Destroy All Humans!: This is the kind of game that lives or dies off its main character, since he's off destroying humans (us, of course) we have to at least like/relate to him on some level, and thankfully this game makes this character a treat to watch and play as, making the
"destroy all humans" aspect of the game seem both fun and intriguing at the same time. Though our main character Crypto has various clones throughout the game (every time you die, a new clone number appears), his personality stays the same, he's extremely funny because of his constant obsession with everything from anal probing to eating brains to flinging cars at helpless bystanders, he absolutely revels in the destruction of mankind and it makes him a great anti-hero to follow. The humans are the
"bad guys" in the game, but it's obvious that the aliens are since they are invading our planet and anal probing our citizens left-and-right, but still it's a classic genre trope from all kinds of alien movies (like
E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and a number of classic B-movies; some of which you can actually watch in the game itself, whether you're at the drive-in or if you unlock it after completing the story which is a nice touch).
[Films in common: Mars Attacks!, The Blob (1958) & Men in Black]
Syphon Filter: A classic PlayStation game trilogy in every way. Great action mixed in with some cheesy characters and a clichéd story, what more could you ask for? In all seriousness though, this is one of those game trilogies that I'd love to see adapted simply for its awesome action set-pieces (mainly from the first-two games, the third game is rather forgettable in many regards but still a fun game all the same). For example, there's a memorable train-station sequence that transpires in the first game that would make for a phenomenal opening 20-30 minute action sequence (to spoil it for the ones who haven't played it: the train basically gets blown away in an attempt to eliminate our main hero, Gabriel Logan, and the game sets up some neat escape mechanics, involving climbing onto metal bars and evading massive fires while enemies are set ablaze, some of which hilariously chase after you before falling to their death). There's not much of a story here, it's simply a "stop the bad guy because they're going to blow stuff up if we don't" kind of story, but it gets the job done, and the action is fast and exciting (the boss fights are excellent too, my favourite involving a guy with a flame-thrower). Plus I really wanna see that taser (above) utilized in live-action form, I think it'd make for great cinema (especially if used to take out the final boss, which I don't think you can do in the actual game).
[Films in common: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Die Hard with a Vengeance & True Lies]
Psychonauts: Tim Burton, why are you rebooting classics (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland) when you could be making an incredible film adaptation of this classic gem of a video-game? It's an unfortunate downward spiral that Burton has been on recently, but sparks of his imagination still shine even in some of his most dullest movies as of late. Thankfully, when it comes to his animated films, he certainly hasn't lost his charm, Corpse Bride and Frankweenie are top-notch films with stunning usage of stop-motion animation. An adaptation of this funny, extremely bizarre game would be right up his alley and could benefit greatly from a stop-motion animation treatment. An adaptation of this video-game could very well become an instant classic (especially with the majority of these animated films nowadays becoming box-office behemoths).
[Films in common: The Night Before Christmas, Monster House & Rango]
Mortal Kombat: Yes, we are now entering a "reboot the previous adaptation" type of territory. The original two Mortal Kombat films have slowly begun to lose their charm (though they never really had much charm in the first place, at least nostalgia was on their side) and now it is time for a much deserved reawakening. There's lots of potential for an R-rated adaptation based off a video-game because they already have a core fan-base set, they just need to get the fight scenes right. A couple of actors I can immediately imagine in this type of adaptation are: Michael Jai White (who was Jax in the web-series), Frank Grillo, Scott Adkins, Iko Uwais (who must be cast as Liu Kang), Lee Byung-hun, Ray Park, and so on. Matthew Vaughn could be a great director for this type of film (his new film Kingsman sounds like a lot of fun), but the director of The Raid series, Gareth Evans, should easily be a top contender because of the way he crafts exhilarating action sequences.
[Films in common: The Raid 2, Enter the Dragon & Warrior]
The Suffering: A brutal game with great creature effects delivered by the wonderful Stan Winston. Backed by a compelling story, and set in an already haunting environment, a prison, the game centres around Torque, a man who's been sentenced to death after murdering his wife and two children. Though the characters throughout suggest that he may not have done it (Torque never talks in the game, so this is conveyed skillfully through flashbacks, hallucinations, and other inmates/guards conversing who know about his predicament), the choice of whether or not he's innocent is entirely up to the player for it depends on the choices they make throughout (you can choose between three acts: good, neutral or bad). The gameplay is extremely entertaining and the atmosphere, and the creatures alike, make this a creepy, spine-tingling experience that could translate perfectly to the big-screen. Though there have been talks about a film adaptation already, they haven't gone too far. 12 Years a Slave actor Chiwetel Ejiofor was said to be approached for the role of Torque in the film adaptation and I think he'd be an excellent choice, he's extremely likeable and could easily pull off a role without dialogue through his facial expressions and physical movements (some of which would involve him turning into a gigantic monster, as seen above). If I was to pick a director, I'd go with Neil Marshall, who gave us a ton of fantastic Game of Thrones episodes and delivered one of the most terrifying films of all-time, The Descent. Neil Marshall or Frank Darabont, of The Walking Dead and The Shawshank Redemption, would be excellent choices.
[Films in common: The Thing, Aliens & The Descent]
Metal Gear Solid: This has been talked about for quite sometime now, and rightfully so, the video game itself is very cinematic, being influenced by Hitchcock's way of storytelling while referencing various other film franchises in the process (mainly Connery's 007 films). The games are not only action-packed to the teeth, but they're also loaded with compelling characters and nail-biting storylines that leave you hang on the edge of your seat in total suspense. The last game I played, Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots, sold me completely on this franchise being a gold-mine when it comes to film adaptations, not just at the box-office, I think critics and audiences would love the films if they were made competently enough by an established action filmmaker backed by an A-list actor who can go with the punches. For this adaptation, I'd love to see the role of Solid Snake go to Christian Bale or Joel Edgerton, for the director, I'd say they should (without a doubt in the world) go for Christopher Nolan, who has already expressed interest in the Bond franchise in many interviews, so I think that this could be his dream come true as opposed to directing a character who's already had dozens of film adaptations thus far.
[Films in common: Escape from New York, Goldfinger & The Terminator]
Spyro the Dragon: Something I'm surprised about is how few CG-animated video-game adaptations have been made (Final Fantasy and Resident Evil come to mind), it seems like a no-brainer to turn a successful game into an animated blockbuster for audiences to enjoy. With a Ratchet and Clank adaptation coming soon, I figured this would be a perfect candidate for an adaptation: Spyro the Dragon. Previously, I've only played one game with this character, Year of the Dragon, but I absolutely loved it thanks to the interesting environments and colourful characters that made me immediately imagine how great of a film series this could become if done with enough heart and soul. Pixar or Dreamworks, make it happen.
[Films in common: How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek & Kung-Fu Panda]
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy: Another underrated gem available on the PS2 and Xbox, this was like Star Wars: The Force Unleashed before that game even arrived and it is far superior to that game in every conceivable way. Loaded with jaw-dropping action sequences, this would be a sci-fi/action film for the ages. The game utilizes telekinesis abilities extremely well and the powers gained throughout the experience are all fun to use. There's not much to the story, it's basically about a main character who has lost his memory and slowly gains it back with the regrowth of his telekinetic abilities. By the end of the game, our main character (Nick Scryer) remembers his past completely, but then we're treated to the classic "to be continued" screen. So memory loss guy must fight an army of telekinetic soldiers and their crazy General in-order to survive, and that's basically it.
[Films in common: Scanners, Dredd & The Dead Zone]
Resident Evil 4: Forget about these recent "Resident Evil" films, they're garbage that have virtually nothing to do with the video-games. This game, Resident Evil 4, was an instant classic, and it deserves an adaptation to restore the Resident Evil name (after being dragged in the mud by Paul W. S. Anderson). If anything, these universally-panned films have proven time-and-time again that R-rated video-game adaptations can make some serious bank at the box-office, it's just a shame that they don't put it to good use by taking advantage of the games plot, suspense and other elements that make it special. The atmosphere in this game alone is more effective than a single thing in these past FIVE (soon to be SIX!) "Resident Evil" films, which is why I whole-heartedly think that it deserves a big-screen adaptation. Paul W(orthless). S(#!#). Anderson, your time is done. Now it's time for a real Resident Evil movie. Hopefully the studios feel the same way too.
[Films in common: Dawn of the Dead (1978), The Fog (1980) & The Wicker Man (1973)]