There is a theory in cinema of herding. Two studios can, independently, start making similar films that end up being released around the same time. Step forward Deep Impact and Armageddon, Volcano and Dante's Peak, or The Prestige and The Illusionist. It seems the same is now happening with games...
Let's face it, games based on films are usually rubbish. Only a few are worth playing, and fewer still that actually good games in their own right. Part of the problem is that publishers tend to be so busy worrying about making sure their games are released at the same time as the film that nine times out of ten there isn't a decent game underneath. The other common difficulty is that games and films by their very nature have different narrative structures, and what works in one medium doesn't automatically work in the other. Mr Uwe Boll please take note.
Trapped in Time. Surrounded by Evil. Low on Gas. No wait, that's the tag line for Evil Dead 3. If Resident Evil 3 had a tagline it would probably have been same shit, different day, shinier graphics. Okay, so that's actually a fairly rubbish tagline (there's a reason I don't do PR) but you get the basic idea.
If there's one problem with the fact that console games as we know them have now been around for the best part of 30 years it's that the medium is now officially old enough to be suffering from a bad case of nostalgia. And if there's anything worse than vapid sequel-itis for stifling the creation of interesting new intellectual properties it's nostalgia.
Shaun White (also known as The Flying Tomato—seriously) is arguably the most famous snowboarder in the world. Following the lead of other extreme sports luminaries Dave Mirra, Tony Hawk and Kelly Slater, White has now lent his name and likeness to a video game.
Xbox 360