With millions of people playing video games every day, falling in love with the worlds, stories, and characters they encounter, i?t should come as no surprise that directors are chomping at the?? bit to adapt them onto the silver screen. 

Coupled with the apparent lack of originality going on in Hollywood, video games of all type?s are very much in the firing line to be turned into the latest ?hit (or is sadly more often the case, flop) to grace cinemas around the world. 

Video game adaptations are absolutely not a new thing in Hollywood. Way back in 1993, Nintendo tried to take the Mario Bros. and turn them into silver screen stars. The movie did okay. It’s not good by a long shot, but it does have a cult fandom and is considered a somewhat classic adaptation. Before that, there was "Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach" in 1986, which... Well it wasn't great.

On the plus side, those early attempts did kick off a whole new genre of vi??deo game movies that is still going today. For better or for worse.

What makes a good video game adaptation is subjective, to a degree. There are lots of things to take into consideration: How true is the adaptation to the source material? Does it live up to the individual experience while playing, or does it create a sole focus for the viewers attention? Does it bring back the joy of experiencing the story of a game first-hand, or does it add a new level of enjoyme?nt? 

Movies of all types, including game adaptation movies, are judged by two groups of people �the public and the critics. These two groups aren’t always in agreement, and it can be hard to figure out who to trust. With that in mind, here are my top 10 video game movies ranked from worst to best, with back-up from critic and public revi??ews and box office stats. 

10. Werewolves Within (2021)

• Budget: $6.5 million
• Box office: $991,898
• Public opinion (IMDb): 6/10
• Critic opinion (Rotten Tomatoes): 86%

Werewolves Within was released in 2021 without much fanfare and has largely gone unnoticed ever since, whic?h is reflected in the frankly embarrassing loss that the movie made at the box office. However, to give it credit where it’s due, it did only get a limited rel??ease and there is a particular cult following for this horror-comedy. Critics seem to love it, and those who have discovered it more recently through streaming platforms have praise?d the performances and story, so there is some merit to it being on this list. 

If you’re wondering why on earth this movie is on a list of the best video game adaptations, you’re likely not alone. The original Werewolves Within game was a pretty niche “multiplayer social-deduction VR�game releas??ed on Windows and PlayStation 4 back ??in 2016. The story in both the movie and the game are the same, with a town being attacked by a werewolf and the main players having to guess which member of the community is the offending lycanthrope. 

9. Silent Hill (2006)

• Budget: $50 million
• Box office: $100.6 million
• Public opinion (IMDb): 6.5/10
• Critic opinion (Rotten Tomatoes): 32%

Although Silent Hill only managed ??to rake in just over double its budget, it’s gone on to be considered a classic in the ve??ry specific horror game movie adaptation genre for many. It took five years for director Christophe Gans to even be allowed the rights to make the movie, and thanks to his decision to use professional dancers for most of the monsters, the effects haven’t aged too horribly, and the watching experience is still enjoyable to this day. 

At the time, reception from critics wasn’t exactly favorable, but in the 18 years since the movie was released, reviews have been much more appreciative of the story and setting. It’s definitely somethi??ng of a cult classic at this poi??nt, and even though it runs a little long at just over two hours, it stands the test of time for horror fans. 

8. Uncharted (2022)

• Budget: $120 million
• Box office: $407.1 million
• Public opinion (IMDb): 6.3/10
• Critic opinion (Rotten Tomatoes): 41%

Uncharted is one of the more recent entries on this list, and it might be a bit of a controversial one. With Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg as t??he stars, the movie follows the story of Sam and Nathan Drake as they search for treasure. It makes the list for a couple of reasons outside of my soft spot for Tom Holland. 

When it comes to being true to the source material, Uncharted changes a hos??t of things, admittedly. Outside of the fact that the main characters are indeed present, there are a lot of things that will stand out to anyone who played the games. However, the story?? is still enjoyable, and it’s an action-packed couple of hours that won’t let you feel bored, so you won’t regret watching it. 

7. The Angry Birds Movie (2016)

• Budget: $73 million
• Box office: $352.3 million
• Public opinion (IMDb): 6.3/10
• Critic opinion (Rotten Tomatoes): 44%

Now listen, I know that when it comes to video game adaptations, Angry Birds might not be at the top of the list. However, somehow, Hollywood managed to take a mobile game filled with birds who hate pigs and give each of them unique and genuinely enjoyable backstories and personalities. That’s no mean feat, and that’s why The Angry Birds Movie deserves to be on this list. 

Not to mention the fact that the movie grossed a huge amount compared to its budget and was successful en??ough to spawn sequels that are equally as enjoyable as the first movie and a huge amount of merchandise; plus, this one is something that you can drag the kids to watch, which is a useful excuse if you don’t want to be seen willingly heading to the t??heater solo. 

6. Pokémon: The First Movie (1999)

• Budget: $5 million
• Box office: $172.7 million
• Public opinion (IMDb): 6.3/10
• Critic opinion (Rotten Tomatoes): 16%

The critics might not agree with my love for Pokémon: The First Movie, with Rotten Tomatoes only giving it a devastating 16%, but I have my reasons for its inclusion on this list. Firstly, it was the first movie (ha) I ever w??ent to the cinema to see, so it’s hugely nostalgic for me, but secondly, it’s the first time that most people got to see Pokémon on anything other than a tiny Ga??me Boy screen or an equally tiny TV screen. 

The First Movie brought Pokémon to the big screen and is th??e kicking-off point for obsessions in 30-somethings around the world. While it’s old, and the animation has definitely aged, it has aged in the best possible way. Sitting down to watch The First Movie even today brings back the same feeling as sittin?g down on a Saturday morning, three feet away from the screen with a bowl of cereal, ready to kick off the weekend with some cartoons. 

5. Tetris (2023)

• Budget: $80 million
• Public opinion (IMDb): 7.4/10
• Critic opinion (Rotten Tomatoes): 81%

Technically, Tetris isn’t an adaptation of the universally recognized game. I’m not sure how that would be possible outside of giving each block a face and personality, and I don’t think that would do very well. No, Tetris is a Docudrama about t?he creation and licensing of Tetris ?from Russia during the Cold War. 

While it’s not technically an adaptation, it is one of my favorite films of all time??, and not only is it enjoyable to watch, but it’s also an education on how life was for people at the time, and it's heartw??arming to boot. 

Tetris is exclusive to Apple TV+, so I can’t give you any box office stats on ??it. However, according to a research panel that tracks smart TV usag?e in homes, Tetris had over 88,000 viewers within the first two days of it being available to watch. 

4. Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023)

• Budget: $20 million
• Box office: $297.1 million
• Public opinion (IMDb): 5.4/10
• Critic opinion (Rotten Tomatoes): 32%

There’s no denying it, Five Nights at Freddy’s is a millennial phenomenon. Streamers and YouTubers have had huge success playing the game for viewers, with a Twitch all-time peak of 20??9,861 viewers, and it’s still belo??ved by those in a certain age bracket to this day. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone that it was eventually turned into a movie, but what surprised people was just how well it did. 

Raking in more than ten times its budget, Five Nights at Freddy’s has proven that it can survive on the big screen, as well as in-game format. While critics might not rate it as highl?y as it deserves, the movie is enjoyable even for those who avoided the game like the plague (I speak from experience) and it’s genuinely fun to watch, although probably not one for a younger audience. 

3. Detective Pikachu

• Budget: $150 million
• Box office: $450.1 million
• Public opinion (IMDb): 6.5/10
• Critic opinion (Rotten Tomatoes): 68%

Now we’re getting to what I would consider to be the obvious choices, the first of which is Detective Pikachu. While? 30-somethings had The First Movie to bring the Pokémon world to life, the younger generations were given this glorious CGI gem with Ryan Reynolds as the voice o?f an actually talking, coffee-obsessed Pikachu. Sort of.

Detective Pikachu did incredibly well at the box office, there were promo Pokémon Cards available, McDonalds did a whole line of toys to run alongside the movie, and even the critics viewed the movie in a glowing light. It’s funny, heartwarming, filled with beauty, and even nerve-wracking at times. Definitely worth a wat?ch, especially for those who have grown up surrounded by Pokémon since the 90s. 

2. Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

• Budget: $90 million
• Box office: $320 million
• Public opinion (IMDb): 6.5/10
• Critic opinion (Rotten Tomatoes): 64%

I’m sure I don’t need to remind people about the catastrophic initial design of Sonic prior to this movie being released. It was huge news at the time, and you couldn’t escape the memes when viewers got their first glimpse of doomed Sonic. Thankfully, the public reaction sparked a redesign, and thank God it did because there’s no way Sonic the Hedgehog would have done as well as it did otherwise. 

As a side note, if you want to see what could have been, go and watch Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, where “Ugly Son??icâ€?has a bit part that pays homage to?? this weird moment in internet history. 

Sonic the Hedgehog tripled its budget at the box office, and there have been multiple sequels and spin-offs in the time since, with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 due to be released in December 2024, with Jim Carrey re??prising his role (and adding another one), and Keanu Reeves playing the part of Shadow. 

1. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

• Budget: $100 million
• Box office: $1.36 billion
• Public opinion (IMDb): 7/10 
• Critic opinion (Rotten Tomatoes): 59%

If you didn’t see this coming, then I don’t know what to tell you. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the only logical choice for the top spot of this list, than?ks to its staggering billion-dollar box office record, but also because it’s just so fun to watch. And I would know because I h??ave a four-year-old who demands to watch it at least once a day, and I’m still not bored of it, although I can quote the entire script at you without too much effort. 

The plot is strange, but what do you expect for a movie based on a platforming plumber who is perpetually rescuing a princess who can’t seem to keep out of trouble for more than five minutes? The Super Mario Bros. Movie has?? introduced an entirely new generation of children to Mario, which is never a bad thing, and the characters are all so familiar that it warms the heart to see children fallin??g in love with the Italian adventurer all over again. 

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It could be "nearing release"

In mid-2019, Nintendo announced Detective Pikachu 2, a sequel to the Detective Pikachu game (which ended on an unresolved note)...and not a peep has been uttered since then. Let's look at the timeline of how everything Detective Pikachu-related has gone down.

The full timeline of the Detective Pikachu series

• February 2016: A three-chapter smaller version of the game is released in Japan titled "Birth of a New Duo," which is the first major appearance of the Detective Pikachu character.
• March 2018: The full version of Detective Pikachu is released worldwide on 3DS, with a nine-chapter storyline (and a giant accompanying amiibo).
• May 2019: The Detective Pikachu film debuts, and smashes video game box office records (a sequel game is subsequently announced for Switch).

So this new late-2022 update actually all boils down to a LinkedIn profile from Jonathan Murphy, who worked on the game at Creatures Inc (the studio that developed the first entry). As spotted by Famiboards user MetalLord, Murphy used the phrase "worked on one unannounced project and one nearing release, Detective Pikachu 2." Murphy has since changed their LinkedIn prof??ile to note that the game is "in development," removing a mention of "nearing release."

Honestly, this is pretty explosive info if it's actually correct, especially if Nintendo is aiming for a mid-2023 release to spice up the Nintendo Switch lineup. While the jury is out on how accurate this LinkedIn statement is, at the very least, Detective Pikachu 2 is still in development. Some of us want to know how the g??ame ends (assuming it's not? the same as the film)!

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Psyduck is the real star here

I can only imagine that Pokémon fans reacted to the news of a film adaptation for Detective Pikachu with a mix of skepticism and curiosity, with a bit of horror sprinkled in. Today, through the film's first trailer, Warner Bros. gave us a better picture of what to expect, which is an attempt at a photorealistic, furry electric mouse that happens to sound like Ryan Reynolds.

Lead actor Justice Smith (The Get Down) portrays Tim Goodman, a young man who discovers a Pikachu (the voice of Reynolds) and acts as the one person who can understand his "Pika Pikas" as actual words. The two unlikely cohorts team up on an adventure to find Goodman's missing father, utilizing the apparent amazing detective abilities that this Pikachu inhabits. Expect other Pokémon like Psydu?ck, Jigglypuff, Charizard, and a host of other pocket monsters from all of the different generations of Pokémon to show up. And yes, they all have the same "realistic" look, with fur, scales, etc.

Anyway, did you see that Psyduck? L??ike, just look at it.

The attempt??s at realism in depicting these Pokémon is alarming. Take another look at the movie's version of Mr. Mime, who is already a creepy motherfucker? in the games.

Freckles on its face, tiny little hairs on the top, and... dodgeball shoulders? Maybe it was lack of foresight on my part, I really did not expect this weird Garfield approach. There is a weird, spe??cific tex?ture to all of these Pokémon, and I've been seeing reactions split down the middle about it.

I'm in the camp that's all for it. Seriously. Not to mention, I think the adventure vibe that the film's trailer is going for can really work. I'm also surprised, as a lifelong fan of the games, that the film is true to a lot of det?ails, with posters that reference many of the locales found in the game, and a much more comprehensive selection of Pokémon characters and cameos that I expected.

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu was directed by Rob Letterman (Goosebumps) and will star Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton (Big Little Lies), Ken Watanabe (the guy Hollywood always gets when you need a Japanese actor), and Rita Ora. The film is schedul??ed?? for release on May 10, 2019—until then, you can contemplate about how in these trying times, we are all Jigglypuff right now.

The post The first Detective Pikachu movie trailer is te??rrifying, looks perfect appeared first on Destructoid.

It brings you through the starter mission

Detective Pikachu was generally my cup of coffee de??spite its easy going difficulty curve, it just happened to squander a bit of its potential -- mostly in terms of the ongoing narrative.

You can see if it's your cu?p though by way of a demo version, which runs through the initial tutorial mission that helps you acclimate to both the clue hunting aspect of the game and Detective Pikachu's personality. It's available on 3DS right now, and the best part? Nintendo has confirmed that if you buy the full game your progress will transfer (it's only around 30-45 minutes depending on how much you linger, but it's nice to not have to do it again).

From now through April 22 you'll get a download code for a Detective Pikachu theme if you pick the game -- Nintendo says to look at retail packages for the code or grab it on the eShop until that date. Although I was disappointed a bit there's still a lot to love, so maybe you?'ll dig it!

Free special demo version?? of the ?Detective Pikachu game! [Nintendo]

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Late to the party!

Welp, thanks to Amazon being a bit late with my copy of the game and other unforeseen events in my personal life eating up most of my time, I didn't get to play much of Pikachu's latest adventure until late last week. However, I managed to finally sit down, set up my recording gear, and play through Detective Pikachu in ?two sittings so I could deliver this latest video!

That said, I absolutely do not recommend playing this game to near completion in two sittings. This game feels like something you'd play a single chapter of and then maybe play again later or the next day. My first session with Detective Pikachu was a little ov?er seven hours in length and it was mind-numbing. For those of you who are playing or have played the game, I'm curious if anyone else felt like chapter four was moving in slow? motion... because it sure as hell was for me.

Worse yet, I already figured out who the culprit was a good half an hour before that chapter ended. For added context, I went into Detective Pikachu completely blind. I didn't watch any trailers, I didn't check up on any gameplay of it, nor did I watch any other reviews of it. I had almost no idea what to expect and I can't help but feel disappointed by the end of it. I think the only redeeming thing for me in Detective Pikachu? was Pikachu himself as every other element of this game felt bone dry to me.

Big props to Kaiji Tang, though -- the English voice actor for Detective Pikachu absolutely nailed the performance and was perhaps the sole reason for me to keep playing. Here's hoping the upcoming movie and future games in this series up the ante, because man, I don't know if I can sit throu?gh another game similar to this one.

But, maybe I'm alone on t??hat opinion, what do you thin?k?

The post Video Review: Detective Pikachu appeared first on Destructoid.

Get on the case with the little yellow critter

Nintendo have released a short e-book detailing an early adventure for Detective Pikachu, set before the events of the recent 3DS release. Episode 0 can be downl?oaded on ?Apple iBook and Amazon Kindle.

The short story features the grumpy super-sleuth hot on the tail of a culprit who committed a series of murders, leaving all the corpses wit??hout eyes messed up fellow Pokemon Eevee's back garden. The simple tale is 25 pa??ges long, perfect for bed-time storytelling or skiving off to the toilet at work. It acts as a basic prelude to the events of the newly-released game.

Detective Pikachu - Episode 0: Eevee's Case can be downloaded from Amazon for your iOS or Kindle device now. Enjoy!

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A bolt of brilliance?

When I first saw the concept for Detective Pikachu, I was in. Although the idea of a talking Pikachu who solve??s crimes with a young boy named Tim raised some eyebrows I dug the Sherlock look on the ol' rat, and since many Pokemon have talked at this point by way of the series and its various films (??Entei, Meowth, Mewtwo, Slowking, and many more) it wasn't that much of a stretch.

By the time the curtains closed on the game I didn't walk away all that impressed -- but I definitely want to see more of Detective Pika??chu in the flesh.

Detective Pikachu (3DS)
Developer: Creatures
Publisher: Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
Released: February 3, 2016 (JP), March 23, 2018 (US)
MSRP: $39.99

It might be hard to tell from all of the promotional material, but Detective Pikac??hu is very much an old school adventure game. You'll grab items to use in various (very light) situations, solve (very simple) logic puzzles, and chat with the inhabitants of sequential small sandboxes. The hook is intriguing both from a macro and micro standpoint. There's this huge conspiratorial mystery involving Tim's missing father, which leads him into the family business of detective work, and a more homely setup?? of only Tim being able to understand a talking crime-solving Pikachu.

The former do??esn't deliver, but the latter is something I never knew I wanted until I heard his voice for the first time. This hard boiled and sarcastic take on Pikachu is fantastic, as he's equal parts cute and insufferable in the best sort of way. There's gobs of vocal work too, much more than I thought there's be, a??nd the team strikes a good balance throughout even for normally throwaway characters. The engine is doing some heavy lifting on the 3DS, and after getting over the notion that a lot of the NPCs look like straight-up Disney characters, I went with it.

That cheery veneer doesn't really translate to the sometimes rote gameplay. Even in the later missions you're going to be spending a lot of time quizzing NPCs for specific keywords, going back to another NPC after collecting said keyword, and repeating the process. While the voicework's script has some pep to it the text is?? generally droll -- so while you don't have to worry about hardcore retro pixel-hunting madness, the scale tips too heavily on the other side of the equation.

It's a lot of fixed situational stuff, like distracting an NPC who's scaring off a witness, that sort of thing. Some of it works logically, some doesn't, and in those moments you'll feel the burn of gating. Maddeningly there's moments where you're right next to a conspicuous item that you know is going to be important, but you can't pick it up yet because the ga??me doesn't want you to. Still, like Pikachu's in-game "bolts of brilliance," nailing a solve is always satisfying, especially when you're gifted with a cute cutscene reward.

A few cases are lighthearted fare like errand running, and several are Scooby-Doo esque whodunnits (complete with a satisfying "meddling kids" rant at the end, and now I just worked myself up and want a good Scooby Doo game). QTEs, the bane of some folk's existence manage to stow away here, but as always I am a dirty defender of them if used tastefully (which they are here). Just as an aside, the giant $30 amiibo unlocks little animations -- som?etime??s 10 second clips -- that serve no purpose and are just cute that you can come across on your own.

Although I never got to the point of wanting to put the game down (the main cast is too darn charming for that), Detective Pikachu limits itself to a fault. Areas could stand to be more open and I could have used a lot less plot buildup and a lot more payoff. Things start?? to get interesting around chapter seven (of nine), and leaving it on a major unresolved cliffhanger is an act of cruelty.

I want to see a lot more of Detective Pikachu despite my misgivings with his 3DS debut. I hope the next game is a little more fleshed out and doesn't tease us so heavily; but developer Creatures was?? able to build the skeleton of a low key adventure romp.

_{[This review is based on a retail version of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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I still wish Danny DeVito was Pikachu

I haven't been following the development of Detective Pikachu too closely, and for good reason; I want to be utterly surprised when I p?lay it for the first time.

That's not to say that I won't catch the occasional clip, and as we enter the roughly one month 'til launch mark, seeing a few familiar faces isn't such a bad thing. Detective Pikachu charges you with "cracking the ca?se of the rampaging Pokemon" in&n?bsp;Ryme City, and you'll evidently battle, dance, and befriend a handful of classic Pokemon.

If you're g??oing in blind I would avoid the below video for spoilery appearances, but otherwise it doesn't give too much aw??ay!

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The faces still crack me up

With all the commotion over who would voice Pikachu in the Detective Pikachu movie, I had forgotten there was a 3DS game that only saw a release in Japan. It's rushing back to me now, though. Ah yes.

Based on a recent PEGI listing for Detective Pikachu, it would seem the mystery-solving 3DS title is moving toward a release in Europe (and the rest of the world??). The ratings board has a placeholder launch date, so the timing is still up in the air, but the 3DS will stick around for a while?? yet.

If you've never really paid much attention to Detective Pikachu, just skip to any old spot in this playthrough of the first case and hear the iconic Pokémon chat away. It's...surprising.

??I'll be curious to see how ??the localization goes for this one.

Serebii.net [Twitter]

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I signed it, so should you

Sairith Aramor has started a petition to get Nintendo of America to hire Hollywood superstar Danny DeVito to voice the English localization of the recently announced Detective Pikachu. 

"There are a number of us that feel as though Danny DeVito would be a prime fit for the voice acti?ng role of the Detective Pikachu," states the petition. "We want to make this happen."

I think we can all agree that this is the most important petition to have ever been started by Nintendo fans, and perhaps of all time. As of the time of writing, it is nearing 8,000 signatures and that number increases each time I refresh the page. Nintendo hiring DeVito would surely make up for all of its changes during the localization of Fire Emblem Fates, as well as the lack of information about upcoming surefire hit Metroid Prime: Federation Force. 

Sign the petition. Share it. Make this viral. Vote DeVito 2016!

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'Birth of a New Partnership'

We knew some sort of Detective Pikachu game was coming at some point, but now we have final confirmation. It's called Birth of a New Partnership, and it's due for a February 3, 2016 release date on the 3DS eShop in Japan, at a 1,500 yen pricepoint. According to a translator for Serebii, the game is 6400 blocks, a single?-player only affair, and contains no online features.

If you were to give it a quick glance, it looks like Pikachu is examining a dead kid at a crime scene at 0:20. After repea??ted viewings I realized the kid escaped his fate. But why ??was the kid lying on the street in the middle of the night? This might be one sick game, folks.

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