6 Of The Best Movie Tie-In Games You Should Play If You’re A Film Buff

Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, movie tie-in games, as in video games based on certain movies, made a killing and ushered in a growing industry. Fast-forward to 2024, I can’t recall the last time any good developer took the time out to make a brand-new licensed game in relation to its movie counterpart. That’s a shame, in all fairness, because it’s not like there haven’t been any good movies in a while. 

Anyhow, as this dying breed has given us some rarely high-quality video games from back in the day, I decided to put together a list of these titles that have been amazing through and through over time. Given their popularity, I’m sure you’ve already played some of them, if not all, but in case you’re hearing about them for the first time, keep on reading. 

Terrific Movies, Amazing Video Game Adaptations 

In case you happen to be a video game historian, make sure to post a comment down below and let me know if there are other games too that could make the list. 

1. X-Men Origins: Wolverine 

Kicking things off here is one of the best superhero games in the business right now, even if you get around to playing it in 2024. X-Men Origins: Wolverine has that rare quality where you’re able to wipe the floor with a boss just like how you can do it with a regular enemy, employing the same grappling moves and lunge attacks to throw them all over the fight arena. Not a lot of games let you have that type of agency and control. 

It’s also one of the most deserving games that never got backward compatibility, so yeah, there’s that as well. Honestly, give this one an honest shot, and you’re not going to regret it anytime soon.  

2. The Warriors 

The Warriors is the video game adaptation of the titular movie from 1979, being a third-person action title with beat-’em-up gameplay, akin to Bully. Of course, with Rockstar Games being at the helm of the project, there’s got to be similarities. It was launched in 2005, enjoying praise and acclaim from critics and users alike, thanks to its great brawler gameplay, impressive voice acting, and the added bonus of a co-op mode as well. 

3. Alien: Isolation 

Next up, we’ve got another fantastic movie tie-in title that grips you by the throat as far as making a situation stressful is concerned. I’m not kidding—Alien: Isolation will pump nervousness in your body like no other, coming second only to the likes of Amnesia: The Dark Descent. It’s played from a first-person perspective, where you constantly have to watch out for the Alien lurking in the shadows, trying to pounce at you at each rising opportunity. 

Not for the faint of heart this one, I can assure you of that. 

4. Spider-Man 2

Treyarch did such a fantastic job with Spider-Man 2 back in the day, that it amplified the experience of watching the movie even more, considering that you had this overly enjoyable game to play right after. It’s chock-full of QoL features that many open-world games tended to miss over time.

Thank God Insomniac took over and kept the Spider-Man IP alive with modern-day iterations. It would’ve been bad otherwise.   

5. GoldenEye 007

The original GoldenEye 007 from 1997 released for Nintendo 64 has a fan base of its own, one that exceeds in size the popularity of the titular movie. The game has had such influence over the years, that it’s gone on to inspire multiple other game franchises, with the most recent example coming to memory being Perfect Dark, which now has a reboot coming out soon for Xbox and PC. 

6. Mad Max 

Topping the piece off is Mad Max, which is easily one masterpiece of a video game adaptation that went under the radar of so many people like no other. It’s an action-adventure at heart, with spectacular vehicle and open-world combat, where Max’s punches carry enough gravity to make the whole system feel quite entertaining.

This game feels underrated. It is an extrmely solid open world game with an above average vehicle combat system. I normally hate driving in modern open-world games (ever since GTA 4 to be precise), but this game feels like a throwback to those awesome arcade racers of the early 90s.

The world also feels like the Mad Max universe. You can put the dialogue side to side with any of the movies and it matches,” says one u/Noirceuil_182.

I will say that the game did not get the love it genuinely deserved, but hey, you can always give it a go on your end and share your thoughts about it afterward.