Since we crank out so many stories each week some really good ones get lost in the cracks. And since so many new people visit Guyism every day (thank you), we thought we’d start taking some time on the weekends to share some classics that many of our newer readers may have missed.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Video games and Hollywood have had a rocky relationship for going on two decades now. Mario, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter all had their chance to shine on the big screen but were met with lackluster response from critics and audiences alike. Perhaps, not all hope is lost for a video game to make the successful transition to the big screen and earn a 1up before it's game over. With the technology available now that broke box office records with Avatar it could only be a matter of time before Sonic gets himself an Oscar. Here are six classic Nintendo games that might have what it takes to equal box office success.
6 Legend of Zelda
Ahh, Zelda, the little elf with a sword who would travel around exploring new lands and casting magical potions. Basically, this idea has already been made into an incredibly successful movie under the name, Lord of the Rings. Except with Zelda, the elf is named Link and seeks some golden triangles. That's right hobbit nerds, I just compared your precious Rings Trilogy to an 8-bit video game. The game involved a lot of puzzle solving and most people either loved it or hated it. Seriously though, with the right director the little elf could kick some serious ass at the box office.
5 Metroid
Metroid was a pretty awesome game and when paired with Mountain Dew and pizza equaled an epic night for 9 year-olds in 1986. Samus Aran is a female bounty hunter in some far off space galaxy on the planet Zebes who protects the metroids from nasty space pirates. If this doesn't have Syfy channel original series written all over it! The game had the exploration aspects of Zelda, but a darker feel with all kinds of cool creatures and weapons. The idea for a Metroid movie has been bouncing around Tinsel town since 2003, but as of current, it looks like the project is stalled and won't be launching any space battles anytime soon.
4 Ninja Gaiden
Ninja movies never seem to be a critical smash but have a loyal audience all their own and are past their due. A ninja warrior named Ryu receives a mysterious letter from his father and travels to America to save the world from an ancient demon – I'm there with popcorn in hand. The game was one of the first to have cinematic sequences and gave the player a feeling of storyline as they killed bad guys in hellish levels with fire, swords, ninja stars and magic. Jet Li, call your agent, the world needs a good reason to forget about last year's Ninja Assassin.
3 Double Dragon
Remember how much fun blowing $5 at the arcade on Double Dragon was and how great the 1994 movie that followed was? Nope? That's because it wasn't. However, a box office bomb has never stopped Hollywood from attempting to breathe new life into a project and bring in the dough (Eric Bana Hulk, Ed Norton Hulk, case in point). Two brothers trekking through New York City, fighting street gangs with baseball bats, bull whips and dynamite to rescue a chick they're both in love with has gotta be gold, baby! However, being that both guys are gunning for the same girl things might get a little awkward at the end and take a Y tu mamá también twist. Could give a whole new meaning to the title "Double Dragon."
2 Contra
Without question Contra has to be one of the best games to come out on NES. This was every kids chance to be a machine gun toting Rambo, blazing a path of gunfire through jungles and battling space aliens that looked like butterfly shrimp. I've still never met anybody who has beaten the game with the three lives you start with. The game was loosely inspired by the movies Alien and Predator and came out around the same time as the Iran-Contra affair was going down involving Nicaraguan rebels. Hmm, wonder where those clever Japanese game developers got the name? It's been a while since Vin Diesel put out anything that didn't make me want to throw my TV down a flight of stairs. Maybe Contra is the ticket.
1 Mega Man
Rumors about a Mega Man movie are all over the Internet, a fake trailer was even made giving gamers a brief glimpse of hope before the reset button was hit, yet again. The game has been a popular franchise for years and been developed into an animated series and comic books. Still, a legit studio financed film of the little blue tough guy has yet to be put on celluloid. It's about time Mega Man hits the big screen to battle Metal Man, Heat Man and the rest of Dr. Wily's cast of cleverly named cyborgs.