Movies and video games have always had a somewhat tumultuous relationship. From the famous shortcomings of video game movie adaptations to the even more famous struggle to make good movie versions of games, it’s rare that the two mediums see eye to eye. That’s why it’s so funny that there are some rare examples of games that try to recreate famous movie scenes while putting players in control of the action.
The latest example of this comes from the surprisingly good new Indiana Jones game, which features a playable version of the opening of Raiders of the Lost Arkbut it’s far from the first game to attempt this. Unfortunately, this is a trend that has become less popular in recent years as game developers have realized how difficult it is to pull off. That hasn’t stopped us from putting together a list of some of our favorite examples.
As a notable caveat, here are a few important details. To start, we only considered recreated scenes that are actually playable; they couldn’t just be cutscenes of movie moments. Additionally, we decided to skip entries that are filtered by a different style than the original film. This is too specific a way to single out the Lego games, which make wonderfully silly re-creations and could have easily filled this list.
That aside, here are some of the best (and dumbest) attempts at gaming to recreate movie moments, along with a brief description of how well they work (or don’t).
Ethan Hunt infiltrates the CIA
The game: Mission: Impossible (1998)
The movie: Mission: Impossible (1996)
How playable is it? Honestly, this one is pretty awesome. Sure, the descent here seems to be about 1,000 feet longer than in the film, but it captures the tension well, and it’s not afraid of the kind of silliness that makes Mission: Impossible Great. I admit that this is a curve in two respects. First of all, this was a game for the N64 and the original PlayStation, so I’ll take into account that some of it looks downright ridiculous. But secondly, as console technology has improved, we’ve gotten fewer and fewer games that let you complete heists via laser grids, and honestly, that sucks. So I’m just glad this game really went for it. —Austen Goslin
The shootout at Tony Montana’s mansion
The game: Scarface: The world is yours (2006)
The movie: Scarface (1983)
How playable is it? Objective, Scarface: The world is yours is one of the strangest games ever released. Aside from only having a combat tool called ‘balls’, where Tony Montana can unleash a ‘blind rage’ when his ‘ball meter’ is full, the game’s oddity is only compounded by the fact that it’s a sequel is on the film – which, by the way, ends with Tony Montana dying in a hail of bullets. To change this, the game’s first level is a recreation of the film’s ending, in which Tony is supposed to die in a gunfight. However, in the video game version, Tony shoots his way out of his mansion, mowing down dozens of would-be assassins before escaping and continuing his criminal empire while the players are in control. To be clear: the game isn’t very good, so neither is this level. But as far as playable recreations of famous movie scenes go, it’s a success. —AG
The game: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (1996), and many other Star Wars games
The movie: Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
How playable is it? The Battle of Hoth is iconic. It’s one of the greatest movie scenes of all time, a truly epic sci-fi battle that rivaled war movies long before CGI made that both easy and less believable. So it’s no surprise that it’s a perfect target for re-creation in just about any Star Wars game it could fit into. Unfortunately, most of those re-creations were pretty bad. The best of these come from games like Star Wars: Battlefrontgiving players control over the outcome and allowing them to use the film’s setting for whatever battle they want. But we think of all the most truthful re-creations Shadows of the Empire is the closest to the real thing, even if it’s still a far cry from Luke’s daring in the movie. —AG
The game: The Matrix: Path of Neo (2005)
The movie: The Matrix (1999) and Reloaded the matrix (2003)
How playable is it? The Matrix: Path of Neo is full of re-creations like this, and honestly, none of them really work, which is less an insult to the game than a testament to the Wachowskis’ original films. Of all the moments this game goes digital (is that fair to say when the original version took place in the Matrix?), the “Burly Brawl” is both the most obvious and egregious. One of the weirdest, most spectacular fights ever Reloaded the matrixNeo versus hundreds of Agent Smith clones seems like an obvious translation to video games. Unfortunately, the original is so damn cool that this version can only pale in comparison. On the other hand, the recreation of this game is the battle for it The country house of the Merovingians isn’t half bad, especially considering the mess of weapons Neo can play with at will. —AG
Ellen Ripley initiates the Nostromo’s self-destruct sequence
The game: Alien: isolation (2014)
How playable is it? Alien: isolation is widely regarded today as one of the best video games set in the universe of Ridley Scott’s science fiction horror franchise. This reputation is only further cemented by the fact that the game not only perfectly captures the terrifying unpredictability of the Xenomorph, but also deftly recreates two of the most iconic sequences from Scott’s original film. Alien: isolation‘s DLC expansions, Crew replaceable And Last survivoris set on USCSS Nostromo and casts players in the role of Ellen Ripley or one of her crew members.
Crew replaceable recreates the scene immediately after Brett’s death, as the remaining crew on board make a last-ditch effort to expel the creature through the Nostromo’s airlock. Last survivor starts right after the end of Crew replaceablewith Ripley being forced to activate the ship’s self-destruct sequence and escape before she too becomes the creature’s prey. Both DLCs do a great job of recreating two Stranger‘s most exciting and terrifying moments, putting players directly in Ripley’s shoes and testing their arrogant ‘Phew, I could survive that’ attitude. —Toussaint Egan