20 Licensed Games You FORGOT Were AWESOME
20 Licensed Games You Forgot Were Awesome
Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’re looking back at the licensed games of the good old days and realizing we didn’t have it as bad as we thought.
“Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse” (2012)
Now this might seem like an odd choice because at first glance Back to the Multiverse doesn’t look like a good game, and that’s true. BUT it is still a fun time with some of the craziest scenarios that could only be imagined by the same people who created the equally crazy series. The controls are serviceable, and the character models do a decent job recreating their respective characters in video game form complete with the series’ original voice cast, but it's the show’s classic style of humor that keeps you playing. Back to the Multiverse feels like a lost episode of the series and while it’s not perfect it’s worth a playthrough simply for the gags, humor and “so bad it’s good” kind of playthrough we used to enjoy renting games from Blockbuster over the weekend. It’s not a game that will stick with you long past the credits, but you’ll have fun while you’re playing.
“The Grinch” (2000)
Like we already said, not all of these are hall of fame additions, but they are still at least a good time and that’s all you could really ask from a licensed game. Adapting Jim Carrey’s classic Grinch, players need to reclaim the Grinch’s plans to steal Christmas from the Whos by finding the blueprints and essentially tormenting the Whos in various ways while doing it. The graphics still hold up surprisingly well for a PS1 game as do the controls and some of the objectives are truly inventive as are the Grinch’s numerous gadgets. The game is a short experience, and besides some frustrating jumps and puzzles which were standard for the time, terrorizing Whoville as the Grinch will make your heart grow three sizes by the time credits roll.
“The Mummy Demastered” (2017)
It’s not often that the video game adaptations far outshine their source material, but when the license you’re based on is Tom Cruise’s “The Mummy” movie, it’s not that hard to do better. Completely ignoring the movie in everything but the basic setup, players are dropped into a pixelated Metroidvania with roguelike elements as a nameless soldier who is fighting to survive against the Mummy Ahmanet’s evil and resurrected forces. The gameplay is impeccably precise as you’d expect from a Metroidvania but adds extra elements that keep the experience intense such as facing off against a zombified version of yourself after death to reclaim your weapons and gear. While the movie might’ve been a dud, the game was a thoroughly enjoyable experience that was overlooked due to the apocalyptic disaster of a film.
“Looney Tunes: Sheep Raider” (2001)
Looney Tunes had a renaissance of video game adaptations on the PS1 and with such an abundance of games to choose from, one of the best managed to get overlooked in the deluge. Adapting the classic episodes of Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf and Ralph’s constant attempts to steal his next meal from Sam’s flock. The game makes clever use of not only the stealth aspect of Ralph’s missions but also adds puzzle elements through the typical absurdity of the many ACME products Ralph uses throughout the game. Ralph can also combine various pieces of equipment to distract Sam and sneak the sheep out of the herd. The game perfectly recaptures the look and humor of the beloved shorts in its numerous levels and character designs. With so few new Looney Tunes games releasing in the modern era, we need to be more appreciative of how good we used to have it.
“Cars 2: The Video Game” (2011)
Another game that far surpassed its source material, the love players have for Cars 2 is unlike any other licensed video game adaptation. Taking place after the events of the film, the Cars 2 video game ditches the typical simulation racing for something more akin to a kart racer, complete with powerups, different classes of racers, and a staggering amount of unlockable content. Cars 2 expands on the typical kart racer even further by giving players more variety than your typical race. The tracks are incredibly varied and offer plenty of shortcuts, which you’re going to need because the game offers a pretty decent amount of challenge, forcing players to think strategically about their weapons and boost usage. The devs easily could have just focused on a simple racer to capitalize off the name recognition, Cars 2 is a surprisingly deep and enjoyable kart racer designed especially for fans of the films.
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (2002)
Gonna be honest, a lot of you might not even know what Buffy the Vampire Slayer even is, but in the late 90s, Sarah Michelle Gellar had young audiences locked in on Tuesday nights. Naturally given the series’ popularity, a video game adaptation was inevitable, but releasing around the final season of the show AND having OG Xbox exclusivity, even many die-hard fans missed this one. Borrowing heavily from the Tomb Raider series, Buffy needs to find her friends and solve numerous puzzles all while battling Vampires and other creatures as a new ancient evil attempts to take over the world, starting with Sunnydale. The combat is impactful and satisfying, making full use of Buffy’s martial art abilities and other upgradeable equipment. Fans of the Tomb Raider style adventure games of previous generations are missing out on one of the best in the genre and oddly enough, it came from a TV adaptation.
“The Simpsons Game” (2007)
The Simpsons have a gaming library other licensed properties could only dream about, but we could only say a small handful of them are actually worth playing. By far one of the best adaptations of The Simpsons has to be their self-titled game. Written by the creators with the entire voice cast returning, letting the family break the fourth wall and discover they’re characters inside a game is peak Simpsons material. Each member of the family gets their own dedicated levels with different mechanics lampooning every trope of the genres they’re spoofing. Animations and the cel-shaded look of the characters are still top notch and the game’s hilarious script nails the aesthetic of The Simpsons and what has made the series so popular for so long. For fans of The Simpsons, outside of Hit & Run, this is the closest you can get to visiting Springfield for yourself.
“Ducktales: Remastered” (2013)
Remaking a classic is always a tightrope walk. How much do you change to update the game without alienating the core audience that made the original such a classic? Ducktales Remastered manages the impossible, and not only updated the graphics but added additional content expanding on the base game, and even voice acting from the cast of the original Ducktales series technically making it more of a remake than a remaster. The core gameplay remains incredibly solid and thankfully the game’s controls keep Scrooge bouncing across the screen with perfect precision platforming. Ducktales Remastered proves you don’t need to completely rebuild the core game from scratch and can simply improve on what’s already there, making it playable for an entire new generation of gamers to enjoy.
“Jackie Chan Stuntmaster” (2000)
I’m willing to bet even the biggest Jackie Chan fans forgot this game even existed. Playing like one of his many films in the 90s, in particular “Rumble in the Bronx”, Jackie navigates numerous levels beating up endless waves of baddies along the way to rescue his grandfather. The gameplay itself might not have innovated on the genre, but for a PS1 game, it’s still impressive how close Jackie’s model in game is to his real-world movements and fighting style. Stuntmaster didn’t exactly make much of an impact during its release but is a great companion piece to a weekend of Jackie’s greatest hits and a simple fun experience that will make you feel like a kid again watching one of his films again for the first time.
“Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions” (2010)
When most people think of Spider-Man video games, most will either likely think of the movie tie-in with Spider-Man 2 that revolutionized swinging mechanics or Insomniac’s 2018 Spider-Man game. And while both of those are stellar Spidey adventures, one, along with many others that gets overlooked is Shattered Dimensions. Not only was this a great webslinging game, but it also had four different variations of Spider-Man, each with their own unique levels, bosses, abilities and even graphical style. The overarching narrative brought all the Spideys together and their crossover felt like something lifted straight off the pages of a graphic novel. It might be a bit more linear than some of the wallcrawler’s other outings, but this worked in the game’s favor, constructing a tightly woven narrative that kept the game moving at a brisk pace and didn’t pad out its runtime. Bonus points to Shattered Dimensions for inspiring the Spider-Verse comic and films.
“Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom” (2014)
Like many licensed adaptations, Adventure Time has its fair share of copy-cat games, but one that managed to do the formula right and fit in perfectly with the property was The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom. Rather than going for a traditional hack-and-slash style game, Nameless Kingdom went retro and adopted the style of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and unsurprisingly, it worked in the games favor. And when we say “adopt” we mean copied almost one-to-one, with explodable walls, gadgets, and dungeon crawling. However, the Adventure Time aesthetic makes this homage endearing and charming rather than a blatant rip-off of the formula. The script is just as chaotic and quirky as the series and any new adventure to an unexplored area of Ooo with Finn and Jake is a fun time, especially for fans of the series.
“50 Cent: Blood on the Sand” (2009)
We can almost guarantee no one expected 50 Cent to get his own game, let alone two! And while the first game Bulletproof was serviceable at best, the second, Blood on the Sand, is a damn good time! Everything about the game is over-the-top absurdity. From the premise of 50 trying to reclaim a jewel encrusted skull, to the kill streak counter and executions, Blood on the Sand embraces its video gameness and makes the experience so much more enjoyable. There’s a dedicated swear button to taunt your enemies which is even upgradeable! The gameplay might be your typical third person cover shooter a la Gears of War, but the cover mechanics and gunplay are snappy and responsive meaning you’ll be more focused on fighting the endless waves of surprisingly competent enemies rather than the game itself. This is a game that shouldn’t exist, let alone be as fun as it is.
“Transformers: War for Cybertron” (2010) & “Fall of Cybertron” (2012)
Transformers is a property that has somehow managed to maintain its popularity for decades but somehow has only a handful of video games under its name. Arguably two of the best we as fans have ever received have to be War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron. Both games act as prequels to the Autobot and Decepticon war making its way to Earth, detailing the collapse of Cybertron during the conflict. Gameplay is broken up to let players experience the war from both sides and take control of some of the best and most popular Autobots and Decepticons. While a traditional third person shooter during combat, players can transform their character at the push of a button, complete with the iconic transforming sound effect. Both games have remained some of the best Transformers games full stop and considering we haven’t received any major Transformers games since, they’ll likely remain that way.
“Toy Story 3” (2010)
As one of the last true Disney tie-in games, Toy Story 3 perfectly recaptured the spirit of the movie and gave us another enjoyable adventure with our favorite toys. While the base game follows the same plot as the film, full of all the platforming and numerous game mechanics and modes to keep gameplay interesting, the true experience is in the game’s Toy Box mode. Toy Box features a semi-open world Western town in the style of “Woody’s Round-Up” and features side quests from numerous toys and players can even customize the town. Just like the movie, Toy Story 3 has enough content, humor and heart to appeal to both kids and adults who grew up with Andy and his toys and is worth one last playtime together for anyone who misses the good old days.
“Ghostbusters: The Video Game” (2009)
Somehow despite the series' pop culture icon status, Ghostbusters have had very few video game adaptations. Drafting players in as the newest Ghostbusters recruit, you join the team of Ghostbusters, all voiced by the original cast, to take on the many spooky spectral apparitions haunting New York but also try out the team’s newest and most dangerous equipment. The script is as sharp as you’d expect with many laugh-out-loud moments, but the gameplay itself is incredibly satisfying thanks to the impressive particle effects from your Proton Pack, but also the sheer destructibility of the environments. With a script penned by Ghostbusters creators Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, Ghostbusters: The Video Game is not only the best Ghostbusters video game ever made, but also the third film fans always wanted.
“Captain America: Super Soldier” (2011)
During Phase 1 of the MCU, every major character got their own game to tie-in with the release of their movie, and while most of them were as generic as you’d expect, Captain America: Super Soldier was by far the best of the budding Avengers. Adapting the tried-and-true Batman Arkham style combat to Cap and including his shield as a projectile that can not only bounce off enemies but solve puzzles as well, Cap’s fight against Hydra and the Red Skull was a far better experience than you’d expect. While the game follows the film’s plot as you’d expect, the moment-to-moment gameplay is where the game finds its groove. Slamming Cap’s shield into Hydra soldiers and sending it ricocheting around the room is ridiculously entertaining and never gets old for the game’s entire runtime. The MCU games might’ve been mostly duds, but this Super Soldier could do this all day.
“Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy” (2008)
Given the massive success of the movies and the clear video game tropes of the source material: government conspiracy, amnesiac super soldier, car chases and hand-to-hand combat, it’s shocking Jason Bourne only got one video game adaptation. While the game’s narrative tries to balance both the film and the novels to mixed results, the game’s numerous gameplay styles are much more enjoyable. Close quarters combat feels incredibly satisfying, even if you can’t use many of the environmental elements of the films, and the use of Jason’s heightened senses gives the experience a Batman style investigative quality. While not as much fun as the films it’s based on, The Bourne Conspiracy is still a fun time for a weekend and the perfect companion to a Bourne movie marathon to keep your adrenaline rush going for a few more hours.
“Wanted: Weapons of Fate” (2008)
Given nearly every aspect of the Wanted movie already felt like a video game, it’s only fitting it got an adaptation itself. Continuing after the events of the film, players not only finally get Wesley’s iconic Assassin outfit, but even the ability to curve bullets like in the film. The cover-based shooting is perfectly responsive and curving a bullet to hit an enemy hiding behind cover is incredibly fun and satisfying every single time. The game and its world lean more closely to the source material of the graphic novel and naturally gets a bit more violent and crude than its film counterpart, but that only adds to the game’s overall tone. However, the game is incredibly linear, which leaves little room for replayability, but you’re unlikely to care much about the game’s length or even replaying it when you keep hearing the disembodied screams of enemies you managed to snipe behind their fortified cover.
“Stranglehold” (2007)
Another official sequel to the film it's based on, Stranglehold follows Inspector Tequila once again waging a one-man army against the criminal underworld. While the plot itself is your basic cop thriller, the gameplay features some of the most creative takedowns and interactions we’ve ever experienced in a video game. Whether it's riding a trolley cart while shooting bad guys, slow-mo jumping off balconies while shooting bad guys or swinging off a chandelier while shooting at bad guys, there’s seemingly no end to the inventive ways you can shoot at bad guys. With both Chow Yun Fat reprising his role and John Woo having direct creative control, Stranglehold is everything a video game adaptation should be. It honors the source material while building on it in meaningful ways and gives players enough freedom to create their own cinematic moments with the core gameplay loop remaining relentlessly entertaining.
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (2009)
Adapting Wolverine to a video game is no easy task, but to coincide with the release of the mutant’s first standalone film, we got Origins: Wolverine, and it is hands down the best video game version of Wolverine period. Not only does the game capture the sheer brutality of Wolverine in combat, something the films have often had to shy away from, but also his regenerative healing factor. After ripping enemies often limb from limb, Wolverine’s wounds will heal in real time, starting all the way from bone to muscle and finally flesh. The entire process is mesmerizing to watch and perfectly captures the feel of Wolverine’s raw brutality from the comic books, especially with Hugh Jackman once again giving his all in his performance. The game far outshines the film it’s based on and set a benchmark for Wolverine adaptations that no one has even attempted to compete with so far.
What’s your favorite licensed video game and why? Share your picks in the comments.
