revolves around movie tropes that are lame to watch but fun to play through. Any others? ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-video-games-that-would-make-terrible-movies/569370/2 "2011-01-29T03:30:09Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#): > > Basically any game Honestly, I’m having trouble coming up with a game that _would_ make a good movie. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-video-games-that-would-make-terrible-movies/569370/3 "2011-01-29T03:36:07Z")
\*Thief \*(or any stealth game, really) would make for a pretty crappy movie. I know it makes for pretty crappy Let’s Plays - so here I am, in the shadows, waiting and timing the guards’ patrols so I can move through here without incidents. Yay ? I guess the \*Tenchu \*series could at least be turned into a gorefest, but then I like to slash as few throats as possible when playing them… The \*Hitman \*and _Assassin’s Creed_ series might be more Hollywood-friendly because they at least involve some measure of choreographed carnage once or twice a mission (I even _liked_ the \*Hitman \*movie. If only because 47’s instinctive reaction when a smoking hot Russian girl who doesn’t wear underwear throws herself at him is to dose her with a syringe of anaesthetic). Diablo-likes would get old fast. Slash monster, open door, use spell, drink potion, drop a corny line… See the _Dungeons & Dragons_ movie. If you’d scrubbed that abomination from your memory, ha HA! ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-video-games-that-would-make-terrible-movies/569370/4 "2011-01-29T03:38:27Z")
> [@pedescribe](#): > > Honestly, I’m having trouble coming up with a game that _would_ make a good movie. Some games are basically movies already. :\ ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-video-games-that-would-make-terrible-movies/569370/5 "2011-01-29T03:43:45Z")
> [@pedescribe](#): > > Honestly, I’m having trouble coming up with a game that _would_ make a good movie. Definitely, not The Sims 1/2/3. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-video-games-that-would-make-terrible-movies/569370/6 "2011-01-29T03:46:01Z")
Mass Effect: because they’d insist on using GuyShep when FemShep is so much better. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-video-games-that-would-make-terrible-movies/569370/7 "2011-01-29T07:02:31Z")
I **thought** that “Hitman” would make an amazing movie. Instead, it was quite possibly the worst piece of shit I ever paid twelve dollars for. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-video-games-that-would-make-terrible-movies/569370/8 "2011-01-29T13:38:59Z")
As much as I love Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas, they’d make shitty movies. The central plot lines are (as noted with several war games upthread) heavily cliched with the entertainment coming from steering the cliches. The side quests are vastly entertaining but almost all of them are actually digressions from the main plot rather than additions to it. Some of the stuff that I obsess over in game, like getting some unique\_but not world saving weapon\_would really drag the pace of a movie down. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-video-games-that-would-make-terrible-movies/569370/9 "2011-01-29T13:42:52Z")
Mortal Kombat. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-video-games-that-would-make-terrible-movies/569370/10 "2011-01-29T14:14:29Z")
> [@pedescribe](#): > > Honestly, I’m having trouble coming up with a game that _would_ make a good movie. I think a very carefully crafted script for a Monkey Island movie could work. Then again, the Pirates of the Caribbean movie seems similar. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-video-games-that-would-make-terrible-movies/569370/11 "2011-01-29T14:22:01Z")
Left 4 Dead. It’s already shitty zombie movie except you can play it, which makes it fun. Watching someone else play it, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-video-games-that-would-make-terrible-movies/569370/12 "2011-01-29T14:46:03Z")
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. What? Okay, fine… Max Payne. What? Alright, seriously… BloodRayne. What? Okay okay… Silent Hill. Hmm, yeah, okay. You’re right, I’m overdoing it… Games that would make bad movies: Vampire: The Masquerade Half-life Myst Contrarily, a few that might actually make a good movie if it were done right: Deus Ex Baldur’s Gate I & II ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-video-games-that-would-make-terrible-movies/569370/13 "2011-01-29T19:19:44Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > \*Thief \*(or any stealth game, really) would make for a pretty crappy movie. I know it makes for pretty crappy Let’s Plays - so here I am, in the shadows, waiting and timing the guards’ patrols so I can move through here without incidents. Yay ? I think that’s true, although quite possibly some of the storylines could make a decent movie. Garrett is such a compelling character that, if you edit much of the sneaking, it could be good. (Thief 2 would probably not be good, but Deadly Shadows might). **Bioshock** is one that, as good as the story is, it’s only interesting as a game. The choices made, the subversion of the idea of playing a game, etc. would fail in a film presentation. Likewise, **Portal**. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-video-games-that-would-make-terrible-movies/569370/14 "2011-01-29T20:02:28Z")
> [@soulmurk](#): > > Games that would make bad movies: > > Myst So I shouldn’t reserve [tickets](http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/707839/myst-movie-planned.html)? ---
**Author:** ![dudemanjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@dudemanjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dudemanjack)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-video-games-that-would-make-terrible-movies/569370/15 "2011-01-31T05:00:44Z")
Street Fighter ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-video-games-that-would-make-terrible-movies/569370/16 "2011-01-31T05:18:24Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I think a very carefully crafted script for a Monkey Island movie could work. > > Then again, the Pirates of the Caribbean movie seems similar. I swear that someone on the writing staff was a fan. It’s subtle, but there. > [@soulmurk](#): > > Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. > Games that would make bad movies: > > Vampire: The Masquerade > Half-life > Myst > > Contrarily, a few that might actually make a good movie if it were done right: > > Deus Ex > Baldur’s Gate I & II Vampire: the Masquerade was a TV show already. Technically, it’s based off of the PnP, but whatever. It was short and a little bit soap opera, but it was pretty good at times. The main vampire character was pretty well done. C. Thomas Howell’s main human character sucked though. They already made a [Deus Ex film](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_%28film%29). > [@antonio107](#): > > I **thought** that “Hitman” would make an amazing movie. Instead, it was quite possibly the worst piece of shit I ever paid twelve dollars for. I guess once the director was done, they refilmed all the scenes, making them worse. The 47-with-katanas scene was one of those. > [@panamajack](#): > > **Bioshock** is one that, as good as the story is, it’s only interesting as a game. The choices made, the subversion of the idea of playing a game, etc. would fail in a film presentation. Likewise, **Portal**. [Ummm](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioshock#Film)… I think the atmosphere would work great, but the “twist” won’t translate to movie as everyone will know it from word of mouth.