Two Idle Thumbs Up - At the (Video Game) Movies

[Bjorn]

Don't think we have a thread for video game movie stuff, and it's different enough to not get lumped into the big movie/TV thread.
 
So that Heavenly Sword movie is not only still a thing, but it has a release date and everything.  I really liked Heavenly Sword and will probably rent this with super low expectations.  It appears to just be a retelling of the games story, nothing new. It's a shame that game didn't do better.  I, by and large, like everything Ninja Theory has done.  It's just a shame their original IP work hasn't had wider success.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oovoY1mG_Z4

[Ben X]

Best video game adaptation? I say Silent Hill. It's a shame the studio crowbarred Sean Bean's entire character and plot line in, but otherwise it's very effective.

 

I thought Resi Evils 1 and 2 were pretty dire but 3 and 4 (and whichever was the first 3D one) were solid.

 

EDIT: there's a good thread here (except for Horticulture "I don't know how much the rest of you know about film-making (I'm an expert)" Tycoon's contributions) that goes into general video game adap' talk. I still like my Half Life idea. I also like how young me is super-peppy until no one plays my game. 

[N1njaSquirrel]

I don't know much about Heavenly Sword apart from the main heroine is modeled on the CEO's wife. Also that early Dante in DMC is modeled after him.

 

 

I couldn't stand DMC. The combat was solid, but I couldn't stand literally everything else. It was like a committee of dads who knew what was 'cool' and 'hip' and it was fucking shit.

 

I also like how young me is super-peppy until no one plays my game. 

 

Hey man, I played your games. All two of them. Granted only after I'd met you in a pub in London and I had a super awkward conversation with you on how I own your games, just haven't played them. You then dejectedly said 'yeah... you're not the first'.

 

The match three puzzle/joke is still hilarious to me. Every time i see some fool playing Candy Crush Saga on the train I think of that and internally chuckle.

[Bjorn]

I did not know that both Nariko and Dante got modeled after the owner and his wife.  That's weird.  I've only played a bit of DmC, but watched my kid play a bunch of it.  I'm not into the DmC games at all, but it looked fun and well made if you're into those kinds of things. 

 

 

 I also like how young me is super-peppy until no one plays my game. 

 

Hey, I also bought and played your games!  And not even on a Steam sale, bought them direct back before they were on Steam.  At least the Ben and Dan games, as I think Justin McElroy had a huge crush on them back when the came out and pimped the hell out of them on the Joystiq Podcast (or someone on the podcast did, if not him).  I also quite enjoyed them.  They were the first games of the resurgence of the adventure game genre that I played. 

[tegan]

The best video game movie/only good video game movie remains the surprisingly awesome and startlingly true to the source material Ace Attorney movie.

 

[Ben X]

Ha ha, thanks you two, but I meant the 'game' of picking a video game and saying how we'd adapt it that I tried to get going in that thread!

 

N1nja, I think I remember that! I don't think I meant to sound dejected, I think I meant that loads of people these days buy games and then don't play them for ages or ever.

[syntheticgerbil]

Don't think we have a thread for video game movie stuff, and it's different enough to not get lumped into the big movie/TV thread.

 

So that Heavenly Sword movie is not only still a thing, but it has a release date and everything.  I really liked Heavenly Sword and will probably rent this with super low expectations.  It appears to just be a retelling of the games story, nothing new. It's a shame that game didn't do better.  I, by and large, like everything Ninja Theory has done.  It's just a shame their original IP work hasn't had wider success.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oovoY1mG_Z4

 

It's bizarre because the company doing that movie put Heavenly Sword on hold (since it was originally a fan movie) and then moved towards production of the Ratchet and Clank and Sly Cooper movies. I don't actually think they will ever release anything. Why so many at once?

 

Also I really liked the Prince of Persia movie, it was a lot of fun and looked very rich and dynamic despite Jake Gyllenhaal, because I hate looking at his god damn face. No one else did it seems.

[N1njaSquirrel]

Ha ha, thanks you two, but I meant the 'game' of picking a video game and saying how we'd adapt it that I tried to get going in that thread!

 

N1nja, I think I remember that! I don't think I meant to sound dejected, I think I meant that loads of people these days buy games and then don't play them for ages or ever.

 

Oh right! I see... I blame Bjorn, he didn't play along with my Ace Attourney thing either. He's a party pooper. He poops at parties.

 

It must have been a couple of years ago now, at an indie game dev social, maybe set up by RPS? I can't remember the specifics. I remember that we had a long conversation about exactly that. It was probably the most memorable moment of the night, probably because I was kinda starstruck that I'd met a guy who's actually made a game I know and own, and then make a darn fool outta myself.

 

Anyways, it's a small world eh?

[Merus]

The best video game movie is Wreck-It Ralph, followed by Scott Pilgrim. Ace Attorney is good mostly because it realises it is not good, so it is a solid B-movie affair.

 

Although actually I think you could do a solid Shadow of the Colossus movie if you did it as a Western, with flashbacks. The screenwriter who was doing it is not the screenwriter who should have done it, though.

 

It will be interesting to see how the Warcraft movie turns out, although I strongly suspect it'll be pretty poor.

[Spenny]

This was pointed out by a reader of Video Games Hot Dog, but the Adventure Time episode Dungeon Train is a piece of media about video games without being explicitly about video games. Super cool.

[Bjorn]

Oh right! I see... I blame Bjorn, he didn't play along with my Ace Attourney thing either. He's a party pooper. He poops at parties.

 

Hey now, you misunderstood him before I did!  I also didn't read that entire thread, scanned the first page.  Ben's increasing attempt to keep his idea on track in the face is adversity is commendable.  We could always try to reboot the game in this thread, sans party poopers.  I will try to not poop at this party!

 

I brainlocked on your Ace Attorney cross examination of my time travel claim.  I couldn't think of anything clever enough to respond to it when I saw it.  I am terrible and did poop that party thoroughly.  I still can't think of a clever way to respond to it. 

 

The best video game movie is Wreck-It Ralph, followed by Scott Pilgrim. Ace Attorney is good mostly because it realises it is not good, so it is a solid B-movie affair.

 

And I would put Tron on that list, dated as it is, I like it and it's a super fun movie still.  So three of those examples are video game movies that weren't based on an existing video game, just drawing inspiration from games.  None of them are coming from particularly cinematic inspirations either.  I think about the games that might make good movies, and I immediately go to the most cinematic games first.  But those are already movies in many ways, just with interactive bits between the movie bits.

 

So if I was going to make a video game movie, I'd look towards the best non-cinematic arcade games.  Look for games that have powerful emergent narratives, and then just explore one of those. 

 

I think you could probably do a Groundhog Day style looping experience that draws on the repeat play nature of an arcade game and come out with a great movie.  Take Spelunky.  Start with an explorer/scientist type who is going into this cave for the "purest" reasons, to find new knowledge and bring it into the world.  But tempted by treasure he discovers, he violates his own ethics and morals.  Sacrificing maidens.  Killing rare, never before seen animals.  Hoarding gold for the sake of hoarding.  It's like the reverse arc of Groundhog Day.  His greed kills him, and he awakens tangled in repeating loop, dying again and again, unable to escape the cave.  The movie becomes increasingly surreal as he discovers the magic of the alters and aliens, causing him to question whether this is all a final dream state as he lays dying.  Ultimately he reaches Hell, and becomes increasingly convinced he is trapped in his own personal Hell, reliving his ethical fall from grace day after day (similar to Judgement Night, a classic Twilight Zone ep).  Is it a dream, hell or something else?  I...have no idea how I would end it. 

[SecretAsianMan]

I think you could probably do a Groundhog Day style looping experience that draws on the repeat play nature of an arcade game and come out with a great movie.  Take Spelunky.  Start with an explorer/scientist type who is going into this cave for the "purest" reasons, to find new knowledge and bring it into the world.  But tempted by treasure he discovers, he violates his own ethics and morals.  Sacrificing maidens.  Killing rare, never before seen animals.  Hoarding gold for the sake of hoarding.  It's like the reverse arc of Groundhog Day.  His greed kills him, and he awakens tangled in repeating loop, dying again and again, unable to escape the cave.  The movie becomes increasingly surreal as he discovers the magic of the alters and aliens, causing him to question whether this is all a final dream state as he lays dying.  Ultimately he reaches Hell, and becomes increasingly convinced he is trapped in his own personal Hell, reliving his ethical fall from grace day after day (similar to Judgement Night, a classic Twilight Zone ep).  Is it a dream, hell or something else?  I...have no idea how I would end it. 

 

It would never end.  There is no end.  Only more Spelunky.  At least until Spelunky 2: Yama's Revenge.

[SuperBiasedMan]

The explorer finds his old buddy Yang that lead him to the site in the first place. Yang congratulates the explorer, they shoot out of the volcano on their pile of treasure and the two of them are carried away in the parade into the sunset. The screen fades to black, and then a torch is illuminated. The explorer wakes up at the entrance yet again. The archway is adorned with valuable just enters, saying the only word he speaks in the whole movie "More..."

[Ozzie]

Perfect.

Somebody write a screenplay of it!

[N1njaSquirrel]

Hey now, you misunderstood him before I did!  I also didn't read that entire thread, scanned the first page.  

 

Hey at least you read the first page. That's better than what I did! I can see a recurring theme here with my interactions with Ben  

 

 

I brainlocked on your Ace Attorney cross examination of my time travel claim.  I couldn't think of anything clever enough to respond to it when I saw it.  I am terrible and did poop that party thoroughly.  I still can't think of a clever way to respond to it. 

 

Fair enough! Lol. I wouldn't have known how to reply either, I was just inspired to do something like that after seeing this.

 

If I were to turn a game into a film, it'd probably be Team Fortress 2.

 

The comics are already pretty great at spinning a tale of endless, pointless war between two brothers (and later a third one) over land that's worthless, using a dwindling fortune that'll be gone by the end of the war. The film could do a good job at highlighting the futility of war, draw some political parallels as well as keep it light hearted enough. The 9 mercenaries are also really nicely fleshed out characters too. I'd probably even say do the whole film in steamworks too. Live action would be weird.

[SuperBiasedMan]

If I were to turn a game into a film, it'd probably be Team Fortress 2.

 

The comics are already pretty great at spinning a tale of endless, pointless war between two brothers (and later a third one) over land that's worthless, using a dwindling fortune that'll be gone by the end of the war. The film could do a good job at highlighting the futility of war, draw some political parallels as well as keep it light hearted enough. The 9 mercenaries are also really nicely fleshed out characters too. I'd probably even say do the whole film in steamworks too. Live action would be weird.

 

Valve were talking about doing one but decided instead to make a 15 minute short, called

It was funny and the right spirit and all.

A little disappointingly the main plot was

A date movie kind of thing

but I still liked it a lot and I agree it's one of the better diversions into film a game has done.

[Bjorn]

It seems inevitable that Valve will make a TF2 at some point now (if anything is inevitable at Valve).  They've made a documentary, and their TF2 videos have been among the best video content ever made from games.

[SuperBiasedMan]

I don't know about totally inevitable just because a feature length animated production is a whole magnitude more work, not simply the equivalent of making a bunch of shorts. And they have publicly said there were plans but they decided against it. Of course that doesn't mean they never will, and it IS Valve.

 

 

...wait wasn't there some deal where JJ Abrams was going to direct a Portal and maybe Half Life film?

[tegan]

I want a Guillermo Del Toro Metroid film.

[SecretAsianMan]

I would actually prefer they not make a feature length thing.  I like the TF2 shorts as shorts.  Weird little slices of that universe that are long enough for their purpose without becoming tiresome.  I think a movie would wreck that, at least for me.

 

 

I want a Guillermo Del Toro Metroid film.

 

That would be rad.

[SuperBiasedMan]

I want a Guillermo Del Toro Metroid film.

 

Damnit now I do too. But Nintendo will probably never allow it, which is crazy!

It's not like they once tried to get a film made of a popular mascot that failed in their eyes in every conceivable way.

[Merus]

I can't imagine Del Toro will get the money for a Metroid film, so that's out.

[Ben X]

Ha ha, only 5 short years later, my attempts at a forum thought exercise are coming to fruition!

Anyways, it's a small world eh?

Especially as we both live in Cambridge!

[kaputt]

I think the only good adaptation I saw was Silent Hill.

 

There seems to be a bunch of projects of video game adaptations right now, but any of them seems to be ever released. The Shadow of the Colossus movie, for example. At least it worked to create probably the best moment of the Idle Thumbs Podcast.

 

 

I couldn't stand DMC. The combat was solid, but I couldn't stand literally everything else. It was like a committee of dads who knew what was 'cool' and 'hip' and it was fucking shit.

 

To be honest, I think that's the whole problem with the Devil May Cry series. Dante is such a bad character, he was always so freaking stupid trying to look cool. This series was such a disappointment for me, couldn't stand the guy. 

[N1njaSquirrel]

Especially as we both live in Cambridge!

 

O_o Next you're going to tell me we work in the same office.

 

 

I can't imagine Del Toro will get the money for a Metroid film, so that's out.

 

Controversial statement: Pan's Labyrinth. Wasn't a fan. Hellboy 2. Wasn't a fan. I don't think I'm a fan of Del Toro, if my track record of his films watched to liked ratio is true.

 

New film idea: Rockband: The Movie.

 

Directed by Rob Reiner, this is the tale of 5 best buds who start a band, and only perform hits from other known bands, yet still aquire fame and fortune, because they play the songs so darn well. Tension rises when the keytarist is not playing in half their songs on the setlist. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S NO KEYBOARD PART IN DON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN?" shouts the keytarist, before cutting to a live performance of said song where nobody's playing anything and just standing there for 2 minuets before the drums kick in again. Cut to the keytarist shooting evils at his band mates. The keytarist quits, and it doesn't affect the band at all. He comes back later though when there's more Keytar DLC released.

 

Another ongoing storyline in the movie is the raging war between "The Rock Banders" and "The Guitar Heroes" - Whilst the Rock Banders are less popular, they have an underdog vibe and therefore everyone loves them. The Guitar Heroes start off as a brilliant acoustic duo, before changing managers and 'selling out', by increasing the band size to accommodate 2 other people they are forced to play with by their managers. Their popularity rises, but as their album releases increase, their songs become needlessly complicated. Their merchandise becomes so large that they start saturating the market. The Guitar Heroes' licensed slippers & Jammies set are sold for $3, with a 90% discount. Their live shows become even worse due to a group fall-out, and they can't decide which instrument they want to play any more. In their last stage show, they got booed off the stage as 3 drummers and one Bassist try to play 'Knights of Cydonia'. Fuelled by debt and depression, the original guitar heroes duo commit suicide, and the other two members fade into obscurity. Meanwhile the Rock Banders are staying steady and true. They keep a level head, and are remembered in the annuls of history. Their fame and fortune also gave them the opportunity to buy themselves out of a contract with a big record label and go independent. 

 

The popularity of the film also generates a stage musical, and then a stage musical Album and tour, which then comes round full circle as 'Rock Band: The Album of the Musical from the Film' is the first announced DLC for Rockband 4.