Movie adaptations of video games often have the reputation of being superfluous cash-grabs which owe themselves entirely to their source material. However, sometimes the opposite is true as well. Certain film adaptations influence how the narratives of video games play out.
This can be due, in part, to how necessary stories are for movies vs. video games, where a narrative can be overlooked or simplified in favor of entertaining gameplay. However, as games themselves expand in size and scope, influences from movie adaptations can be retroactively added to the series and its lore. These games adapted themselves to match elements of films released before.
Mortal Kombat
Trevor Goddard was an English actor who tragically passed away at the age of 40. One of his earliest movie roles was in the film,Mortal Kombat(1995), which is nowadays regarded as a cult classic, and shares its fans with the game it was based on. Examples of games showing affection for the film includeMortal Kombat 11, which featured a DLC skin pack which was motion captured and voice acted by performers from the original film, in addition to Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa already having done the same for Shang Tsung in the game itself. This was later echoed inMortal Kombat 1.
Goddard, however, had a far more direct influence on his character. Kano was previously written as a white American who was orphaned in Tokyo, where he was subsequently deported from. This was documented in the SNES manual forMortal Kombat. However, Goddard’s performance of the cyborg, interpreted as Australian, was well received and led to the character becoming Australian. AsMortal Kombatevolved to have more voice acting, Kano’s heritage shone through in his own personal brand of trash-talk. He was adapted as Australian in other mediums as well, such as the2021Mortal Kombatmovie, where he was portrayed by Australian actor, Josh Lawson. Without Goddard’s character-defining performance, the character would likely be realized in a much different way than he is known at present.
In the grand scheme of things, aspects of the film, such as Raiden serving as mentor to Earthrealm’s fighters, Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade’s romance, and various others were all integrated into later installments of the series.
The1993Super Mario Bros.moviewas an odd and unique take on the series. It was one of the first pieces of media to present the idea of Luigi and Daisy (or the film’s take on her) as a couple, although she did act as his caddy inNES Open Tournament Golf, which was released a few years prior. Later games which involve Daisy imply her and Luigi are also a couple, with one example being her eponymous circuit inMario Kart Wiidepicting a pair of statues displaying her and Luigi dancing, with clear affectionate undertones. This likely hasn’t been cemented to the level of Peach and Mario’s romance due to Daisy being less of a presence in most games which don’t focus on the extended series cast.
Another potential influence, albeit one largely unseen in the games themselves, is the apparent surname of the brothers. The film decided the “Mario Brothers” moniker was influenced by it being their surname, rather than merely one of their given names. “Mario Mario” and “Luigi Mario” were sporadically identified in game guides released by Prima Games, namely those ofMario Party 2andMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. This was concretely refuted by Mario and Luigi’s creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, in a Game Informer article, dismissing it as a decision made for the movie, saying instead that the brothers have no surnames.
However, he apparently changed his stance sometime before the Super Mario Bros 30th Anniversary Festival, where he claimed them as their given names. That said, due to the nature of games not requiring surnames for any practical purpose, this is merely trivia for the fans. As they are collectively identified as the Mario Brothers in all appearances, it makes perfect sense for it to serve as their actual surname.
Street Fighter Alpha Anthology
Street Fighter Alpha Anthologyincludes direct coin-op conversions of the following games:
Albeit being faithful conversions, some extras and secrets have been thrown in. If the player completes the single player mode of each game, a bonus version of Alpha 3 (Street Fighter Zero 3 Upperin the Japanese version) with home version characters and new fighting styles is unlocked, along with the Hyper Street Fighter Alpha, a versus mode based on Alpha 1, 2 and 3 with additional characters, and ISMs mimicking other series' mechanics such as chain combos, a parrying system, advancing guard and even move variations of the Marvel vs. Capcom series, even though Capcom isn’t allowed to bundle games with the Marvel license. In the Japanese version, you can also unlock the English version of Alpha 2.
The loading screens from the arcade version have been removed and the player can customize the arcade options. All titles contain the core gameplay modes Arcade (Story) and Versus. The Alpha games also have a Survival mode and the Dramatic Battle mode for 2-on-1 tag team matches.
In the year 1994, there were twoStreet Fighterfilms released, each of which adapted the series' breakout game,Street Fighter 2. One was a live action movie known simply asStreet Fighterstarring Jean-Claude Van Damme (who some argue served as an inspiration for Abel inStreet Fighter 4.) This movie disregarded a lot of the source material, and has had little taken from itself in the series' subsequent installments. That said, a fighting game adaptation of this film, bearing the nameStreet Fighter: The Movie,was released.
The other adaptation was an animated film calledStreet Fighter 2: The Animated Movie. This film included a number of notable voice actors, almost all of whom went under pseudonyms. One of said voice actors was a pre-fame Bryan Cranston, who voiced Fei Long. This game is much more deeply embedded in the lore of theStreet Fighterseries, although this was arguably because of how much it took from it, rather than how closely it followed the material beforehand. It has been cited as an influence ontheAlphaseries, a trilogy of games which take place between the first and second installments ofStreet Fighter.
Some clear influences are cosmetic, such as Bison’s more muscular appearance coming from this specific version of the character. Others affect the narrative, such as the professional partnership of Guile and Chun-Li, and Ryu’s iconic red headband having been a gift from Ken. Ultimately, theAlphaTrilogy drew heavily fromStreet Fighter 2: The Animated Movie,and has had a lasting influence on the series as a result.
2Pokemon
Making Waves Across Adaptations
MostPokemonmovies are typically adapted around thePokemonanime, which borrows its characters for an otherwise unrelated story. Being technically two degrees of canon from the established games, it is odd to think of them as a spawning point for pokemon who would be canon to the series.
The late Takeshi Shudō, who was the head scriptwriter for the anime, and was the sole credited writer for its earliest movies, specifically conceptualized and commissioneda pokemon for the second movie, The Power of One. For this film, Shudō wanted a new pokemon tentatively referred to as “Pokemon X”, who symbolized the waves. The resulting pokemon wasLugia, who later became a “box legendary” who graced the cover ofPokemon Silver. Shudō was reportedly surprised by its inclusion in the games, expecting it to remain exclusive to the film itself.
This inadvertently started a trend of the movies specifically spotlighting pokemon not yet in the games. Other pokemon, such as Lucario and Zoroark, have since been introduced to audiences in anime movies a bit before their respective games were even released.
A Half Brother for Geese
Fatal Fury 2
It’s time for 20 megs of non-stop action, with another super-hot arcade game for your Super Nintendo. Rejoin the brothers Andy and Terry Bogard, with their friend Joe Higashi, as they discover that FATAL FURY was just a warm up! Now they must face the meanest, most dangerous fighters ever assembled!Choose from among 8 fierce opponents; from Big Bear - the savage unmasked wrestler, to Mai Shiranui - the female beauty with mystical arts of the Ninja. Battle through Thailand, Spain, Australia and many other locations. Feature packed, and filled with all the hard-hitting action you’d expect from Takara’s Fighting Series. Unique 3D movements enable you to move and fight both in the foreground and background - in ways NO other street fighting game can. This game rocks with huge, blazing arcade-style graphics andf faster animation than ever before! The question is - are you up to a new challenge?
Wolfgang Krauser Von Stroheim is a fighter introduced as the final boss ofFatal Fury 2. Like most SNK bosses, he has an infamous reputation for being an overpowering force. He is often characterized as something of a noble villain, who desires to be the strongest for the sake of self-improvement, rather than the prospect of greater power. He is not above complimenting certain foes he deems especially worthy. As his surname implies, he belongs to a wealthy German family of noble heritage. He has made appearances in variousFatal Furyinstallments, where his mixture of damaging attacks from all ranges make him a frightening enemy. He has also subsequently made appearances in theKing of Fightersseries, first debuting in its'96installment, which made him eligible for'98: Ultimate Matchand various spin-offs.
The most interesting aspects of Krauser coincide with his relation to Geese Howard, the main antagonist of theFatal Furyseries. This was not established untilFatal Fury: The New Battle, an animated movie that was made for television. Here, Krauser is Geese’s younger half-brother, whose father, Rudolph, abandoned Geese and his mother to marry into the Stroheim family. Geese previously tracked down Rudolph and unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate him. Krauser later killed Rudolph on his own as a teenager, and subsequently cemented himself as the head of the family. These elements were lifted for games such asFatal Fury SpecialandReal Bout Fatal Fury Special, and create the foundations of a lifelong rivalry between the two final bosses.
Geese Howard would later join forces with Krauser inKing of Fighters ‘96. While Geese is merely using his brother to gauge the power of Orochi, Krauser seems unbothered, as it is an opportunity to fight many strong opponents.
