GameTopius - The Geeks Paradise.

Licensed games are nothing new, in fact they've been around almost as long as games themselves.  While maybe recently they haven't been anything to really rave about, that hasn't always been true.  In fact, some of my fondest memories of gaming have involved games based on existing movie-franchises, and there was a time when I looked forward to games based on the hottest Hollywood properties.  Here are my top ten personal favorites, examples of game programmers not only basing a gaming experience on an established title, but taking it to the next level gameplay-wise

#10  Jedi Power Battles - Dreamcast / Playstation

Ask even any casual Star Wars fan what the coolest part of the entire saga is and they'll quickly answer "the Jedi".  Who wouldn't want to be a force-powered knight of all things good and ass-kicking?  Wielding a lightsaber and other-wordly force powers, tripping around the galaxy and laying a righteous beat-down on Sith lords and generic baddies alike?   Jedi Power Battles for the Dreamcast and Playstation is based on Episode 1 of the saga and captures that feeling of Jedi brutality in a 32bit Arcade-inspired brawler.  Choose from a roster of Jedi and rampage through scrolling environments from the movie beating the medichlorians out of droids and soldiers of all shapes and sizes.  With a roster of upgradable powers and combos to discover, what's not to like?

 Yippie kay-yay, motherfuckers!  Another fun brawler based on the early Die Hard trilogy.  Be John McClain or his mysterious unnamed female partner as you beat the crap out of various movie bad-guys.  While the driving game based on Die Hard 3 was pure ass, the remaining beat-em-up games were solid gold.  The gameplay was so good, in fact, that Sega would later re-use the engine for it's game "Dynamite Cop", a favorite of many Dreamcast loyalists.

#8 Spiderman - Xbox / Gamecube / Playstation 2

A great example of going one step beyond the movie, the first Spiderman game lets you tangle webs with comic book villains like the Shocker or Rhino.  While the play-control was sometimes daunting, and the difficulty leaned on the easier side, nobody can deny that stepping into the shoes of your friendly neighborhood Spiderman was a blast and the city itself felt absolutely immense.

#7 Batman - NES

Great tunes, great levels, and a mean difficulty.  I'd like to spotlight this game in particular as an example of just knock-out video-game music, full of great original songs.  There's a reason why most popular video-game cover bands include a Batman inspired track or medley in their repertoire, I particularly recommend the Minibosses or The Advantage if you haven't had the opportunity to rock-out to the sounds of one of the best side-scrolling action platformers from the 8-bit era.  Don't let the license fool you, the challenge this game puts forth has halted many a veteran gamer in their tracks.  It'll take a true Dark Knight to beat this game.

#6 Jurassic Park - Sega Genesis

For it's time Jurassic Park boasted amazing animation for its characters, human and reptile alike.  One of the first examples where you could opt to play the "bad guy" in the form of a Velociraptor player, it also sported one of the meanest difficulties of any movie-licensed offering this gamer has tried to tackle.  While it didn't follow the movie too closely, the platforming action put forth by Jurassic Park was both challenging and innovative for it's day, the gigantic environments and varied arsenal (of Grant, at least) made this title stand out in a genre of Sonic and Mario imitators.  Beware the not-as-good Super Nintendo or Sega CD versions, completely different from the Sega Genesis incarnation.

#5 True Lies - Sega Genesis / Super Nintendo

A true surprise, taking a somewhat goofy comedy-romance-action movie and turning it into a solid top-down action shooter with copious amounts of blood and explosions.  The sound-effects in this game alone are worthy of mention, the snap of the pistol or SMG crackle are some of the best samples from the 16-bit era.  Couple a great selection of sounds with startling amounts of blood (on the Genesis version) and ass-kickin' shooter action and you've got a solid action title worth a spot in any retro collection, as well as a mention in this list.

#4 Aladdin - Sega Genesis

At the risk of sounding like a Sega fanboy, I've got to admit that the Genesis version of the Aladdin licensed games was just plain better than it's Nintendo counterpart.  Apple-chucking, sword-swinging, carpet-riding platformer mayhem set to a faithful recreation of the movies memorable music.  A prime example of when movie games were not only good games and faithful to their source material, but were willing to risk being too challenging for tots for the sake of superior gameplay.  To be honest I wish Disney and Nickolodeon would take a page from their old-school style of game-making and release titles more like their older licensed games.  Aladdin, while a great movie-game, is actually no pushover in the challenge department, testing the platformer mettle of any gamer willing to swallow their "hardcore" pride and take it on.  It takes a big man to admit he got his ass kicked by a game based on a movie with a singing Robin Williams in it.

#3 Aliens vs. Predator - Arcade / PC / Playstation / Atari Jaguar

A stretch, perhaps?  I don't think so, as the source material for both Aliens and Predators were firmly installed before the various games were released.  In fact, by the time the games came out there was already a thriving (and decent, too!) series of comics based on the now dually-filmed rivalry.  It's a shame, and a fact I often lament that the superb arcade-only brawler from Capcom "Aliens vs. Predator" has never seen the light of day on consoles.  While we may be forced to seek it out on MAME, it's a game worth hunting down and emulating as it represents some of the finest side-scroller ass-kicker gameplay ever.  Likewise, the shooters on console and PC are fine examples of the genre, whether it was the surprisingly in-depth Aliens game on the Playstation, the uncommonly-good title on the Jaguar (and one of the prime reasons to track one of those systems down, believe me its worth it) or the sublimely replayable shooter on PC (and its sequel too!).  Some of my fondest memories of first-person shootery involve myself as a runner-alien, stalking other players through various vents and shadows until leaping upon them with an Alien scream and a headbite attack.  It's mainly because of these games that I wait with baited breath for the upcoming Aliens: Colonial Marines title.  If you haven't had a chance to play it's PC forebearers, you owe it to yourself to give the next title a chance.  If its anything like its predecessors you wont be dissappointed.  On a side note, AVOID THE SUPER NINTENDO GAME OF THE SAME NAME AT ALL COSTS.  IT IS TRASH OF THE VILEST VARIETY.

#2 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Arcade / Sega Genesis / Super Nintendo

LEONARDO LEADS, DONATELLO DOES MACHINES.
RAPHAEL IS COOL BUT RUDE.
MICHELANGELO IS A PARTY DUDE!

No really if you aren't familiar with the various incarnations of this brawler you owe it to yourself to hit up Xbox Arcade and purchase this game NOW.  While the comic and cartoon inspired a few NES titles it wasn't until the movie arrived that the games sky-rocketed in quality.  In particular the 16-bit offerings stand the test of time, providing solid multiplayer gaming even by today's standards.  I could spell it out a hundred different ways, but what matters is that TMNT IV: Turtles In Time / Turtles Arcade / Hyperstone Heist are all just.plain.fun.  Dibs on Donatello!

#1 Goldeneye 007 - Nintendo 64

Perhaps this pick isn't a big surprise to any veteran of the early console eras.  My first experience with Goldeneye was at a local toy-store, whom had setup a demo kiosk of the game.  A friend and I who had come to check out the recent release of comic-licensed figures noticed the game running and decided to give it a go for a minute, curious how a shooter might handle on the N64.  It wasn't until we had noticed THREE WHOLE HOURS had passed blasting each other with DD44's and AK's that they really had something good.  Goldeneye on the N64 is a perfect game to movie translation, a game so good at its core that it might have stood on its own legs without the movie tie-in, and yet it capitalized on the established plot of the film by bringing scenes from the flick to life in-game...going one step further by fleshing out plot-points missed in the film or providing alternate levels from other James Bond films.  Any gamer whom has taken on the 007 challenges to unlock the various cheats knows that while the game was accessible and open to all on the surface, serious challenge was buried inside that grey cartridge.  In my circle the mismatch reload glitch was a part of our gaming bible, and an opponent toting an automatic shotgun and RCP-90 was a thing to be feared.  Now if anybody needs me, I'll be glitching my way up into the vents on Facility and leaving a trail of proximity mines all along the way.

Honorable Mentions

Star Wars Trilogy - SNES / Knights of the Old Republic - Xbox / Republic Commando - Xbox

While great games, and definitely Star Wars properties, these games either didn't tie strongly enough into a movie or feature the level of polish needed to make my personal list.  If you're a fan of the series you definitely owe it to yourself to check these titles out, as they each represent pique titles of their respective genres.

Robocop vs. Terminator - Sega Genesis / Super Nintendo

A great game, and an awesome example of what can happen when you take two great franchises and smash them into each other.  Unfortunately the play control and odd difficulty curve kept this one out of my own top ten, but it's still worth mentioning.  Also the Frank Miller comic book that these games draw inspiration from is definitely worth a read.

Stargate - Sega Genesis / Super Nintendo

A fun game, but not top ten worthy.  Oddball controls and a plot that often has nothing to do with the film kept this out of the top ten.  Still, it's a fun game if you're pouring over titles of decades-past.

Judge Dredd - Sega Genesis / Super Nintendo

As above, a decent all around game but mediocre graphics and dodgy controls prevent it from being a real contender.

Shit Tier

Platoon - Nintendo Entertainment System

What the fuck?  Did someone really make a game out of this movie?  Were I looking for a film to translate into a game, I don't think an art house movie about disenfranchised Vietnam soldiers experimenting with substance abuse would top my list.

Radio Flyer - Nintendo Entertainment System

Thank god this never made it to a production cartridge.  That any developer honestly considered basing a game off a film about child-abuse is a goddamn travesty.  Apparently the gameplay centered on collecting parts for the titular escape vehicle, a device the protagonist of the film would employ to escape the nightly abuses of his alcoholic step-father.  The twist here is that the kid would "escape" the broken home scenario not through flying away as he intended, but by careening off a hill and headfirst INTO A TREE TO HIS DEATH is more than just morose or melancholic.  How's that for a GAME OVER?

ET - Atari

I actually own this game, and it haunted me as a child.  You fall down a hole, hope there's a part you need to collect at the bottom, and then wrestle the shittiest play-control known to man as you ascend out of the pit.  If you're really lucky you wont fall back into the hole immediately upon entering the overworld map.  Someday I will suffer a horrible and violent anuerysm and die, blood ejaculating from my nose like a burst sewer main.  Whenever or wherever it happens, I want everyone to know now that this game will be to blame.

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