15 Iconic Entertainment Franchises That Deserve Better Games

The Matrix

When it released, The Matrix was one of the biggest films of all time, so naturally, it eventually obtained a video game based off the world. Enter the Matrix was set before and during the events of the second movie The Matrix Reloaded. However, thanks to a poor story, controls, visuals, and characters it failed spectacularly which pretty much signified the end of any games based on this franchise. Given the fascinating world and concept of The Matrix, it would be great to dive back into this story and further explore the lore.

Ju-On: The Grudge

While the J-Horror craze has died down here in the west, a certain popular movie property called The Grudge received its own spin-off title. Sadly, the poor controls, lack of any real scares, and short campaign left many fans wanting more.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Perhaps the most famous movie based video game of all time, E.T. released back in 1982 and is one of the main reasons that the entire industry crashed. One of the most shameful cash-ins every made, E.T. lacked all of the charm, look, and feel of the film. Thanks to this failure of a title, the E.T. brand will always be remembered for almost putting a halt to modern gaming.

Thor: God of Thunder

Even though Marvel has been absolutely dominating in the film industry, sadly the comic book company has been struggling to produce a sufficient video game. Thor: God of Thunder was one of the first attempts to build not only off the Marvel brand but Chris Hemsworth’s steely good looks. Yet, this title never came close to living up to its movie theater counterpart causing it to be lost to time and find a comfortable home in bargain bins.

Friday The 13th

Setting aside that this horror franchise is set to get another shot at glory sometime soon, the original Friday the 13th game was shockingly bad. From the unnaturally bright visuals that contradicted the concept of a horror game to a boss battle where you punch Jason to death, Friday The 13th will forever be remembered as one of the worst video games of all time. At least we can hope that the next one is better, right?

Rambo: The Video Game

When it comes to action icons Rambo is certainly up near the top, yet how this film series hasn’t been able to translate into gaming is a mystery to us. On paper Rambo appears to be the perfect type of character to lead a chaotic, tongue-in-cheek action game, but it’s 2014 execution was nothing short of a disaster. From boring gameplay to laughably bad visuals to one of the worst difficulty spikes in history, Rambo: The Video Game misses every shot it takes.

Superman

DC has had a fair amount of luck when it comes to their video game properties, but sadly the Man of Steel has yet to obtain a worthy iteration. There have been a lot of mediocre games about Clark Kent, but Superman 64 is by far the most infamous. With poor controls, terrible graphics, and boring missions, Superman 64 has cast a shadow over this iconic character for years now.

Saw

Did you know there were actually two games based off Saw? While this torture based horror series took off in series, both of the games suffered from bad voice acting, graphics, and worst of all very easy puzzles. This made both of the Saw games a walk in the park, as they lacked the franchise’s signature, sinister traps.

Iron Man

Much like Thor, Iron Man has just never received a proper iteration for those looking to step into the shoes of Tony Stark. Most of this is thanks to poor level design, bad flying mechanics, and a lack of solid foundation for the gameplay to build upon.

Avatar

Avatar is one of the biggest movies of all time and helped revolutionize how theaters showcase 3D to their viewers. When it comes to the video game side of things, Avatar failed to even produce competent controls that were only held back more by the linear level design.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Horror movies have had really bad luck when it comes to adaptations and the famed Nightmare on Elm Street is no different. Despite being one of the most open horror films in terms of creativity, A Nightmare on Elm Street came off as a cheap Castlevania knock off that failed to gtrasp the full potential the licensed offered.

Independence Day

Even though Star Fox 64 totally ripped off the idea of Independence Day in a single mission, we have never truly obtained a worthy game to this science fiction classic. This is a shame given the wacky, action-fueled moments could make for some great set pieces for any Triple A video game.

King Kong

“Removing the HUD so I won’t know how much ammo and health I have is a great idea” said no one ever. King Kong focused more on attempting to immerse the players in their world than crafting a well-told story or interesting encounters that would make use of the various monsters roaming this island.

G.I. Joe

The G.I. Joe license is perfect for video games yet after 9 different titles no one has been able to capture that sweet Saturday morning cartoon action. Despite a few of the older G.I. Joe titles being passable, the two latest iterations offered nothing more than poor design, characters, gameplay, and sound.

Terminator 2

There are nearly 30 Terminator games and somehow none have truly reached the lofty heights of other licensed titles like Batman, Alien, and Star Wars. Even with two games out of the 29 being good, a 2-27 ratio is not exactly a stellar record for any property. Perhaps someday we will truly get to step into the shoes of a Terminator and wreck havoc upon the world.