MSNBC is running an article entitled Top 5 games that should be movies. I can't say that I entirely agree with their list, and in fact, I think I can come up with a better one. Let's start first with their list.
- Halo: There's been a lot of talk about Peter Jackson directing a Halo movie, then Peter Jackson not directing a Halo movie. Honestly, I don't care a lot. I'd see it if it came out, but I didn't enjoy the game, and I'm not particularly excited about a movie.
- Metroid: This is one we could just add to the list of bad videogame movies before it ever came out. The notion of a character rolling up into a ball to travel worked well on the NES, but live action? Not so much. Much heckling would ensue.
- Prince of Persia: Wow! One that's not a first-person shooter! This one could actually work. Guess we'll find out in 2008.
- Prey: After the first half-hour of gameplay, this was a lackluster game, and I can only imagine that the movie would follow suit. I love the whole alien invasion thing, but battling aliens with mystical totem powers is just weird. Let's just hope they pick an actress less manly than the football player chick from Prey.
- F.E.A.R.: The game was a disappointment on most levels. While it worked well technologically, the story lacked the creep factor that I'd longed for. I'd want a movie closer to The Grudge, and what a F.E.A.R. movie would be is closer to the Resident Evil movies. No thanks.
So I'm not a big fan of their list. I probably should just try to throw together one of my own. Here goes.
- Metal Gear Solid: Given that the games are practically movies already, the Metal Gear series would be a great prospect for a movie, so long as they kept it out of the hands of Uwe Boll.
- Half-Life 2: I say Half-Life 2 because I fear that if they tried the first title, it would come out as something akin to a Sci-Fi Channel original movie, and nobody wants that. But the second, with its theme of an Earth having been conquered by aliens, and a group of humans as an underground rebellion united with other subjugated alien races, this could really work as a movie.
- Rainbow Six: Okay, so it was a Tom Clancy book before it was a game. But the original Rainbow Six story would make a pretty good movie.
- Fallout: If done in a partially-comedic way, this could have the same action/comedy qualities as Farscape, Brisco County Jr., and Firefly.
- Starcraft: The world of Starcraft is fascinating, and the Bink movies from the game are awesome. I'd love to see the Zerg up close, see Protoss Dogmatics clash with Terran Rogues, and see a decent story play out in the Starcraft setting.
So that's my list of five, off the top of my head. Anyone got any additions?