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Why movie tie-in games disappeared

Miss video games based on movies? Here’s why they vanished.

Not too long ago, it seemed like movie tie-in games were everywhere. If a mainstream animated kids movie, action movie, or superhero movie was released, you could count on there being a movie tie-in game coming out on the same day. Now, it seems like movie games have been wiped off the face of the earth. How did this happen? How did movie games go from flooding store shelves to a forgotten memory? We dug up a few main reasons.

Why movie-based video games disappeared

Games are extremely expensive to make today

Bungie’s Destiny cost $140 million to make

Movie games first really started dropping off during the PS3/Xbox 360 era. Why? Because as technology became more advanced and consoles were finally able to display realistic and detailed HD graphics, gamers had a higher standard for games in general. Even slapping together the cheapest movie game would be an expensive move for any gaming studio, who already had to shell out in order to get the movie license in the first place. While movie games tended to sell pretty consistently due to the popularity of their licenses, they never really cracked the top 5 yearly best-selling games list. As such, they became too much of a financial risk to develop.

It should also be mentioned that publishers demanded that developers finish and ship the game in time for the movie’s release, leading to an impossibly rushed schedule that made it extremely difficult for developers to make a quality, technically impressive game. Back in the NES days, developers could slap together a cheap and generic 2D platformer based on an upcoming movie and call it a day. Both the production costs and the consumer’s expectations were much lower. As gamers were exposed to more and more triple-A technical marvels, their demand for cheap movie games sharply decreased.

The games typically sucked

E.T. the Extraterrestrial for Atari 2600, based on the classic movie and widely considered to be the worst game of all time

Video games and movies mix together like peanut butter and petroleum jelly. Movies based on video games almost always suck, and video games based on movies almost always suck. Movie games were notorious for years for being rushed, cheap, and uninspired slap jobs. It’s easy to see how most of them turned out that way. The development cycles of the game were incredibly rushed due to publishers forcing developers to finish the game by the movie’s release. The games are both designed to be made as cheaply as possible and to appeal to the widest possible audience, ensuring no risks or creativity in game design. This results in generic forgettable platformers at best and broken messes at worst.

Take the case of the “E.T.” game for the Atari 2600, a game so legendarily bad, most of the cartridges ended up in a landfill. We even have a documentary about how awful it was.

Fortunately, there are some movie games that break this curse. Spider-Man 2 lets players explore New York as the wall-crawler, with an intuitive physics-based web-swinging system. The Lion King on the SNES is a tightly controlled platformer with beautiful graphics and music. And of course, Goldeneye 007 is one of the most iconic shooters in history, paving the road for console multiplayer shooters and expansive, varied single-player campaigns. It’s unfortunate how few good movie games there were, as many of the licenses they’re based on could make really fun games if the developers were given freedom.

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Mobile games suit movie tie-ins way better

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The explosion of the mobile gaming industry handed the solution to movie game publishers on a silver platter. Making movie tie-in games on mobile instead of consoles solved all of the problems listed above.

1. The standards for games on mobile devices is way, way lower than those on a console. Impressive graphics and high production values are not expected at all for mobile games. Most mobile gamers are just looking for a quick, mindless distraction on their commute, and mobile game developers can use this mindset to create smaller, simpler games. Additionally, developers don’t need to come up with creative game design, they just need to re-skin a popular idea, like a puzzle or endless runner game, with whatever property they’re working with.

2. Mobile games are significantly less expensive to develop than console games. Just take a simple, tried-and-true concept like a puzzle game and slap a popular franchise on it and you’re gold. Additionally, mobile games bring in an astronomical amount of money through in-game purchases. Most mobile games are free, meaning the barrier to entry is non-existent. Gamers are more incentivized to spend small chunks of money on mobile games, which are typically designed as virtual Skinner boxes that heavily promote in-app purchases. The extremely low costs of development combined with the huge profitability of in-app purchases make mobile games based on hit properties a gold mine.

Do you miss movie games? What are your favorite movie games, or your least favorite ones? Let us know in the comments below!

The comic book origins of the 4 coolest costumes in Spider-Man PS4

Where did these 4 Spidey suits come from? Here’s the comic book backstory.

Insomniac’s Spider-Man for PS4 has been a massive success, and for good reason. The game was clearly made by and for Spider-Man fans, and Insomniac went above and beyond in representing the beloved character’s decades of history. One of the coolest ways Insomniac pays homage to the wall-crawler is through the unlockable alternate costumes. Below we’ll show you some of the coolest ones you can unlock and talk about the comics that they came from.

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Marvel’s Spider-Man: PlayStation 4

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The comic book origins of the coolest costumes in Spider-Man PS4

Spider-Man 2099

Spider-Man 2099 is the main star of his eponymous book in the Marvel 2099 comic line. Set in a dystopian cyberpunk future where most Marvel heroes are long gone, Spider-Man 2099 is the alter ego of Miguel O’Hara, a scientist who works for the evil megacorporation Alchemex. Miguel is a self-absorbed, cocky womanizer – the total opposite of Peter Parker.

After his employer tricks him into becoming addicted to the drug Rapture, Miguel attempts to experiment on himself to rid himself of the drug. However, a coworker sabotages the experiment, granting Miguel 50% spider DNA and giving him spider powers. Alchemex hunts down Miguel, who dons a bodysuit and Day of the Dead mask to evade them. (Miguel is the first Latino Spider-Man.)

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While early in his costumed career, Miguel focuses on escaping Alchemex and finding a cure for himself. But he slowly becomes more aware of the exploitation and oppression the people around him suffer. Inspired to turn his life around for the better, he publically proclaims himself to be the new Spider-Man, enemy of all megacorporations and champion of the people. Miguel proves himself to be one of the future’s greatest heroes, even eventually becoming worthy enough to wield Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir.

Miguel’s powers are similar to the original Spider-Man’s, though there are some sharp differences. For example, Miguel does not possess a spider-sense, but he does have highly enhanced senses of vision and hearing. He is able to see in the dark and “zoom” his vision in. While Peter Parker was able to cling to any surface with any part of his body, Miguel is only able to cling using talons on his hands and feet. These talons can also be used offensively, being strong enough to tear through flesh. In addition to talons, Miguel also has razor sharp poisonous fangs.

In current Marvel Comics continuity, Miguel is trapped in the present day. He frequently teams up with Peter Parker.

Spider-Man Noir

Spider-Man Noir debuted in 2009’s Marvel Noir comic storyline. Marvel Noir takes place during the Great Depression and features darker and grittier versions of their classic heroes. Spider-Man Noir is no exception.

In this universe, Peter Parker is mentored by famed reporter Ben Ulrich. Ben, under the alias of the Spider, uses his contacts in the criminal underworld to get information on the Goblin, the terrifying alter ego of Norman Osborn that controls all the crime in New York City. After sneaking into a warehouse full of the Goblin’s henchmen, he sees them unload a spider statue. The statue breaks open, freeing swarms of spiders, one of which bites Peter, causing him to dream of a spider-like god. When he wakes up, Peter realizes he has spider powers. Peter dons his uncle’s airman suit to become the brutal vigilante known as Spider-Man, stopping at nothing to bring down the Goblin.

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One of the main differences between the main Spider-Man and Spider-Man Noir is that Noir is perfectly willing to kill his enemies. He frequently uses a revolver and a Tommy gun in his war against crime. Unlike the main Spidey, Noir doesn’t use web-shooters. Instead, his powers gave him organic webbing. Noir uses intimidation and his large number of underworld contacts in order to get closer to the Goblin.

Spider-Man Noir will appear in the upcoming animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. He will be played by Nicolas Cage.

Scarlet Spider

Scarlet Spider is the alias used by Peter Parker clone Ben Reilly, star of the universally panned Clone Saga storyline from the 90s. The story is convoluted and filled with comic book nonsense, but we will do our best to briefly summarize it here:

After fighting the villain Jackal, who uses clones to fight Spider-Man, Peter wakes up in a room with an identical clone also in a Spider-Man suit, both thinking the other is an imposter. The two Spider-Men fight, but eventually team up to rescue Gwen Stacy from the Jackal. The clone seemingly dies in an explosion while trying to rescue Gwen. A disturbed Peter drops the clone’s body in a smokestack to get rid of it, but the clone survives and escapes. After following Peter and taking a look into his life, the clone (still thinking that he is the original Peter), adopts the name Ben Reilly, named after Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Ben becomes the Scarlet Spider, creating his own hoodie-like costume and fighting crime. He also constantly evades Kaine, another clone of Peter with murderous tendencies.

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The character was “revealed” to be the original Peter Parker. After massive fan outcry, Ben was killed off in a fight with the newly resurrected Green Goblin. His death inspires Peter (who ACTUALLY was the original all along) to retake his mantle of Spider-Man. Ben was recently resurrected in the “Dead No More: Clone Conspiracy” storyline. In this, he goes insane and becomes the new Jackal until he is defeated by Spider-Man. After his loss, Ben flees to Las Vegas in order to rediscover what it means to be a hero.

Got all that? No? Oh well, at least his costume is awesome.

Spider-Punk

During the crossover event Spider-Verse, in which Spider-Men from different realities team up to fight the villain Morlun, a reality is shown that features a never-before-seen Spider-Man. This hero is Spider-Punk, a vigilante who fights against the oppressive President Osborn using his spider powers and the power of rock and roll.

In his series, Spider-Punk becomes the symbol and leader of a punk youth movement that fights against the government and its drones. In true punk style, the comic is stylish, loud, and unsubtle. This incarnation of the hero is Hobie Brown. In the mainstream Marvel Universe, he’s a young African-American inventor who is one of Spider-Man’s oldest allies. Spider-Punk hates being referred to as such, instead preferring to be called Spider-Man. Later on, he fights against time-traveling supervillain Kaine the Conqueror, who has become a CEO that sells Spider-Punk’s image. Spider-Punk fights him to take his image back as a symbol for revolution and freedom instead of a cheap, catchphrase-spouting mascot.

What are your favorite unlockable costumes in Spider-Man? Are there any costumes you hope make it in as DLC? Let us know in the comments below!

Disney reportedly planning shows for Loki and Scarlet Witch

Could Disney be cooking up some streaming series for two MCU characters?

According to sources at Variety, Disney is planning to jump-start its new streaming service with limited series for a few Marvel Cinematic Universe characters without their own movies.

If you’re one of the three people on earth who hasn’t seen “Avengers: Infinity War,” there are some SPOILERS below:

Tom Hiddleston’s Loki has become one of the MCU’s breakout characters. Though the MCU is often criticised for its paper-thin villains, Loki has become a fan favorite due to his ambiguous morality, strained relationship with Thor, and cunning personality.

His shocking death at the hands of Thanos at the beginning of “Infinity War” perfectly foreshadowed the tragic events of the rest of the film. Due to his demise, his miniseries would presumedly be a prequel. Loki’s disdain towards Thor and his non-royal heritage gives his origin story gravitas and weight, lending itself perfectly for a miniseries. It is currently unknown if Chris Hemsworth, Idris Elba, or any other members of the Thor cast will make appearances in the series.

Infinity War spoilers end here, slowpoke. Now join the rest of mankind and go see the movie.

Wanda Maximoff (a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch) has a relatively unexplored backstory in the MCU. In the comics, she is the daughter of mutant freedom fighter/terrorist Magneto and a practitioner of chaos magic, which often sees her encountering characters like Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom.

In the movies, however, Wanda’s powers are the result of experimentation with the Mind Stone. Her pre-powers upbringing in the war-torn country of Sokovia is harsh, with her and her brother Quicksilver protecting each other from a civil war fought with Stark weaponry. It is unclear if the series will be an origin story or a continuation of “Infinity War,” but it is doubtful Disney would continue the story of “Infinity War” in any capacity before the release of Avengers 4, making it much more likely to be an origin story. Wanda’s upbringing and psyche are more tortured than most of the other Avengers, and a miniseries that explores her pain in detail would make for an interesting show.

These shows aren’t the only ones planned for Disney’s streaming service. A continuation of the fan-favorite “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is in development for the platform, as well as shows based on “High School Musical” and “Monsters Inc.” While consumers are not pleased with every major studio coming out with their own streaming platform, Disney’s massive catalog of movies and TV shows, as well as original content, is sure to sway uneasy viewers.