InsaneBear

Feature: Top 5 pre-1970 films that should be made into a video game

Continuing our recent fascination with film here at InsaneBear, I figured I’d compile a little list of some of the movies I’d like to see turned into video games. But upon realizing that I wouldn’t know where to start with such a broad topic, I decided to narrow it down to films that were released before 1970. Why 1970 you ask? Well, it really seems like the root of pop-culture can be traced back to the ’70′s and onward, at least for movies. What that means is that there are way too many good post-1970 movies to make a coherent list out of. Plus, you’ll get to hear about some movies you probably haven’t seen before.

And one disclaimer before we start here–the movies on this list are all movies that I’ve seen in the name of credibility. So it’s missing some notable classics that could probably make good games, like Lawrence of Arabia. Also, I tried to only include movies that would actually translate well into our realm, so as awesome as 2001: A Space Odyssey is, it probably wouldn’t make a great game. Or maybe it would…it’d have to be like Flower, where you just play for the awe-inspiring experience….but anyways. Without further ado, I present to you five pre-1970 movies that would make awesome video games.

5.) North by Northwest (1959) – Plot summary. This Hitchcock classic is widely recognized as the father of the modern adventure thriller and for good reason. As I watched it, I couldn’t help but think how James Bond never would have come to the silver screen without this precedent. The suspense-filled story of an ordinary man mistaken for a government agent takes us across the United States in a high stakes pursuit fueled at first by the will to survive, but later by the desire to discover the truth.

The early portions of the film would make for a fantastic opening, as the unsuspecting player is kid-napped by foreign agents and interrogated until he makes a crafty escape. One dead U.N. representative later, and we quickly realize that we’re wrapped up in something much bigger than ourselves. It is here that the player begins to dig into the mystery he is caught up in as he travels to find the answers to his questions while still on the run from the law (who think you murdered the U.N. guy) and the foreign agents. Shoddy disguises aid heart-pounding stealth sequences, secretive NPCs always leave you wondering who you can trust, and double-crosses put you in constant peril with only your wits and your legs to save you.

As the game progresses and you move further from Manhattan in your quest for truth, mysteries will begin to reveal themselves and characters’ roles will become clearer. The game eventually climaxes with a suspense-filled fight on the towering ledges of Mount Rushmore. National secrets, a romantic interest, and your very life all hang in the balance. What’s not to love?

4.) The Wizard of Oz (1939) – Plot summary. As what some claim to be the most watched movie ever, it’s really quite surprising that no game developer has taken a crack at it. It even has a clear and distinct quest with good guys and bad guys, and lest we forget, flying monkeys. But since nobody’s done it yet, I’ll give you my take.

First of all, this is going to be the trippiest game ever created. The color palate would be delightfully bright and varied, with a sort of deranged Tim Burton art direction. I don’t know how I could make a talking scarecrow, tinman, or lion trippier, but it might help if the voice actors are high while recording. I just want this game world to reflect how magical Dorothy’s dream world really is. Art would really be the main draw for this game. It needs to be visually appealing to play through.

The basic gameplay would be pretty standard fare for an adventure title. There would be a linear story progression dictated by NPCs who give you your next goal and you would have to use specific party members for specific tasks. To spice things up a little, the game utilizes the Rock Band mic that everybody will own in the future for the musical sequences and the world can get happier or scarier based on how well you sing. And it uses motion controls…that seems right. Other than that, this is just the classic story that everybody knows and loves. I think Rare should make this.

3.) Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (1966) – Plot Summary. It’s sort of ironic that The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is an iconic American story, despite its Italian origins, but that won’t stop it from being an iconic American video game. I mean, really, the Western probably represents America more than any other genre of film, and you’d think some American developers might tap into that.

And what better American hero to play as than Clint Eastwood’s Blondie? The player would follow his classic story of a mysterious loner out for a few dollars, who becomes entangled with the crafty scoundrel Tuco through a money-making bounty scheme that essentially boils down to the Wookie Prisoner Trick. Tempers flare and the alliance is short lived, or at least until the promise of $200,000 worth of buried gold brings the distrustful men back together. With each character knowing one half of the puzzle to finding the gold, trust would be a major component of the game, sort of like in Kane and Lynch.

And as if things weren’t complicated enough at this point, the big bad Angel Eyes becomes involved in the quest after torturing Tuco for his information. Now the player teams up with Angel Eyes to find the gold and they leave Tuco to die. But being the resilient bugger that he is, Tuco manages to weasel his way back into things and the old alliance is resumed, much to the dismay of Angel Eyes’ dead henchmen.

The game speeds to the cemetery where the gold is hidden, but there just so happens to be a Confederate vs. Union smackdown going on, and the player must covertly blow up a bridge to disperse the armies and make it safe to scour the landscape. But just when things seem to be going according to plan, Angel Eyes returns and a hair-raising Mexican stand-off ensues. This culminating scene can play out differently based on the relationships the player builds with Tuco and Angel Eyes throughout the game as well as how skilled he’s become at gun-slinging (experience gained through side-missions, bounties, and random enemy encounters can raise said skill). Not only would this game do justice to a genre that hasn’t seen much love in interactive entertainment, it would also integrate trust into the very gameplay like no title before it.

2.) Shichinin no samurai (1954) – Plot Summary. One of the few Japanese films to gain wide-spread and long-lasting critical praise from Westerners, Seven Samurai is an epic tale of a defenseless village of farmers who must seek out protection from recurring bandit raids. But without any money or valuables to offer, all the villagers can recruit with is food. So the village elder tells his people to find hungry samurai, and the story begins.

The player would play as the first recruit, the wise and war-weary Kambei. The first portion of the game would involve Kambei’s quest to recruit six other samurai to defend the village and would mainly consist of dialogue-trees that test a player’s persuasive skills. There would be some side-quests thrown in there as well that could garner a new party member, such as when Kambei uses his wits to rescue a young boy from a thief, thus impressing a prospective recruit.

Once the player has recruited all of his companions, the next portion of the game would center around training the villagers to battle, building defenses for the village, and getting to know your fellow warriors. It could take on a RTS-like aspect with the base-building, and however you use up your resources in this sequence affects how the battle will play out in the next. RPG-like relationship building with your fellow samurai could also affect their effectiveness in battle.

The final sequence of the game would be the deadly sword-fighting battles. I want to use Dynasty Warriors as a comparison, but the combat would be much more precise and in-depth, focusing more on blocks and parries with one-hit-kills. And not only would the player battle it out with a sword, but they would issue real-time orders to the villagers under their command, much like the tactical gameplay in the Brothers in Arms series. When the battle is finally over, the player will be left with a profound statement on war, social classes, and life in general.

But that’s not all! As is, the game’s probably a little short. So upon beating it, the player unlocks the ability to play through as the other six samurai, experiencing the events from their point of view as well as enjoying different varieties of combat. This game just sounds so awesome…I want it now!

1.) 12 Angry Men (1957) – Plot summary. This one is a bit more unconventional than the others on this list, but I also feel like it could make the best game. Sidney Lumet’s classic film adaptation of Reginald Rose’s 1955 play tells a story of love, hate, family, prejudice, justice, apathy, and the value of a human life, all within the confines of a single juror’s room.

The first time I watched this movie I was literally on the edge of my seat, more so than with any action flick I’ve ever seen. The tension in the room as one man tries to convince eleven others of the defendant’s innocence is simply more entertaining than any explosion ever could be. But it’s not even the court case itself that makes this movie so engaging–no, it’s the way the audience is treated to twelve in-depth character studies in the span of a single film. Each juror is a distinct person full of real depth and motivations, and the debate over the defendant’s innocence (who aptly is referred to only as “the boy”) is simply an excuse to explore their personalities and experiences. I’ve truly never seen another film like this.

So in comes the game, which given the current standards of our industry, seems pretty unfeasible. How in God’s name is one supposed to make a video game out of a giant debate that takes place in a single room? Well, maybe we need to redefine how we think about video games. Games as we know them today are essentially goal driven–kill the alien to save the world, collect the stars to unlock the next level, gain enough experience to buy a new skill. But that sort of mindset, as fun and comfortable as it may be, really limits the potential of our medium. Why not make a game that is less of a game and more of an experience?

With 12 Angry Men as our example, let’s imagine an entirely dialogue based game. The player starts off in the jury room with no prior knowledge of the court case. They are presented with a vote–innocent or guilty. If they pick guilty, the vote is unanimous and the game ends then and there. But if they pick innocent, the debate begins. Using dialogue trees the player can review evidence and testimonials with fellow jurors and discuss the implications of said evidence.

The game can end at any time just as long as there’s a unanimous vote. But it’s not the goal of delivering a verdict that drives the player, it’s the experience of getting to know your fellow jurors. With nothing more than some well-written dialogue trees and some dramatic cinematography, the fun of the game is learning what makes the eleven NPC characters tick. Each one is distinct and brings his own life experiences to the table. So just like when you talked to the Mandalorian in Knights of the Old Republic to learn his back-story, you’ll engage these characters to discover their motivations and deepest thoughts on life. Along the way, your conversations will drag you through an individual’s role in society, social class tensions, family values, and the very human condition. And what better way to define your own character in relation to the others than the verdict you eventually persuade them to deliver?

In reality, we’ll probably never see any of these games, but we probably don’t want them either. Perhaps it would be best for some brave developers to simply allow these timeless masterpieces to influence their work in some way. In the pursuit to make a classic game, it certainly couldn’t hurt to take a few pointers from a classic film. I know BioWare has spoken of entirely dialogue-based games, and while it’s one thing to say and one thing to do, it’s certainly comforting to just hear the idea out there. In fact, little elements of all the listed games have been thrown around the industry. It’s really just a matter of putting these things together with a serious story that’s more engaging than “shoot the bad guy because he shot first”. Still, I would play any of these potential games in a second!

Author: Cody

Tags: 12 angry men, 2001: a space odyssey, casablanca, feature, film, lawrence of arabia, north by northwest, seven samurai, the good the bad and the ugly, the wizard of oz, video games