Taking the Plunge: Leveling Up to the Silver Screen

Whether they’ve cleaned up at the box office or crashed and burned into the side of the building, video game adaptations are here to stay. What makes or breaks these adaptations?

Doom. Angry Birds, Super Mario Bros. …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtMZKYnLg5c

It’s likely you just cringed a bit…and it’s no wonder. Video game movies often get a bad rep. While the inspiration for movies and TV shows come from books at a steady pace, video game adaptations are, well…a different animal altogether. While you can have some more “faithful” versions, like Warcraft, most of the time gamers will shy away from any mention of a video game getting picked up by the non-interactive screen. Why are we so protective over our video games?

If you google most of the more well-known video game movies, you’ll come up with a relatively low bar in terms of ratings. Quite often ranging from a low 5/10 to barely stretching towards a 7/10, video games adaptations are often not rated well. Is this because video games do not easily translate well to a restricted time setting? Do we inherently expect more from video game movies than we do of book adaptations? Are video game enthusiasts just more vocal than avid book-lovers about their adaptation woes? Do the non-gamers just not take as readily to our stories?

It’s been 17 years since the original *Tomb Raider* films, are you ready for the new one next year?

There are countless potential questions to ask oneself about gaming movies when there has yet to be a truly breakaway success. Sure, titles like Resident Evil have made for a horse-beating franchise, but is that what governs success? It would seem to me that part of the problem with a poorer reception of video game adaptations is anticipation, and subsequently, delivery. Clearly, there’s something about these stories that television and movie producers think will yet turn a profit. With a Tomb Raider reboot on the way, alongside a The Witcher TV series in the works from Netflix, it’s hard to believe that producers are just trying to capitalize on gamer’s desires to see their games on the big screen.

Many of the video game adaptations we see made into movies are action or horror narratives. Silent Hill, Assassin’s Creed, Hitman, Prince of Persia, etc. While it may seem like the big explosion or horrific titles would garner the best reaction from audiences. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. It’s not to say that these games don’t possess the storylines to carry forward to the big screen, but perhaps it’s because their narratives are actually too big for films.

Picture this, you’ve spent 35+ hours dedicated to piecing together a video game’s storyline. Through blood, sweat, and controller-throwing tears, you’ve been an active agent in the narrative. When translated to the big screen, anticipation for this kind of experience runs too high to actually be met by any director. While some may argue that books suffer the same fate, I would suggest that while in terms of stories that are too large to be told properly on screen is true, the fact remains that there’s just something that’s missing when you’ve effectively “lived” through a game and come to see it flat on a film screen. Excited gamers often leave theaters upset that the film did not deliver the same experience in a 1.5hr timeframe that they had previously experienced in five times that at home.

Are creepy nurses as creepy when you see them on the big screen? Or more so when you have to navigate through them yourself?

Another problem often felt by video game adaptations over their literary counterparts, is that video game movies are often not judged as their own interpretation of the original storyline inspiration, but are rather criticized for their narrative liberties. Silent Hill butchered the video game’s storyline when it came to the big screen. Melding narrative elements from the first three games, and completely changing established elements in order to fit the silver screen’s demands, it was not well received by series fans.

While on its own it was not the best horror movie of the year, however, it was better than many other horror movies which were better received. The first Resident Evil was saved this critical fate either. If taken on their own without associating them to their original media sources, would they have taken less of a hit by critics? Conversely, like in Warcraft, some video game movies are criticized for assuming the audience knows too much about the video game and neglects to explain things for those who entered the theater unwittingly.

Whether writers/directors are too faithful to the original narrative, or not faithful enough, it seems as though video game adaptations just can’t catch a break. There’s some sort of je ne sais quoi that video games seem to possess that just can’t quite translate to the big screen, even when they seem as though they should. Perhaps, in the end, the timeframe is all that’s holding back adaptations from their true glory. We passionately play through our narratives for hours on end, is it any wonder that the intricacies of these stories don’t translate well to a shorter and non-interactive media?

Does *The Witcher* have what it takes to break the “bad video game live action” stereotype?

As The Witcher is due to be released as a series on Netflix, perhaps this will change. While many have tried to reproduce games on the big screen, fewer still have attempted live-action small screen productions. If The Witcher succeeds as a TV show, I would suspect we will see many other attempts at small screen adaptations take place. But perhaps that’s a good thing? More time to develop a narrative, and the ability to show the nuances of a game’s environment. Rather than running their heads into the same wall and hoping for different results, this time, things might actually be different.

I’m a glutton for video game movies myself, good or bad. While I don’t think many of the adaptations have been the best movies ever, I do think that they’re often not given as much credit as they deserve. I would love to see more movies cast on the big screen to see the worlds in new ways, not only to see what I already know shown in a new way. Much like what Marvel did for superhero movies, perhaps we just need someone to do it right for once, and maybe The Witcher will do just that.

If not, I’m holding out hope for a great BioShock or Mass Effect trilogy.

What do you think about video games on the live-action screen? Love them or hate them, we want to know! Join us on Discord, on our Facebook page, or Twitter and tell us your opinion.

Resident Evil Moves Forward by Going Back to Basics

Returning to its roots, Resident Evil has reclaimed its rightful place among the top horror games with Biohazard.

Resident Evil has been a longstanding household name in video game horror. After the introduction of the first title in 1996, the series has had a continual presence within the genre. While Resident Evil was there at the beginning, not all of their moves have been historically well received.

When Resident Evil 6 was released in 2012, it moved the series away from a more traditional survival horror genre and into the action-adventure territory. As third person shooter, RE6 had players battling from an entirely new perspective. Players and critics alike met the game with mixed reviews and divided opinions on the game’s shift from the series’ tone and gameplay style. Capcom themselves labeled the title as a “dramatic horror” rather than “survival horror”, and while it was a commercial success, RE6 left many players wanting.

resident evil 6 screenshot — Resident Evil 6 Gameplay

After listening to player responses to RE6, Capcom rethought the gameplay, environment, and the immersion experience, help to bring Biohazard away from its predecessor’s pitfalls and into a new world for Resident Evil games. Enter Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, a true return to form. Capcom has taken great lengths to bring the series to its survival horror roots in this RE6 sequel, and it shows in the reviews. The hero of RE7 is not some well armed super soldier, he is a regular guy trapped in a terrifying situation. RE7 is brilliantly designed to balance atmospheric tension and jump scares with compelling storytelling. That terror is ever present in this game; in every room, down every hallway, around every tight corner. Yet, despite that, the story coaxes players through the games plantation labyrinth.

Much like the original title, RE7 not only returns players to the survival horror style of the series but also helps to shake up horror gaming more broadly, urging gamers to think on their feet and under pressure, in order to survive. Unlike past RE games and other survival horror titles, Biohazard gives players very little room to stop and smell the roses. The game’s puzzles are designed so that they require keen observation of the world around you, all while being chased around by murderous baddies, of course. While exploring the eerie and decrepit Baker house, you must think while you act, making decisions on the fly which often seem counter to your instinctual reaction.

Players are encouraged to think for themselves, there are no easy answers or special abilities to hack your way through. Even when you are given a gun you may realize that even though you may have bullets left, sometimes no amount of shooting will help you. In RE7, sometimes the only solution there is, is to run. Stacking the odds against the player makes everything more tense. The everyday kind of protagonist leaves you feeling vulnerable while the games grimy environments and uneasy atmosphere make you feel uncomfortable. It is all tied together to create a terrifying immersive experience.

resident evil 7 screenshot — The encounters in Resident Evil 7 are smaller and more intimate, but that only makes it more terrifying.

The harrowing ambiance in Biohazard is only intensified if you play using VR, exclusively for PlayStation VR (at least for the first year). Even without the VR component, the quick thinking and camera action required by players can leave sensitive stomachs reaching for the pause button. With the addition of VR, the Biohazard installment helps to bring players truly into fear-inducing situations. Tensions already run high when playing RE7, making it difficult to solve its puzzles under pressure; however, with VR, players are one step closer to actually experiencing those situations and brings the term immersive gameplay to a whole new level.

With well-developed storylines, ambiance, puzzles, graphics, and new tech integration, Capcom has gone well beyond the needs of a successful sequel in Biohazard. Hopefully, RE7 will not only help to shape future Resident Evil games, but also pave the way for further immersive VR use outside of the series.

Do you think Capcom has saved Resident Evil’s future? Jump in the comments below or talk to us on Facebook, Twitter, or on our forums!