Licenced games have a bad rap. Mostly because they’re absolutely terrible; they prey on your exiting love and attachment for a franchise, and usually piss it down the toilet. There have been good ones; I have very fond memories of Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers and Ducktales on the NES; I spent all my pocket money playing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at the arcade and The 16-bit Aladdin games were amazing. More recently, Arkham Asylum ended up being the best super-hero game ever.
The flip side to those examples are games that have taken great licences and essentially destroyed them. Superman 64 is commonly cited as one of the worst games ever made, Kinect Star Wars made an absolute mockery of the universe, ET on the Atari 2600 was responsible for the entire game industry collapsing and yes, Aliens: Colonial Marines is pretty much a travesty.
While nobody really buys licenced games anymore expecting them to magnificent, there’s still the expectation that they might be decent, but they’re more than often not. What licenced games, old or new, have you picked up or were looking forward to – only to have your hopes and dreams crushed?
Last Updated: February 15, 2013
string_slinger
February 15, 2013 at 10:53
Colonial Marines – hopes dashed by reviews before I bought it, thankfully…
Mathias
February 15, 2013 at 11:01
None. This and te previous gen proved that most of these are worthless, so don’t even bother to get them, no matter how “decent” people say some are.
Admiral Chief Erwin
February 15, 2013 at 11:08
Quite a few, but those experiences are luckily blocked in my mind.
Lardus
February 15, 2013 at 11:08
Transformers…the one after the first movie. Piece of crap on the PC!
Uberutang
February 15, 2013 at 11:09
Had high hopes for ACM, but alas… it is bad they say…real bad.
DaxterZA
February 15, 2013 at 11:09
Iron Man, the game of the first movie…good lord that was a shitty game…
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
February 15, 2013 at 11:12
I had to play the SECOND one…and it was worse.
http://www.lazygamer.co/xbox-360/iron-man-2-reviewed-iron-man-iron-man-does-whatever-aniron-can/
DaxterZA
February 15, 2013 at 11:14
I know that feeling bro…haha
Admiral Chief Erwin
February 15, 2013 at 12:30
Have you recovered?
Sean Carbutt
February 15, 2013 at 11:14
There have been a couple, but lately. Aliens, The RE series is dead set on going that way, NFS have been crappy since Most wanted on the PS2, Silent Hill needs a serious re-look, Captain America on the PS3 was a disaster, Oh lets not forget the 13 years it took to cock up the Duke,
Eric Viljoen
February 15, 2013 at 11:13
I don’t think anyone has made a good Superman game actually…
That stupid Jurassic Park: The Lost World “strategy” game.
Good ones were the original LOTR games that came out after the movies. Those were quite epic.
The tiny toons games on my Golden China console.
I generally try to avoid games from movies I liked. Sometimes it spoils the experience.
Admiral Chief Erwin
February 15, 2013 at 11:18
Dammit, forgot how awful the tiny toons game was :((((
Banana Jim
February 15, 2013 at 11:52
Yeah the Superman returns game is pretty bad. It’s so weird because it has all the potential in the world and it’s pretty cool to fly through metropolis… but the game itself… wow… just… wow….
caponeil
February 15, 2013 at 11:20
THere can be only on – Wolverine! Picked it played for 5 minutes and thought how the hell can anyone release this crap excuse of a movie rip-off!!
Admiral Chief Erwin
February 15, 2013 at 11:22
On the other side of the curtain, the Hitman and Max Payne movies were TERRIBLE
Darth_Clericus_The_Ultimate
February 15, 2013 at 14:06
Hitman wasnt THAT bad, but Max Payne. That move hurt. Du dum Pshh!!
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
February 15, 2013 at 11:25
Narnia games… What!? Stop looking at me like that! Stop judging me! *hides*
FoxOneZA
February 15, 2013 at 11:50
I heard nothing 😡
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
February 15, 2013 at 12:02
@JimLenoir:disqus Thanx you two. I appreciate that understanding
Banana Jim
February 15, 2013 at 11:51
Wow… you have my deepest and sincerest condolences…
Admiral Chief Erwin
February 15, 2013 at 12:30
XD
Sir Captain Rincethis
February 15, 2013 at 11:25
Final Fantasy 13. What a steaming heap of dog shit. Never have I wanted to murder a character more than Lightening. And I know that if I DID murder the depressive, emo bitch, she would just moan. Mind you, if I offered her a cup of coffee, she would moan. If I asked her opinion on the disproving of superstring theory, a MOAN. Why did the chicken cross the road, MOAN. FML.
GTO
February 15, 2013 at 11:32
The sad part in FFXIII the most fun I had in the game had nothing to do with the actual game. It was annoying my friend with Vanille’s noises when she got hit.
I played the game at my friends house mainly, I was so bored with the game I kept Vanille in my party just so she would make her porno noises to annoy my friend.
Sir Captain Rincethis
February 15, 2013 at 11:36
HAHAHAHA! WIN 🙂 Yeah, when I first started playing I thought they were trying to be clever referencing some form of STD. Alas, the Japanese are not that deep. Real sad. I am a FF nutter, but with this game, I could only last 15 hours before I had to go find me a real whore to moan. Wait, what?o-0
umar bastra
February 15, 2013 at 12:15
FF 13 was amazing
Sir Captain Rincethis
February 15, 2013 at 12:22
I truly hope you are being sarcastic.
umar bastra
February 15, 2013 at 12:35
well i found it amazing…amazing that I could hate a final fantasy game 🙁
Sir Captain Rincethis
February 15, 2013 at 12:37
Some good trolling there Sir! Umar bastra 1. Rincethis 0
Jarred S Holmes
February 15, 2013 at 11:38
The Lion King and Aladdin were brilliant! And who could forget Maximum Carnage, first Spidey game I ever played, and I still have it on my phone:-)
Admiral Chief Erwin
February 15, 2013 at 12:25
Maximum Carnage was the BOMB!
Loved that game. As did I Lion King and Aladdin!
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
February 15, 2013 at 13:08
All 3 of those games were LEGEND
Jarred S Holmes
February 15, 2013 at 11:38
AS for worst…pretty much every Sega game in the last ten years…
The Lying Dutchman
February 15, 2013 at 11:40
Tomb Raider made shitty movies, great games… does those count?
Brady miaau
February 15, 2013 at 11:42
I thought the Tomb Raider movies were just a silly amount of fun, that did not take itself seriously at all
and Angelina Jolie!
Banana Jim
February 15, 2013 at 11:49
I was given Kung Fu Panda for PS3 on my birthday… not sure if missus was trolling that day, but yeah… that was pretty grim.
FoxOneZA
February 15, 2013 at 11:58
Haha!
Banana Jim
February 15, 2013 at 12:01
Yeah I think she thought it would be awesome, since I love the movies. Or maybe deep down, she just wanted to make me suffer 😛
Admiral Chief Erwin
February 15, 2013 at 12:27
She might be planning to kill you…..
Banana Jim
February 15, 2013 at 12:49
The thought has crossed my mind… she always insist on vegetables. I sense a communist!
Admiral Chief Erwin
February 15, 2013 at 12:51
Serving a fruit vegetables? That’s almost like cannibalism!
Eric Viljoen
February 15, 2013 at 11:49
Which are worse though. Licenced games from movies or Movies made from games?
Admiral Chief Erwin
February 15, 2013 at 12:27
Both
umar bastra
February 15, 2013 at 11:58
Men In black on ps1, spawn ps1 the worst!! as for games I actually enjoyed, bad boys lol and Reservoir Dogs
FoxOneZA
February 15, 2013 at 12:00
Spiderman was a hopeless pile of crap. And those WWE Games weren’t too bad.
umar bastra
February 15, 2013 at 12:01
well spider man 2 was freaking awesome as all hell
Red Worked
February 15, 2013 at 12:16
I can literally not think of any licensed games I’ve played since the days of DOS and the NES…
Johan du Preez
February 15, 2013 at 12:23
The Doom movie was crap 🙂
Admiral Chief Erwin
February 15, 2013 at 12:53
Except the FPS section, that was kinda cool!
jGLZA
February 15, 2013 at 12:29
The Green Lantern game was actually pretty good but it could have been so much better!!
oomjan
February 15, 2013 at 12:35
Max Payne movie was crap but loved the game. Also the new Silent Hill movie. bad acting, etc, etc.
OVG
February 15, 2013 at 13:05
ALIENS!!!!!!!!!
Runs out of room back to rehab.
Darth_Clericus_The_Ultimate
February 15, 2013 at 14:06
ANY RESIDENT EVIL MOVIE!!!!
Darth_Clericus_The_Ultimate
February 15, 2013 at 14:07
A franchise game that sucked. I played the Thor game once.
ONCE.