The Best Movie Licensed Games That You Can't Buy Anymore

Typically, games based on movies are less than desirable due to the product being rushed out near a movie's release to make some extra profit. These days, they are rarely ever made, but in the 90s and 2000s, movie-licensed games were seen with every major blockbuster release, for better or worse.

While most were of poor quality, fans occasionally were gifted with decent or sometimes great games based on movies. In one or two cases, they were considered better than the films they were based on, but in a world where licenses and copyrights are constantly in flux, even the best ones end up being delisted or simply abandoned by publishers, and now gamers can no longer buy them.

10 Batman Begins

The Only Game Set In Christopher Nolan's Batman Universe

Despite Christopher Nolan's trilogy being the least adaptable Batman to video games, Batman Begins did get a video game tie-in with Christian Bale reprising his role as Batman. The Batman Begins game loosely followed the story of the movie, expanding sections to allow more gameplay that was similar to Splinter Cell but with more melee combat.

Oddly enough, Batman Begins did many things that Batman: Arkham Asylum would improve upon, from stealth takedowns to the use of gadgets to the way Batman traverses levels. Sadly, unless someone is lucky enough to snag a copy for the PS2 or Xbox off eBay or a local store, the Batman: Arkham games are the better option for satisfying an itch for virtual Batman action.

9 Captain America: Super Soldier

A Diamond In The Rough That Was MCU Games

• Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS
• Release Date: July 15, 2011
• Developer: Next Level Games
• Genre: Action, Beat 'Em Up

During Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, every solo superhero movie received a video game tie-in, such as Captain America: Super Soldier, an adaptation of Captain America: The First Avenger. Where tie-ins such as Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Thor: God Of Thunder were lackluster, Captain America: Super Soldier managed to stand out.

Initially available only on PS3 and Xbox 360, Captain America: Super Soldier featured basic but enjoyable third-person action and thrilling World War 2 set pieces akin to the Wolfenstein games. It won't knock anyone's socks off, but it remains the best option for a Captain America simulator until Marvel 1943: Rise Of Hydra releases.

8 Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza

A Faithful FPS Adaptation Of The First Die Hard Movie

• Platforms: PC
• Release Date: April 23, 2002
• Developer: Piranha Games
• Genre: First-Person Shooter

Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza came out at the height of first-person shooter mania, inspired by how Half-Life reinvented the genre. It retells the story of the first Die Har d film, making it one of the few games set during the holidays, allowing players to take control of John McClane fighting through Nakatomi Plaza to stop Hans Gruber and his terrorist organization.

Unfortunately, since Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza was exclusively for the PC, it has since become abandonware, and takes a lot more effort to get working if someone manages to find a file or even a physical copy. This is a shame, since it is still arguably the best attempt at making a Die Hard game since Die Hard Trilogy for the PS1.

7 Aliens Versus Predator 2

Three Campaigns And Multiplayer That Represent The Best Of Both Franchises

• Platforms: PC
• Release Date: October 22, 2001
• Developer: Monolith Productions
• Genre: First-Person Shooter, Survival Horror

There have been many games about Aliens and Predators since the 1980s, but Aliens Versus Predator 2 is often considered the best of both franchises. With three first-person shooter campaigns focusing on the Xenomorphs, Yautja, and Colonial Marines, Monolith's sequel took everything great about the first game and simply improved upon it.

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Sadly, it is another example of abandonware, but fans have worked hard to keep the Aliens Versus Predator 2 multiplayer servers alive, even if getting the game to work is a challenge. Fortunately, until Aliens Versus Predator 2 is given a modern port to make it work, the Aliens Versus Predator reboot from 2010 is still available to purchase and remains a strong successor.

6 GoldenEye 007

First-Person Shooters Wouldn't Be What They Are Today Without It

Often considered one of the most revolutionary games of the 1990s, especially in the first-person shooter genre, GoldenEye 007 was the beginning of a whole series of James Bond games. Much to the dismay of fans, not all of them can be purchased today, including The World Is Not Enough, Nightfire, and Agent Under Fire.

However, GoldenEye 007 remains a beloved classic by Rare. It is most famous for its Nintendo 64 port but has since become available to anyone with a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack or Xbox Game Pass. The chance to purchase the game on its own only comes about if someone manages to find a Nintendo 64 cartridge, which is rarely available or cheap.

5 Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis

It Walked With Dinosaurs So The Jurassic World Evolution Games Could Run

• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox
• Release Date: March 10, 2003
• Developer: Blue Tongue Entertainment
• Genre: Park Building Simulator

Before the Jurassic World: Evolution series, the ideal way for players to create their own dinosaur theme parks was via Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis. Many mechanics of Jurassic World: Evolution began with Operation Genesis, including sending out teams to unearth dinosaur bones, from which scientists could extract DNA to make viable genomes and create dinosaurs.

Without Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis taking its first steps, the games most people know today wouldn't be running. This makes it sad that Universal hasn't allowed Operation Genesis to be readily available for everyone, since it is a quality dinosaur game. Instead, it is yet another case of abandonware, with physical copies going for ridiculous prices online.

4 The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay

An Official And Quality Riddick Prequel Starring Vin Diesel

Vin Diesel's passion project is the Riddick franchise, as shown by him producing and starring in a video game prequel to Pitch Black known as The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay. Since Richard B. Riddick is known for being a slasher killer of villains, Escape From Butcher Bay features the titular anti-hero sneaking through a prison using his Eyeshine and stealth takedowns.

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In many ways, Escape From Butcher Bay is a first-person precursor to Batman: Arkham Asylum, featuring many similar ideas and even a nearly identical concept. With Vin Diesel still playing the character, this game and its overlooked sequel are often considered on par with the blockbuster movies, but over the years, it has become more difficult to own the games, as they were not particularly popular at the time.

3 X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Gory Gameplay That's Greater Than The Movie

Thanks to Raven Software being given extra time to hone their craft, X-Men Origins: Wolverine managed to not only be a quality Wolverine video game, but is often considered better than the movie. Where the movie is a watered-down mess, the game put Hugh Jackman's Wolverine into a bloody, gritty, and epic story that felt closer to something from the comics.

While X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a hack-and-slash clone of the classic God Of War trilogy, that style of gameplay simply fits the character, and as such, the game has since become a cult classic. Tragedy struck when Activision lost its Marvel licenses, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, along with many other Marvel games, became delisted everywhere, breaking the hearts of fans.

2 Friday The 13th: The Game

Silly But Fun Asymmetrical Horror Game Cut Down By Legal Issues

Before working on Predator: Hunting Grounds and Killer Klowns From Outer Space, Illfonic stepped onto the asymmetrical horror game scene via Friday The 13th: The Game. One player controls Jason Voorhees, going up against a group of other players controlling Camp Counselors trying to escape Crystal Lake.

While it was far from perfect, Friday The 13th: The Game won the hearts of many by remaining loyal to the iconic slasher movies, and featuring gameplay can be as horrifying as it can be funny. Due to the long-lasting legal troubles happening with franchise rights, Illfonic's ongoing development of Friday The 13th ended up being shut down, and the game was sadly delisted.

1 Peter Jackson's King Kong

An FPS Set On Jackson's Version Of Skull Island

With Adrian Brody, Jack Black, Naomi Watts, Evan Park, and more all lending their voices to their characters, Peter Jackson's King Kong is often considered a shockingly good adaptation. While it deviates from an already well-made movie, the game expands on Skull Island even more as a first-person action-horror shooter, casting players in the role of Brody's Jack Driscoll.

Peter Jackson's King Kong accurately portrays the island fauna as horrifying animals to reckon with and, since Jack has no HUD, the player is forced to listen to Jack's counting of magazines and rounds to know when they're out of ammo. Fighting dinosaurs and giant bugs is equally terrifying as it is thrilling, but Ubisoft and Universal sadly have yet to allow the game to be playable on modern systems.

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