Goldeneye 007

Looking at the upcoming release schedule for 2009 we’re seeing a lot of promising licensed games. Batman: Arkham Asylum, X Men Origins: Wolverine, Ghostbusters and oddly a Chronicles of Riddick Sequel. Licensed games often carry a combination of entertainment baggage and slapped together production schedules to match movie release dates and you usually have a recipe for disaster. However once in a while a company gets it right, getting the feel of the source material while still making a solid game that defies the usually logic that a licensed game has to suck.

It’d be pretty much impossible to have this article without mentioning probably the king of all licensed games Goldeneye 007. Strangely able to hold up to today’s modern FPS games Goldeneye has the style, awesome level design and pacing that to this day hasn’t been emulated by other shooters. It’s action packed, yet methodical and the customizable multiplayer with the absolutely great level design just gives this game legs.

Duck Tales

Capcom has been and will always be one of the premiere game developers of all time. During the NES heydays Cacpcom was known for two things, great gameplay and great graphics which come together beautifully in a lot of their side scrolling action games. Duck Tales was one of the premiere examples, combining fun graphics and wicked level design that played well with the original property while not making a total snoozer of a game. Duck Tales is one of the best 8 bit platform games and it can stand up well to titles like Mario and Mega Man.

Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars in terms of gaming has always been hot and cold. For every X Wing vs. Tie Fighter, Pod Racer and Rogue Squadron you’re shoveled out a Shadws of the Empire, Masters of Teras Kasi and Yoda’s Desktop Adventures. However few will argue the pinnacle of Star Wars gaming is the Xbox classic Knights of the Old Republic. Taking place years before Vader was a sperm in his missing dad’s scrote Knights of the Old Republic is deep enough to satisfy the most ardent RPG fan but contain enough light saber swinging action to satisfy the biggest fanboy with his home made paper mache bantha. With the chance of swining both ways (on the side of the force that is) and a cast of amazing supporting players Knights of the Old Republic does what few Star Wars games are able to achieve; immerse in the space mythos of Lucas’ creation.

The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay

It’s not so much that Chronicles of Riddick got it right, but HOW MUCH it got right is staggering. High production values all around the games stellar story and amazing voice acting (featuring Mr. Diesel himself) already create a moody atmospheric game. However add onto the amazing score, smart level design, high challenge and amazing graphics and you have not only an amazing licensed but a highlight of the Xbox and just a good FPS in general.

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull be damned to me this will ALWAYS be the true fourth Indy movie. Featuring an immersive storyline with a great side kick in Sophia Fate of Atlantis is a true glob trotting trek having Indy jump from Iceland to Guatemala. The best part is the three paths Indy can take, opting for more puzzles, fisticuffs or puzzles requiring team work. In the end though what you have is simply put one of the best point and click adventures for the PC and a great Indiana Jones story.

Astroboy: Omega Factor

Astroboy was developed by treasure so you know it’s going to have fast action and tons of enemies. Omega Factor plays like your typical action game but its Treasure’s ability to build frantic moments into their titles. From the boss fights, giant enemies and hordes upon hordes of baddies Astroboy’s beauty is in the variety of challenges it provides, strong story seemingly ripped from the pages of the manga and tons of collectibles that add to the replay value.

Goonies 2

Gooney 2 is the non existent sequel of the Goonies movie as well as the Goonies game which never saw a US release and while all this is confusing we can ignore it for just a second because Goonies 2 is simply put an amazing action adventure title. Playing as Mikey you must save all the Goonies and stop the Fratellis again from completing their nefarious scheme. Featuring some nifty 3D areas and a large world to explore Goonies 2 stacks up against titles like Metroid and proves to be one of the best titles Konami has ever released.

Aladdin

Aladdin for the Gensis is a shocking good platformer. Filled with amazing level design Alladin’s main strength however are its jaw dropping graphics. Seemingly throwing you into the middle of the movie itself Aladdin animates fluidly, contains much of the humor of the Disney classic and has a kicking soundtrack, shocking many who learn that this game was made for the then underpowered Genesis.

Marvel Super Heroes

When Capcom was able to grab the Marvel license we all know a kick ass fighting game was brewing. While the ground work was laid in X Men: Children of the Atom this all didn’t really culminate until we got Marvel Super Heroes, a fast based frenetic fighting game that truly emulates the speed and power of comic book battles perfectly.

Blade Runner

When Westwood announced that it would create an adventure title based on Blade Runner many were skeptical. While the plot doesn’t follow that of the movie the world of Blade Runner which the game is based in comes alive. With tons of paths, multiple endings and dozens of characters to interact with Blade Runner was one of the last truly great point and click adventure games.