Check out our list of the worst video game adaptations of all time

Players are lucky enough to be gifted with such The last of us on HBO. The series adapts the critically acclaimed Naughty Dog video game that was first released for PlayStation 3 in 2013. Since its premiere, the show has received critical acclaim from critics and fans alike.

You could apologize if you were skeptical about the show’s quality when it was first announced, as live-action video game adaptations tend to range from pretty good to good very Poorly.

To be fair, no everyone Adapting a game is a guaranteed stinker. Detective Pikachu was a lovingly crafted Hollywood film that paid much deference to the source material by avoiding the uncanny valley of how Pokémon are portrayed in real life. Even the Sonic the Hedgehog Movies can be squashed for plenty of charm and meme fodder to help them garner a following. But there have been some terrible adjustments that just don’t do the games justice. Here’s our list of the worst video game adaptations.

We can’t talk about the new animation Super Mario Film due out in 2023, without first mentioning the disturbing fever dream from 1993 Super Mario Bros. Loosely based on the popular Nintendo series, the film stars Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as Mario and Luigi, respectively.

Trading the franchise’s fantasy aesthetic for an ugly and bizarre cyberpunk canal landscape populated by sweaty dinosaurs, it’s no wonder Nintendo has waited 30 years for Mario to make a comeback on the big screen.

Despite its initially lackluster reception, the first Mortal Kombat Released in 1995, the film is well remembered for its camp, hands-on action, and incredible theme song that would go on to become a staple of the violent fighting game franchise.

However, lightning couldn’t strike twice for this failed film franchise. As a sequel to the first film destruction is marred by inconsistent writing, awful special effects, and some of the worst acting in film history.

Calling this film an adaptation is not entirely accurate considering that this CG film uses the name Final Fantasy very loosely. The film doesn’t adapt any of the games from the popular JRPG series in lieu of an original but unappealing space opera that barely works with its source material.

Despite its legacy as the first photorealistic CG film in cinematic history, it’s considered a film that has so much to say so little with incredible CGI over a boring narrative.

The very first in 1994 street fighter The movie isn’t necessarily good, but at least it’s packed with hilarious camp moments and cheesy one-liners to make for a fun movie night. However, this ill-fated reboot centered around Interpol’s beloved kung fu agent is utterly bereft of joy and entertainment as woefully miscast actors and pop stars attempt to breathe new life into the live action street fighter with terrible consequences.

This might be a bit of a stretch considering that this adaptation of the acclaimed game series for PlayStation alone is far from the worst by metrics alone. But the original Unexplored Game was heavily inspired by the Indiana Jones Movies as it tried to put the same kind of thrills into the hands of gamers. If the Unexplored Film simply adapting a game that was already inspired by a film, this chain rule of film production makes Tom Holland’s performance as Nathan Drake miserable from the start.