It's not easy to take a story from a linear medium and put it in an interactive one. This is why not many games based on a movie franchise actually work. However, a select few take the essence of the franchise and elevate it to an even higher tier. Here are the 6 best PC games based on movie franchises to play in 2022.

1. Shadow of Mordor

Shadow of Mordor is an open-world third-person action game based on the Lord of the Rings franchise, following the story of Talion who seeks revenge on Mordor.

The story in Shadow of Mordor takes a while before it gets interesting, but the further you come, the better the story gets. This together with the fantastic cinematic and voice acting, can make the game really immersive. You are free to choose how you approach missions, whether it's going all-in, playing it stealthily, or using enemies against each other.

Combat is really well done and comparable to the Batman series, it looks amazing and plays great. The combat in general is quite easy (making the game easier as well) but is just really satisfying. You will have 3 options for combat, either go in with your sword and slice through orcs and finish them with some brute finishing moves, backstab them through sneaking or keep your distance and snipe them with your bow. Next to combat, movement is really well done. Sneaking over buildings, climbing and hanging on the side of walls Assasins Creed style, everything feels great, smooth and just works. However, controls can feel a bit wonky at times.

Throughout the game, you'll earn points to upgrade your weapons and skills. From movement to combat abilities. Everything can be upgraded and it's really fun to discover all the new upgrades. This gives the motivation to keep on playing even after the Story mode (Which has a decent length of 10-15 hours).

2. Mad Max

As far as licensed games go, you really can’t go wrong with Mad Max. As far as open-world games go, you really don’t go wrong with Mad Max.

Mad Max is not a Fury Road tie-in. Instead, it takes place somewhat after the latest film. Max is on his way to nowhere when he runs into Scrotus, a Gas Town warlord who hates anyone’s guts. Max manages to give him a chainsaw lobotomy, but not before they steal and trash his car. So begins Max’s long quest to get a new car. With the help of the hunchback, Chum Max must build a car from scratch.

The plot takes you past several other local warlords and events for new items on the car, but Max’s plight is wholly selfish. Helping the people out is merely a means to an end and this is typical of the game as well. Despite the myriad of tasks you can perform in exchange for currency and upgrades; the moment those credits roll, it all becomes useless. You a player are bereft of purpose once you fulfill Max’s.

That doesn’t mean that the game is unenjoyable. On the contrary, it is a solid open-world cruise game. Your drive and fight your way through a desperate wasteland that George Miller once put to celluloid. The car drives well and can be customized. Combat while on the road is awesome and explosive. When not on wheels, Max doesn’t pull his punches and kicks, slams, and shoots his way through hordes of fanatics. While the game “borrows” Arkham Asylum’s combat system, it misses a few elements. Like the instant block cancel and the insane flying kicks that go across the arena. Instead, the game takes its time to really show that these punches hurt. It is fun to master and amusing to watch.

3. Alien Isolation

Alien Isolation is visually very beautiful and detailed, it has an excellent atmosphere, and a fantastic sound design, intensifying the moments of dread and suspense. In the plot, you find yourself in the role of engineer Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen Ripley, the protagonist in the classic 1979 film “Alien”, missing since the incident of the Nostromo spaceship.

The story starts out when Amanda seizes an opportunity that could result in important clues to discovering her mother's whereabouts. However, she instead finds herself trapped in the enormous space station Sevastopol, with a killer Alien roaming around the area. With survival as the main objective, You will have few resources at your disposal, relying on distraction, stealth, and strategy. And while you can find weapons that could help you deal with the enemies you may find, caution is advised, as combat noises will attract a much more dangerous foe, and your weapons will be useless against it.

4. Jedi: Fallen Order

Jedi Fallen Order (SWJFO) is a hybrid action-adventure title that combines gameplay elements from various popular genres, ultimately creating its own custom blend of mechanics. In this game, players impersonate Cal Kestis, a former Jedi apprentice now gone into hiding after the infamous Order 66 was executed. Soon he has to abandon a cover-up job, after an accident puts Inquisition agents on his tracks, from here his journey begins to discover not only ancient mysteries, but also his own true nature.

SWJFO plays out as a blend of mechanics from mostly Souls-like and Metroidvania genres: combat heavily inspired by the former, putting great emphasis on learning enemy attack patterns, dodging at the right times, and parrying enemy attacks just before they land in order to stun them (as seen in Sekiro), plus also using Force Powers preferably in clever manners to gain the upper hand. The Metroidvania part becomes prominent in exploration, with platforming/jumping sections and also with several areas of each planet being gated off until Cal acquires more powers or technologies - this encourages backtracking in a good way, to find secrets, items, and even whole optional areas or bosses.

Overall, Jedi Fallen Order is a really solid action-adventure game that faithfully recreates the Star Wars universe with incredible visuals, consistent fun gameplay mechanics, a decent story, and extreme challenges on the highest difficulty setting for those seeking a punishing experience.

5. Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered is a fantastically fun game. For many people, Spider-Man used to be the one game you bought a PS4 to play, a system seller. Just the fact that this is now on PC is kind of a miracle. That the game also happens to be a stellar PC port is just the cherry on top.

What makes Spider-Man stand out from other open-world ones is the traversal. Insomniac absolutely nails the movement of Spider-Man. You could see shades of this system in their old game, Sunset Overdrive. Here, it's so fun just swinging and web-slinging from building to building that I didn't even bother with fast travel for 99% of my playtime.

The combat is pretty fun too, especially mid to late-game where you'll have unlocked many moves and gadgets to spice it up. The map of NYC is filled with collectibles, some of them fantastically well-designed, some not so much. Insomniac went the bold route of making an entirely original story with the characters and setting of Spider-Man. Just follow the story of the movies and comics would've made the game less special and more predictable. I was pleasantly surprised by the cast of characters and villains.

6. Batman: Arkham City

Batman: Arkham City is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Arkham Asylum by Rocksteady Studios. It is an 'Open World Action-Adventure game that incorporates one of the best blends of action and stealth mechanics in any game in its genre to date.

As the sequel to the amazing Arkham Asylum, City had a lot to live up to. Fortunately, it's not only on par with the original but in many ways surpasses it. With NG+, more collectibles, more sidequests, and plenty more iconic enemies to beat down, this game really has it all. Most importantly, the combat is still responsive as ever, and they barely changed anything, only adding new gadgets to Batman's arsenal. After all, "If it ain't broke don't fix it," and Asylum's combat was anything but. Plus, the story is incredible, and even though it goes entirely off the rails for a while, it never stops being a fun ride. The entire climax feels like multiple mind-blowing twists in a row, and they do not disappoint.

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