Live-Action Video Game Movies: Where's The Fun?

You know what I mean.
​

...no? Damn. Alright then, *context*.

Okay, Talk About It​

There's a quality to a lot of Martin Scorsese movies that makes them challenging, at least to general audiences. When he shows crooks and hoodlums in classics like Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), or The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), he doesn't shy away from them having *fun*. They pal around, they get rich, these assholes enjoy their lives. They all have inevitable downturns as the criminal element catches up with them, sure, but Scorsese shows you *why* his protagonists choose this life. To audiences, I think, that makes the characters and their decisions more "real", or at least more relatable.

(Arguably, his movies and others like New Jack City (1991) illustrate that wealth, no matter how it's attained, is the equivalent of success in America, and a crime lord and a CEO enjoy the American Dream equally as long as they don't get busted. Thaaaaat's a whole other topic though.)

S-Sorry tangent, I just ain't got the time.​

Those are awfully grim examples! You can see though, how an *observably* good time translates to "Infectious Excitement!" on the pull quotes of a half-busted cardboard standee in a theater hallway. Take James Bond, for instance; he enjoys exotic vacations on the governments dime, and has more one-night stands than I've had good days. If he gets into a cool gunfight, or a car chase that ends in the grisly death of some idiots? There's a card in his wallet that says "To Whom It May Concern: I do what I want, take it up with the Queen."

This card, on the other hand, says that his wife died in the previous movie.​

Whereas, when you see a video game created for a movie, you’re being *told* it’s a fun time. Free Guy (2021) is a recent example, the most popular game in the world is a visually boring Grand Theft Auto Online rip-off? It looks like something I’ll watch my nephew play for five minutes before I throw him outside on principle. The Last Starfighter (1984) is a particular favorite, where a kid playing a Star Wars: The Arcade Game knockoff is the hottest thing his community has *ever* seen. They come running like he’s pulling the Sword from the Stone, ‘ere Britannia’s King be Crowned.

In 1980's America, small towns were propped up revolving around single arcade cabinets, like the prospector settlements of the Gold Rush.​

The worst offender though? Virtual Reality. Years of clunky headsets keep illustrating that controlling a VR game is never more effective than the controllers and touchscreens that have been refined for decades. (It’s also part of why all the Metaverse/Web3.0 nonsense failed, insisting we wear an apparatus and navigate a boring storefront instead of pressing one button on the phone.) In movies though, VR gets to be hyper-mature technology, and can be used to navigate the Warner Bros. Gen X internet in Ready Player One (2018), or boring Call of Duty clones in Gamer (2009).

Remember Gamer? Gerard Butler and other felons are controlled by Twitch streamers to play a first person shooter? The big twist was Butler convincing his “pilot” to just let him move normally, like a version of Real Steel (2011) where it turns out the stupid human was just weighing down the robot the whole time. The problem though is the fictional games in these movies are a huge step down from the creativity games can already provide. I wouldn’t play...whatever the shooter in Gamer is called over Titanfall 2! Where’s my wall-running, grappling hooks, and giant mecha? I had to treat three separate groups of friends to this in theaters, and by viewing #2 I was hoping my *real* pals would stand up and put me out of my misery before viewing #3.

Also, I dunno how to classify Surf Ninjas, but I *do* know none of them can see that screen outside in the sun.
​

What About Adaptations?​

Speaking of creativity, (none of which was harmed in this text, I *promise* you) straightforward adaptations don’t exactly portray the systems, sense of fun, or even sometimes the basic premise of the games their based on. Can you imagine a heartbroken young face, when you tell them there’s no button to throw a bucket of water at Sub-Zero, the moisture freezing into ninja-slaying projectiles? That you don’t play a superhuman witch with techno-magic in Resident Evil? Or the relief that Double Dragon is fucking *nothing* like the movie? All of the creative solutions and set-pieces tend to revolve around things you can’t do in playing the games themselves. Flicks like Borderlands (2024), and Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li (2009) aren't just terrible, terrible films, they don't incorporate any of the structure of the games they came from, nor hint at what makes those fun.

S-Sorry rant about Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li, we already did that joke for Gamer.
​

I’ve watched so many movies that make me think “I’d love to play this game”. Tremors (1990), Police Story (1985), or that 2001 Musketeer picture with the wild ass sword fights. Films made about actual games though? Forget it, Smokey and the Bandit (1977) makes me want a racing game where I can jump bridges, but Need for Speed (2014) makes me want to file taxes to feel alive again.

As always, there’s exceptions. The end of Doom (2005) is just a cool live-action FPS sequence, a short apology for the movie you just watched. The original Mortal Kombat (1995) had the good sense to just be about a tournament, instead of the 2021 movie trying to re-invent the wheel and coming up with a macaroni picture of a rectangle to put on the fridge. Some kids definitely saw the '95 film and ran to the arcades, and maybe half of them stuck around after they found out the cabinet *doesn’t* play the same theme song.

Look, I appreciate you reading. You earned this.​

Are They Getting Better Though?​

A few years back, I got suckered into renting Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) by a few people claiming it was “the first good one.” Bastards. A couple hours later, and I’m composing bitter messages on my phone. “No Molly, I actually *can't* feed your cats this weekend, I spent my gas money on this movie you told me to watch, so now Tommy Lee Jones the Cat can fucking starve.” Raccoon City was slavishly devoted to the games, and was as fun as getting served court summons at a funeral. Matter of fact, Monster Hunter (2020), Mortal Kombat, Free Guy, and Raccoon City were all released within a year of each other, good god.

I dunno, maybe Long Covid attacked the part of the brain that makes good movies?​

Lately though, there’s some real turnaround. Animated series have always been better at game adaptations, and the recent Arcane is a new high watermark, but live-action Fallout was a shockingly good time. The three main characters each feel like separate builds to role play in the games, with protagonist Lucy having a journey not too far off from, say, Fallout 3. She explores, salvages, accepts bizarre quests, learns horrific shit in vaults, and chases after her beloved actor father. (I’ll concede that The Ghoul is basically endgame material, and wrapped up in all the lore of the setting unlike a player character...but at the risk of rambling? He’s the closest Fallout has to an Elminster now, a mentor figure of sorts who’s seen it all and done it all, but won’t rob the PC’s of an adventure for themselves. I’m not a big D&D head, so I hope you dorks can tell me if I used that right.)

Drop this sidewinder in the next Fallout, like Drizzt Do'Urden in Baldur's Gate, blowing into town on a mutant cayuse.
​

Better yet, movies made by people who grew up playing games are starting to incorporate their elements into *cinema*. Hardcore Henry (2015) was an absolutely insane FPS shooter masquerading as a movie, although it also gave me one of the worst headaches of my life. Maybe I won’t talk about that one; watch five minutes, see if you don’t feel nauseous, fingers crossed. The Princess (2022) and other action movies like the latest John Wick have set-pieces and narratives that feel increasingly like gameplay. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) is maybe out of bounds since it’s more of a tabletop experience, but everyone I know who enjoys that says it captures the feel like nothing else. ( We should be on the third sequel by now, where’s my D&DCU at?)

2024, however, saw the wide release of the greatest video game movie to date.

Was this *all* an excuse to talk about Hundreds of Beavers?​

You're goddamn right it was!

Take 'em by surprise.
​

It’s made on the cheap, black and white, and damn near a silent film, and Hundreds of Beavers (2024) is my favorite movie of 2024 by a hot country mile. After the intro cinematic, our protagonist, Jean Kayak, wakes up in the frigid wilderness with nothing but pajamas. Like any survival game in the vein of Minecraft or Rust, Kayak has to learn how to get by with his bare hands, crafting crude traps out of sticks and snow to catch food. He trips down rabbit holes and reappears miles away, essentially shortcuts between areas. Eventually, he catches a critter, his loot counter going up by one, and takes it to the local trading post where he can exchange skins for tools that let him progress further.

All of the items he purchases are accompanied by video game sound effects, of course.
​

As Kayak gets more savvy, he starts to record his progress on bark using...actually, don’t worry about it. Anyways, he maps out key points in the area, and starts to hammer out a profitable route to take, hitting his trapping spots and collecting loot. Eventually the movie speeds things up using the map, he’s unlocked the fast travel system! This all leads up to a boss level platforming challenge that I won't spoil, but I feel okay saying it ends with a smooch from the "princess". The structure of a video game is present throughout the entire movie, communicated non-verbally and without any existing iconography.

Classic Ubisoft open world design.​

It’s also so, so absurdly funny. The first half-hour is nonstop gags by lead actor, Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, sporting an amazing knack for physical comedy. Most people get hit in the face or burned by a pan, we feel concern. Some beautiful souls, though, we can’t help laughing at their pain. It’s a wondrous gift.

Keep on shining, you crazy diamond.​

I look to 2025 with some semblance of hope. It’s inevitable that we get more movies based on video games, Mario and Sonic all but guarantee that's the hot trend for the forseeable future. Maybe they recreate the sense of fun and progress that Hundreds of Beavers had in spades. Probably not, right? I just watched the Minecraft movie trailer for the first time minutes ago, and I'm toying with just deleting this positive ending. It's a new year though, and I haven't got a rewrite in me! Here’s hoping more movies tap into what makes a game worth playing.

---

I didn't exactly cover the history of the genre here, it's not that kinda internet spiel bruv, but if y'all have some films in mind that capture the feeling of a video game, or make you think "Damn, where's my Nokia N-Gage port?" Drop 'em below!

Best of luck with 2025.

 

[Yousef]

Hey man. Congrats on your first article!! I can repost my old comment, but it saddens me to say my roaming internet in Saudi is a little unstable. Glad to hear you fed the cat anyways though!
P.S: my best friend says you have an endearing funny username
P.S2: amazing Shaun of the dead thumbnail! It only loaded for me now cuz of my internet xd

 

[DunkeyKong]

This is such an amazing read, that Hundreds of Beavers sounds and looks amazing. I'll watch it when I got the time

 

[Cu-Neo]

Great article!. Speaking of Games movies I remember the Assassins Creed movie because that movie not only ended in a cliffhanger for a sequel but also that movie is canon to the games. Also I still laugh my ass off in some fights of MK Annihilation more specifically the beginning of the film where the bad guys appears and some random ninja do backflips everywhere. And also the part where Raiden fights Reptile in a temple and he only spins like a Beyblade .

Also a mention to this great line made by Raul Julia (rest in peace)

 

[Waffles]

Reaaaally cool piece, man.

 

[Strategist]

The problem with video game movies is that most of the properties they are converting into movies are already poor copies of existing film franchises. Why would a movie going audience ever get behind an Uncharted or Tomb Raider movie when there are so many Indiana Jones movies that do the same premise but better? They need to be more selective with the type of franchises they pick. Fallout and the Witcher are good examples of games that have enough unique flavor and twists on traditional premises to make them interesting adaptation material. I still die on the hill that a Final Fantasy movie could've been great if they picked the right material to base it on, but I haven't seen that become reality despite multiple attempts.

To me the best "video game" movies made are those that are completely disconnected from actual video game properties. Something like Wargames, Existenz or the Matrix. They use the video game hobby or computers as a premise for a movie instead of an actual game universe.

 

[MemeAlert]

Ok so you didn't make this post because Shaun of the Dead & Hot Fuzz is free on Youtube?

 

[rugal]

great article

and i agree Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li (2009 is really terible

almost any game they try to adapt to a movie or something new almost always end up terrible

the james bond games and movies are great but they are not near as good as the books they are based on

best movies serie for me was resident evil movies even though they had nothing from the RE games except zombies. monsters and nemesis

 

[ATenderLad]

@Yousef Your best friend has great taste, and I didn't want to presume I'd get approved before but I'd like to reply to your original comment.

*snip from previous post*

-Shoot 'em Up had a hilarious vibe, and Clive Owen's performance would fit right into an older FPS, with that muted expression paired with growling one-liners betwixt each new corpse he makes.
-Uncharted definitely had problems, though Strategist summed up it's core issue pretty well below I think.
-I love how weird Mario Bros was, but the hanging snot fungus always makes my stomach turn. I'm weak!
-That last paragraph, there's a bigger conversation to be had for sure. There's a lot of reasons 90's "period pieces" (That fucking hurts to write) can feel off; a complaint I see online a lot is the lighting. Take TMNT, for example.

I love everything about how this looks. It's clearly the middle of the night, but you can make out the old brickwork walls, the scattered trash, the grit and grime. If I had a 4K copy, you could probably make out all the signage without trouble either. It's dark and seemingly lit by street lamps, but there's definitely a lot more going on to illuminate the shot. All manner of tricks were employed to emphasize shadows and contrast while keeping everything visible. It's not "natural", it's "more than real", for artistic effect.

Nowadays you see a lot of concern over how dark TV and movies are, and I think digital film-making has changed the craft around lighting scenes a fair bit. It's not always for the worse, but I've heard more than once that there aren't many folks who still know *how* to make a scene like the above photo.

(Maybe when I'm 70 I'll find the time to actually take a film class and learn the words, but I hope that came off interesting.)

This is such an amazing read, that Hundreds of Beavers sounds and looks amazing. I'll watch it when I got the time

I'm really glad you think so! I can't remember the post, but you mentioned I should just write an article, and well, here it is. This, this is *your fault.* (I hope everyone watches the movie sometime, it's so good.)

*snip*

Thanks! MK Annihilation holds a special place in my heart for being the first time I saw a movie as a thing *someone* made. That might be an interesting topic for a post someday, but I think everyone has a moment where they watch a movie or show and think, for the first time, "Why did they choose to do this?" Up until then, the art around you just exists, like a natural earth formation following continental drift.

Specifically, I noticed that when Liu Kang had the upper hand in the final fight, the theme song would play. Then, Shao Khan would wallop him and the track cut out like a needle skipping on a record. I turned to my older cousin, asking "Is this dumb?" He replied, "Buckle up, there's more." Bless him.

Reaaaally cool piece, man.

Appreciate it, and that I've got like three cool pieces of yours to read in the time it took me to make this.

The problem with video game movies is that most of the properties they are converting into movies are already poor copies of existing film franchises. Why would a movie going audience ever get behind an Uncharted or Tomb Raider movie when there are so many Indiana Jones movies that do the same premise but better? They need to be more selective with the type of franchises they pick. Fallout and the Witcher are good examples of games that have enough unique flavor and twists on traditional premises to make them interesting adaptation material. I still die on the hill that a Final Fantasy movie could've been great if they picked the right material to base it on, but I haven't seen that become reality despite multiple attempts.

To me the best "video game" movies made are those that are completely disconnected from actual video game properties. Something like Wargames, Existenz or the Matrix. They use the video game hobby or computers as a premise for a movie instead of an actual game universe.

I love that first paragraph, I say that shit all the time. For instance, I don't think I actually want a Metal Gear Solid movie, Hideo Kojima was already borrowing heavily from films he adores in the first place. Solid Snake *is* Snake Plissken, acting out a version of Escape from New York.

Anything can be good, of course, but the appeal of games like Uncharted and Tomb Raider was letting you play Indiana Jones. Translating them back to movies is like twice-warmed leftovers, without the interactive elements filmmakers are left trying to improve on the beloved movies that inspired these games to begin with. No small feat, that.

I'd agree that Final Fantasy could be good, the airships of the 2D games (and Ivalice) just reek of untapped adventure.

Ok so you didn't make this post because Shaun of the Dead & Hot Fuzz is free on Youtube?

It's free to watch my copies at home too? I don't really...are you asking if I'm some kind of advertisement?

Though you reminded me, Edgar Wright and his movies deserved a whole section here, but he's been exploring other genres like musicals and horror (sort of) for the last decade, so it didn't spring to mind. I'm already running super long on this one post, good lord, but maybe I'll write something about him.

great article

and i agree Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li (2009 is really terible

almost any game they try to adapt to a movie or something new almost always end up terrible

the james bond games and movies are great but they are not near as good as the books they are based on

best movies serie for me was resident evil movies even though they had nothing from the RE games except zombies. monsters and nemesis

Thank you kindly! Almost everything about The Legend of Chun-Li was uniquely terrible, it's amazing!
Charlie Nash shouting his own name when he shows up to a crime scene, like some kind of Interpol Pokemon! Balrog, master of the Whispering Lymphoma Fist, punches terminal cancer into Chun-Li's mom!

 

[DunkeyKong]

I'm really glad you think so! I can't remember the post but you mentioned I should just write an article, and well, here it is. This, this is *your fault.* (I hope everyone watches the movie sometime, it's so good.)

Ah my bad, can't help myself

 

[xman8245]

I... I did like Doom 2005 and Double Dragon, and hated the Fallout show.

But, good quips. Nice work.

 

[Karaswinglet]

Fantastic article, really nice read! Video games adaptation are always been a guilty pleasure of mine and they make such fantastic material for a movie night with friends to relax and laugh a lot, almost like watching movies of great comical actors like Steven Seagal.
I remember we were so eager to see Street Fighter in theaters, especially after the amazing animated movie, which had such a weight and care in fighting scenes. We laughed a lot with the live action and loved Raul Julia but we weren't that impressed. So we went to see Mortal Kombat with low expectations... just to be blown away, literally. I distinctly remember talking with friends about not being convinced that it would be a good movie and the the main them was blasted trough the cinema at incredibly high volume. We were basically convinced by the title and title music, all the theater was going nuts. The most bizarre thing? As an adaption of one of the goriest games of the time there isn't very much blood at all and we basically didn't realized it during the movie or after it for a long time!
I couldn't bear to watch "Welcome to Raccoon City", especially after seeing most of Milla Jovovich "attempts" at RE. They were fun acton movies most of the times but quite a letdown as RE movies, for me at least. But I remember watching "Mortal Kombat", "Monster Hunter" and "Free Guy" with friends, laughing a lot. The laughs really helped with MH, it was such a borefest. Mortal Kombat was quite disappointing as it started in a kinda interesting way but ended up becoming more and more convoluted. So much that I remember Kano becoming our favorite and we hoped he would survive to the endgame instead of Cole and his masochistic power.
Anyway, such a great read! great topic and nice writing style! Oh, and you really sold me on watching "Hundreds of Beavers", it sounds really like a movie I'd love!

 

[Strategist]

Am I the only weirdo who liked the 90's Super Mario Bros. movie?

Like a weird dystopian sci fi Blade Runner homage was completely inappropriate for a movie based on Mario Bros. but I enjoy movies with that vibe. The cinematography and special effects were underrated.

 

[ATenderLad]

I... I did like Doom 2005 and Double Dragon, and hated the Fallout show.

But, good quips. Nice work.

My brains mostly quips and quotes, so thank you! I like the aesthetic of Double Dragon, at least. No worries having different tastes though. Heck, tell me what you liked about them, I'd love to hear it.

Fallout's pacing really flounders near the end, the Ghoul's story is fantastic but the rest suffers. The Brotherhood protagonist gets shortchanged especially, they backpedal away from his nastier character traits in the latter half of the season.

Still though, the production design is gorgeous, the performances are fantastic, and the Neo-McCarthyism story they spin out of the "before the bombs fell" backstory is a great use of the game's setting. I wish it had resembled the Black Isle Fallout games more than the Bethesda style, but I like what they did with it.

*Snip*

Much appreciated! "Great comical actors like Steven Seagal" got a fully belly laugh out of me.

The new Mortal Kombat brought the blood, but the original embraced the Enter The Dragon roots of the game and built the story around a martial arts tournament; simple, to the point. It's weird how afraid the modern movie is afraid of trampling on the "beloved" lore of Mortal Kombat, crafting an entire story to set the stage for the *actual* Kombat. The actual creators don't care that much, they know it's silly and have rebooted the whole thing, what, three times now? Just go for it!

Am I the only weirdo who liked the 90's Super Mario Bros. movie?

Not at all, the production design alone is amazing, being headed by a guy who worked on Blade Runner, working with the cinematographer from Mad Max 2. It's a good looking movie!

It's a shame the directors were apparently terrible to work with, the actors have all called them out and the editor quarrled with them so much he tried to lock them out of the editing bay. That being said, the movie was going to be much more kid-oriented until the husband and wife directing team came in, and I can't say whether that's a bad thing? It seems like no one was entirely satisfied with how it turned out, which is the basis of a good compromise, but here created a movie with some strange tonal dissonance.

I've always told people that Crono Cross ripped off the alternate dino dimension, that's a fun argument to have.

 

[Strategist]

My brains mostly quips and quotes, so thank you! I like the aesthetic of Double Dragon, at least. No worries having different tastes though. Heck, tell me what you liked about them, I'd love to hear it.

Fallout's pacing really flounders near the end, the Ghoul's story is fantastic but the rest suffers. The Brotherhood protagonist gets shortchanged especially, they backpedal away from his nastier character traits in the latter half of the season.

Still though, the production design is gorgeous, the performances are fantastic, and the Neo-McCarthyism story they spin out of the "before the bombs fell" backstory is a great use of the game's setting. I wish it had resembled the Black Isle Fallout games more than the Bethesda style, but I like what they did with it.

Much appreciated! "Great comical actors like Steven Seagal" got a fully belly laugh out of me.

The new Mortal Kombat brought the blood, but the original embraced the Enter The Dragon roots of the game and built the story around a martial arts tournament; simple, to the point. It's weird how afraid the modern movie is afraid of trampling on the "beloved" lore of Mortal Kombat, crafting an entire story to set the stage for the *actual* Kombat. The actual creators don't care that much, they know it's silly and have rebooted the whole thing, what, three times now? Just go for it!

Not at all, the production design alone is amazing, being headed by a guy who worked on Blade Runner, working with the cinematographer from Mad Max 2. It's a good looking movie!

It's a shame the directors were apparently terrible to work with, the actors have all called them out and the editor quarrled with them so much he tried to lock them out of the editing bay. That being said, the movie was going to be much more kid-oriented until the husband and wife directing team came in, and I can't say whether that's a bad thing? It seems like no one was entirely satisfied with how it turned out, which is the basis of a good compromise, but here created a movie with some strange tonal dissonance.

I've always told people that Crono Cross ripped off the alternate dino dimension, that's a fun argument to have.

The cast was really good too. Bob Hoskins and Dennis Hopper (RIP) are legends of course. John Leguizamo tried his best too and the Daisy actress was good too. Just a mess of a script but the actors did their best to make it fun. And I think they did ok, it was watchable for the most part.

 

[Azuris]

The problem with video game movies is that most of the properties they are converting into movies are already poor copies of existing film franchises. Why would a movie going audience ever get behind an Uncharted or Tomb Raider movie when there are so many Indiana Jones movies that do the same premise but better? They need to be more selective with the type of franchises they pick. Fallout and the Witcher are good examples of games that have enough unique flavor and twists on traditional premises to make them interesting adaptation material. I still die on the hill that a Final Fantasy movie could've been great if they picked the right material to base it on, but I haven't seen that become reality despite multiple attempts.

To me the best "video game" movies made are those that are completely disconnected from actual video game properties. Something like Wargames, Existenz or the Matrix. They use the video game hobby or computers as a premise for a movie instead of an actual game universe.

I would say that a much bigger Problem is that many Directors want to "ground" the Material they have for the brighter Audience and so they turn down Stuff.
Sometimes they also create an "Avatar", a Character of the real World, so they can use this Character to resemble the brighter Audience and explain Stuff et cetera.
Or they want to put in their own Idea and so it becomes something very different.

 

[Strategist]

I would say that a much bigger Problem is that many Directors want to "ground" the Material they have for the brighter Audience and so they turn down Stuff.
Sometimes they also create an "Avatar", a Character of the real World, so they can use this Character to resemble the brighter Audience and explain Stuff et cetera.
Or they want to put in their own Idea and so it becomes something very different.

I agree, but remember that movies are made for general audiences and not just for the fans. It is a delicate balance between pleasing the fans and losing the regular movie going audience.

Also most of the people who make films are passionate about filmmaking and not necessarily about video games. It is hard to find a director and writer who both: are good at making films and also have passion and understanding of the video game they are trying to adapt. Prime example: Hironobu Sakaguchi (game director of Final Fantasy) tried to direct a Final Fantasy movie and it didn't go well.

 

[Azuris]

I agree, but remember that movies are made for general audiences and not just for the fans. It is a delicate balance between pleasing the fans and losing the regular movie going audience.

Also most of the people who make films are passionate about filmmaking and not necessarily about video games. It is hard to find a director and writer who both: are good at making films and also have passion and understanding of the video game they are trying to adapt. Prime example: Hironobu Sakaguchi (game director of Final Fantasy) tried to direct a Final Fantasy movie and it didn't go well.

Yep, even nowadays that we don't need all the Grounding any more, it is hard for many Directors to catch the Essence of the Material they are adopting.
Be it the Atmosphere, the Artstyle, Humor, Music et cetera.
Not even in the Film Industry itself they manage to catch that, also not in the Game Industry.
Just take the Music of Starcraft, Blizzard can't replicate that Feel it gave the Game nowadays.
Same for, lets say Star Wars.

So it is nearly a Wonder if there is a Director that understands the Essence and can replicate it (and gets the Job).