One thing that both movies and video games provide is an experience for the audience. A chance to escape into a different life, if even for a brief time, and experience a new world. While the two mediums have crossed over many times, it has been often met with mixed results. Here are some of the better stories we would like to see jump from the silver screen to the gaming world.

5. The Butterfly Effect

Admittedly this is a bit of a cheat. It isn’t a linear narrative starring characters from the films that I want to see, but the implementation of time travel mechanics wherein all choices you make in the past, present or future have direct influences on your surroundings. Having said that, putting a beat-down on creepy Eric Stoltz is a must.

4. You’re Next

You’re Next was not a popular film, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad film. Most viewers missed out on the tongue-in-cheek humour and its critique of the home invasion genre. A video game version of this film would be like a combination of The Sims and Manhunt. Imagine being able to choose to play the home owners trying to survive the onslaught or the invaders themselves. Added perk: completing objectives to unlock new masks.

3. The Last Samurai

I’ve always been partial to games with an historical basis, but there’s also a special place in my heart for a decent FPS. That being said I think the 2003 Tom Cruise flick would lend itself well to a hybrid of both genres. The story is undeniably epic. You play an American soldier hired to fight and train the Imperial Japanese Army (a result of a westernized Japan) only to be captured and shown the error of your ways. Since watching this film in 2003 I’ve always envisioned it as being an excellent early 19^th century Japanese Battlefield.

2. Predators

There have been plenty of Predator games in the past and I want to forget them all. Lackluster gameplay mixed with mediocre graphics always left me with the feeling that I just threw my money directly into the garbage. I love all 3 movies. I also refuse to acknowledge anything AvP other than the comics. When I saw Predators in 2007 I thought it was an okay film, but more than anything I wanted to take on the role of one of those characters in a game set on that hunting ground of a planet. I’ve seen articles online that claim that the early script for Predators was actually an attempt at a film version of Left 4 Dead (still waiting on that one) and it’s pretty blatant. The premise of a bizarre group of people from extremely different walks of life having to band together and fight a common enemy has Left 4 Dead written all over it. All that had to be done was the change from zombies to the classic Predator model. This would be an amazing tactical survival horror exploration game. A new environment with hidden traps where the protagonists have to fight off alien species specifically brought to the planet for the Predators to hunt. I don’t even need the character models to be the same as the film, although having Danny Trejo hack his way through the game would be pretty fantastic.

1. Escape from New York

This game almost happened. The demo footage can easily be found on YouTube. Snake Plissken is arguably the best sci-fi action hero of all time. His look and cheesy dialogue have been peppered throughout popular culture since the film dropped in ’81. I feel that I shouldn’t have to go into any deep plot synopsis for this film, but just in case here’s a quick refresher. In the future Manhattan Island has become a prison for the worst of criminals. While passing overhead, Air Force One is highjacked and the President escapes in a pod that crashes into one of Manhattan’s skyscrapers. The military brings in the only man they feel can rescue him, former Special Ops soldier turned public enemy no. 1 Snake Plissken. Imagine GTA without the police. This game is begging to be made. The early demo footage shows what is basically a Metal Gear Sold 2 clone (Solid Snake being heavily based on Plissken), but I personally believe the studio was taking it in the wrong direction. The main issue that could come from a GTA style EfNY game would be the lack of immediacy to progress through the story, thus this is the only occasion that I would favor a time limit. 22 hours, just like in the movie. While it may seem like a short time for the particular style of game you could easily add more to it with the addition of free roam as well as co-op and online options.

~~Ben Mason~~