5 Video Games that Could Actually Be Decent Movies

When most people hear the words "video game" and "movie" in the same sentence they instinctively cringe. That's because nearly every movie that's come out so far based off a video game has been terrible. Even the "good" ones have been at best half-decent time killers. Tomb Raider, Prince of Persia and the first Mortal Kombat were all fun in a kind of mindless way but there has not been any real movie of quality based on a video game. This is especially frustrating because there are some video games out there that is handled properly could be good if not great movies. The following is a list of some games that are aching to be put up on the big screen.

5) Soul Caliber
Set in 1584 Soul Caliber tells the story of a mythical sword of great power: Soul Edge. The sword is known in nearly all cultures around the world by many names, including "The Sword of Salvation," "The Sword of Heroes," and "The Ultimate Sword." After countless years as a legend the sword has re-emerged and now warriors from across the globe are on the move to claim it as their own. Some desire it for personal power, some for revenge and some believe it a divine instrument to cleanse the world. Very few are aware of the sword's true nature as a weapon of almost pure evil and corruption. As the would be wielders of Soul Edge combat each other to reach the sword first, the wicked powers of the weapon begin to make themselves felt.

This admittedly would be a bit tricky to pull off, as the history of movies based on tournament fighting games is pretty poor. In truth it would probably be best to take the story from the original Soul Edge game that was the precursor to the current video game series. While the plot of all the games is basically the same, the fate of hero Siegfried at the end of Soul Edge could make for some fairly powerful stuff if handled properly. Aside from that aspect a movie could pull the best and most memorable characters from each game. Characters like the the wicked Ivy with her unique sword whip, the lumbering golem Asteroth, the freakish Voldo could be contrasted with more stalwart characters like Sophitia, Kilik and Xianghua to create a truly unique cast. Rather than a generic tournament structure the characters could encounter and battle each other as they all cross paths in search of the mythic sword. Some may join sides only to break apart at key moments. Overall it could be a thrilling throwback to classic fighting films of the 70's with a unique fantasy twist.

4) Okami
In the ancient Japanese nation of Nippon there is a legend. A wicked nine-headed demon dragon named Orochi terrorized the land until a mighty warrior named Nagi, aided by a mystical white wolf, vanquished him. 100 years later someone has removed the sacred sword used to defeat Orochi from it's resting place and the dragon has risen again. Orochi has cursed the lands and cast a darkness across the realm. The sun goddess Amatersu has been summoned to Earth in the form of a white wolf to try to quell Orochi's evil once again. The goddess must use her divine powers to literally write the world as it should be and combat the wickedness that has sprung up across the land.

This one is kind of the odd one on the list for a few reasons. The first is that it would have to be animated. The gorgeous artistry of this game could only be recreated in animation and it could truly be something beautiful in the right hands. Secondly there would have to be a bit of reworking done to combat the episodic nature of the story. As Amatersu uncovers new powers and fights new foes it results in a bit of chunky story when looked at as a whole, so some streamlining would have be done in that area. Finally the overly talkative character of Issun would have to be cut completely. This annoying bug sized sidekick never shuts up yet somehow manages to say nothing useful at the same time. With the overly talkative sidekick gone the film could be focused on the visual experience of the story being told (something the game truly excelled at.)

3) God of War
In ancient Greece Kratos was the single greatest warrior of the Spartan army. But every warrior must meet his end, however Kratos refused to go quietly. In a moment of desperation when he was about to be slain in battle Kratos pledged his life and service to Ares, the god of war, if Ares would help him survive that battle. Ares accepted and Kratos became bound to serve the brutal deity. However when Kratos is betrayed by Ares he renounces the god and goes on a quest for vengeance against him. Assisted by the goddess Athena (who's patron city of Athens is under siege by a blood thirsty Ares) Kratos must cut a bloody swath through an army of men and monsters. Kratos seeks Pandora's box and the power that it would lend to him so that he may do the unthinkable: kill a god.

A nearly unstoppable warrior tearing through the monsters, heroes and gods of Greek mythology is something that begs for silver screen treatment. The remake of Clash of the Titans tried to do this and it performed well enough (proving the interest was there,) but not many movie goers really thought Clash was all that great. It's time for Kratos to get up on the big screen and show them how it's done. This would be a tricky one to pull off because it would have to be Rated R. It's not just a matter of gore, it's actually really truly important that the character of Kratos not be sanitized. Kratos has to be brutal and vicious otherwise he becomes just like every other boring fantasy hero. The best way to keep that edge is to have him tear his enemies apart on the big screen just as he does in his games.

2) Uncharted
Nathan Drake is a direct descendant of the famed explorer Sir Francis Drake. Not only that, Drake is a treasure hunter. Using a ring passed down through his family Drake sets out to uncover his famed ancestor's coffin, which will lead to the fabled golden city of El Dorado. Naturally Drake is not the only one after this treasure and it leads to an adventure far more dangerous that he could have ever suspected. That was not Drake's only adventure either. He's also gone after the lost ships of Marco Polo which was an even grander adventure that his quest for El Dorado. This would give potential film-makers some different options to choose from and of course to potentially have Drake embark on original quests should the film become a successful franchise.

Done properly this could become the true successor to the Indiana Jones franchise in the way that Tomb Raider failed to be. Drake himself is dashing and the adventure that the games captured is already highly cinematic and ripe for translation to the big screen. Unlike the others on the list this one is actually in the process of being made as director David O. Russell has recently be hired to helm the film. It's an odd fit in all honesty, aside from his 1999 film Three Kings Russell hasn't done much action in his films. Although the action in that film was quite well done. Also Russell's notoriously volatile temper make it surprising that a studio would trust him with the budget necessary for this project. Regardless the project is moving forward and fans are eagerly waiting to hear who will be cast as Nathan Drake.

1) Diablo
Sanctuary is a land still reeling from an ancient conflict between the forces of Heaven and Hell, known as the Sin War. During that period the three Prime Evils (Mephisto the Lord of Hate, Baal the Lord of Destruction and Diablo the Lord of Terror) had been banished from Hell in an uprising of lower demons and sent to the earthly realm of Sanctuary. With some divine help humans had been able to trap the Prime Evils. All of this has has fallen into legend as time has passed. Now however something deeply evil stirs underneath the cathedral in the small village of Tristram. The king is dead and his son has gone missing. Vicious demons have started to emerge from the lower depths and tombs. The town has little hope but for the would be heroes who have come to combat the evil that is gaining power.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is over. The Harry Potter movies are soon ending. The world is ready for a new fantasy film, and maybe it's time for something a bit darker. This one could really work because it wouldn't really need a $100+ million budget to do the story of the first game well (though if they ever did Diablo II that would take a good chunk of change.) It's essentially all set in one town and a cave/dungeon setting. Plenty of darkness would be perfect for practical monsters rather than expensive and boring CGI creations. While the "hero" of the game is essentially unnamed a small band could be created by having one of each of the three character classes (Sorcerer, Warrior and Rogue) join together to fight the darkness. Unlike God of War it would possible to do this with a PG-13 rating. Any fans who doubt that need to just take a serious look at the Lord of the Rings films and truly assess just how violent they were. Diablo could be right along those same lines in terms of the violence, just a bit darker overall.