Best Game Based on a TV or Film Property
Games based on TV shows and movies are no longer the stuff of bargain bins and legendary landfills. In fact, an increasing number of them not only complement their source materials admirably, but are also excellent games in their own right. One of the reasons for this, perhaps, is that developers no longer seem obligated to produce games that rigidly follow the plotlines or sequences of events from their source materials. Increasingly, developers aren't even basing these games on specific shows or movies, but are instead drawing upon the source materials for inspiration and creating their own characters and storylines set in the same universe. Some of the storylines are masterfully intertwined with existing scripts, some allow you to rewrite them, and some have practically nothing in common with them. The important thing is that buying a game based on a TV show or a movie isn't nearly as much of a gamble as it used to be, and in recognition of that, we present our finalists for Best Game Based on a TV or Film Property:
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Easily one of the most impressive Xbox games released in 2004, this first-person shooter--which has recently been enhanced for the PC--seems destined to be remembered as one of the most inspiring collaborations between Hollywood and the gaming industry yet.
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Re-creating the Dragon Ball Z experience better than any of the numerous DBZ titles that came before it, this 3D fighting game is so fast-paced and viscerally satisfying that it can genuinely appeal even to those who are otherwise uninterested in the popular manga-cum-anime universe.
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Though this third-person action game isn't based directly on a James Bond movie, it features a host of Hollywood talent and boasts a storyline that feels every bit as authentic as one of the films. Arguably the best James Bond game ever made.
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This real-time strategy game fits beautifully into the existing storylines of Peter Jackson's movies while effectively allowing you to rewrite the history of the War of the Ring in two lengthy campaigns. A great use of a great license, and you really can't ask for any more than that.
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Set thousands of years before any of the Star Wars movies, this excellent role-playing game is the sequel to one of the very best games of 2003. The game doesn't make any changes to the formula established by its predecessor, and, like that game, it's easily recommended even to those with very little interest in George Lucas' universe.
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And the Winner is...
