While the gaming industry is very well known for making original IPs that generally can only work in that medium, they’ve also adapted from other IPs. Whether it be from television shows, movies, or books, video games have helped franchises turn multimedia. Some include the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings series, and of course, the Lego games. The quality of video game based IPs does vary, and more recently the quality has improved. Especially as companies have moved away from movie-tie in games (I’m talking about YOU E.T. the Extra Terrestrial). And even recently, movies and shows have begun to adapt original video game IPs, to varying degrees of success, such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Uncharted, the Super Mario Bros movie, and Halo.
I’m not the biggest fan of games based off other IPs, but I have come to enjoy a handful. So these are my 5 favourite games based off other IPs.
Honourable Mention (Shrek 2)
The only movie-tie in game I enjoy, mainly because it was my first console game I ever owned. Shrek 2, as you expect with movie-tie in games, follows the events of the movie, while adding in some additional story/characters to increase the games length. Gameplay is serviceable for a platformer, just a solidly fun game that benefits heavily from nostalgia.
5. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
No surprise Star Wars is here. The series quickly went into the video game industry; thus we’ve got a wide variety of games in different genres, in different eras of the universe, and many new stories and characters to expand on. Star Wars really works well in this medium.
Fallen Order is a really solid example of blending familiar with new elements in the franchise. You play as Cal Kestis, a Jedi survivor of the Galactic Empire, taking place between Episode 3 and 4. There are mostly new characters, but a couple familiar faces do make some surprise cameos.
You fight not only legions of stormtroopers, but bounty hunters, hostile creatures, and fanatical empire purge troopers. Locations are a great mix of new planets, and familiar ones from mostly the tv series The Clone Wars. And what’s great is it takes a metroidvania approach, where the worlds are linear, but exploration does open up a bit. And as you gain new abilities and skills, different areas open up for you to explore, such as ancient mysterious caves, tombs, and a wreckage site of massive spaceships from the Clone Wars.
Combat has a jedi is very solid, and different moves and abilities, both with the lightsaber and the force, allow for some awesome gameplay moments. Plus, you get to choose different colours for your sabre. Makes you feel like you’re a badass, but the feeling of isolation, darkness, and being on the run help keep you grounded. Overall, Fallen Order has a strong story that kept me invested, offering a glimpse during the reign of the Empire before the rebellion. A solid entry into the ever growing Star Wars Universe.
4. Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast
Another Star Wars game. Well, Star Wars and games goes together like peanut butter and jelly. Jedi Outcast, though over 20 years old, has aged fairly well. Obviously graphics wise not as much, some areas are too dark to navigate, some puzzles are an absolute nightmare to figure out, and you always need to manually save. Yeah, nostalgia does play a factor. But the feel of being in the Star Wars universe is amazing, the story, and characters are great, and the lightsaber combat feels so engaging, a little freer with its movements than Fallen Order.
There’s the adventure space faring aspect, as you go to new worlds in the expanded universe, and familiar ones such as Yavin 4 and Cloud City, and encounter some familiar faces. But overall, it feels like a brand new experience in this galaxy far, far away.
Taking place several years after Episode 6, you play as Kyle Katarn, and must stop a Dark Jedi and imperial remnants from creating an army imbued with the dark side. It has all the makings of a classic Star Wars story, but doesn’t feel weighed down by those movies, even though some areas, especially imperial ships, look exactly from those original movies.
Perhaps the best part of Jedi Outcast is the first half if a First-Person Shooter, blasting away stormtroopers. The second half, you get your lightsaber and force abilities, and then it became a third-person action game, but you can still mix in your blasters. This combination makes the game feel unique. Oh, and there’s an awesome multiplayer mode with bots, that you can customize to your hearts content.
Such a fun game that came out during the golden era of Star Wars, and Star Wars games.
3. Marvel’s Spiderman (2018)
Released during the height of the MCU, Marvel’s Spiderman was an absolute joy to play from start to finish. And my spider senses tingled positively about this game, and they were right.
It tells an original story, and characters that aren’t just their comic-book counterpart. Pulling well-known villains that casuals know, but also ones that are for the more hardcore Spidey fans. You play as an experienced Spiderman, but you still learn new abilities, gain new gadgets, and show off awesome suits from the comic books.
The story does a good job of balancing the light-heartiness of the character with more emotional/serious moments. And perhaps what is done best in this regard is experiencing the dual identity of Peter Parker and Spiderman. See how he struggles to maintain both lives. It’s seen the best with his interactions with Mary Jane. The performances, writing, and chemistry with these two are some of the best I’ve ever seen in a video game.
The other big highlight of the game is the open-world of New York. It feels great to explore every inch, interact with the people, stopping crimes, just having a blast. The traversal system of web swinging is perfect. It feels so satisfying and enjoyable, you truly feel like Spiderman. I spent countless hours just swinging around the city, having the time of my life. And combat is great, offering a variety of styles to defeat bad guys, making you feel like a spider. And the quips are the best.
Plus, this game has the best photo mode. It incorporates the comic book side, with stickers, word boxes, to make your own comic book out of the standard photos you can take.
Truly a labour of love for all Spiderman fans, from the comics, to the movies, and shows.
2. Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb
I’ll never forget Christmas 2003, when my older sister got this game.
I love Indiana Jones, and its influence is clearly seen in original video game IPs of Tomb Raider and Uncharted.
This game captures the spirit and everything great about the character and the franchise. From the look and feel of the character, the atmosphere, hand to hand combat, gunplay, the whip; it was as if Steven Spielberg and George Lucas made this by themselves. Plus, the music is perfect, captures the setting and tone very well, again, like John Williams did it.
The story overall feels like it belongs to the IP. Indiana has to find the Heart of the Dragon, a black pearl capable of magical abilities. He travels through the jungles of Sri Lanka, an abandoned castle in Prague, a Nazi submarine base, an underwater city in Turkey, a hidden fortress high in the mountains of China, all to find a mythical object that helps navigate the tomb of China’s first emperor, and retrieve the artifact.
Battling Nazis and a Chinese criminal organization, the games captures the adventure feel of the original films, but with more mystical elements, like visiting the netherworld, or fighting undead enemies, and a legendary kraken.
The story is so much fun from start to finish, with a variety of set pieces to keep you invested. Plus, finding hidden treasures throughout the levels that Tomb Raider and Uncharted would copy. While fighting the Nazis makes sense, given the Asian setting, they feel out of place, and eventually they’re just dropped from the story inexplicably.
Being over 20 years old, there are some problems with the game. The camera and controls can be frustrating at times, leading to your death, and without any checkpoints, you have to restart. Graphically some far away areas don’t look good, and some boss battles can go on for quite some time or feel a little over powered.
But you want the Indiana Jones experience for yourself? This is absolutely the game for that.
1. Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2005)
Released as Episode 3 was wrapping the end of the Star Wars Saga, the original Battlefront 2 took a different approach from other Star Wars games.
You’re not a powerful force user with a lightsaber. You’re a regular solider in the clone army. This made it more grounded and emotional. The story is a mixture of following the events of Episodes 3, 4, and 5, but also adding in elements we hadn’t seen between those movies. You fight across familiar planets from those movies, and the scale makes it feel like you’re just one small part of a larger picture.
Told using an unnamed clone trooper reminiscing about his time fighting for the Galactic Republic, and eventually the Empire, it has some simple, but amazing writing and dialogue, the delivery of which is masterfully done, the best of which is playing through the destruction of the Jedi temple. For following movies, it actually feels like there’s heart and some originality in there.
Of course, the major selling point of Battlefront 2 is the multiplayer and galactic conquest, all with 64 bots on the map.
In multiplayer, you can play as any of the 4 factions from the two trilogies, fighting in in those locations from the film. Really helps tie everything together. Different classes and abilities keep gameplay interesting. Vehicles add to the scope and scale. Eventually you can play as various Sith and Jedi, who are so overpowered, but delivery on that power fantasy.
Galactic conquest is like Risk. It uses the galaxy as a board, pitting two players (or an A.I. bot) to conquer the galaxy. You can actually make your own stories in your head with the moves and battles you undertake. Adding space combat, and the ability to land inside the enemy’s ship is brilliant and endlessly replay able. I’ll never forget these moments playing with my friends.
It’s almost 20 years old, and it does it in certain areas, but it rarely hinders my enjoyment or immersion. This game oozes love, care, and respect for the Star Wars franchise, and has yet to be surpassed.
So those are my favourite video game based off other IPs. What are your favourite IPs that jumped into the digital, pixel world of gaming? Or what are some really bad ones? Share below!
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