Most underrated movie game tie-ins

For as long as there have been popular consumer video games, there have been tie-in productions with some of the world’s most beloved movies and franchises. After all, video games offer the thrills of being able to jump inside explosive plots with familiar characters from the silver screen and act out your own adventures.

The very first crossover between these media came all the way back in 1978, when Atari released Superman to coincide with the picture of the same title. Other early examples of movie games are Raiders of the Lost Ark – based on the Indiana Jones franchise, and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial – both of which launched in 1982 on the Atari 2600.

Since then it's hard to count how many times the two formats have collaborated, with titles drawing on existing cinematic products likely ranging into the hundreds. After all, there are over 100 distinct Star Wars games alone!

With such a huge cross section of the gaming world represented by these titles, it’s understandable that some of them may end up flying under the radar. In light of this, we’re going to take a look here at some of the unsung heroes of the crossover genre – games based upon movies that capture the excitement and unique tone of the films they’re drawing on, while serving up compelling and high-quality gameplay to boot.

Enter the Matrix
When The Matrix first opened in the box office in 1999, there had truly been nothing like it – and arguably, this still holds true today. The Matrix is a genuine cultural phenomenon that has impacted the way we talk about computing, media and society – and that it achieved all this while simultaneously delivering some of the best action scenes in a movie, ever, is laudable.

One of the best known innovations of The Matrix’s action scene is the so-called “bullet time” – introduced in the iconic rooftop scene wherein Neo leans back in slow motion in order to dodge a hail of incoming bullets. Naturally, the appeal of this was not lost on game developers, with several titles – most notably those belonging to the Max Payne series – taking this innovation and running with it.

But another title that delivered on this immensely fun approach to in-game gunplay was a direct tie-in with the franchise – Enter the Matrix. While this game never made the waves outside of critical circles it deserved, it endures as a cult classic thanks to its ambitious world-building, incredibly engaging combat system and immersive storytelling.

Truly few game movie tie-ins before or since have come anywhere near close to capturing the essence of the source material quite like this quiet masterpiece.

The Expendables New Mission Megaways
This snappy title is based on one of the most successful action movie franchises over the past 20 years. The Expendables is an 80s action movie fans’ dream come true as it brings together – for the first time – the muscle-bound talents of Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford and more and places them alongside their explosive successors Jason Statham, Jet Li and Randy Couture.

That’s a lot of star power to squeeze into a game – and fortunately this title, which belongs to the online slots renaissance of recent years that has seen the classic genre go-all digital with added dynamism – does a quality job of delivering on it. Here you’ll find 6 reels decked out with the portraits of these action legends, and thanks to the addition of the Megaways mechanic, there are over 117,649 potential winlines to encounter.

Everything or Nothing
In the world of James Bond games, one particular title casts an incredibly long shadow. We are of course referring to the N64 launch title, 1997’s GoldenEye 007. A direct tie-in with the movie, the game was one of many firsts – being, in the eyes of many, the first “good” console-based FPS game, ever. It’s amazing how well it still stands up today. But we’re here to talk about underrated movie games – and as such, we must look elsewhere in the Bond gaming catalogue.

In 2003, Everything or Nothing emerged on the scene. Unlike Other recent Bond games, its plot didn’t follow an existing movie – rather it exists as a stand-alone entry in the Brosnan saga. And the inclusion of Brosnan is key here, as he both stars in the game with his likeness, and contributes voice acting duties to it.

With a mixture of third person action, puzzle solving, and car chases, it’s a distinctly different vibe from the likes of GoldenEye, and it’s well loved for its well crafted level design, intuitive controls and – for the time – impressive graphics.