» Tue Nov 16, 2010 2:08 pm
Even the very best videogame narratives (Bioshock, Mass Effect) can't translate to the big screen for one fundamental reason: 90% of the content involved in a game is gameplay. Sure, game movies get saddled with horrid directors and poor production funds from the outset, but that core difference between the mediums just can't be captured on film. Think of your favorite videogame story, then remove all elements of player interaction. It's almost certain you now have a couple of cutscenes and some contextual dialogue to go on (Apart from the rare cases like Heavy Rain, but even there most of the game consists of little side missions like making cereal). That's really not a solid base to go on for a motion picture, and believe me I think that svcks just as much as any gamer. The only way game movies can elevate themselves to at least "not svcking" level like the recent Prince of Persia film is by crowding the plot with random filler characters and story arcs never found in the game. Games based on movies tend to svck, and vice versa. Those two mediums just dont get along well.