Now you’ve all heard the saying that “it only takes one Hollywood studio to f*ck up a perfectly good story” right? Well, this saying could not be more apt than when it is applied to making a movie out of a good video game. The list of good stories that have been utterly destroyed is endless and includes such gaming classics as Mortal Combat (which is being, god forbid, remade as we speak), DOOM (ha, ha, ha), Street Fighter (can anybody say Jean Claude van Damme?), Wing Commander (the sheer sacrilege), Tomb Raider (what a joke), Final Fantasy (ok I admit, this one rocked), Silent Hill (#%*&….) to mention but a few. So the question begs to be asked, have the mainstream studios learnt their lesson yet? Mmmmm, this hack is not so sure, but with almost 60 games currently in some form of production with the studios we all better hope they get it right soon.

So which games do I hope don’t suck as movies this time around? Why all of them of course! But if I had to choose the first 3 of my favourites 12 games to be well represented on the big screen they would most certainly have to be:

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

One of my all time favourites, The Prince of Persia games have been around almost my entire gaming life. They are slick, exciting and have more than a little air of historical authenticity thrown in for good measure.

So who’s in it?

The main cast consists of Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan* (the previously unnamed 6^th century Prince of Persia), Gemma Arterton as Tamina (the Princess), Bing Kingsley as Nizam (Dastan’s evil uncle) and Alfred Molina as Sheik Amar (Dastan’s mentor).

What’s the plot?

Prince Dastan must rescue the Sands of Time from the hands of his dastardly (I’ve waited ages to use that word) uncle Nizam to save his father’s kingdom.

So how good is the movie going to be?

I’ve got a lot of confidence in this one! The production and distribution team of Bruckheimmer and Disney are first rate (they gave us Pirates of the Caribbean remember) and Mike Newell, the director, has plenty of fantasy background with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) and The Elfstones of Shannara** (2009) on his resume. If there is going to be any game to movie production that works, then this should be it.

The Legend of Spyro (2009)

I’ve added The Legend of Spyro to this list more for my daughter Aerin than myself, but I must admit it was one of the first “adult” style games that she ever played and I was rather impressed with her. Thankfully it is NOT going to be a live action film, but will follow the same animated style as the game. At the time of writing no studio was yet attached to the production.***

So who’s in it?

So far the only two voice actors attached to the movie are Elijah Wood and Gary Oldman, who will be reprising their roles from the original games as Spyro and Ignitus respectively.

What’s the plot?

This had not been confirmed at the time of writing.***

How good is the movie going to be?

With so little available information about this movie The Legend of Spyro is a difficult one to predict. However, if the animation team remains true to the original spirit of the games and the writing team of Daniel and Steven Altiere stick to the basics then very little should go wrong with this game to movie adaption.***

Kane & Lynch (2009 or 2010)

Eidos did not have a massive hit with this game, but it seems that Hollywood (and myself for that matter) really liked what it offered. With “over-the-top” violence and character driven storylines this was one of my favourites when it first came out in 2007.

So who’s in it?

Although little more than rumours, it has been reported that Bruce Willis (Hell Yea!) has been approached to play Kane and Billy Bob Thornton has been offered the role of Lynch.***

What’s the plot?

This had not been confirmed at the time of writing, but I’m sure as all hell that it will consist of some major carnage and bloodletting. ***

How good is the movie going to be?

Well if the rumours of Willis and Thornton are correct then we’re off to a very good start. I could not think of two actors better suited for the roles. I do however feel a little apprehensive about the first time director Simon Crane. To his credit he has worked as a stunt coordinator on films such as Stardust, Mr & Mrs Smith and Troy, so this should ensure that the action scenes are second-to-none.***

*Dastan is the Persian word for trickster.
**Still to be released
***This portion of the post will be updated as and when information on this film becomes available.