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4[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/SpiderManPS4 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spider_man_ps4.png]]]]
5[[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Tagline}} Be Greater...]] than [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames what's expected]].]]
6
7->''"There are way too many great licensed games to be so fucking angry all the time. Cheers."''
8-->-- '''WebVideo/TheHappyVideoGameNerd'''
9
10It's widely known that there is [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames a problem with most licensed video games]]. Quality tends to be low.
11
12This is not always the case, though, especially for long established franchises that do not impose any unrealistic release dates tied to another work's release. These exceptional games are not [[AccentuateTheNegative mentioned as often as are the games with problems]]. They [[SugarWiki/NeedsMoreLove need more love]], and that's what's the SugarWiki/SugarWiki is for, so let's give them some love!♥
13----
14[[foldercontrol]]
15
16!!Specific companies with their own pages:
17[[index]]
18* NoProblemWithLicensedGames/{{Disney}}
19* NoProblemWithLicensedGames/LucasArts
20* NoProblemWithLicensedGames/TelltaleGames
21
22----
23!!Other examples, by license format:
24
25* NoProblemWithLicensedGames/AnimeAndManga
26* NoProblemWithLicensedGames/ComicBooks
27* NoProblemWithLicensedGames/WesternAnimation
28[[/index]]
29
30[[folder:Advertisements]]
31* ''Action Biker'' was a game released as a tie-in promotion for the KP Skips snack food. You play as mascot Clumsy Colin, who was featured in advertisements around the time of the game's release. The Platform/Commodore64 version was positively reviewed by Zzap!64 who thought it was one of the best Mastertronic titles to date and excellent value for money. It was given an 83% overall score.
32* ''VideoGame/BeetleAdventureRacing'' is a Platform/Nintendo64 racing game made and published by [[Creator/ElectronicArts EA]] in 1999 to advertise the Volkswagen New Beetle. The game is widely remembered for its expansive and detailed levels with multiple paths and shortcuts that reward players for exploration with fun setpieces and point crates needed for OneHundredPercentCompletion. It received universal acclaim, which made it stand out as the [[Platform/Nintendo64 [=N64=]]]'s library was nearly flooded with racing games at the time.
33* Burger King released three little Platform/{{Xbox}} games starring Advertising/TheBurgerKing. While two of them were forgettable, ''Sneak King'' was a surprisingly well-made stealth game, where you had to ambush people and give them their burger. Surprisingly, although they were originally intended to be just downloadable titles, they sold well enough to earn themselves physical releases.
34* ''VideoGame/ChexQuest'' was a well-received nonviolent total conversion of the original ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' that came free in boxes of cereal. It is still fondly remembered by many older gamers, often for being the first first-person shooter they were allowed to play, and was a fairly solid game in its own right due to having a strong base to work from. Two sequels were made, an HD remake is in the works, and the game won two advertising awards for how successful it was.
35* ''VideoGame/CoolSpot'' focuses on the [[MerchandiseDriven 7-up Spot mascot]]. It was surprisingly well-received by critics, thanks to its challenging gameplay, crisp controls, impressive character animation, and [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic a superb soundtrack]] composed by Music/TommyTallarico. Its lesser-known sequel, ''Spot Goes to Hollywood'', is also a decent game in its own right.
36* ''VideoGame/DarkenedSkye'' for the Platform/GameCube and PC could go in either category, really, but we'll put it here because we're generous. An advergame for Skittles with box art that does a surprisingly good job of obfuscating the fact that it was an advergame (clearly the marketing department didn't expect people to actually be interested in it on its own merits, because it reveals almost nothing about the game, period). The pros: [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Genuinely funny writing]] and reasonably decent graphics given the time and circumstances. The cons: If the gameplay is any indicator, the programming team was just the writing team in front of a different set of computers.
37* ''VideoGame/DokiDokiPanic'' also qualifies, being a tie-in for Creator/FujiTelevision's Yume Kōjō event (the Arabian family came from said event). Considering how ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' was received, it's no wonder why Creator/{{Nintendo}} decided to adopt the DolledUpInstallment and release in UsefulNotes/{{Japan}} later as ''Super Mario USA''.
38* Gogurt released a tie-in online game to promote their new monster flavors. It was titled ''Gogurt Monster Tracker''. It has you going around capturing monsters. It proved very popular.
39* Creator/{{Namco}} once made a Platform/GameBoyAdvance game about ''VideoGame/{{Hachiemon}}'', the mascot of Kansai TV. It's a nonsensical platformer set in a world where everyone has giant detachable lips. [[WaddlingHead Hachiemon]] can use his lips to grab platforms to climb and slingshot himself or kiss enemies to distract them. By kissing ladies, [[GRatedSex they spawn baby]] 1Ups!
40* The early 90's {{Platform Game}}s based on UsefulNotes/McDonalds characters are usually considered pretty good:
41** ''VideoGame/McKids'' was an [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] platformer that even the WebVideo/AngryVideoGameNerd admitted in his review was alright.
42*** This game was also available for other video game consoles and home computers under the name ''[=McDonaldland=]''.
43** The [[Platform/SegaGenesis Genesis]][=/=]Mega Drive sequel ''Global Gladiators'' was highly praised in reviews at the time.
44** Another Genesis release, ''VideoGame/McDonaldsTreasureLandAdventure'', was developed by Creator/{{Treasure}}, and featured many elements that would be used in ''VideoGame/DynamiteHeaddy'' and ''VideoGame/GunstarHeroes''.
45** ''Donald Land'', released earlier in Japan only, has nicely varied mechanics and very good graphics for the NES/Famicom.
46* ''Boing! Docomodake DS'', a Platform/NintendoDS PuzzlePlatformer starring the anthropomorphic mushroom mascots of Japanese mobile operator NTT [=DoCoMo=]. You play as Papa Docomodake, who is trying to find the missing members of his family. Papa traverses a series of stages with the help of the "minis", small versions of himself that split off from his body and can do a variety of tasks. It's a fun little game, and although it falls a bit on the short side, you'll spend quite a while trying to get an [[NintendoHard S rank]] in all stages. Inexplicably, it was released in the West, even though the characters are entirely unknown outside of Japan.
47* ''Kaettekita Mario Bros.'' was a Japanese exclusive Platform/{{Famicom}} game which was a promotional gimmick. Advertisements of the ''Nagatanien'' food company are peppered throughout the gameplay; but it doesn't matter because it's the best damn version of ''VideoGame/MarioBros'' ever made. Hit-detection and control responsiveness are as good as they were in the Famicom ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' games, making the game much less frustrating.
48* ''VideoGame/{{Pepsiman}}'' is a fun little on-rails...er, runner. The gameplay is simplistic, yet satisfying, the game has a decent challenge, and it has some [[SoBadItsGood hilariously bad]] cutscenes of a beer-bellied man surrounded by mountains of Pepsi cans (the regular cutscenes are great too, with every stage featuring a set up by a character voiced a gloriously hammy voice actor) . The whole game has this air of self-awareness, and you can't help but get in a few chuckles while playing. Sure, it's [[ProductPlacement blatant advertising marketed as a game]], but it's a good example of how do do it [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools the right way]].
49** Also worthy of note is the game's level design. Unlike most games of its genre, Pepsiman's stages have a surprising amount of detail, which breathes a lot of life into the game.
50* Noobow is the adorable mascot character of a Japanese chocolate company, and in 1992, he got a game on the Platform/GameBoy also called ''Noobow.'' It was developed by the same company that made ''VideoGame/RType,'' and it's like a PuzzlePlatformer mixed with a point-and-click game mixed with pure adorable. Noobow runs around solving puzzles by collecting items, stacking blocks to get around, and occasionally doing extremely mild platforming with the aid of a parachute. And it ends with Noobow SavingChristmas with the help of Santa! It was only released in Japan, which means it's pretty obscure, but it's a total hidden gem if you can find a copy.
51* ''VideoGame/YoNoid''. Creator/{{Capcom}} somehow managed to make a game about ''The Domino's Pizza Noid'' and make it good (though the fact that it was concurrently developed with the Japanese Game ''Masked Ninja Hanamaru'' of which, ''Noid'' can be considered a great deal a localization of, helps). In fact, looking at all the other examples -- all the Creator/{{Disney}} licenses, ''ComicStrip/LittleNemo'', ''Film/{{Willow}}'', etc. -- perhaps the original rule should be amended to "licensed games are generally not very good, unless they were made for the [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] by Capcom, in which case they're amazing."
52** And that's not counting the fact that it is but [[DolledUpInstallment a mere localised sprite-swap of a Japanese game.]] So does that still mean that it counts or not?
53* ''VideoGame/UFOKamenYakisoban'' is a beat 'em up featuring the mascot of Nissin's brand.
54[[/folder]]
55
56[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
57* ''Literature/BraveStory'' is a [[Platform/PlayStationPortable PSP]] game based on a movie based on a novel. (''phew'') It's considered a good RPG with a nice plot, unique battle mechanics, and great graphics. Hilariously, the setting itself is based on a typical RPG world.
58* While not as well known as the movie, ''WesternAnimation/ChickenRun'' for the Platform/PlayStation is also fondly remembered. The game's stealth mechanics allowed many to call it ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' with chickens.
59* The ''Platform/NintendoDS'' adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}'' (developed by Art Co. Ltd) is regarded as a solid and fun VisualNovel/Adventure game that puts its own unique twist on the story instead of just re-hashing the movie all over again. It's mostly agreed to be superior to the [[Platform/PlayStation2 PS2]][=/=]Platform/{{Wii}} adaptation that sadly fell on [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames the other page]]. The original soundtrack being a major standout.
60* ''Franchise/DespicableMe: Minion Rush'' is a pretty fun endless runner game with Dave the Minion running through locations from the films to earn the title of "Minion of The Year". Plus there are tons of challenges, power-ups, Minions to hurt for points, and even boss battles. Not usual for an endless runner.
61* ''VideoGame/IceAge'' games made by Eurocom, which are PC and console versions of The Meltdown and Dawn of The Dinosaurs, are really good action-adventures with nice mix of platforming, puzzles and fighting, nice minigames, good aesthetics and very memorable music.
62* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1: The Game'' is a surprisingly fun beat-em-up with a wide variety of playable characters and comedic writing on par with the film itself. The sequel's game...[[TheProblemWithLicensedGames not so much]].
63* ''VideoGame/TheLEGOMovieVideogame'' has all the fun of any VideoGame/LegoAdaptationGame (more on that below), with just enough ingenuity to make it stand out on its own. And while none of the original actors returned to voice their characters, [[TheOtherDarrin the ones who were brought in]] do such spot on impressions that you can hardly tell the difference.[[note]]Even more impressive considering the game actually ''does'' use footage from the movies for cutscenes, original lines included.[[/note]] Add a wealth of hilarious lines akin to [[WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie the film itself]], and you have a successful film-to-game translation.
64* ''VideoGame/LittleNemoTheDreamMaster'', another Creator/{{Capcom}} classic, was good enough to create AdaptationDisplacement, at least with [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]]-playing children who were too young to remember the [[OlderThanTheyThink 1905(!) newspaper comic]] and missed [[Anime/LittleNemoAdventuresInSlumberland the anime film]] (which, confusingly, was released a year before the game in Japan, and was even the basis for the game in the first place, but was not released in America until two years ''after'' the game.)
65** Capcom also made a fun, albeit simplistic, arcade game of ''ComicStrip/LittleNemo''.
66* The console and PC version of the first ''VideoGame/{{Madagascar}}'' video game can be fondly remembered as a fairly polished ActionAdventure game, due to the distinctive gameplay styles of the playable characters, the interesting levels and missions inside them, and various extras outside of the main game such as minigolf or shuffleboarding. The soundtrack wasn't half-bad either.
67* ''WesternAnimation/OpenSeason'' had an expectedly bland video game adaptation for all major consoles. Usually, these games got TERRIBLY crappy Platform/GameBoyAdvance rushjobs and were even less appealing. The Game Boy Advance version of ''Open Season'', however, was a very well-programmed and creative title by Creator/{{Ubisoft}} with a lot of ''Franchise/MegaMan''-esque elements (level select after an intro stage, wall-climbing VERY reminiscent of ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX X]]'', beating levels to get weapons with limited ammo, powerup shops by collecting items scattered around the levels in trickier places to get to a la bolts, etc) with a few of its own original ideas thrown in as well. The Creator/{{Konami}} Code is even included (and gives three extra lives) as a testament to the fact that the makers of the game legitimately cared about making it a good title enough to put something like that in a licensed game that likely had an incredibly strict deadline. The game is short (probably due in part to said deadline), but the two difficulty settings do give it some replay value, and it's dirt cheap.
68* [[VideoGame/OverTheHedge The video game for]] ''WesternAnimation/OverTheHedge'' is also surprisingly good. It's a hack-and-slash with no real major flaws. It also has a lot of diversity in the missions. Also, unlike most movie licensed games, the story isn't a butchered retelling of the movie's plot. It actually [[SequelInAnotherMedium acts as a sequel of sorts]], and while the story is no masterpiece, it's good enough to keep you interested the whole way through.
69* ''WesternAnimation/ThePeanutsMovie''[='=]s tie-in game, ''Snoopy's Grand Adventure'' has been well-received by gamers as an above-average platformer that can be played by both kids and adults. It helps that the game isn't simply a re-telling of the movie.
70* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'' video game has easy controls, pretty good graphics for a movie-licensed game (it actually looks closely identical to the film, and that is because the film has a short live-action segment!), and rather than awkwardly repeat the story from the film, uses a new plot and almost feels like a sequel to the film.
71** The DS version of the game, however, falls firmly into TheProblemWithLicensedGames.
72* The ''VideoGame/{{Ratchet and Clank|2016}}'' game [[RecursiveAdaptation based on the]] [[WesternAnimation/RatchetAndClank movie]] is a very interesting example. It's technically a tie-in to the movie, but said movie is loosely based on the original 2002 [=PS2=] game, and when returning to places from the 2002 original, the 2016 game out and [[VideoGameRemake remakes]] the [=PS2=] levels (just in the context of the heavily reworked movie storyline). What helps is that the 2016 game was created by Creator/InsomniacGames, who were still doing incredibly well as a studio. That they made the 2016 game is pretty much the ''best possible scenario'' for the tie-in game!
73* ''VideoGame/AngryBirds: WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'' and ''VideoGame/FruitNinja: WesternAnimation/{{Puss in Boots|2011}}'' take the base games and add on some significant features, to the point where, even without seeing the movies, these games are easily acceptable as sequels to the originals.
74* ''VideoGame/Shrek2'' for the 6th gen consoles was a decently enjoyable 3D beat-em-up-style game with a 4-player co-op mode (By Website/GameFAQs it got a 6.3 on [[Platform/NintendoGameCube GCN]], 7.2 on [[Platform/PlayStation2 PS2]] and a 5.6 on Platform/{{Xbox}}).
75** ''VideoGame/ShrekSuperSlam'' for the same consoles. It's an engaging ''VideoGame/PowerStone''-esque 3D arena fighting game with destructible environments, 20 playable characters, catchy background music, and an addictive mission mode. It's even managed to find its way into competitive gaming thanks to the ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' franchise's [[MemeticMutation memetic status in later years]].
76* You know what is really kind of fun? The ''WesternAnimation/SpaceChimps'' Platform/NintendoDS adaptation, the last game published by Creator/BrashEntertainment, whose games otherwise belong to [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames the other page]]. It has a nice little ''VideoGame/TheLostVikings'' vibe to it, as you need to use each of the chimps to solve puzzles. Doesn't hurt it was developed by Creator/WayForwardTechnologies.
77[[/folder]]
78
79[[folder:FanWorks]]
80* ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestria'' has had many attempts at a videogame adaptation, most of which never got off the ground. However, one in particular, [[https://foe-remains.gitlab.io/main_en.html Fallout Equestria: Remains]] stands out for its mix of Metroidvania style puzzle platforming combined with elements remeniscent of the original two Fallout games, all while loosely adapting the book's plot. It even has a character creator.
81[[/folder]]
82
83[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
84* ''VideoGame/AlienIsolation'' is a ''very'' good survival horror game that takes place between ''Film/{{Alien}}'' and ''Film/{{Aliens}}''. Known more for the ''VideoGame/TotalWar'' franchise, Creator/CreativeAssembly realistically recreated the atmosphere of being relatively alone except for a big-ass Xenomorph who wants you over for dinner... [[ImAHumanitarian as the main course]]. The Xenomorph itself was given an unpredictable AI, [[ParanoiaFuel meaning it can be anywhere and show up at anytime]]. Luckily, you have a way to hack into locks and the ability to [[MacGyvering use found bits to create makeshift items to distract and disable]] EverythingTryingToKillYou. And all of this is done in a first-person perspective. Most online reviewers and review sites have good reason to have this in their Top Ten games for 2014. In the eyes of many, after decades of VillainDecay, it successfully made the Xenomorph terrifying again.
85* ''Film/Alien3'':
86** The [[Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]] adaptation of the film was a surprisingly enjoyable and atmospheric action-adventure game - something like a non-linear version of ''VideoGame/{{Contra}}'' incorporating a lot of elements (like the weapons, and the motion tracker), sounds and musical cues from [[Film/{{Aliens}} the previous movie]] - with a fine musical score and visual effects that made use of obscure SNES capabilities.
87** Its Platform/SegaGenesis counterpart is also good, with many people preferring it gameplay-wise. It trades exploration for more fast-paced arcade action.
88* ''VideoGame/AliensInfestation'' is an excellent {{Metroidvania}} for the [[Platform/NintendoDS DS]], doing a nice job of bridging the gap between the second and third films. It was made by Creator/WayForwardTechnologies, so the quality is unsurprising.
89* The ''[[VideoGame/AlienVsPredatorCapcom Alien vs. Predator]]'' arcade game made by Creator/{{Capcom}} a decade before the films came out remains a favorite amongst BeatEmUp fans.
90** And the ''VideoGame/AlienVsPredator'' {{FPS}} on the Platform/AtariJaguar, pre-dating the movie by a decade and the PC versions by half a decade, was critically lauded to the point where it was arguably the system's best original title.
91** The first two PC games were also of excellent quality, although for different reasons. The first PC FPS was notable for the sheer, pants-wetting terror experienced in the Marine campaign. The second PC FPS was notable for having a pretty good story, even if it did tone down the whole "terror" aspect. The third game, released in 2010, received more mixed reviews, but it's generally not considered "bad".
92* The ''[[Franchise/EvilDead Army of Darkness]]'' iPhone game is a rather fun tower defense game, and has fairly good reviews on iTunes.
93* While ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' has its problems (namely repetitive gameplay, camera and framerate issues, a rather weak storyline that contradicts the film canon, and somewhat odd controls in places), it is generally a pretty fun game that looks [[SceneryPorn great]], has a good atmosphere, and allows you to side with either the Na'vi or RDA, supporting those who [[RootingForTheEmpire wanted the humans to win in the movie]]. And for those interested in the film's lore, the game also has quite a bit of interesting tidbits on the planet Pandora and its flora and fauna.
94* If Japan-only games can count, ''VideoGame/SuperBackToTheFuturePartII'' for [[Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem Super Famicom]] is a decent platformer that actually caused the [[WebVideo/AngryVideoGameNerd AVGN]] to have a sigh of relief.
95* ''Film/BallisticEcksVsSever'' is a strange situation... the movie and the video game version started production at the same time, the video game being released a year ahead of the movie, and based mostly on an unused first draft of the script. The movie is terrible, while the game is one of the best and most genuinely fun {{First Person Shooter}}s on the GBA.
96** The movie actually became [[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ballistic_ecks_vs_sever/ Rotten Tomatoes' "Worst Reviewed Movie" with a score of 0%]]. When a list of the "worst reviewed movies" appeared, the site actually noted "when you're getting worse reviews than your Game Boy adaptation, you know you're in trouble."
97* ''VideoGame/BatmanReturns'' for the [[Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]] is generally considered the very best video-game adaptation of the 1992 movie, for several reasons. Chief among them is that the game wasn't released until 1993 - an entire year later - so the designers were afforded plenty of time to create a quality product. Both the programmers and the animators also must have studied the source material carefully, because the adaptation is so faithful that the game is almost ''literally'' like taking control of the movie itself: Music/DannyElfman's memorable score is synthesized, almost every major and secondary character shows up or is at least mentioned, and they even found opportunities to work in some of director Creator/TimBurton's trademark subversive humor. The opponents are also very diverse, the boss battles are as challenging as they come, and the fighting moves are as brutal as you could expect from a game of the early '90s.
98* ''VideoGame/BatmanSunsoft'' for the [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]]. A platform game loosely based on the [[Film/Batman1989 1989 movie]] of the same name, is widely considered one of the first truly great licensed video games in a gaming era where licensed games were acquiring their [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames infamous reputation]]. Fast-paced action, [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic kickass music]] that pushes the NES soundchip, and very stimulating and challenging gameplay. It's on the [[NintendoHard hard side]] with insane jumps and hard boss battles, but is very rewarding due to its responsive and fluid controls.
99* The 1997 AdventureGame ''VideoGame/BladeRunner'', developed by Creator/WestwoodStudios. While obviously based on [[Film/BladeRunner the film]], it avoids the [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames usual pitfalls of licensed games]] by having solid gameplay, a compelling and engaging plot which doesn't simply ape that of the movie, and not being rushed out to cash-in on the film's release (having come out a full fifteen years later). It chooses to instead focus on a character whose story runs in parallel with that of the movie, and further flesh out the ''Film/BladeRunner'' universe.
100* Of the three ''Film/TheBlairWitchProject'' games at least the first one is quite good. The second one less so, but the third is all right. Thankfully none of the games have you playing as helpless kids stumbling around in the forest, but people who actually can defend themselves from the horrors in the forest. Each game delves far into the backstory of the film, rather than taking place in the modern day.
101** The aforementioned idea of setting a game in the mid 90s is similar to the latest Blair Witch video released in 2019. Said game is not that good, due to there not being a lot of danger and underwhelming ending. But there are some good psychological elements and many players grew an attachment to the dog Bullet. For the most part, it could be called a psychological horror puzzle game slash K-9 simulator.
102* ''VideoGame/TheBourneConspiracy'' isn't exactly a standout game, but it's fun enough to keep you entertained for a weekend or so. The creators seemed to be very well aware of this trope as though the plot is directly taken from the first movie with a few additions in flashback missions, the title is different and it is called "Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy" tying it more to the novels, though it bares no resemblance to them at all.
103* The [[Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]] ''Film/{{Casper}}'' game is actually pretty fun and creative, playing like a modified version of ''VideoGame/ABoyAndHisBlob''. Casper takes various forms to escort Kat through his house down to the Lazarus Machine, fighting off his uncles and Carrie along the way. Only problem is that it came out at the end of the SNES lifespan, so cartridges are rare and super-expensive.
104* While ''VideoGame/CaptainAmericaSuperSoldier'', a game based on ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', is a rather blatant clone of ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'', the game itself is still pretty solid. The satisfaction of wielding the Mighty Shield and kicking HYDRA ass is as awesome as it sounds. While it lacks Batman's mandatory stealth sections (since a super-soldier has little need for stealth) it adds some tricks in terms of the combat that Batman didn't have: super moves that charge when you pull off a good hit or counter, a heavier emphasis on projectile throwing in combat via the shield (which controls very similarly to Batman's Batarangs), an incredibly badass blocking mechanic, whereby gunshots ricochet back at the enemy, and the ability to take enemies hostage and force them to fire their weapons at other enemies.\
105In fact, the game even affected Captain America's portrayal in the MCU. Creator/ChrisEvans reprised his film role as Cap for the game, and when he played it himself, he was so impressed by its combat system that he convinced the Russo Brothers to incorporate Cap's acrobatic fighting style from the game into ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', and the movie was subsequently praised for its combat choreography. Cap retained this fighting style in all future MCU appearances.
106* The first ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' game is a fun little adventure game with a fairly deep combat system and pretty good graphics. The second game isn't ''quite'' as good, but it's still okay.
107* ''Franchise/TheChroniclesOfRiddick: VideoGame/EscapeFromButcherBay'', a prequel to the movie ''Film/PitchBlack'', received overwhelmingly positive reviews and several "Game of the Year" awards. This is particularly noticeable given the poor review received by that same film's sequel movie, ''Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'', which was released at the same time. Creator/VinDiesel founded Tigon Studios, which co-developed the game, ''precisely because'' he was tired of this trope, [[JustForFun/OneOfUs being a gamer himself]]. Its 2009 sequel ''VideoGame/AssaultOnDarkAthena'' received a similar level of acclaim. In an amusing inversion of this trope, Tigon's first original game, ''Wheelman'', was more mixed in its critical reception compared to the ''Riddick'' games, although has its own strong points, LicensedGame is not the place it belongs to. The ''other'' half of the development team, Starbreeze, went on to release an FPS adaptation of ''VideoGame/TheDarkness'' to intense critical acclaim. It's probably [[AdaptationDisplacement better-known than the comic it's based on at the moment]], though.
108* While an individual game for ''Film/DawnOfThePlanetOfTheApes'' doesn't seem likely, ''VideoGame/PlagueInc'', in co-ordinance with the creators of said film, released a specific plague called "Simian Flu." With the game already garnering approval from the CDC for [[ShownTheirWork its pinpoint accuracy to actual diseases]], the result is an excellent recreation of evolving apes while devolving humans at the same time.
109* ''Film/DaysOfThunder''. ''[[http://www.freeverse.com/games/game/?id=9999 On the iPhone.]]'' Once you get past the fact that this is an iPhone game released in 2009 that's based on a movie released in 1990, you'll find it to be [[http://wireless.ign.com/articles/951/951783p1.html pretty good.]] The developers at Freeverse followed up with an iPhone game based on that other classic Creator/TomCruise movie, ''Film/TopGun'', and came up with [[http://wireless.ign.com/articles/980/980772p1.html a pretty good After Burner clone that uses the license quite well.]]
110** There were licensed versions released for 8 and 16-bit computers back in 1990 too. Unfortunately, they weren't particularly well-received.
111* ''VideoGame/DickTracySega'' is a pretty well done Side Scrolling Action Platformer with Railgun elements. Strips the city exploration and interrogation-clue-puzzle game and generally avoiding the pitfalls from the [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] counterpart.
112* ''Film/DieHard'' has had a few games worth mentioning that avoided suckiness:
113** ''[[VideoGame/DynamiteCop Die Hard Arcade]]'' has been widely regarded as a fairly decent BeatEmUp, [[InNameOnly despite the original version not at all being related to the original '88 movie]].
114** ''[[Franchise/DieHard Die Hard Trilogy]]'' takes the first three films in the franchise, and gets 'em on one disc, with [[RuleOfThree THREE]] games, each with [[GameplayRoulette separate playing styles]]. ''Film/DieHard'' had a nice 3rd-person view while going around shooting up terrorists and saving hostages, ''[[Film/DieHard2DieHarder Die Harder]]'' is a rails-shooter whose playing mechanics look more than [[VideoGame/VirtuaCop a little familiar]], and ''Film/DieHardWithAVengeance'' is a driving game, where you speed through UsefulNotes/{{New York|City}} to take out bombs before they go off. The visuals are a bit crappy (character models are made of rotating 2D sprites on a stick-figure wireframe rather than fully rendered in polygons) and the gameplay of all three is a little on the simple side, but they're still pretty damned fun to play. And the music? [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic Fitting, yet uber-memorable!]] ''Trilogy'' also got a sequel that's in an AlternateContinuity from the movies, but drastically improves the graphics.
115* The film adaptation of ''Film/DoubleDragon1994'' was pretty crappy, but the video game based on it, released for Platform/NeoGeo, is actually a fairly respectable ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' clone.
116* ''TabletopGame/DuneImperium'' is a board game [[Film/{{Dune2022}} based on a movie]] [[Literature/{{Dune}} based on a book]]--multiple layers of adaptation--and became a near-instant classic among hobby gamers the moment it released. It has an innovative blend of deckbuilding and worker placement mechanics with deep strategy, making it a unique, appealing title even for board game fans with no prior investment in the ''Dune'' universe. And for fans of the ''Dune'' franchise, it references not only the things shown in the movies, but also lots of deep cuts from the books as well.
117* The ''Film/{{Eragon}}'' games for both Platform/GameBoyAdvance and [[Platform/NintendoDS DS]] were both radically different from the horrible console/PC version, and actually pretty darn good games. The GBA was a classic RPG with turn-based combat and the DS was a 3-D adventure game, which was really rather good for the console.
118* ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' arcade games from Raw Thrills are pretty good despite the absurd stunts not present in the movies. The latest game, ''Fast and the Furious Drift'', has some pretty interesting track designs as well. The home port of the arcade F&F game, though, qualifies as a PortingDisaster. [[Creator/MidwayGames Midway]] couldn't even get the movie license, so they used the ''VideoGame/{{Cruisn}}'' name instead, which makes sense considering that the F&F games are pretty much ''Cruis'n'' with an F&F skin.
119** Meanwhile there was a pair of ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' games by Eutechnyx that was released in 2006 for [[Platform/PlayStation2 PS2]] and [[Platform/PlayStationPortable PSP]]. Unlike the Raw Thrills games, it plays like the later [[VideoGame/WanganMidnight Maximum Tune]] arcade racing series, and despite average reviews, it's as good as you expect.
120* Amid its [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames nasty track record]] with film-based games, Ocean did a Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem game based on ''Film/TheFlintstones'', and although it wasn't as good as the Creator/{{Taito}} games, it was actually quite decent.
121* Gun Media and Illfonic's ''VideoGame/FridayThe13thTheGame'' is a wonderful adaptation of the slasher series. An AsymmetricMultiplayer online game, seven players control Camp Crystal Lake counselors attempting to survive the onslaught of the eighth player, Jason Voorhees. The counselors must try to find some way to escape the campgrounds, or against all hope, maybe even kill Jason. Jason, meanwhile, is tasked with killing them all, with various abilities at his disposal that allow him to get the drop on his prey and execute them in creatively gruesome ways.
122** ''VideoGame/FridayThe13thKillerPuzzle'' is also a solid and entertaining puzzle game, continuing the style of the same developers' previous work ''VideoGame/SlayawayCamp''.
123* While [[NoExportForYou never released outside of Japan]], ''[[Film/{{Gamera}} Gamera 2000]]'' is a quality 3D shooter for the [[Platform/PlayStation [=PS1=]]], with the player piloting a ship to shoot down enemies while [[AssistCharacter being able to call on Gamera to provide backup with homing blasts and his trademark spin attack.]]
124* The WebVideo/AngryVideoGameNerd himself admitted that the ''VideoGame/{{Ghostbusters|1990}}'' game for Platform/SegaGenesis was actually quite good... although it wasn't based on any one movie, despite a BossBattle with the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. Though he questioned why Creator/ErnieHudson's character was absent.
125** Regarding the notoriously bad [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] game and its ports: Like the Platform/SegaMasterSystem version, the Platform/Commodore64 version (which AVGN didn't review) was a fair sight better than the NES version, removing the gas station mechanic and "drunk drivers" entirely. Incidentally, years later a fan remake of the game was made that is a HUGE improvement over all the others, featuring a vocal song remix of the ''Film/{{Ghostbusters|1984}}'' theme, drastically improved graphics, memorable voice clips from the movie ("He slimed me!" and "We came, we saw, we kicked its ASS!") and, like the Master System verison, more than one type of ghost design.
126** The 2009 ''VideoGame/{{Ghostbusters|TheVideoGame}}'' game by Terminal Reality has received excellent praise. Creator/JamesRolfe gave it a generous review AsHimself rather than in the Nerd persona, telling the Nerd that his intervention is not needed since the game was neither old nor shitty. It is essentially ''Ghostbusters 3'', as it features the original actors reprising their roles, and was written by the original staff.
127** The [[Creator/HALLaboratory HAL]] version of ''Film/GhostbustersII'' for the NES (titled ''New Ghostbusters II'') is a remarkable improvement over the rather mediocre Creator/{{Activision}} games, being a straightforward top-down action game where you pick any two of the five Ghostbusters (Yes, you get to play as not only Winston Zeddemore but ''Louis Tully'' as well) and take to haunted buildings, stunning ghosts with one buster and catching them in the trap with the other, all while following the plot of the movie as reasonably as any game would need to. [[NoExportForYou Sadly, it only came out in Japan and Europe]].
128* The [[Platform/PlayStation2 PS2]] tie-in game for ''Film/GhostRider2007'' is basically a ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' clone with a bit of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' and ''VideoGame/RoadRash'' thrown in, and the creators really know how to take the best elements of those games and mix it into one good licensed game.
129* ''Film/TheGodfather'' and ''Film/Scarface1983'', both classic gangster movies that are at least two decades old, have seen their share of success by [[FollowTheLeader adapting the Grand Theft Auto style of gameplay]].
130** ''VideoGame/ScarfaceTheWorldIsYours'' scores extra points for ''not'' rehashing the plot of the movie, instead playing out a "WhatIf" scenario that starts after the end of the movie, with [[spoiler:Tony Montana ''surviving'' the assault on his mansion]].
131*** As well as being one of the few ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto GTA]]'' followers that ''GTA'' itself took notes from, adopting the ideas of a crew you can keep track of through your phone, a ring based notoriety system based on getting out of the law's sight, and over the hood aiming into ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV GTA IV]]''.
132* ''VideoGame/GodzillaUnleashed'' for the Platform/NintendoWii and Platform/PlayStation2. Like its predecessors (''VideoGame/GodzillaSaveTheEarth'' and ''VideoGame/GodzillaDestroyAllMonstersMelee''), it's a simple yet fun beat-em-up game where you get to do what anyone would want to do in a ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' game-smash buildings and fight other monsters.
133** Heck, even the WebVideo/AngryVideoGameNerd pointed out that ''those'' were the kind of ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' games he wanted to play as a kid instead of the mediocre games he ended up with for the old school Platform/{{Nintendo|EntertainmentSystem}}.
134** Likewise, there was a pretty decent fighting game ''Godzilla: Monster War'', which was released for the Platform/SuperNintendo. Unfortunately, [[NoExportForYou it was only released in Japan]].
135* Creator/{{Sega}}'s adaptation of Creator/NewLineCinema's ''Film/TheGoldenCompass''. While it had plenty of issues (mediocre graphics, cookie cutter gameplay) it also captured the heart of the source novel far better than the movie did and presented a more in-depth plot (it's also the only place so far where footage of the film's many deleted scenes can be glimpsed). In many ways it's like an interactive version of the book. Great for fans of the series, not so great for hardcore gamers.
136* One exception grew from a problematic game. A game was made out of ''VideoGame/TheGoonies'' in Japan. It involved levels that followed the plot but was a rather uninspired platformer that involved Mikey doing kung fu kicks and other assorted silliness. Creator/{{Konami}} (the game's producer) didn't even try bringing it over (although it ''did'' appear in arcades in the U.S. on Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s vs. arcade cabinets). However, it did well enough in Japan that they produced a sequel, and ''VideoGame/TheGooniesII'' did end up being released in the US, and the action/adventure gameplay proved quite popular.
137* ''Film/Gremlins2TheNewBatch'': The [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] game adaptation by Creator/{{Sunsoft}} is fondly remembered for its active gameplay, its faithfulness to the movie it was based on and its amazing soundtrack as well as its advanced graphics. It was even nominated for several awards.
138* The PC-Engine shmup ''Film/{{Gunhed}}'' is much more popular than [[Film/{{Gunhed}} the film it was based on]], although the [[InNameOnly only things]] it had in common was the name and a picture of the titular robot on the title screen, and most of its remaining connections with the source material were wiped away when it was localized to the U.S. as ''VideoGame/BlazingLazers''.
139* [[Creator/ElectronicArts EA]] has gone in two different directions with their ''VideoGame/HarryPotter'' adaptations -- chapter-based play, in which one level naturally leads to another (''[[VideoGame/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone Philosopher's Stone]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire Goblet of Fire]]'') and a sandbox style where the player has to visit specific places in Hogwarts to advance the plot (''[[VideoGame/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets Chamber of Secrets]]'', ''[[VideoGame/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]''). The latter are about a squillion times better than the former (particularly ''Order of the Phoenix'', which combines the layouts from each of the games so far with the layouts from each of the movies to create a definitive Hogwarts), as they combine a ton of mini-games with the main plot, plus they give you the opportunity to fly around Hogwarts on a broom or Buckbeak the Hippogriff. (Or even climb up pipes).
140** Don't forget about the RPG versions of the first three games, the first two on the Platform/GameBoyColor and the third on the Platform/GameBoyAdvance, which were generally well-received by fans and game critics alike. Unfortunately, since then, EA has made all of the handheld versions just watered-down ports of the console versions.
141*** ''Philosopher's Stone'' was fairly mediocre, but did have enough good points to be considered a good game. Such as the faithful plot-line and large mini game collection. In particular, the plot of the game was based on the book rather than the film, and various plot points and locations not in the film (Neville going into the Forbidden Forest like in the book, the potion puzzle on the path to the stone, Professor Binns, Harry's Christmas gift from the Dursleys, Professor Sprout (who was essentially mentioned in only two paragraphs in the first book!), the Centaurs in the forest other than Firenze, etc.). Also, [[CallForward several references]] are made to ''Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban'', and ''Goblet of Fire'' (the only other books released at the time), many of which never came up in the films--Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and the Divination classroom are both in the game as locked doors, you can enter the classrooms for Muggle Studies, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy (all taken by Hermione in the third year), the entrance to the kitchens from ''Goblet of Fire'' is visible in the dungeon (as is the vanishing door to the Slytherin common room), and you can find Witch and Wizard cards which reference things such as Azkaban and the Patronus charm. A lot of effort for a game on such a small system.
142*** ''Chamber of Secrets'' in particular was brilliantly well done. From impressive graphics from the Game Boy Color, to outstanding music, incredible faithfulness to its source material that even added in extra content that you'd be forgiven for thinking was from the book and several ingenious cases of GameplayAndStoryIntegration. A truly underrated game for the Game Boy Color.
143*** The third game was rather well done, with how it had branching dungeon paths with puzzles specified for each character you have, a nice soundtrack, and a few good dungeons. However, it still needed some more time for beta-testing, since there were a few random glitches that could crash the game, and a massive downgrade in graphics near the ending, it really did seem rushed.
144** Not to mention ''VideoGame/HarryPotterQuidditchWorldCup'', which has major CriticalDissonance, gaining decent reviews from the mainstream reviewers but being widely adored by fans and non-fans alike.
145** The [[MediaNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames Sixth Generation]] console version of ''Chamber of Secrets'' deserves some extra gushing. It utilized challenging puzzles (the classroom segments), a ''[[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]]''-esque battle system (find the weak point on the boss), SceneryPorn, and a sandbox full of hidden secrets and sidequests that are impossible to find in one playthrough. It almost seems as though more time was spent designing this unique game than was spent on the film version of the story! (Given the movie's budget and filming times, this is saying something.)
146*** Seconded about ''Chamber of Secrets''. Starting with this game, the series gets gradually less action-based and a lot easier. ''Chamber of Secrets'' mainly focuses on fighting various monsters and platforming and is the only game to avert DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist. You can fall down BottomlessPits, which would force you to restart at checkpoints. By the third game, you can fall down them and immediately respawn where you were. You don't even receive a hit to your hitpoints unless you do it a few times. By the fourth game, {{Invisible Wall}}s are erected and you can no longer fall and there '''are''' no pits in the fifth. By the fifth game, there are less than five action sequences in total and you're mostly reduced to fetch quests and sweeping the floor.
147*** The boss fight sequences in ''Chamber of Secrets'' are especially rewarding, particularly the final battle with the basilisk. If the player is out of Wiggenweld Potions, and doesn't have full health, then they ''cannot get hit once''. "White-knuckle" doesn't begin to describe it.
148* Would you believe that there's a ''Film/HomeAlone'' game that fits here? How about more than one?
149** First, there's the release for the Platform/{{Amiga}} and DOS. Let's see... good graphics and music for the time (1991)? Check, especially for the PC version. Fun gameplay? Yep. Oh, and to top it all off, the PC version has a GoodBadBug that allows Kevin to ''fly''.
150** Second, [[VideoGame/HomeAloneSega the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version]] is worth checking out. The presentation is a little more goofy and cartoony than the source, while the gameplay is more complex than your bog-standard platformer: Kevin spreads traps across five houses in his neighborhood and assembles an arsenal of home-made weapons. Player/enemy health is abstracted by "loot" and "pain" meters; Kevin's goal is to cause enough harm to Harry and Marv before they raid all the safes in each house, keeping them from making a getaway until the police arrive.
151** Speaking of good ''Home Alone'' games, the [[Film/HomeAlone2LostInNewYork sequel]] also [[VideoGame/HomeAlone2LostInNewYorkSega got a good adaptation]] on the Platform/SegaGenesis. It's a more straightforward platformer spanning across levels based on locations in the movie, as Kevin tries to find his way back home. Not only does he have to fend off Harry and Marv once more, but [[EverythingTryingToKillYou also the denizens]] of [[TheBigRottenApple New York]] as a whole. The game has tight controls, a wide variety of fun weapons to use, and a [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic pretty awesome soundtrack]].
152* ''VideoGame/TheIncredibleHulkUltimateDestruction'' was widely praised as superior to the game based on the [[Film/{{Hulk}} Ang Lee film]] that came out prior to it. It was widely considered the best superhero game by critics (until ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' stole its thunder) for the simple fact that it let the player do exactly what they wanted -- destroy a city as ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk. It eventually got a SpiritualSuccessor in ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'' (an original IP). Though the game wasn't actually intended to be based on the Creator/AngLee film, the timing was close enough that many critics and fans compared them anyway. Ironically, the later 2008 film with Creator/EdwardNorton, ''Film/{{The Incredible Hulk|2008}}'', got inspiration from ''Ultimate Destruction''.
153** Including more than one ShoutOut. Remember that awesome bit in the movie where Hulk uses a car as boxing gloves, and pummels Abomination with them? You could do ''exactly that'' in-game!
154* ''Franchise/JamesBond'':
155** Creator/{{Rare}}'s ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'', based on the first Creator/PierceBrosnan ''Film/JamesBond'' film, is one of the most successful {{First Person Shooter}}s on consoles. It introduced console gamers to the FPS genre, and caused many of them to believe that it was the first of its kind, much to the confusion of PC gamers. Released two years after the movie, it turned out to be far more profitable. Seven years later, [[Creator/ElectronicArts EA]] released ''VideoGame/GoldenEyeRogueAgent'' in a blatant attempt to cash in on Rare's old game. In that game you are an [=MI6=] agent that went rogue, and had an actual ''golden eye installed in his skull.'' Bond only appears for a cameo in a virtual reality mission. As you can imagine, [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames it wasn't as well-received]].
156** EA also released ''VideoGame/{{Nightfire}}'', which was a fairly solid Bond FPS (with a [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic killer opening song]]), and ''VideoGame/EverythingOrNothing'', a really fun third-person shooter with truly lavish production values and loads of recognizable voice actors.
157** While we are on the subject of 007, ''VideoGame/TheWorldIsNotEnough'' on the Platform/PlayStation and [[Platform/Nintendo64 N64]] turned out pretty well for a FPS on those platforms - it's not as good as ''[=GoldenEye=]'', but it still has a lot of what made that game great. The shooting mechanics feel right, the weapon sound effects feel right, the levels rarely turn repetitive (stealth action, high speed chasing sequence, boss fighting, cool and interesting ways of utilizing Bond's gadgets), and last but not least, the visual are impressive for a console FPS of [[MediaNotes/TheFifthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames that generation]]. Downside? AI, character animation, short.
158** The ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'' tie-in game is kind of on the edge. It's a decent FPS with some neat minigames, and it does a decent job of adapting both ''Quantum'' and ''Film/{{Casino Royale|2006}}'', but it's also incredibly short.
159** The 2010 ''VideoGame/{{GoldenEye|Wii}}'' for the Platform/{{Wii}}. It's made by the same developers as ''VideoGame/{{Nightfire}}'', is a remake of the classic N64 game and has a fun multiplayer like the original too.
160* Though hardly 5-star games, the 16-bit ''VideoGame/JurassicPark'' games avoided this with fun side-scrollers. Notably, the [[Platform/SegaGenesis Genesis]] version (which Spoony even said that was his favorite Genesis game) allowed the player to play as a raptor, and the [[Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]] version, though principally presented in overhead isometric view, included some of the earliest {{FPS}} play (it was released only MONTHS after VideoGame/{{Doom}}.) If only there'd been more then 2 dinosaurs in the FPS levels...
161** The arcade game ''VideoGame/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'' is a LightGunGame developed by Hitmaker (then known as Sega [=AM3=]), the same people behind ''VideoGame/CrazyTaxi'' and ''VideoGame/VirtualOn'', and is on par with the likes of ''VideoGame/VirtuaCop'' and ''The VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead''.
162*** The Genesis version of ''Lost World'', meanwhile, despite being largely overlooked given its time of release, could easily be considered one of the last great games for that console. It combined an isometric viewpoint, fairly open-ended style (allowing the player to choose which level to tackle first from the central hub), an appreciable amount of variety in the levels themselves, and boss battles that each used a different mechanic. It played fast and loose with the story for the most part, but it was for the benefit of a good game.
163* The video game adaption of ''Film/KingArthur2004'' is actually a decent action-game (when you play co-op), just a bit repetitive and you have to have seen the film to get the plot.
164* Despite its ridiculous and long title, ''[[VideoGame/PeterJacksonsKingKong Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie]]'' was pretty good and successful. Of course, this may be because Creator/PeterJackson personally selected Creator/MichelAncel to head up the development based on his work on ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'' and collaborated on its production, after dissatisfaction with the uneven quality of licensed games based on his film adaptation of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''.
165** Of course, you can throw all of this out the window when talking about the [[Platform/NintendoDS DS]] version. Then you may throw said version out, too.
166* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' film trilogy has garnered a lot of licensed games, several of which were top-notch in their genre.
167** Creator/{{EA}}'s ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers'' and ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing'' were very popular and well-received for their top-notch hack-and-slash gameplay and faithfulness to capturing the feeling of the films, due in no small part to getting pretty much the entire cast to voice their characters and using Howard Shore's [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic epic score]].
168** ''VideoGame/TheBattleForMiddleEarth'' was a very good RTS with an EvenBetterSequel featuring 6 distinct factions (with one more added by its expansion), elaborate base-building mechanics, a large roster of heroes, very mechanically detailed units with lots of upgrade options, a large array of special powers to spice things up (different between factions), custom hero creation, a lavish campaign, and a ''VideoGame/TotalWar'' style conquest mode.
169** There was also ''[[VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsTheThirdAge The Third Age]]'', an RPG following a sort of B-team to the Fellowship, with truly fun JRPG mechanics (think ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'''s CTB system), an awesome 'Evil Mode' that lets you play ''as the bosses'' against an AI-controlled version of your old party and earn unique weapons usable in the main game, several fun battles where you fight with a major film character in some important battle (Legolas, Gimili, and Aragorn in three different battles at Helm's Deep, Gandalf against the Balrog and the Witch-King, Faramir in Osgiliath, and Éowyn against the final Witch-King), and an extremely customizable team, both in whom you fight with and in how their own skills are built.
170** ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor'' is considered the ''[[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum Arkham Asylum]]'' of ''Lord of the Rings'', and the best LOTR game so far. Even if the combat is a cut-and-paste of ''Arkham Asylum'''s, it retains all the original's easy control. You can clamber around Mordor's ruins like in ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'', picking out orcs stealthily to set up ambushes. Furthermore, the Nemesis system, the game's central feature, sounds overly ambitious (a wide range of powerful orcs -- every one unique in abilities, personality, appearance, and name -- that you can fight against, with them remembering your previous encounters and responding to your tactics), and yet is pulled off with an easy grace, to the point that [[WorthyOpponent it's easy to get attached to a particularly powerful captain]].
171** ''The VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsOnline'' massively multiplayer game is quite good.
172** Which may in itself be something that averts this and then some. Although Turbine obviously chose their release title to capitalize on the movie trilogy, the original name (Middle-Earth Online) was far more fitting to the scope, if not the detail the game goes into. Very little of the player's experience surrounds the plot of ''Lord of the Rings'', but rather, as much of Tolkien's work as they can possibly get away with - even to the point of using alternate names for places or [=NPCs=] they depict, where their licence limitations come into play.
173* ''VideoGame/MadMax2015'', being in the WideOpenSandbox genre with a focus on driving & hand to hand combat (both of which were unusual in a genre dominated by shooters and fantasy sword & magic epics) and an RPG style customization & upgrade feature for both Max & his car could easily have been too ambitious to result in a good game. Instead, it was a very solid game that stood up well alongside to the AAA blockbuster titles that were released around the same time in that genre (''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'', ''VideoGame/FarCry4'' & ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain''), and is generally regarded as a better ''Just Cause'' game than ''VideoGame/JustCause3''.
174** Casual observers remarked that the game would have been poor due to it launching around the same time as the film ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'' and were expecting a cheap, rushed hackjob movie tie-in game. They were surprised at the high level of polish, lack of technical glitches, & overall care taken with the game. Unlike many other licensed titles that were developed to meet a tie-in with a film, this game had been in development for years.
175* ''Film/TheMask'' for [[Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]]. The game has good graphics, a good gameplay mechanic, catchy music, and the titular character has many abilities from the movie. The game follows the plot of the movie, while at the same time taking many liberties to work as a video game.
176* ''VideoGame/TheMatrixPathOfNeo'' was the opposite of ''VideoGame/EnterTheMatrix'', not being a buggy ObviousBeta and actually focusing on Neo instead of side characters. Action scenes from the whole trilogy are revisited with a combat system that incorporates the bevy of One powers, and there is even a RevisedEnding to give a proper FinalBoss battle ("Mega-Smith"!) rather than the metaphysical climax of the last movie.
177* ''[[Film/TheMummyTrilogy The Mummy]]'' for Platform/GameBoyColor. a decent puzzle/adventure game, but where it really shines is the atmosphere and the soundtrack. Developed by Creator/{{Konami}} and likely a few ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' programmers as well.
178** ''Film/TheMummy2017'' was a critical and commercial bomb, but the licensed game (''VideoGame/TheMummyDemastered'') from Creator/WayForwardTechnologies is a well-received 2D {{Metroidvania}}.
179* ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' on the Platform/NintendoDS was a surprisingly decent RPG. While the beginning was bizarrely hard and boring, the rest was quite solid and balanced. It even had a post-game where you could fight all the gods in their full power!
180* ''VideoGame/ThePunisherTHQ'' game from 2004 was fairly well-received as a decent-to-good third-person shooter which made good use of the license; with all the brutality and gunplay you'd want from a ''[[ComicBook/ThePunisher Punisher]]'' game. Notably, Creator/GarthEnnis, largely considered the definitive ''Punisher'' scribe, wrote the story of the game, and Creator/ThomasJane, who starred in the 2004 movie adaption, voiced the main character. A more recent Platform/{{PSN}} game has not fared as well.
181** The 2004 game was created by Creator/{{Volition}}, the same developers of ''VideoGame/RedFaction'' and ''VideoGame/SaintsRow''. In fact, ''The Punisher'' is on the same engine as the ''Saints Row'' series, and it shows. Like the gameplay of ''Saints Row'' 1 and ''[[VideoGame/SaintsRow2 2]]'' but also want to torture people and brutally kill them? Look no further!
182* The ''Franchise/RoboCop'' arcade 2D platformer/shooter by Creator/DataEast was quite successful, having some of the best graphics and voice synthesis of its time.
183** ''VideoGame/RoboCopVersusTheTerminator'' on the Platform/SegaGenesis is also pretty well-liked.
184*** The Platform/{{Xbox}} game (made by Creator/{{Titus|Software}}, the guys responsible for ''VideoGame/Superman64'') averts this trope, however.
185** The computer game by Ocean Software (not a conversion of the arcade game [[note]]Ocean originally secured the rights when Robocop was still just a script, and sub-licensed it to Data East for the arcades; they then adapted it back and expanded on it[[/note]]) was one of the biggest selling games on the Platform/ZXSpectrum, topping the charts for ''years''.
186*** The Game Boy game from the same company, being a port of the above, was fairly enjoyable itself.
187* ''VideoGame/{{Saw}}'' is a decent survival horror game where you play as former detective David Tapp from the first film. You meet characters from the films, and you see traps from them. The only real complaint about the game was the combat system. Sadly, the sequel was [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames much worse]].
188* ''VideoGame/TheScorpionKingSwordOfOsiris'' for the Platform/GameBoyAdvance is a surprisingly high-quality action/platformer, with fun gameplay that takes elements from ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' and ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' and combines them into a [[{{Pun}} Rock-solid]] experience. If you know how well Creator/WayForward treats its licenses this should be no surprise.
189* The ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' game. It's incredibly fun, it features some of the best lip-sync seen in a licensed game, the voice acting is phenomenal, and it's overall a rather good game.
190* Similarly to the ''Ecks vs Sever'' example above, the terrible 2017 Russian superhero movie ''Защитники'' (''Guardians'') got a pretty enjoyable, although formulaic, [[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kingbirdgames.defenders&hl=en mobile game]].
191* ''Film/SmallSoldiers Squad Commander'' was regarded as a rather good strategy game that was easy to play. Unfortunately, it was overshadowed by its better-known multiplatform big brother, ''Small Soldiers (the video game)''. Which positively ''sucked''!
192* ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder'' is a surprisingly good Jedi action-adventure and easily one of the best post-Creator/{{LucasArts}} ''Franchise/StarWars'' games. While the game does borrow the gameplay from the ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'' and ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', the execution is competent enough that most fan don't mind. If anything, the game received better reviews than many of [=LucasArts=]'s previous Jedi games.
193* ''VideoGame/StarWarsSquadrons'' is well-regarded as a fun ''Franchise/StarWars'' space combat simulator. Not only is the gameplay well-regarded for its incredible depth, but also has top notch VR support, which, when combined with the solid sound design and graphics of the Frostbite engine, and the attention to detail in cockpit/interior designs, helps bring the classic starfighter fantasy to life. Many fans of the ''VideoGame/XWing'' and ''VideoGame/RogueSquadron'' games found ''Squadrons'' to be a worth successor as space-combat ''Star Wars'' game.
194* Among CCG players, the ''TabletopGame/StarWarsCustomizableCardGame'' published by Decipher is considered to be an excellent system, despite or perhaps because of its NintendoHard nuances. The fact that a number of its cards [[BreakingTheFourthWall broke the fourth wall]] didn't hurt. (Unfortunately, Decipher lost the license to Creator/WizardsOfTheCoast in 2001; the replacement, the ''Franchise/StarWars '''Trading''' Card Game'', was much more typical and went under in three years.)
195*** The Collectible Card Games tended to avoid this problem better than most other types of gaming media. ''Franchise/StarTrek'', ''Series/BabylonFive'', ''TabletopGame/AliensVsPredator'', ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'', ''TabletopGame/SpyCraft'', ''ComicBook/MarvelVersusDC'', and ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' all received quite good games (although the Pokémon video games came before the card game).
196* ''Creator/JohnWoo Presents: VideoGame/{{Stranglehold}}'' is a [[RuleOfFun fun]], [[HighPressureBlood gory]] and [[BulletTime Stylish]] ThirdPersonShooter that plays just like an interactive John Woo movie. In fact, both John Woo and Creator/ChowYunFat (who plays Inspector Tequila) collaborated in the making of this game, which takes place after the event of their movie ''Film/HardBoiled''; the game is essentially ''Hard Boiled: Part 2.'' There was a sequel planned, but sadly it never happened due to Midway Games going under.
197* ''VideoGame/StreetFighterTheMovie''. The arcade game is utter crap that belongs to the bad category. The home version? It has the same awkward graphics, but there's a twist. It essentially lifts its engine from ''Super VideoGame/StreetFighterII Turbo'', and as such is a pretty decent fighter.
198* There's a little-known Japanese-horror movie named ''Film/SweetHome1989'', released in TheEighties, who had also a [[VideoGame/SweetHome1989 video game adaptation]] by Creator/{{Capcom}} for the [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] and released together with the movie. The movie even starts with a commercial for the game, so you'd think they both suck, right? WRONG: while the movie is a little Narmish but still has a cool story and gives a few good chills as well, the game is a terrific RPG that loosely follows the movie plot, breaks many traditions of the genre (for example you can't raise characters' defense, you have very few ways to restore health and you can't revive those who die) and is absolutely [[NightmareFuel TERRIFYING]], so much that some of the game elements were recycled in another series... its name? '''''Franchise/ResidentEvil'''''. Now you know who's to blame for the creaky doors and the item management.
199* The Platform/SegaCD version of ''Film/TheTerminator'', made by [[Creator/VirginRecords Virgin Games]] (the same people responsible for ''ComicBook/RoboCopVersusTheTerminator'' and the [[Platform/SegaGenesis Genesis]] ''[[VideoGame/AladdinVirginGames Aladdin]]'' game), is quite decent. It even has an [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic awesome Redbook audio soundtrack]]. The only notable blemish it has is its ultra-low quality video-captured live-action cutscenes taken from the movie.
200** The [[Platform/SegaGenesis Genesis]] version of ''Film/TheTerminator'' is pretty good too, with great and moody synthy music that includes both a rendition of the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' theme and a remix (which was actually a first for console releases), tight controls, and levels and intermissions with stills from the movie itself that follow the plot of the film almost perfectly. Its only real drawback is that it is insanely short, being only four levels long.
201** ''[[Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines Terminator 3]]: The Redemption'' was fairly well-received, certainly better than the previous ''Terminator 3'' games.
202** ''[[VideoGame/Terminator2JudgmentDay [=T2=]: The Arcade Game]]'' was a very enjoyable LightGunGame which benefited from simply being set in the ''Terminator'' universe and basically ignoring the plot for the first half of the game.
203** ''VideoGame/{{Terminator Salvation|Arcade}}'' for the Arcade is another very enjoyable LightGunGame and was much more well-received than ''Film/TerminatorSalvation'' for the PC/consoles. Its only drawback seems to be the unbelievably cheap shots that you ''will'' be taking.
204** ''VideoGame/TerminatorResistance'' was also a very well-received and enjoyable ''Terminator'' game, thanks to its RPG elements and deeply intertwined story with the first 2 movies.
205** Creator/{{Bethesda}}'s {{First Person Shooter}}s ''Terminator: Future Shock'' and ''[=SkyNet=]'' earned critical praise, though relatively little popularity.
206* ''VideoGame/TheThing2002'' video game, quite a solid ThirdPersonShooter that features some interesting mechanics and the eerie atmosphere from the film. And also, it tells what happens after the vague ending of the film. [[WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment Some disagreed with this assessment, though]].
207* ''[[VideoGame/ThorGodOfThunder2011 Thor: God of Thunder]]'' is based off of the ''Film/{{Thor}}'' film from 2011. The home console versions of the game? Absolute garbage. But the [[Platform/NintendoDS DS]] version is a charming [=2D=] beat-em-up/platformer that decides to go for a [[PragmaticAdaptation loose adaptation of the story]] rather than directly retelling the exact plot. Not only that, but the sprite art is downright gorgeous.
208* While ''Film/TopGun'' on the [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] falls on [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames the other side of the spectrum]], its sequel, ''Top Gun: The Second Mission'', fixes all of the problems the first game had, with SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic, much easier landing sequences, intense dogfighting, and no mid-air refueling.
209* ''Film/{{Wanted}}: Weapons of Fate'' was delayed the better part of a year specifically so the developers could keep it from sucking. From most accounts, they did a pretty good job.
210* With ''VideoGame/TheWarriors'', Creator/RockstarGames not only made [[Film/TheWarriors a cult classic movie]] into a remarkably strong semi-sandbox beat-em-up that faithfully recreated almost every single moment of the film, it actually [[AdaptationExpansion did a great job of fleshing out a whole new backstory for the characters]].
211** [[http://blog.wired.com/games/2009/02/the-warriors-be.html There's another game on Platform/XboxLiveArcade that was released to celebrate the film's 30th anniversary,]] but Rockstar's not involved, so approach with caution...
212* The ''Film/WarGames'' licensed game by Coleco (originally released for the Platform/{{Colecovision}}) was fairly well received.
213** The much newer - relatively speaking - PC licensed game was a relatively competitive RealTimeStrategy game; while not really bringing anything particularly revolutionary to the table it was well-made, enjoyable and featured a plot that was completely distinct from the film's.
214* Though not exactly a ''great'' game, ''[[Film/{{Watchmen}} Watchmen: The End Is Nigh]]'' is a pretty fun beat 'em up with decent visuals that capture the bleak atmosphere of the story, a strong combo system with both playable heroes feeling distinct, and a story that serves as a prequel to the movie featuring a look into Rorschach and Nite Owl's days fighting crime, with hand-drawn comic-style cutscenes to advance the plot. Also, both Creator/PatrickWilson and Creator/JackieEarleHaley reprise their roles from the movie. On the downside, it's fairly short, its level design leaves a lot to be desired, doesn't have much variety, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking physical copies are pretty expensive.]]
215* The fantasy film ''Film/{{Willow}}'' was adapted into an action-RPG by Creator/{{Capcom}}, which follows the script pretty faithfully, and also has great aesthetics.
216** The arcade version was one of the better examples of a 2D platformer. It shared similarities with another Capcom arcade platformer, ''VideoGame/MagicSword''.
217* The ''Film/WorldWarZ'' film had a mobile FirstPersonShooter game tie-in, which is considered quite good, with it being stated that it "removes the hassle" of playing first person shooter games on touchscreens.
218* While not a ''brilliant'' game, the video game of ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'' is a fun, gory hack-and-slash with well-working gameplay mechanics, plenty of fanservice, and expanded plot points. In fact, much like ''[[Film/BallisticEcksVsSever Ecks vs. Sever]]'' above, the game seems to be more well-received than the movie it's based on! (As the developers worked on the also-very-well-received ''VideoGame/XMenLegends'', ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance'', the two most recent titles in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' ''VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga'' and ''Franchise/StarTrek: Elite Force'' (mentioned above), this may not actually be surprising.)
219** Interestingly, it also ends on a cliffhanger/possible sequel hook that is completely unrelated to the film's plot.
220** There's also the ''VideoGame/XMenLegends'' series, a very solid ActionRPG which gameplay consists of various mutant super power that just beg you to GottaCatchThemAll and spend a long time experimenting each one of them. The possibilities in these games are just endless, not to mention a pretty interesting story.
221[[/folder]]
222
223[[folder:Literature]]
224* ''VideoGame/TheAdventuresOfTomSawyer'' for the [=NES=] tends to get savaged for its [[PragmaticAdaptation weirdness]] and having little to do with the novel its based on (Tom Sawyer has a dream while at school), but at the same time, it's a perfectly solid platform game otherwise with good controls and nice challenge. The soundtrack for the game is simplistic and rather catchy.
225* The VideoGame/LivingBooks series of edutainment games were adaptations of popular picture books, including ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', ''Literature/TheBerenstainBears'', and ''Literature/LittleCritter''. They proved to be immensely popular among children of the 90s for their ability to bring familiar books to life in a special way, and a few are still being sold for mobile platforms.
226* ''[[Literature/GreenSkyTrilogy Below the Root]]'' for the Platform/Commodore64 and Platform/AppleII is another example of a book-based game done right. It's a very inventive adventure game with a lot of features that were unique for its time but are [[SugarWiki/GeniusProgramming taken for granted in modern CRPGs]], including a choice as to the age, sex, and race of avatar, the [=NPCs=] reacting differently to you based on the age and race of your avatar, and certain game mechanics behaving differently based on your avatar. The game was good enough that a lot of people who played it [[AdaptationDisplacement didn't realize]] it was originally based on a series of books by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, incorporating plot points, characters, locations and abilities from the books into a new story that could stand on its own. Even better? It was probably the first licensed game that was considered {{Canon}} for the material it was based on.
227** The same publishers came out with a brilliant ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'' text adventure that incorporated virtually all of the first book, about two-thirds of the second book, and a ShoutOut to the third. Seeing as the book is ''much'' less known than the movie, and the later books are even ''more'' obscure, they mixed and matched elements to present some clever challenges. Their ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'' adaptation (from 1985) also used a highly-primitive version of {{Dialogue Tree}}s to interact with the Wonderland residents.
228* ''[[VideoGame/BerenstainBearsCampingAdventure The Berenstain Bears' Camping Adventure]]'' for the Platform/SegaGenesis is a surprisingly competent game. When thinking something like ''Literature/TheBerenstainBears'', you'd expect something like an EdutainmentGame or something, but this is not the case here. ''Camping Adventure'' is a well-designed, fun and addictive PlatformGame where you choose between Brother and Sister Bear, or both at the same time in 2-Player CoOpMultiplayer as they explore five unique levels, while everything in the forest wants them dead [[EverythingTryingToKillYou for some reason]].
229* ''VideoGame/BetrayalAtKrondor'', a licensed game based on Creator/RaymondEFeist's ''Literature/TheRiftwarCycle'', was one of the best DOS-era PC [=RPGs=] ever made.
230** In fact, Feist then spun the plot from the game into the ''Riftwar Legacy'' trilogy of novels, the first (''Krondor: The Betrayal'') being a direct novelization of the game (and not surprisingly the weakest part of the trilogy).
231* ''Literature/CallahansCrosstimeSaloon'', based on the book series by Spider Robinson. The game's designer, Josh Mandel, drove to Spider's house one day and played the game with him for eight hours, and Spider then wrote a glowing review of the game and praised Mandel's work in the prologue of ''The Callahan Chronicles''.
232* ''VideoGame/ChaosLegion'' was a NintendoHard hack-n'-slash that received mostly mediocre reviews, but is generally favored by people that like repetitive hack-n'-slashers. It was based off some obscure Japanese novel that nobody really knew about.
233* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfAmber'' had a sadly-obscure illustrated InteractiveFiction game written for it back in the time before Windows, covering the Corwin Cycle in very BroadStrokes (essentially, it mostly followed the plot of the first two books, with options for weird side-tracks like assassinating Eric before he can [[spoiler: blind you]], but also had options to go off the track and get involved in the Brand plotline way ahead of schedule). It was actually an amazingly-deep (not to mention NintendoHard and [[UnwinnableByDesign cruel]]) political game that took several replays to figure out [[GuideDangIt exactly who to ally with and how to do so]].
234* Legend Entertainment's ''[[Literature/TheDeathGateCycle Death Gate]]'' is one of the best adventure games ever made. The story, the voices, the characters... but also the puzzles. Destroying a magical double by casting [[spoiler: a mirror image of the "self immolation" spell to trick the double into casting the REAL self immolation spell?]] A-W-E-S-O-M-E. And with the exception of two or three infuriating {{Moon Logic Puzzle}}s (and even these were clever) the whole ''game'' is awesome like that.
235* ''VideoGame/DuneII'' was a so-so adaptation, bearing a passing resemblance to [[Literature/{{Dune}} the original novel]], but it was an incredibly successful and popular ''game'' -- verging on AdaptationDisplacement for fans unfamiliar with the novel, and it is the progenitor of ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' and the entire RealTimeStrategy genre. It was pretty advanced for the early 90s, and is still playable today -- provided you can find a mod that overcomes the "command each individual unit separately" problem.
236** The first ''VideoGame/{{Dune}}'', on the other hand, was a pretty damn good blend of adventure and strategy with some very memorable music and amazing graphics for its time, while managing to stay relatively faithful to the book (though ''a lot'' LighterAndSofter), but is [[SequelDisplacement comparatively forgotten due to the sequel's success]].
237** Incidentally, the ''TabletopGame/{{Dune}}'' BoardGame is also an amazingly fun game with lots of backstabbing and nearly every trope on the GambitIndex. It's so easy to win...except for all the other players. It was remade as ''[[https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/104363/rex-final-days-empire Rex: Final Days of an Empire]]'', with all of the Dune licensing replaced by ''TabletopGame/TwilightImperium'' factions.
238* Legend Entertainment's ''VideoGame/{{Gateway}}'' and ''Gateway 2: Homeworld'', based on the ''Literature/HeecheeSaga'', are excellent games.
239* ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby''[='=]s Japanese [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] adaption, ''Doki Doki Toshokan: Gatsby no Monogatari'', is a completely bonkers platformer featuring Nick Carraway fighting through hordes of waiters, hobos, dancing girls, ghosts, and [[FacelessEye the giant eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg]] with [[ImprobableWeaponUser his boomerang hat]] to get to the American Dream. Players have found it addictive. It can be played online [[http://greatgatsbygame.com/ here.]]
240** [[spoiler:It's also entirely fanmade (its existence as an [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] game is a hoax). Still a fun game, though.]]
241* The InteractiveFiction ''VideoGame/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy1984'' was quite good (though often [[GuideDangIt insultingly difficult]]), thanks to Creator/DouglasAdams's involvement.
242* ''VideoGame/TheHobbit1982'' is an action adventure and a stealth platformer which is very faithful to the source, gives some AdaptationExpansion, and makes Bilbo an AdaptationalBadass.
243* ''VideoGame/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream'', where Creator/HarlanEllison not only wrote the expanded story, but also provided the voice of AM for the game - and did a surprisingly good job at both!
244* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''
245** Creator/{{Interplay}}'s 1991 game was quite a nice VideoGame/{{Ultima}}-style RPG, managing to make up additions to the game that actually fit the Tolkien world. (Such as shops in and around the Shire that were owned by a "Sharkey", or meeting one of the rangers that Aragorn sets to watch the Shire)
246** ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsWarOfTheRing'' while overshadowed by the film adaptation ''VideoGame/BattleForMiddleEarth'' games was still a decent RTS with gameplay comparable to ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII''.
247** Reiner Knizia's ''Lord of the Rings'' co-operative board game (2000) was widely acclaimed, winning a special SpielDesJahres award for "best use of literature in a game".
248* Ukrainian game studio 4A Games made ''VideoGame/Metro2033'', a FirstPersonShooter based on the ridiculously popular (in Russia) [[Literature/Metro2033 online novel of the same name]]. The game itself is actually beyond "decent", crossing over into the "downright good" category. 4A Games also released a sequel, ''VideoGame/MetroLastLight'', which, while written by the original author himself, has branched off into its own continuity.
249* The ''VideoGame/NancyDrew'' computer games are almost always good, featuring lots of SceneryPorn, good music, complex stories, and a huge variety of interesting characters. Their appeal is really widespread: they're fundamentally kid-friendly, but the challenging puzzles (on multiple difficulties) and occasional scary bits endear them to older gamers, and fans of old-school adventure games in particular. They also have a lot of appeal for young girls and prompt many of them to get interested in gaming. They've won several awards and claim to have outsold ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' (although they also admit that it's basically law of averages; they've released 33 games as of 2019, whereas ''Myst'' has less than 10.) Their release schedule is also ''insanely'' productive. They released at least two full games a year from 2001 to 2015, and best of all, they go for a fraction of the price of most big-time console releases.
250* Creator/{{Interplay}} made a much-lauded ''Literature/{{Neuromancer}}'' video game in the late 80s. You play as a hacker who may or may not be intended as Case from the first novel. The all-new plot begins with a vague mention of several hackers mysteriously disappearing from cyberspace. The real world segment plays like an adventure game where you talk to people (many lifted right from the books) and gather information and useful items. The real meat of the game is in cyberspace, where you break into databases in RPG-style combat with programs serving as your means of attack and defense. In addition to actually useful stuff, the cyberspace databases contain oodles of flavour text, some lifted from the books and some new world-building, which does a wonderful job in simulating the feeling of breaking in to a place you don't really know and digging through stuff you are not supposed to see.
251* Most people who played ''VideoGame/ParasiteEve'' were unaware that it was a sequel to [[AdaptationDisplacement a novel that was also adapted into a Japanese movie]].
252** It gets better. It was basically a tech demo for the cutscenes used in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', but it wound up proving itself a very good game, making it the beta for another licensed series.
253* The [[VideoGame/RainbowSix Rainbow Six games]], based on [[Literature/RainbowSix the novel]], pioneered the tactical shooter genre itself, and are regarded as classics.
254* The venerable ''Literature/RecordOfLodossWar'' has had two video game adaptations, both of which were quite good:
255** The self-titled Dreamcast game is a solid ActionRPG with a focus on weapon upgrading and clearing out enemy lairs that's aged quite well.
256** ''VideoGame/RecordOfLodossWarDeedlitInWonderLabyrinth'' is a fun, well-made {{Metroidvania}}.
257* None other than Creator/{{Sierra}} made an awesome adventure game based on Creator/ArthurCClarke's ''Literature/RendezvousWithRama'' series, entitled simply ''VideoGame/{{Rama}}.'' The game captures the mystique of roaming around an alien world and slowly learning what everything in it does, and about the alien species that are stored in it. Not only does it feature some brutally clever puzzles, involving things like hexadecimal math, but it also is [[NintendoHard exactly as mean as you'd expect from Sierra.]] Plus, when you die, none other than Mr. Clarke himself appears [[HaveANiceDeath to berate you for making such silly mistakes.]]
258* The ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series of [=RPGs=], which at this time may have more [[SpinOff spin-offs]] than Mario, can be traced back to the [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] game ''Megami Tensei'', based on the Japanese novel ''Literature/DigitalDevilStory''.
259* ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'' was actually based on a novel (Albeit unpublished) called "Tale Phantasia".
260* ''[[Literature/MaridAudran When Gravity Fails]]'' got a game made out of it by Westwood with the title ''Circuit's Edge''. It is an adventure-RPG hybrid with an original story taking place between the first and second books. The main plot progresses by way of a satisfying mystery investigation, and the implanted personality chips from the books work both as a way of providing plain stat boosts and as a puzzle element. (Need to break into a warehouse and bypass the alarms? Plug in a burglar or secret agent chip!) The game doesn't shy away from the setting's numerous risque aspects yet it doesn't feel like gratuitous indulgence either. Among other things this includes prostitution, drugs, and transsexuals ''everywhere''.
261* [[Film/TheWizardOfOz RIZ-ZOAWD]], is a loosely adapted RPG for Platform/NintendoDS, made by Media.Vision Entertainment (best known for the ''VideoGame/WildArms'' series), is truly an enjoyable RPG for everybody. And let's not get started on the SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic.
262** Would later be released outside of Japan as ''The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road''.
263* ''Franchise/TheWitcher'' (based on novels by Andrzej Sapkowski). Despite [[ObviousBeta numerous bugs]] in the first version, the game is actually quite good. And after having the bugs fixed and gameplay improved for the enhanced edition, it is very good indeed. Patch 1.5 and the Director's Cut patch just add more to the goodness. Oh Yeah! The Director's Cut and special edition changes being free downloads to owners of the original helped too.
264** The sequels were considered very good as well. ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2'' was praised for its complex political story, branching narrative, and improved combat, and ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3'' introduced the WideOpenSandbox to the formula, becoming a mainstream hit that's widely considered one of the best [=RPGs=] of TheNewTens, to the point of being a case of AdaptationDisplacement outside of its native Poland.
265[[/folder]]
266
267[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
268* The first console adaptation of ''Series/AmericanIdol'' unfortunately played more like ''VideoGame/GitarooMan'' and did not actually involve singing. Thankfully Creator/{{Konami}} stepped up to the plate and eventually fixed this with special ''American Idol'' versions of ''VideoGame/KaraokeRevolution''.
269* The 2003 ''Franchise/BattlestarGalactica'' game is a very good ([[NintendoHard if brutally difficult]]) space combat game with excellent production values.
270* ''VideoGame/BuffyTheVampireSlayer2002'' is a surprisingly good little title. Most other games within the franchise range from mediocre to abysmal. The sequel ''VideoGame/BuffyTheVampireSlayerChaosBleeds'' was also well received by fans, as it featured the voices of most of the cast (minus Creator/SarahMichelleGellar, who by this point had divorced herself from the series, and Creator/AlysonHannigan, who was unavailable at the time), excellent gameplay and a good overall story arc (since it was scripted by the main show writers and based on a lost episode of the series itself).
271* When Creator/SpikeTV announced an Platform/XboxLiveArcade game based on their show ''Series/DeadliestWarrior'', everyone expected it to suck. What we got was a fun fighting game that reminded some people of the [=PS1=]-era classic ''VideoGame/BushidoBlade'', but with pirates and Spartans.
272* ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' received an iPhone game based on season one, which had a lot of voice work from the show's cast, and got an 8/10 on IGN.
273* ''VideoGame/DoctorWhoLegacy'' has been getting 10/10 scores from hardcore fans and casual gamers alike, and is created by people who are deeply immersed in the fandom themselves. It's got an amazingly well-written plot and the gameplay is about as addictive and solid as can be.
274* The ''VideoGame/DoctorWho Adventure Games'' for PC seem to be getting fairly decent reviews. Not bad for a series of freebies.
275* GameShows: Making the honor roll of home-board game adaptations:
276** ''Series/{{Concentration}}''. Besides' ''Series/{{Password}}'', perhaps the most faithfully-adapted version of a game show from television to home version. The game played exactly like the game on TV -- match two prizes or action cards, or pair them up with a wild card, and reveal two parts of a rebus, which as it is revealed will lead the contestant to identify a person, place, thing, event, common phrase, etc. The only irritation was that, if two players played, the contestant who gave what turned out to be a wrong answer could have the game spoiled for both players if they accidentally revealed too much of the answer with the answer slide[[note]](although the rules clearly stated that the opposing contestant was to open the slide carefully and only enough to reveal enough of the answer to tell immediately if he was right or wrong -- e.g., the guess was "Abraham Lincoln" but the contestant sees a "C" as the first letter to the correct answer)[[/note]].
277** ''Series/DealOrNoDeal'': The home board game. This was simply a matter of shuffling the cards, laying them on a table, picking the cases as spelled out in the rules (which were like the game show, e.g., six in the first round, five in the second and so on ...), deciding on banker's offers (which the rules stated could be determined at the host's discretion) and so forth.
278** ''Series/FamilyFeud'': Aside from playing just three rounds in the main game (two single games and a double), and being shown up to six possible answers for all Fast Money questions (all of them scoring at least two points), this was a successful adaptation of the TV game, through its Milton Bradley, Pressman and Endless Games incarnations.
279** ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'': Excepting for the omission of a dedicated "Final Jeopardy!" question -- the game's rules stated that one of the "Double Jeopardy!" questions be used as the "Final ... " question -- the Creator/MiltonBradley and Pressman home games played exactly like the TV show; only the Parker Brothers game issued in 2000 included dedicated "Final Jeopardy!" questions [[note]](and also included specific questions for Daily Doubles; players could choose the Daily Double question for the earlier games)[[/note]]. (The game's rules for all versions also stated contestants could never have a negative score, but players could agree to ignore this rule and play just like the TV show ... presumably because of the presence of play money.)
280** ''Series/MatchGame'': The 1960s Milton Bradley adaptations only. Timeless questions, and all that are needed are two players (or teams of two players, if there's enough) to play. Questions are timeless, and made even more so by suggestion (of the game's rules) for the host to suggest "an answer other than" a popular response to a given question (e.g., "Name a color of the rainbow other than red").
281** ''Series/NameThatTune'': For its time – late 1950s, when two editions were published – Milton Bradley's adaptation of the guess-the-song game show worked ... but as a Bingo game rather than a straight "guess the song" contest. (Simply put: You were given a Bingo card, marked with the names of 24 songs in five rows (don't forget the free space). You'd then listen to a record, which was included with the game, and if you recognized the song title and saw it on your card, you'd mark it, just like in the parlor game. The first player to get five-in-a-row won.
282** Today, the trope is averted. While many of the songs were timeless – children's, holiday, religious, folk and tradiitonal, patriotic and classical music – just as many songs are now-obscure pop songs from the pre-rock era that rarely if ever have been heard by the target demographic (youths to young adults), making the game outdated and of little interest to anyone but collectors or people in their 80s or older.
283*** In 2005, Imagination Games came out with a new DVD board game with all 1980s tunes ... to wit, songs people from teenagers and early 20s to those in their 50s have likely heard recently and putting that edition of ''[=NTT=]'' back into the "No Problem" category.
284** ''Series/{{Password}}'': Simple, easy game to play, with the core objective intact: Make the contestant guess the word using one-word clues in as few tries as possible. Aside from Milton Bradley's suggested rule to play each game to 10 words with high score winning (easily changable depending on taste), everything was identical.
285*** Want to play the Lightning Round? Just pick up the "Fine" edition, which was essentially a deluxe version with more game cards and equipment to play the round.
286** ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'': While Milton Bradley's adaptations were generally faithful, it is the 2000s home game adaptations by Endless Games that earns this game's spot on the list. Developed by fans of the show, the game includes materials and rules to play 45 of the games on the show (the only things missing are a pencil and paper (to write answers and/or guesses) and a stopwatch for the Clock Game), plus a prize booklet listing all the prizes or grocery items, even going so far as to subdivide them by price class. (The games's rulebook lists which class of prizes to use for a specific game.)
287** ''Series/{{Pyramid}}'': Applies to the 1980s-onward editions, starting with the 1986 game issued by Cardinal games. Aside from all clues to a given category being visible to the clue-giver at the same time, the game is true to the TV version.
288** ''Series/WheelOfFortune'': Virtually identical to the TV show. The 1970s Milton Bradley adaptations even went so far as to include prize cards to simulate the shopping experience; the elimination of prizes and non-inclusion of the bonus round for the 1980s-onward Pressman versions do not detract from the game experience.
289* Among ''Franchise/KamenRider'' fans, some licensed games in the franchise avoided crappiness, like the SNES beat-em-up of [[Series/KamenRider the original series]]. There's also a fighting game series that includes the first show, ''V3'' and ''Kuuga'' to ''Kabuto'': most of these range to SoOkayItsAverage to [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames downright bad]], but two great exceptions are ''Series/KamenRiderV3'' on the first Platform/PlayStation and the ''Series/KamenRiderKabuto'' fighter on the [=PlayStation=] 2. ''VideoGame/KamenRiderClimaxHeroes'' (and [[RemadeForTheExport by proxy]], the game of ''Series/KamenRiderDragonKnight'') are decent, but [[GrowingTheBeard took their time to get decent enough]].
290** ''Genealogy of Justice'' just barely manages to make it due to the well crafted story, which crosses over [[Series/KamenRider the original series]], ''Series/KamenRiderV3'', ''Series/KamenRiderBlack'' and ''Series/KamenRiderAgito'' a good number of years before ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'', and getting all the original actors to reprise their roles unlike ''Kamen Rider Decade'', which (as far as the game's Riders go) just opted for AlternateUniverse counterparts and {{Fake Shemp}}s except for Black. [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames The gameplay, however...]]
291** The ''[[Series/KamenRiderDragonKnight Dragon Knight]]'' game on the [[Platform/NintendoDS DS]] is also good, having been developed by Creator/{{Natsume}}.
292* ''Franchise/TheLoneRanger'' has an excellent [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] game, combining top-down, side-scrolling, and first-person gameplay sections and doing a solid job with all three. The challenge rises quite fairly (the first-person sections are quite NintendoHard, though), it's a fairly long game for the time, and it has great graphics and music to accompany the gameplay.
293* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'':
294** The 16-bit ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' games all tended to be pretty well made with good graphics, fun beat-em-up gameplay, and catchy original music.
295** The two Platform/GameGear games were pretty good as well.
296** The soundtrack for the [[Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]] game? Its main composer, Kinuyo Yamashita, has also done work for more well-known works like ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaI'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManX3''. You're dealing with a reputable game composer. Who [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHly6zadTq0 faithfully recreated the Power Rangers theme]].
297** ''VideoGame/PowerRangersLegacyWars'' should, by all accounts, be godawful, being not only a video game adaptation of the ''Film/PowerRangers2017'' reboot film, but a mobile game at that. Surprisingly, it's a fairly decent fighting game with a fair amount of tactical depth and controls that work well on a touch screen. The fact that it is a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover featuring Power Rangers from across the franchise's entire history, plus a few choice villains and CrossPromotion with ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'', doesn't hurt.
298** And then there's ''VideoGame/PowerRangersBattleForTheGrid''. The initial reservations about the small launch roster for a 3-on-3 game, the adaptation of a comic book storyline, unpolished graphics, beginner-friendly design, and lack of early content screaming "cheap, nostalgia-based cash grab" were left aside once players found that, at its core, it's a solid fighting game with excellent fundamentals and a diverse roster that grew even stronger with each season. Positive word of mouth, as well as its surprisingly excellent netcode for online play allowed it to blossom as a SleeperHit in the MediaNotes/FightingGameCommunity, receiving regular tournament play throughout 2020-onwards.
299* ''[[VideoGame/MissionImpossibleKonami Mission: Impossible]]'' for the [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] is loosely based on the 1988 revival series. A stealth-action hybrid in a bird's eye view, it utilizes multiple characters, each with their own special tools and abilities, that you'll need to navigate its non-linear levels and solve environmental puzzles. It also has some awesome music, including an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R4aqvBsYtU 8-bit rendition of the iconic theme]]. Just be forewarned, it brings NintendoHard to a whole new level.
300* ''VideoGame/MuppetMonsterAdventure'' is a well-made game where you play as Kermit's nephew Robin, and you save the Muppets after they have been turned into monsters. It has solid controls, good graphics, and good music. It's also a decent case of AscendedExtra, as Robin was not really that important in the show.
301* The ''Series/MurderSheWrote'' hidden object games are quite good, with well-written stories and excellent voice acting. Finding the typewriter ribbon in each scene gives you an extra hint, which is a cute idea, as is needing to find the vowel keys (including Y) in order to fill in missing letters in the object list. The mini-games are decent if not overly challenging and they do a good job of keeping journal entries in-character. The only real complaint is an occasional bit of pixel-hunting.
302* Out of all things, ''Series/{{The Prisoner|1967}}'' got a good licensed game, which makes use not only of the setting but also maintains the source material's tendency to mess with the audience's heads. For example the game will give fake error messages, twenty years before ''VideoGame/EternalDarkness'' employed similar methods. There are many apparent escape routes you can pursue, and the real way to win the game is... quite something.
303* ''VideoGame/RetroGameChallenge'' is the licensed game based on the Japanese show ''Series/GameCenterCX'', which happens to be a show about RetroGaming. Needless to say, a video game about video games based on a show about video games? How hard could it be to make one? NintendoHard apparently.
304-->[[{{Rimshot}} * ba-dum-ching! *]]
305* While most ''Franchise/StarTrek'' games fall into the "problem" side, some have been quite good, including:
306** ''[[VideoGame/StarTrekEliteForce Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force]]'' and its sequel, a pair of [=FPSes=] that received considerable praise.
307** ''VideoGame/StarTrekBridgeCommander'' was quite a fun game. It had an innovative game set-up, original storyline, and had appearances of Picard and Data. Probably turned out so well because it was made by the same guys who gave us ''VideoGame/XWing'' and ''VideoGame/TIEFighter''.
308** ''VideoGame/StarTrekStarfleetAcademy'' and its sequel ''VideoGame/StarTrekKlingonAcademy'' are also fine games focused on starship combat. Both contain FMV cutscenes with some actors from the series, and the latter one is especially notable in that it takes place shortly before the sixth film and helps flesh out the brewing conflict within the Klingon Empire.
309** The ''[[VideoGame/StarTrekStarfleetCommand Starfleet Command]]'' series was a starship sim/real-time tactics simulator that allowed you to wage battle in huge ships, firing broadsides at each other as if it were something out of the [[SpaceIsAnOcean age of sail]]... and once you get past the confusing ([[ViewerFriendlyInterface yet stylish]]) HUD, and the [[NintendoHard steep learning curve]], it's a lot of fun. [[AwesomeMusic/VideoGames Great soundtrack, too]]. This one may have benefitted from having its mechanics based on the long established tabletop game ''Star Fleet Battles''.
310** ''[[VideoGame/StarTrek25thAnniversary 25th Anniversary]]'' and ''VideoGame/JudgmentRites'', two excellent [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]] based adventure games with the occasional starship battle (although the one at the end of the first game was [[NintendoHard nigh impossible to finish]]); to this day they are still reckoned among the finest of all ''Star Trek'' games.
311*** ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration: VideoGame/AFinalUnity'' continued in this vein: a plot-driven point-and-click adventure game, with some starship battles thrown in.
312** ''Star Trek: Invasion'', a Platform/PlayStation space combat game that is surprisingly good, featuring a thrilling, self-contained and original story in the ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Star Trek: TNG]]'' saga, a simple yet addictive gameplay mechanic, a somewhat NintendoHard difficulty (full-fledged NintendoHard if you choose the Lieutenant difficulty), excellent level design with UnexpectedGameplayChange, lush, eye-candy visual and excellent audio quality. The only things you can fault this game is the flawed control and... well, NintendoHard.
313** ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'', the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' {{MMORPG}}, has ''gorgeous'' graphics, and at least intended to capture some of the feel of the original series. Additionally, the space combat is some of the most playable of any Star Trek game - having been compared favorably to the later VideoGame/StarTrekStarfleetCommand games.
314*** Though its main (perhaps only) mistake was not exposing it enough when the MMO market was dominated by ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' and the upcoming ''Rift''. There was not enough interest generated for it to succeed.
315*** After going Free-To-Play, STO has been hailed as one of the best [=F2P=] models currently around.
316** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' also got one good game in ''The Fallen'', very loosely based on the ''Literature/StarTrekMillennium'' trilogy of novels.
317* The ''Franchise/StrangerThings'' app that appeared on the digital stores came out of nowhere, was made by an unknown company and was free, so everyone was quite wary of it. Those who downloaded it found a charming ''[[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]]''-esque top-down action adventure game where you can find and control most of the series' main characters, starting with Hopper. With cute 16-bit graphics, nice puzzles, several nods to both seasons of the franchise and loads of secrets, it's a great homage to the series as well as to old-school gaming in general, which still ties in with the retro-infused feel of ''Stranger Things''. To top it off it's absolutely free with absolutely no microtransactions and the only ads in the game are a Creator/{{Netflix}} icon on the menu and a couple of trailers for the second season of ''Stranger Things'', one of them is unlockable in-game.
318* ''Series/TwentyFour: The Game'' is a relatively decent 3rd-person shooter that mixes in little mini-game sections that surprisingly ''aren't'' annoying, and even some driving segments, that while admittedly flawed, aren't unplayable (though there are [[ThatOneLevel driving missions that see you get chased]] that could really aggravate some gamers). It even ties in with the series by featuring an original story set between seasons 2 and 3 that, unlike so many other licensed games that feature an original story set within the same universe, is actually canon, features every single cast member from that point in the show reprising their role for the game, and uses the same musical score as the television series.
319* The ''Franchise/UltraSeries'' franchise has more good games than the average Tokusatsu franchise. The ''Series/{{Ultraman}}'' arcade game and the ''Ultraseven'' Platform/SuperNintendo game are very faithful adaptations of their series and have a decent pre-''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' fighting engine. The ''Ultraman Fighting Evolution'' series evolved from a ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' clone into a lore-expansive Ultraman crossover that has been praised by fans and non-fans alike for their great fighting dynamics and loads of characters from the franchise (''Rebirth'', however, changed its focus from the original TV shows into its own style [[ContestedSequel to mixed success]], although the gameplay keeps the quality) -- likewise, the eponymous ''Ultraman'' Platform/PlayStation2 game is an almost-perfect TV to game simulation with engaging gameplay.
320** Also, most of the games focused on the human teams, ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' clone ''Kaiju Busters'', ShootEmUp ''Ultra X Weapons'' and ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' clone ''Ultra Keibitai - Monster Attack'', have recieved good ratings in their homeland.
321* ''Series/YesMinister'' had ''Yes, Prime Minister: The Computer Game'' released in 1987. The core of the gameplay is essentially a choose-your-own-adventure game where you play as Jim Hacker himself through just one week in politics and read through reams of text in policy meetings and choose your responses. Fortunately, the writing is very, very good and matches the series both in humor and commentary on politics. Though the core schedule of the meetings is always the same, there are no clear right or wrong choices and there are sometimes surprising follow-ups to your decisions, which leads to the game having plenty of replay value.
322[[/folder]]
323
324[[folder:Music]]
325* ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'' actually started off as a game intended to promote Toshiba EMI's ''Dancemania'' album series. It has since become one of Creator/{{Konami}}'s most successful and most well-known rhythm games.
326* The first two games in the ''VideoGame/DefJamSeries'' of video games are fun. The first game, ''Vendetta'', is a servicable wrestling game, while the sequel, ''Fight for NY'', is an brutal and fun brawling fighter with CharacterCustomization. Sadly, the third game, ''Icon'', [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames is considered to be rather mediocre]].
327* ''VideoGame/FiftyCentBloodOnTheSand'' is the SurprisinglyImprovedSequel, emphasis on "surprisingly", of ''Music/FiftyCent: Bulletproof''. It's a ThirdPersonShooter with a fast pace, friendly learning curve, and a good variety of enemies that sophisticate the gameplay. Combined with a storyline that's SoBadItsGood in all the right ways[[note]]Long story short, 50 receives a diamond encrusted skull as payment for a gig, the BigBad takes it, 50 yells "bitch took my skull!" and goes after him[[/note]], bugs and continuity mistakes that are fun to laugh at but largely don't hamper the game, and, naturally, music and voice acting provided by 50 Cent and G-Unit, there's quite a bit to like with this one.
328* ''Music/FrankieGoesToHollywood'' had a computer game loosely themed around the band's first album ''Welcome to the Pleasuredome'', and especially the Platform/Commodore64 version is considered one of the best games on the system of all time. The game itself is... abstract, to put it loosely: You play as the silhouette of a person from the band's logo, and your stated goal is to become a real person and then find and enter the Pleasuredome. This is accomplished by wandering around residential Liverpool, solving puzzles and playing minigames based on specific songs.
329* ''Videogame/GuitarHero'' had two titles focused on one band, Music/{{Aerosmith}} and Music/{{Metallica}} that worked really well, with the musicians providing close collaboration in motion capture, likenesses, and at times even re-recording tracks and bringing in guests (Music/RunDMC for Aerosmith, [[Music/{{Motorhead}} Lemmy]] and Music/KingDiamond for Metallica), the songs by other musicians were chosen by the bands, and there were even band-specific gameplay aspects - ''Aerosmith'' chronicled the band's career, ''Metallica'' had a special mode to add an extra bass drum and emulate Lars Ulrich's kit closer.
330* ''VideoGame/HatsuneMikuProjectDiva'' is a rhythm game series based on Music/{{Vocaloid}}, and it's a pretty great game with fun gameplay and good music, even enjoyed by some rhythm game fans who aren't already Vocaloid fans.
331* ''VideoGame/MichaelJacksonsMoonwalker'' for [[Platform/SegaGenesis Genesis]]; with surprisingly good digitization of Music/{{Michael|Jackson}}'s songs for the era and an appropriately surreal plot it managed to pull off the license very well, and even appeared on one of [=GameSpot=]'s "greatest games of all time" lists. Unfortunately, it's a bit too easy, so you won't take very long to [[{{Pun}} beat it]]. The arcade version was pretty good, too.
332* While the home ports of ''VideoGame/RevolutionX'' are [[PortingDisaster notoriously awful]], the original arcade version is a blast to play, especially in multiplayer.
333* Similar to ''Guitar Hero'', ''VideoGame/RockBand'' went all-in in two band-specific games. Music/TheBeatles was packaged with instruments based on the Fab Four ones, and the game itself had detailed recreations of the band history and tracks remixed by George Martin's son. Music/GreenDay had three of the band's albums in full, recreated the band members and some venues related to them, and worked in their tendency for [[SiameseTwinSongs songs played in succession]]. Both games also give a focus on vocal harmonies.
334[[/folder]]
335
336[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
337* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' is more well known for the opposite trope when it comes to licensed games, but still has a few good ones under his belt.
338** While not a great game, ''VideoGame/GarfieldCaughtInTheAct'' for the Platform/SegaGenesis is a solid platformer, with good graphics, control, and music. The premise is interesting - Garfield is TrappedInTVLand and is forced to [[{{Studiopolis}} make his way through parodies of movie genres]], similarly to the ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'' episode "The Lasagna Zone", as well as ''WesternAnimation/TheGarfieldShow'' episode "Virtualodeon" (though the way Garfield enters TV land is different from both episodes). The only problems are [[ThatOneBoss an extremely hard first boss]] and a GameBreakingBug that causes the third boss to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere walk off-screen and not come back]].
339** ''VideoGame/GarfieldsNightmare'' was another surprisingly decent Garfield platformer, earning [[https://www.metacritic.com/game/ds/garfields-nightmare an average score of 70]] across several reviewers. Reviews praised the game's graphics and artstyle, noting that the 3D looks better than what you'd expect for a Platform/NintendoDS game.
340** ''VideoGame/GarfieldsScaryScavengerHunt'' and its sequel are both classic point-and-click Flash adventure games. Garfield has to adventure through a haunted house, collecting {{Plot Coupon}}s and solving puzzles to find all of the desserts in the area. The first one also comes with the bonus of explaining what happened to Lyman after he was [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome written out of the strip.]]
341* ''VideoGame/SnoopyVsTheRedBaron'' proved to be a competent enough flight sim with respectable use of the ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' license. Its sequel, ''Snoopy Flying Ace'', went on to be praised for having exceptional multiplayer and was even labeled "the best dogfighting game of this console generation" in its IGN review.
342** ''[[NoExportForYou Snoopy Concert]]'' for the Platform/SuperNintendo, partially developed by Creator/{{Nintendo}} itself, is a charming video game in the style of ''VideoGame/PacMan2TheNewAdventures'' that perfectly captures the original comic strip's style.
343* The ''VideoGame/{{Popeye}}'' arcade game was one of the few licensed games made by Creator/{{Nintendo}}, and it even had work from Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto himself. The game features Popeye, Bluto (called Brutus here), Olive, Wimpy, and the Sea Hag. While not a great game, it does have good graphics, characters from the comics, a decent 8-bit rendition of the ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}'' theme, and fluid controls.
344* ''Franchise/TheSmurfs'' received great reviews from players, who viewed it as a very fun game.
345** Another decent ''Smurfs'' game is ''Mission Vileaf'', a ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine''-esque platformer with good controls and a pleasant soundtrack. If it has any weaknesses, they're that it's fairly short with the main campaign clocking in around 8 hours, and there isn't much variety to the levels or enemies, but other than that, it's a good romp for fans and non-fans of the franchise alike.
346[[/folder]]
347
348[[folder:Pinball]]
349* ''Pinball/{{Congo}}'' is a textbook example of a great game hobbled by a poor license. [[Film/{{Congo}} The movie]] was a BoxOfficeBomb and the pinball was Creator/WilliamsElectronics' worst-selling game of the year, but it is seen as an AcclaimedFlop by most players and frequently pops up on "Top 50 Pins of All Time" lists.
350* Video games emulating arcade pinball machines haven't traditionally done well in the past, due to limitations in computing power. This is no longer an issue due to more powerful hardware, and games like ''VideoGame/ThePinballArcade'' and ''VideoGame/ZaccariaPinball'' offer arcade-perfect emulation of the original tables.
351** Similarly, [[DigitalPinballTables original video games with pinball themes]] do well, along with [[PinballSpinoff pinball video games based on gaming properties,]] such as ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimePinball''.
352* Two of the most noteworthy titles in all of pinball are ''Pinball/TwilightZone'', currently the top-rated game by pinball enthusiasts on the Internet Pinball Database, and ''Pinball/TheAddamsFamily'', the current record holder for highest selling modern pinball game (clocking in at just over 20,000 units sold, which is astronomical in the pinball industry) and an undisputed classic.
353* {{Pinball}} machines tend to avoid TheProblemWithLicensedGames trope, especially with most machines in recent times being [[LicensedPinballTables all licensed properties]]. Of course, the economics of pinball are completely different than that of most home video games -- instead of selling many copies of software for $50, the pinball manufacturers are selling $6,000 machines to movie theaters, arcades and other public venues that are trying to sell casual plays for a few quarters, so it's perhaps not that surprising that licenses do well. In addition, the development cycle of a pinball machine (at 6 to 12 months) is much shorter than that of a video game, which allows pinball developers to avoid the issue of advance knowledge that's subject to change.
354** Due to StoryAndGameplaySegregation, it is possible for a terrific pinball layout to be attached to a horrible theme, or vice-versa; "great games with bad themes" is a recurring topic on pinball forums. Even so, the best LicensedPinballTables are those where the theme and the game compliment each other with attractive graphics, appropriate voice call-outs, and creative uses of the property.
355** Of course, this doesn't mean pinball games are completely immune to TheProblemWithLicensedGames, but that's a separate page...
356** The most recent commercially produced pinball machine from a major manufacturer ''without'' a license in mind was Creator/{{Jersey Jack|Pinball}}'s ''Pinball/DialedIn'' from 2017. The last one prior to that? ''Pinball/HighRollerCasino'', released back in ''2001'' (for those too lazy to do the math, that's ''sixteen years'' between major non-licensed releases). To be fair, this does not consider games from smaller "boutique" manufacturers, such as Pinball Manufacturing's ''Pinball/BigBangBar'' (2006), [=WhizBang's=] ''Pinball/WhoaNellieBigJuicyMelons'' (2011), or Spooky Pinball's ''Pinball/AmericasMostHaunted'' (2014).
357[[/folder]]
358
359[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
360* Creator/{{THQ}}'s {{Wrestling Game}}s based on Wrestling/{{WWE}} tend to be very well done, and are the major driving force behind the genre. Prior to them taking the reigns, they were mostly hit-or-miss (The first unquestionably good WWF game wasn't until ''WWF Wrestling/WrestleMania 2000'' on the Platform/Nintendo64). But once they got the license and released ''Here Comes The Pain'' in 2003, the ball kept rolling. It combined the best mechanics to yet exist with an incredibly in-depth and impressive roster that took advantage of the still recent acquisition of Wrestling/{{WCW}} talent by the WWF. Of course, in UsefulNotes/NorthAmerica at least, they tend to ''make up'' about 90% of the genre, so if they didn't drive it, nobody would.
361* You know those commercials which are meant to promote the video game consoles themselves and almost always show off first-party games (Such as a Platform/{{Wii}} commercial with ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' footage)? N64 ones used footage from THQ's Wrestling/{{WCW}} games.
362[[/folder]]
363
364[[folder:Sports]]
365* ''VideoGame/DaytonaUSA'' uses the license of the Daytona International Speedway Corporation (now just International Speedway Corporation), and its realistic physics, high challenge ceiling, and amazing visuals for 1993 help make it widely regarded as one of the greatest stock car racing games, if not one of the best racing games ''period'', and is by far Creator/{{SEGA}}'s most successful arcade game. There's also ''SCUD Race'' (known as ''Sega Super GT'' in North America), which is basically ''Daytona USA'' with expensive supercars.
366* ''VideoGame/MichaelJordanChaosInTheWindyCity'' had bite-size {{Metroidvania}} levels before ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia'' ever did, and just as well.
367* ''Creator/MikeTyson's VideoGame/PunchOut'' is fondly remembered as an [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] classic. However, it's also something of a subversion in that the ''Punch-Out!!'' franchise was already established in the arcades, and Mike Tyson was added for the NES game as the final opponent. The game was later reissued without Tyson's name on it (because his contract with Creator/{{Nintendo}} had expired, not because of his later crimes) and he was replaced as the final opponent by [[RaceLift Mr.]] [[TheGenericGuy Dream]].
368* Most video games based on the UsefulNotes/OlympicGames are unremarkable at best, until ''VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames'', despite the CriticalDissonance.
369* The ''VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater'' series has been extremely successful, long outlasting the late 90s/early 2000s skateboard fad which the first game was released to capitalise on. The series attracted many people who weren't into skateboarding themselves. The series is known for huge levels, high speeds, insane combos and air, adventures, fetch quests and humor, as well as having great and varied urban soundtracks. The game was a killer app for the [=PS1=] and [=PS2=] hardware, in particular, due to the large 3D environments. The second game is remembered as the magnum opus of the series, while games after (or at least those that replaced "Pro Skater" with another subtitle) were seen as increasingly lazy attempts to milk the franchise dry.
370[[/folder]]
371
372[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
373* Nearly any game based on a Creator/{{FASA}} license fits here (though it must be admitted we are going from one type of game to another, so the mechanics are similar). ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' spawned numerous games, the vast majority of which were top-tier titles. ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' had a very well-received top-down sandbox shooter before DMA Design/Rockstar North popularized it on the Platform/SegaGenesis, and a decent one on the [[Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]]. The PC ''VideoGame/CrimsonSkies'' game was well received by gamers and critics, and though the Platform/{{Xbox}} sequel is generally considered inferior to the original, it's certainly not a bad game by any means. Even the lesser known licenses often did well when converted to video games; ''Renegade Legion'' was turned into an excellent adaptation of the board game, as well as a later space sim that unfortunately was released right alongside ''[[VideoGame/WingCommanderTheKilrathiSaga Wing Commander 3]]'' and so never got the attention it deserved. The sole exception to this would likely be the Platform/Xbox360 ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' game, and even that, at worst, would be somewhere in the middle (as long as you're not too worried about faithfulness to the source material). Justified in that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shadowrun&oldid=218659731#Video_games FASA didn't have the license to Shadowrun at the time]].
374** All four ''VideoGame/MechWarrior'' games are considered classics. Well, maybe not the first one.
375** Unfortunately, FASA themselves eventually went under. Luckily enough, a new company was formed that acquired the old FASA properties, including ''Crimson Skies'', ''Shadowrun'' and ''[=MechWarrior=]''.
376*** A company founded by one Jordan Weisman, the founder of FASA. Circles are fun...
377* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000: VideoGame/DawnOfWar'' was considered a generally fun RealTimeStrategy game and was well received by the gaming press. The sequel looks to be pretty good as well.
378** ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'' has gained a reputation for enhancing the sales of ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' products because it was that much fun. ''Dark Crusade'' seems to have had the strongest impact. Relic is making ''Space Marine'' as well.
379** The ''Soul Storm'' expansion plays this straight; it's loathed for its bugginess, unbalanced units, and the loading time for the campaign screen has to be endured to be believed.
380*** It's so bad the developers of the previous ''Dawn of War'' titles resorted to LampshadeHanging via a character in ''Dawn of War II''.
381** Many people will be more familiar with the '''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'' series of games moreso than 40k, to the point that some people will claim that the actual tabletop game is the licensed one.
382** Let it not be said that ''[=DoW=]'' was the first successful digital rendition of the ''Warhammer'' universe(s). Long before it were the dilogy of Real Time Tactics "Shadow of the Horned Rat" and "Dark Omen" for the "Fantasy Battle" setting, and turn-based "Chaos Gate" and "Final Liberation" for the 40K.
383** ''VideoGame/Warhammer40000SpaceMarine'' was a fun hack & slash third-person game that managed to keep faithful to the atmosphere of the license without being a buggy mess.
384* Video game companies have mostly been kind to ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' and its various settings (though like the Creator/{{FASA}} example above, it's going from game to game) -- from the VideoGame/GoldBox SSI computer games, to more modern games like ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'' and ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', even to Creator/{{Capcom}}'s four-player arcade {{Beat Em Up}}s with RPGElements, ''VideoGame/DungeonsAndDragonsChroniclesOfMystara''.
385** Case in point being the ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' series, which arguably revived the entire then-dying CRPG genre, kept ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' alive as a franchise in its DarkestHour, and ensured the dominance of the TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms setting over D&D until and including the present day.
386* ''TabletopGame/HeavyGear'' was originally a tabletop game, much like Creator/{{FASA}}'s ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' mentioned above. Creator/{{Activision}}, after losing the ''VideoGame/MechWarrior'' license, got the license for ''Heavy Gear'', then proceeded to make an immensely satisfying mech-sim game out of it. Building on the original ''Mechwarrior 2'' engine and their experience with making 3 games for it, they managed to add in a wide array of customization, very fluid controls, and fast, frantic gameplay (aside from the usual problems of traveling from fight to fight that tends to plague mech-sims). It had both an engrossing campaign mode with FMV cutscenes as well as a create-a-pilot mode for both the Northern and Southern armies. It received a sequel with another strong, tightly contained story, an even more advanced engine, and even ''more'' weapons and [[AMechByAnyOtherName Gears]] to pilot and blow up. It also offered a very flexible free-play mode available from the word go. ''Heavy Gear 2'' had extremely dramatic visuals, great sound work, and finally proved that video game mech-sims could handle melee combat just fine by allowing players to equip axes, swords, or just go in with fists swinging if they wanted.
387* Creator/{{Acclaim}} made an excellent arcade game based on ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' called ''Magic The Gathering: Armageddon''. It functioned a bit like a mix of a fighting game and real-time tactics, and was innovative and fun to play. Unfortunately, it's also a bad case of KeepCirculatingTheTapes, as Acclaim closed down its arcade division just as the game was finished, meaning only a handful of cabinets were made and no console port to boot.
388* Despite ''VideoGame/UnoSkipBoUnoFreefall'' being an ''TabletopGame/{{Uno}}'' game, and despite being from the notoriously bad Creator/BlackLanternStudios, the game is actually quite solid for what is basically an Uno compilation game.
389* ''VideoGame/MagiNation'' was an RPG based on the card game of the same name. Despite being NintendoHard, it was still highly playable.
390* ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', based on the TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness, was critically lauded and was incredibly faithful to its source material... It was also, unfortunately, buggy as all heck. Reviews would spend a full page detailing the bugs and how unpleasant they were.. but end with "But forget everything I just said and buy this game."
391** And the sheer array of patches made available since (some of which merely fix the bugs and some of which also reincorporate DummiedOut content) make even this argument moot.
392* ''VideoGame/KingOfDragonPass'' and its prequel/spiritual successor ''VideoGame/SixAges'', both based on [[TabletopGame/RuneQuest Glorantha]], are both very well regarded. ''King of Dragon Pass'' in particular got a lot of fans into the setting.
393[[/folder]]
394
395[[folder:Toys]]
396* The ''Choro Q'' pullback toys gained their own high-quality [[VideoGame/ChoroQ video game franchise]] in the late nineties. At least their WideOpenSandbox WackyRacing entries and the pre-VideoGame/WorldOfTanks VehicularCombat games have been universally praised.
397* ''Trivial Pursuit: Unhinged'' for PC features a good variety of questions with celebrity voiceovers (Creator/BillNye for science, Creator/WhoopiGoldberg for entertainment, and Creator/JohnCleese for history, among others), traditional and "unhinged" gameplay modes, and the ability to let as few as one or as many as six play without having to connect to the internet. The questions never repeat and the gameplay works the same way as the standard board game, making it even better.
398* While ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' did start out as a VirtualPet [[DistaffCounterpart Spear Counterpart]] of the Toys/{{Tamagotchi}}, it still technically counts for the various Digimon games. While the quality can vary and the Franchise/{{Pokemon}} games are usually better, the Digimon games are usually enjoyable titles, which vary from [=RPGs=] (of various types), to fighting games (mostly ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' clones), a GBA racer, and a couple of {{M|assivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame}}MORPGs, and even tactical [=RPGs=]. Unfortunately, a good number of these games were released on the [[Creator/BandaiNamco Bandai]] Platform/{{Wonderswan}} and thus suffer from NoExportForYou, especially the ones starring [[CanonImmigrant Ryo Akiyama]], which resulted in some confusion when he turned up in ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' and joined the main cast.
399** The ''TabletopGame/{{Digimon}}'' Card Battle game deserve special mention. It's a surprisingly good collectible card video game that easily surpass ''[[VideoGame/YuGiOhForbiddenMemories Forbidden Memories]]'', allowing to customize your decks and try different strategies. Your opponent are varied and will try different tricks on you, whether it's tanking and healing, self destructing on you, counter-attacking, recovering used cards again and again, ... While it has its own story, the game manage to borrow a lot of plot from the first two season of the show and also [[FanService show some of the unused armor evolutions]]. [[BadExportForYou Despite not having some of the theme song from the original anime and not having the Pocket Station compatibility]], the U.S. version is good and worth a try even if you're not a ''Digimon'' fan.
400* ''VideoGame/TheDOGIsland,'' based on The DOG line of stationary and toys, is a laid-back, charming little game that's like what you would get if you combined a simple point-and-click adventure game with ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing.'' You can choose from over 48 different dog breeds with tons of coat colorations as you go on a quest for save your sick sibling. You solve simple puzzles by exploring the world and hunting out useful items by sniffing and learning smells. But you can also go hunting fruits, veggies, and flowers, go fishing or bug-hunting, collect clothing and accessories, and follow a story that's actually pretty good and which has decent gravitas for something aimed at kids. Plus, the soundtrack is really laid-back and catchy.
401* The ''Toys/HotWheels'' racing game was pretty fun, despite the track being slightly wider than your car a lot of the time.
402** ''Hot Wheels Unleashed'' received a well-deserved (and possibly slightly low-balling) 76 on Metacritic and is widely regarded as ''the'' best licensed Hot Wheels game ever made, for very good reason. It is an extremely frantic arcade racing game reminiscent of classics like ''VideoGame/ReVolt'' and ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer'', together with great graphics and physics that capture the miniature look of Hot Wheels vehicles very well. The tracks are also insane and feel just like all the Hot Wheels tracks we imagined to build as children, and it features an incredibly powerful LevelEditor which lets you create your own tracks from scratch. In a nutshell, it's basically the videogame version of how we imagined Hot Wheels cars as children, and it's also a very solid arcade racer even if you are not a Hot Wheels fan.
403* Franchise/{{Lego}}:
404** Many of the older LEGO games were well-liked by the people who played them. Among the most well-known are ''VideoGame/LegoRacers'' (a racing game with creative and varied tracks), ''VideoGame/LegoIsland'' (a first-person adventure game with different gameplay styles depending on which character you choose), and ''VideoGame/RockRaiders'' (a real-time strategy game). There is a side effect to the people who loved these, however; if you loved them, chances are you hate the later movie-based games, as many complain they are [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks too similar]] to each other, so they get excited whenever a non-licensed one is announced.
405** The VideoGame/{{Lego Adaptation Game}}s -- ''VideoGame/LegoStarWars'', ''VideoGame/LegoIndianaJones'', ''VideoGame/LegoBatman'', etc. -- despite being ''double''-licenses, are quite fun and are well received by critics. This is in part because [[AffectionateParody they don't take their universes seriously]] ''at all''. In fact, the games probably wouldn't ''work'' if they happened in an original universe. If you could attribute a problem to them, it would only be that CapcomSequelStagnation is beginning to set in; nothing connected to this trope at all.
406** ''VideoGame/{{BIONICLE}}: Maze of Shadows'', based on the popular novel of the same name, was fairly decent for a dungeon crawler game. ''BIONICLE Heroes'' for the DS and GBA systems fared much better than their console counterpart, the former being similar to ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime Hunters''.
407*** And even though it was never actually ''sold'', the very first game made for ''BIONICLE'', Templar Studios' ''Mata Nui Online Game'', a first-person point-and-click adventure game, is often considered by fans as one of the best, if not ''the'' best, ''BIONICLE'' games ever.
408** ''VideoGame/SpybotTheNightfallIncident'', a tactical RPG with the gimmick that each unit's HitPoints are represented by blocks on the grid, so beefier units take up more space and can block your or the enemy's units. It's much better than what you'd expect from a glorified toy commercial.
409* ''VideoGame/MicroMachines'' and its sequels took the popular toy cars, boats and planes and turned them into a top-down racer with obstacles like cereal boxes and rubber ducks. Utter genius.
410* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'':
411** While the other ''Transformers'' games were the predictable trash mentioned in [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames the other page]], the [[Platform/PlayStation2 PS2]] [[VideoGame/Transformers2004 game by Melbourne House]], based on ''Anime/TransformersArmada'', is widely considered the best ''Transformers'' game ever by both fans and critics (or at least, [[VideoGame/TransformersWarForCybertron it was]]). Impressive graphics, decent controls, expansive stages, enemies that were pretty damn smart, and nice extras.
412** To a lesser extent, the multiplayer portion of the ''[[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen Revenge of the Fallen]]'' game. While the single-player campaign falls into the predictable trash, the multiplayer will keep you entertained for a while especially.
413** Unless you're a GameSpot reviewer working on the FourPointScale, ''VideoGame/TransformersWarForCybertron'' is a solid third-person shooter that gives a good back story for the franchise and has a fun, customizable, class-based multiplayer mode.
414** Unsurprisingly, the same developer has been handed the tie-in of ''[[VideoGame/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon Dark of the Moon]]''. Reviews are fairly positive, although it is definitely inferior to ''VideoGame/TransformersWarForCybertron'' it's still a solid game.
415** WFC's sequel, ''VideoGame/TransformersFallOfCybertron'', is {{even better|Sequel}}. Some have called it the [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity Arkham City of Transformers]]. It has more iconic characters, a much more involved plot (for example, [[spoiler: you ''kill Megatron in the third level'', then later, as Soundwave, get to bring him back to life, then play as HIM, so you can kick Starscream's ass after he takes over the Decepticons]]), several [[UnexpectedGameplayChange forays into stealth and brawling sections]], lots of mythology gags, a fairly deep upgrade system, and a final level that can most accurately be described as "EVERYONE FIGHTS EVERYONE ELSE!"
416** The DS games based on the first movie are considered pretty decent as well. Good graphics, large levels, tons of vehicles to use, and a decent leveling system. While they aren't perfect (they do suffer from a few too many {{Escort Mission}}s), they are considered pretty decent and can be gotten dirt cheap.
417** ''VideoGame/TransformersPrimeTheGame'' (Platform/{{Wii}}, [[Platform/Nintendo3DS 3DS]], Platform/WiiU) also surprised a lot of fans and critics by being a competent brawler that excellently integrated both driving and shooting mechanics into the core gameplay. It also notably featured heavy involvement from show staff, with a new story from the writers, new voice acting from the series's actors and music by Music/BrianTyler.
418** ''VideoGame/AngryBirdsTransformers'' manages to combine both universes in a pretty interesting way, and it doesn't attempt to make itself a {{Freemium}} game like some of the other ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'' games.
419** ''VideoGame/TransformersDevastation'' is an excellent hack-and-slash game, and likely the second-best game in the franchise behind Fall of Cybertron, though considering that the game's [[Creator/PlatinumGames developers]] also made ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance,'' and ''VideoGame/NierAutomata,'' this shouldn't really be surprising. What [=IS=] surprising is how well it manages to recapture the spirit of [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers the original cartoon,]] with most of the original voice actors to boot.
420** ''Kettou Beast Wars'' is a fun Platform/GameBoyColor fighting game that successfully incorporates the animal transformation gimmick of WesternAnimation/BeastWars (technically Anime/BeastWarsII) into the gameplay. The engine is a polished version of the one that Takara used for the Game Boy ports of the Creator/{{SNK}} fighting games.
421* ''Toys/MonsterInMyPocket'': Like many of their licensed games at the time, Creator/{{Konami}}'s adaptation for the Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem is considered a surprisingly good action platformer with a classic-rock-inspired soundtrack.
422* ''Franchise/{{Zoids}}'':
423** The first Playstation Zoids RPG, ''Teikoku VS Kyōwakoku: Meka Seitai no Idenshi'' ("''Empire vs. Republic: Biomechanical Genes''"), is a TurnBasedStrategy game with a fairly solid system and accessible gameplay... However, fans of the franchise will find even more to enjoy, since the game contains a ridiculously detailed variety of units, containing fully animated and customizable 3D representations of the ''whole'' toyline from 1983 to 1988[[note]]Excluding the unsuccessful 1989-1990 SoftReboot[[/note]] (i. e. roughly 60 different units, not counting variations), on top of an [[GreyAndGrayMorality even-handed]] story setting based on the oft-forgotten 80s [[AllThereInTheManual manuals and hobby magazines]], a fitting soundtrack composed by Hideki Sakamoto (of ''[[VideoGame/LikeADragon Yakuza]] 2-3'' fame), and [=FMV=]s created by golden era-[[Creator/StudioGainax Gainax]]. Its sequel, ''Herikku Kyōwakoku VS Gairosu Teikoku'' ("''Helic Republic vs. Guylos Empire''"), refines the original game's systems like customization, unit balance and/or modes, adds a more personalized story and setting heavily based on the [[Anime/ZoidsChaoticCentury 1999 reboot]], and features some of the new 1999-2002 toyline's mecha. However, it is slightly simplified from its prequel, featuring less animations and a softer tone catered to younger audiences.
424** After developing the average but wildly unbalanced game series ''Zoids VS.'', Shōeisha partnered with Creator/{{Taito}} to develop the much more solid ''Zoids Infinity'' game franchise, a highly-rated arena fighter with unique ''VideoGame/VirtualOn''-style controls and deep ''VideoGame/ArmoredCore''-like customization, fairly balanced gameplay, an original story with many cameos and dream matches featuring the ''Fuzors'' and ''Genesis'' cast, and soundtrack composed by the famous Zuntata team.
425** Creator/{{Eighting}}'s sixth gen Zoids fighting game series, ''Struggle'' and ''Full Metal Crash'', are surprisingly good fighters, featuring animal-themed combat that accurately reflects each Zoid's characteristics, from highly personalized customization to unit-themed traits, like the small mechas' speed and vulnerability or the larger ones' brute strength and dependency on armor. That said, it features one of the smallest casts in a Zoids game, only featuring from 13 to 22 units.
426[[/folder]]
427
428[[folder:Video Games]]
429* In 2011, a board game based on the extremely popular ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' video game series was released. Despite every expectation about what appeared to be a crappy tie-in to a pop culture phenomenon, the game turned out to be ''quite good''. It was good enough to earn itself a rating of 7.58 on [=BoardGameGeek=] and land itself the title of the 208th best board game of all time, even beating out chess.
430* ''[[https://www.mariowiki.com/Monopoly_Gamer Monopoly Gamer]]'' is more than just a ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros''-themed ''TabletopGame/{{Monopoly}}'' reskin, but rather, a new way to play the classic board game. New rules, inspired by ''Franchise/{{Mario}}'', help to speed up the game by placing an emphasis on earning points by collecting coins, claiming property, and defeating bosses (yes, this is a board game with ''boss battles''). The introduction of bosses also addresses one of the most common criticisms with ''Monopoly'': the game doesn't end when all other players run out of money (which could take forever), but rather, once the FinalBoss Bowser is defeated. Money is also not the main determining factor in winning, but rather, points earned from coins collected, bosses defeated, and property collected are tallied.
431* ''XCOM: The Board Game'', based on the [[VideoGame/XcomEnemyUnknown 2012 reboot]], is considered a great cooperative game that keeps the on-the-fly decision making the series is known for. It is also noteworthy for being one of the first tabletop games to utilise an app to dictate the flow of the game.
432* The ''VideoGame/PlagueInc'' [[https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/195162/plague-inc-board-game board game]] turned out to be pretty good, earning a 7.4 on [=BoardGameGeek=] and maintaining the spirit of the game it was based on.
433[[/folder]]
434
435[[folder:Web Animation]]
436* Complaints about {{Freemium}} games aside, probably the only ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'' game worth belonging here is the iOS-exclusive ''Happy Tree Friends: Deadeye Derby'', an online one-on-one FirstPersonShooter game based on of the show's episodes, "Camp Pokeneyeout". It makes use of the smartphone's features quite well (gyroscope and touch screen) and has fun gameplay, either against other players or bosses. Aside from gameplay, if you're a collector, you can win/earn actual HTF merchandise from this game (obviously, it needs to be shipped). It also has one feature rarely implemented on other games of this type: You can also gain premium currency by exchanging the regular currency with the former!
437* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' did a weird twist on this. On the website, there is a game based on the ShowWithinAShow ''VideoGame/Stinkoman20X6''. It actually manages to be a pretty decent ([[NintendoHard and also very evil]]) platformer (although the creators refused to update with Level 10 until a Website/{{Twitter}} announcement stated that, after a 12 year hiatus, Level 10 would finally be made ).
438** It also helps that the Brothers Chaps have written genuinely good adventure games before -- ''VideoGame/PeasantsQuest'' is often lauded as being on par with or possibly better than the late 80s adventure games it mocks.
439** And also, ''VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivePeople'', as mentioned on the Creator/TelltaleGames page.
440* ''Llamas With Hats: Cruise Catastrophe'', based on the web show ''WebAnimation/LlamasWithHats'', is a charming little app game where you play as Carl knocking people off the cruise ship to their deaths. Not a great game, but fans of the webshow enjoyed it. It has fluid controls and good visuals.
441* ''VideoGame/RWBYAmityArena'' has been the best-received game based on ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', transplanting the series' wide and varied cast into viable fighters in an intense PlayerVersusPlayer TowerDefense game (along with a serviceable HackAndSlash single-player) with lots of FanService, that in spite of [[GameBreaker balance issues]] and the usual problems of an AllegedlyFreeGame, was very user-friendly, allowing the players to play without restrictions even if they don't have keys, having a "For Fun" option to play without any risk of losing rank, and limiting advertisement to bonus content instead of including them in an intrusive way. The players were sad when the game was announced to be shutting down 2 years after release, and even other parts of the fanbase said they'd miss the good artwork and lore the game provided.
442[[/folder]]
443
444[[folder:Webcomics]]
445* ''Webcomic/{{Beeserker}}'' has had several licensed games made out of it. They're all made at least in part by the creator himself, and all rock.
446* The episodic ''VideoGame/PennyArcadeAdventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness''
447** The first two by Hothead Games (and now being continued by Zeboyd Games), have been surprisingly well-received by critics and fans alike, as they retains the art style and much of the humor from [[Webcomic/PennyArcade the webcomic]] that they're based on.
448** The two games following it are by a different developer and take a completely different approach much more like ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''. It's a jarring departure, taking out the action-based component of the gameplay, and subbing the 3D graphics for a pixelated "12-bit"[[note]]Hybridization of third- and fourth- generation[[/note]] style, but makes up for that with a sophisticated attack system that gives the player a lot of tough choices to make, and snappy menus, and maintains the high writing standards of the earlier games, naturally.
449[[/folder]]
450
451[[folder:Web Original]]
452* ''VideoGame/SCPContainmentBreach'' is a fairly well-made adaption of the Website/SCPFoundation Wiki, with a decent amount of SCP items being represented (to the point that some were actually RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap) and giving the Wiki a nice ColbertBump while doing so.
453[[/folder]]
454
455[[folder:Web Video]]
456* ''WebVideo/AngryVideoGameNerd'' adaptations:
457** ''The Angry Video Game Nerd's [[http://ericdavidruth.googlepages.com/game-avgnavg Angry Videogame]]'' is a NintendoHard AffectionateParody of NES-era licensed games, but the high point is the original commentary courtesy of Creator/JamesRolfe himself.
458---> '''AVGN''': ''They made a game of me? What were they thinking?''
459** Likewise, the Platform/{{Steam}} game ''VideoGame/TheAngryVideoGameNerdAdventures'', which follows a similar premise and has '''[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic incredible]]''' music as well.
460[[/folder]]

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