Ten video games that deserve their own live-action movie

Video games are supposed to entertain people, no matter what kind of game it is. But when some games are adapted to the big screen, those movies flopped at the United States box office, usually because they rely on stylized violence and have weak plots. Still, there are plenty of games that have the potential to be a good success as a film adaptation if done the right way.

With that in mind, here are ten video game franchises that should have their own live-action feature film.

For this list, I'm focusing on video games that as of August 2017 don't already have at least one feature film or one that is in development. That means titles like "Tomb Raider" and “Doom" are off this list because they already had their chance on the big screen. So are "Ratchet and Clank" and “Warcraft.”

1) Dead Space

The “Dead Space” franchise is basically zombies in space. There’s a guy named Isaac Clarke who finds himself trapped on a stranded spaceship full of mutated monsters. It also shows the dangers of what happens when scientists try to play God or the government is controlled by an evil cult: innocent people are the ones who suffer.

2) Dying Light

Going back to the zombie theme, “Dying Light” takes place in a fictional Middle Eastern country where an American soldier is sent to after a zombie virus infects the local population. A film adaptation can focus on the protagonist's struggle to do what's right, as long as he's left on his own without any way to contact his comrades or superiors.

3) Spec Ops: The Line

While we're on the topic of U.S. soldiers, “Spec Ops: The Line” focuses on the moral aspects soldiers face. Every decision the soldiers make comes into question. Such a film can go in depth at the soldiers as characters and how they must deal with their actions in wartime.

4) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Remember when Bethesda Game Studios used live-action trailers to promote Skyrim? The visuals and graphics were presented like this was a trailer for a new live-action movie, complete with actors, sets, and costumes. Bethesda could give the go-ahead and sell the film rights so that a Skyrim movie can actually be made. It certainly would be a lot faster to watch a two and a half hour movie than to play endlessly on Skyrim, and possibly show the events that take place after the Skyrim Civil War questline. Although, there are many storylines in Skyrim that it might be better to create a TV mini-series instead.

5) Uncharted

Naughty Dog's “Uncharted” series showed us that modern day adventurers are not indestructible robots. Nathan Drake has heart, a foul mouth, and a tendency to rise above himself in order to save the world from seemingly supernatural terrors the bad guys want to exploit for personal greed. While there were rumors of an Uncharted movie in the works, nothing has come of it so far.

6) Mass Effect

The “Mass Effect” series is one here you either like it, hate the ending of “Mass Effect 3,” or both. Yet this story about a future earth and space travel has its appeal in allowing players to "make their own choices"  in how the protagonists progress. It's possible that a movie can revive the franchise. It certainly wold be easier watching a two-hour Mass Effect movie than playing 60-plus hours on each game in the trilogy, along with “Mass Effect: Andromeda.”

7) Call of Duty

This first-person shooting gaming series rejuvenated the interest in pro-military and pro-American storyline. Best thing: there are plenty of different settings for a “Call of Duty” film, from WWII, to the present modern day, and finally to the future.

8) Battlefield

Like Call of Duty, the new Battlefield games add modern warfare to a realistic level, allowing players to control soldiers, vehicles, and aircraft. It therefore deserves to have a live-action, gritty, realistic film adaptation to cover relatable American troops fighting for their loved ones and their country.

9) Rainbow Six

The late Tom Clancy has written a lot of novels featuring military and CIA personnel, most notably Jack Ryan. The Rainbow Six series is based on Clancy's work and focuses on the operations of a special forces team. However, the studio canceled the “Rainbow Six: Patriots” game shortly after Clancy's death. A movie could focus on the plot of this game, which has anti-government forces attacking America from within by inciting mob violence and terrorist attacks. Such bad guys could be based off of groups like ANTIFA and professional protestors that cause riots on college campuses.

10) The Legend of Spyro

Since his days as Frodo Baggins in “Lord of the Rings,” Elijah Wood has lent his voice to a number of voice acting roles. One of those is Spyro the Purple Dragon in The Legend of Spyro series, a hit reboot of the earlier Spyro games. Originally there was gonna be an animated movie based on the series, but it was cancelled in favor of the Skylanders game and toy combination. Yet Spyro could star in his own feature film, either as an adaptation of the games themselves, or taking place right after "Dawn of the Dragon."

Bonus entry . . .

11) Fire Emblem

Generally, fantasy video games don't make good movies. “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale" tanked at the box office and clearly was a “Lord of the Rings” wanna-be. A Fire Emblem could present a fantasy game as a box office success if it stays true to originality and characters instead of horrible and unrealistic CGI effects. And it doesn't hurt that one of the series' main protagonists has the same name as a famous WWII general whose nickname was "Ike."