20 iconic video games in desperate need of a Hollywood adaptation

If they can make a “Minecraft” movie, why not “The Sims?” This series has been around for years and built up a devoted fan base. Plus, the first “Sims” game came out in 2000, so the audience for a movie based on the game series would appeal to a larger audience. Of course, “The Sims” is a game about building houses in a neighborhood (and definitely not about filling a room with tapestries and fireplaces to set the house ablaze). Maybe the film would be more like “The Lego Movie.”

When the first “Crash Bandicoot” came out in 1996, he was sort of the PlayStation’s answer to “Sonic the Hedgehog.” While the adventures of Crash didn’t end up being as big as Sonic, “Crash Bandicoot” was a huge, early hit for Sony, and there have been eight main-series games now. If “Sonic the Hedgehog” can spawn a successful film series, “Crash Bandicoot” could do, say, an 80th-percentile version of that.

The bear Banjo and the bird Kazooie are a dynamic duo. This is one of those game series wherein different playable characters have different skills you can use depending on the task at hand. That’s also a good thing for the purposes of turning a game into a movie. Given that this is a game about a bird, a bear, and an evil witch, the film better be animated, though. None of that live-action “Super Mario Bros.” stuff.

There has been talk of a “Duke Nukem” movie in the past, including one starring John Cena, but nothing has come to fruition yet. It’s understandable why they would try, though, given that Duke Nukem is basically a ‘90s action-movie character in video game form. The third movie in the series literally has him quoting lines from “Dirty Harry” and “Evil Dead II.” Basically, Duke Nukem has been waiting around to be turned into a self-aware action movie character. Someday, that might happen.

While Hideo Kojima, creative force behind the “Metal Gear” series, has made claims to the contrary in recent years, for a long time it was accepted that the game’s protagonist Solid Snake got his name (and some of his persona) from Snake Plissken. You know, Kurt Russell’s character from “Escape from New York.” If that’s true, then it only makes sense for Solid Snake to get his own movie. Even if it isn’t true, the games have plots that easily could be films.

With many of these, we’ve opted to focus on overarching series. We envision an adaptation of a video game's sense of place, of its characters, etc. Here, though, we specifically want an adaptation of the N64 classic “The Ocarina of Time.” Link travels through time by playing an ocarina! That would make for a fun adventure movie, one that could even be done well in live-action.

A “Crazy Taxi” movie would essentially be a “Death Race 2000” with more palatability to a general audience. Or think of it as a better version of the Queen Latifah and Jimmy Fallon movie “Taxi.” However you slice it, the whole thing is just a bunch of chases and races against the clock. If only Hal Needham was still alive to direct an adaptation.

We’ve taken “Crazy Taxi” and raised it to another level. A “Grand Theft Auto” game would be much more akin to “Death Race 2000.” While, in theory, one can play “Grand Theft Auto” and try to avoid police detection and actually try to complete missions, we envision the movie being more like when you put in a bunch of cheat codes and just blow stuff up with your arsenal of weapons. You know, mayhem.

While “Wave Race 64” is not in the pantheon, it was a good game, and a different type of racing game. In this game, the races are done on Jet Skis (or, rather, “personal watercrafts”) in lush, tropical locales. You couldn’t make a high-minded film around this conceit, but you could make a fun movie akin to “Cannonball Run” or what have you.

It’s time to make a cult movie out of this cult classic sports game. It’s the distant future, 2031. Bill Laimbeer, the iconic Bad Boy-era Detroit Piston, has become commissioner of a basketball league. What does Laimbeer do? Why, he fired the referees, eliminated fouls from the rulebook, and made weapons legal. You know, that kind of sounds like “Rollerball.” Hey, that’s cool with us!

In a way, it’s surprising they haven’t announced a “Mario Kart” movie yet. After the success of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” it would make for a fun spinoff. Everybody’s favorite Mario characters driving around and racing each other for, you know, reasons. There was basically a “Mario Kart” set piece in “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” as is. Why not stretch that out over 90-ish minutes?

Kirby is a puffy pink delight who hangs out in a place called Dreamland. That could make for quite the fantastical film. Beyond that, when Kirby swallows enemies in his games, he can take on their powers for a while. A Kirby film could be both trippy and family friendly.

Sure, the heyday of “Animal Crossing” came and went, and maybe people still find the game series synonymous with COVID-19. That wouldn’t be ideal. However, the world of “Animal Crossing” is filled with distinct characters and you know everybody is down to root against Tom Nook in an “Animal Crossing” movie.

To make a movie out of “RollerCoaster Tycoon,” you’d basically have to make a movie about somebody trying to build an amusement park. To which we say: Sounds good! They made a movie about buying a zoo called “We Bought a Zoo.” You can do the same thing but with buying/building an amusement park. Or even just one roller coaster. Get Matt Damon on the phone.

Donkey Kong made a memorable appearance in “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” as well, so a spinoff could be in the offing. The land of the Kongs gets well-established in that aforementioned film. Bring Diddy Kong into the mix. Have Donkey go on his own adventure. Now that there is a persona for Donkey Kong on the big screen, half the battle has been handled.

Yes, there is a “Twisted Metal” TV show. However, we want a movie that’s actually like the game. You know, where there’s a “Twisted Metal” tournament and not a million hours of backstory. You know, this movie would also basically be “Death Race 2000.” Do we just want a branded version of “Death Race 2000?” Maybe.

Tom Clancy books have been turned into a few successful movies. There’s also a successful video game series bearing Clancy’s name, though. Literally he just kind of threw his name on it like John Madden but for spy games. If you prefer Rainbow Six (actually based on a Clancy novel) or Ghost Recon, that’s also fine. It’s spies with guns and the Tom Clancy vibe. That’s something Hollywood can handle.

In the early days of the PlayStation, there was Crash Bandicoot, and there was Spyro. The young, purple dragon finds himself having to save his fellow dragons from the forces of Gnasty Gnorc. Also, it’s a world where dragons have television, which is interesting. Millennials who got a PlayStation in elementary school would probably be hyped for a Spyro movie.

The “Gex” series works better in concept than in execution, as the gameplay and graphics were usually a little subpar. Of course, that doesn’t matter when it comes to making a movie here in the 2020s. Gex is a quippy gecko (who is actually pretty funny) with a love for television. However, he finds himself having to travel to the Media Dimension, where different levels are essentially different channels. It would make for a fun movie.

C’mon. A “Super Smash Bros.” movie would essentially be a PG “Mortal Kombat” featuring a bunch of the most-recognizable and most-beloved video game characters. Would it probably be a rights nightmare? Sure, but they made “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” happen. They can make “Super Smash Bros.” happen.