10 Video Games that Should Become Movies

I remember clearly when I first saw a video game being played. I was about 10 years old (and my younger brother was 7), and we watched with wide eyes as my uncle played Super Mario Bros. for hours on end. Since then, my fascination with video games has been never-ending. One topic of conversation that's come up between myself and fellow gamers is this: If you could pick a video game to be made into a movie, which one would you choose?

Below is my personal list of 10 video games I would love to see made into live action movies. Let the daydreaming begin!

1. Metroid (Nintendo, 1987)

I can't even begin to express how much I've always loved this game. It's the story of one of the first female heroines in a video game, Samus Aran, who is charged with hunting down space pirates on the planet Zebes. With CGI effects being what they are these days, I think a movie like this is very doable. Of course the tricky part would be the casting of Samus, but I believe an unknown actress would fit the bill best. It'd be fun to see it narrated through Samus somehow, like maybe through a video diary or something. And who wouldn't love to see what Hollywood could do with Mother Brain?

2. World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment, 2004)

There are so many angles you could go on with this game it's ridiculous, yet I personally would love to see some adventures in Azeroth taking place. It'd be great to see a couple of movies come out of this, maybe one from the viewpoint of an Alliance party, then another from the viewpoint of a Horde party. And an epic battle a-la-Lord of the Rings in Alterac Valley to top it all off? Sweet! Now there has been som rumors on the Web that a film is very possible, but again, it's all rumors at the moment.

3. The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo, 1986)

I'll admit I was one of those suckers that fell for IGN's April Fool's 2008 Zelda Trailer fakeout. But you can't blame a girl for getting uber-excited about the possibility! The adventures of Link in Hyrule has been a fan favorite since the beginning, inspiring a cartoon TV series and manga. It'd be great to see someone unknown given the chance to play Link in all his adventures. Of course you'd have to throw in a really cool-looking Ganon to make it worth the effort!

4. Metal Gear (Nintendo, 1987)

Ok, is it just me, or could you totally picture Jason Statham playing Solid Snake? I'm usually all about the unknown talent playing roles like this, but this might be one exception for me. There's so much to this plot that would keep an audience's interest, gamer or not. And it's a movie that could possibly spawn into a whole series and keep fans following for years. There was news back in 2007 that it was being adapted by Sony, but nothing's been talked about since then.

5. Shadow of the Colossus (Playstation 2, 2005)

I'll be frank and say that I'm not sure how this would work. It was an addicting game, but little information is given to you as you go. All you really know from early on is that you are Wander, you need to resurrect Mono, and you have a great horse named Agro. But the incredible environment and the battles with the colossi lead me to believe that this would make one amazing flick if someone was able to do it justice.

6. Phantasy Star (Sega, 1988)

Every one of the games in this series is fantastic, although I'd have to say part 2 was my absolute favorite. But the adventures of the different characters through the Algo star system would be interesting no matter who's point of view it would be from, although Alis Landale from the first game would be a good starting point (another of the video game world's first female protagonists).

7. Castlevania (Nintendo, 1987)

As it turns out, this one really is becoming a movie, slated for release in 2011 and written by Paul W.S. Anderson (who worked on Death Race and Resident Evil, just for reference). There's no official word yet on which Belmont it'll focus on, but a story about Simon would be superb.

8. Mega Man (Nintendo, 1987)

I won't lie. I want this to be live action, but heavily CGI'd. I want to see Mega Man take on Cut Man (one of my favorite enemies to fight) and I want Dr. Light played by Liam Neeson and Dr. Wily played by Christopher Lloyd. And let's make Mega Man a somewhat young kid, unlike the middle-aged pot-bellied dude on the cover of the original game.

9. StarCraft (Blizzard Entertainment, 1998)

Okay, so you COULD argue that this has already been released in the form of Starship Troopers, but technically, that movie came out first, and StarCraft was released a year later. How cool would it be to watch some carriers dessimating guardians? How about a million zerglings overrunning a Terran base? If done well, this could be highly entertaining.

10. Final Fantasy (Nintendo)

Honestly, this probably leaves the choices way too open, but if I had to pick one to start with, I'd probably pick VII (Playstation, 1997). The seventh installment's always had a special place in my heart. It was the first Final Fantasy I'd ever picked up, and at the time, the graphics and movies were amazing. I fell in love with all the characters, and to this day, still have my Aeris collectible action figure because I swear it's a good luck charm. Throw in a few chocobos and make sure Yuffie is well cast, and I'd be there opening night and dressed in a pink dress with a red sweater.

That's only 10 that I would love to see as live-action movies. Here are some honorable mentions: Everquest (Sony Online Entertainment, 1999), Parasite Eve (Playstation, 1998), Ecco the Dolphin (Sega, 1992), Kid Icarus (Nintendo, 1986) and Punch Out!! (Nintendo, 1984).