5 Worst Video Games Based on Popular Movies (2022)

Chances are, you've played a video game adaptation of a popular movie. The odds of you completing one and actually enjoying it, on the other hand, are probably rather low. The simple reason for such low odds is because, well, video game adaptations are rarely ever worth struggling through, let alone forking out the money for. Needless to say, developers have tried to salvage the leftovers from good movies to make video games for years, and only rarely have they turned out as genuinely playable works of art.

The bottom line is, video game adaptations aren't always that great. And if you want to talk about some of the worst types of adaptations on the market, then you needn't look any further than right here. Believe us when we say, we've scraped the bottom of the barrel, and we honestly think we've plucked out five of the most horrific adaptations on the planet. But let's see where you stand.

5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is perhaps one of the most influential pieces of literature in children's storybook writing, which is precisely why devoted filmmakers longed to port it to the big screen. This was, of course, later transferred over to the video game realm, using Tim Burton's vision as an anchor point to develop its candy-coated world. The fact it was on PlayStation 2, though, meant tools were somewhat limited, and that the essence of the flick couldn't be recreated for a much smaller platform.

To cut a long story short, the PlayStation 2 flick absolutely bombed in the charts. Slated for its horrendous gameplay mechanics, subpar voice acting, and uninspired world, the game wound up being an insult to Dahl's beloved classic, which is why it went on to receive a mediocre 35% Metacritic score. Not ideal, especially when the movie had oceans of chocolatey content to experiment with.

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

JK Rowling's universally acclaimed Harry Potter saga has received some pretty shoddy video game ports, that much is true. Besides a couple of fairly decent PlayStation One entries, the bulk of the series has been made up of simple rehashes and god-awful wall-to-wall cover systems. This long line of insults eventually reached its crescendo with Deathly Hallows, the nail in the coffin to one of the most morally bankrupt video game adaptations of all time.

It should've gone out with a bang; Rowling at least deserved that. Warner Bros knew all too well how many fans adored the franchise, and that it was only right for it to receive an equally as good video game adaptation. And yet, it was as if the developers hadn't even heard of the series, and that the whole concept was to be based off a quick skimming of the blurb. If it wasn't for Hogwarts Legacy stepping up to recapture the heart of the franchise, then the entire Harry Potter IP would be forever coined as one of the worst in video game history. And that's the truth.

3. Shrek

Excluding Shrek 2 from the equation, the DreamWorks animation series has seen some of the most painstakingly dull video game ports of all time. In fact, they're so drab, that players hardly ever beat them. And that isn't even putting it lightly, either. The simple fact is, players take breaks between levels to alleviate the boredom, as well as the need to find something else to wade through.

They're almost laughable at this point, and it surprises us to see such a celebrated DreamWorks series thrown to the wolves. A leftover that really makes us laugh, surprise surprise, is Shrek: Swamp Kart Speedway. The bottom line to this whole conundrum is really quite simple: don't play a Shrek game, let alone plead DreamWorks to keep making them. Because let's face it, if a Shrek karting game doesn't win its audience over, then nothing will.

2. Fast & Furious Crossroads

Fast & Furious Crossroads didn't exactly help itself by casting Vin Diesel to construct the pre-release hype train. Although a series that was in need of a good adaptation since day one, Crossroads was a sprint in the complete wrong direction, as well as a total insult to an otherwise celebrated franchise. Who was to blame for the absolute shambles? Well, I suppose it lay with Slightly Mad Studios, a firm that quite clearly hadn't reviewed so much as a scene from the series before building its adaptation.

Crossroads played like a cheap and gimmicky PlayStation One demo disc, complete with lackluster level designs, uninspired dialogue, and clunky driving mechanics. Not quite something you'd come to expect from a multimillion dollar racing franchise, but hey—it happened, and the industry wound up being much worse off than it was before its inception because of it. Did we expect more? Well, yeah.

1. Bad Boys: Miami Takedown

With action blockbuster movies like Bad Boys, you've basically got yourself a guaranteed hit video game waiting to be built. That is, of course, providing you make the most of the countless bullet-riddled action scenes that line the majority of the flick. And while developer Blitz Games did try to capture the rawness of the hit movie in Bad Boys: Miami Takedown, the simple fact was it was a terrible, terrible game.

Miami Takedown served as a quick cash grab to help bolster the release of Bad Boys II. To Blitz Games' surprise, though, it wasn't the awe-inspiring counterpart they had set out to create. Instead, it was a lazy, watered-down version of Bad Boys II, with more flaws than genuinely likable elements and references. It was no wonder the game went on to receive a rather shameful 3 out of 10 on Metacritic, to be fair.

So, what's your take? Do you agree with our top five? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.