5 Licensed Games That Were Way Better Than They Had Any Right to Be

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For a long time, video games based on existing brands had a bad reputation, and with good reason. Most were quickly made and simply aimed to profit from fans of the original property, resulting in low-quality games. However, some developers started to approach these licenses with more care, creating surprisingly excellent games that exceeded expectations. While games like Marvel’s Spider-Man and Batman: Arkham Asylum showed what was possible, a handful of teams managed to stand out and deliver truly worthwhile experiences.

Here are five licensed games that are much better than you would have ever expected at the time.

5) Spider-Man 2

I’m not talking about the fantastic Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 made by Insomniac Games. I’m referring to the Spider-Man 2 game released in 2004, which was based on the Tobey Maguire movie. That version was created by Treyarch, a studio also famous for the Call of Duty series.

Treyarch’s initial Spider-Man game was good, but the sequel was truly impressive, mainly because of how fun it was to swing through the city. Exploring the open-world Manhattan was a real highlight, and the swinging mechanics still feel great even with the newer Spider-Man games. While some of the extra missions could get a bit samey, the game was a fantastic experience when it came out in 2004.

4) X-Men Origins: Wolverine

While Spider-Man 2 was a hit, X-Men Origins: Wolverine was widely considered a bad movie and received harsh reviews. Its poor performance in theaters unfortunately led to the cancellation of a planned Magneto spin-off, though at least a good video game came out of the project.

A key reason why the X-Men Origins game is so good is that the developers, Raven Software (known for their work on Call of Duty), were able to create a more mature version with plenty of blood and violence. However, this graphic content is only available on certain platforms.

Okay, seriously, the healing factor they showed for Wolverine? It was incredible! Watching him go from basically falling apart – I mean, ribs were showing – to completely healed right before my eyes was mind-blowing. Insomniac has to include that in the new Marvel’s Wolverine game. It’s a total must-have!

3) GoldenEye 007

It makes sense that someone would turn James Bond into a first-person shooter game. Bond games had seen some success as action titles in the 80s, and the first-person shooter genre was becoming increasingly popular in the 90s.

It’s surprising to learn that GoldenEye 007 was made by Rare. They were a very successful developer for Nintendo, but they were best known for making platforming games like Donkey Kong Country. Most players recognized Rare for those games when GoldenEye came out in 1997.

Beyond its other qualities, GoldenEye was a truly groundbreaking first-person shooter for consoles. Before its release, the genre was largely dominated by PC games, making Rare’s title many players’ initial experience with the FPS style. And Rare delivered spectacularly, demonstrating their incredible skill and versatility as a development studio.

2) The Warriors

Imagine you’re Rockstar Games, a huge name in the gaming world, and you’ve just launched the incredibly successful Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in 2004. Everyone – reporters and fans alike – is eager to find out your next project. But instead of continuing the popular Grand Theft Auto series, you announce you’re making a game based on the 1979 cult film, The Warriors.

The details weren’t quite right – Rockstar actually has several development teams – but that’s what it felt like when The Warriors appeared on the cover of Game Informer magazine. A game based on a relatively unknown movie didn’t seem likely to succeed.

While critically acclaimed for its distinctive style and music, The Warriors wasn’t a major commercial hit for Rockstar Games. It’s a shame, really, because the game brilliantly catered to fans, and a sequel Rockstar had planned would have been fantastic. Unfortunately, it just didn’t attract a large player base.

1) The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay

I’m a huge fan of the Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick series – I absolutely love those movies and always see them in theaters when they come out, including Riddick. I’ll definitely be first in line for Riddick: Furya when it’s released. However, to be honest, none of the sequels quite live up to the original Pitch Black.

Man, Escape from Butcher Bay is seriously good. It’s a prequel to Pitch Black and you play as Riddick, trying to escape the prison that bounty hunter Johns stuck him in. What I loved was how it blended stealth sections with first-person shooting – it reminded me of Far Cry, though the shooting wasn’t quite as polished as the stealth, it still held its own and was really fun.

The game Butcher Bay has a fittingly dark and gritty look, perfectly capturing the atmosphere of a futuristic maximum-security prison. Vin Diesel’s significant involvement in the game’s development also meant the character of Riddick looked remarkably realistic for its time. Ultimately, Butcher Bay is arguably the strongest entry in the Riddick series.

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2025-10-28 00:11