VU Games is readying several games based on the forthcoming 20th Century Fox fantasy epic.
Games based on movies based on fantasy novels are all the rage these days. Blockbuster big-screen adaptations of The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and The Chronicles of Narnia have yielded popular game tie-ins for Electronic Arts and Buena Vista Games.
VU Games is hoping to hop on the fantasy-book-film-game bandwagon this year. Today, the publisher announced that it is developing games based on Eragon, the forthcoming 20th Century Fox epic. The film itself is based on the first of the popular Inheritance fantasy novels by author Christopher Paolini.
Like the film and the book, Eragon the game follows a teenager who discovers a strange rock while out playing one day. As it turns out, the rock is actually an egg, which hatches, producing a magical blue dragon. Eragon soon bonds with the beast, eventually becoming the last of the Dragon Riders, an order of knights that bestride the winged reptiles.
Stormfront Studios (Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers) will be handling development on the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, and PC versions of Eragon. That game will follow the plot of the film and will sport a melee-combination and magic-based combat system that will include "finishing moves, multiple grapples, and degradable blocks with unique counter attacks," according to VU. It will also feature dragon-based airborne combat and two-player co-op play.
The handheld editions of Eragon will be developed by Amaze Entertainment (The Lord of the Rings: Tactics for the PSP, The Chronicles of Narnia on the GBA). The DS version will be an action role-playing game that will allow for a dual-screen combat system, including spellcasting via the touch screen.
The GBA Eragon will also be an RPG, although it will be turn-based instead of real time. The story-driven game will feature nine playable characters, and gameplay will include brewing potions and crafting weapons.
The PSP game, called Eragon and Saphira, will be drastically different from its portable siblings. Its "extensive" single-player campaign will show the Eragon story from the perspective of the young hero's dragon and will feature much airborne action. The game will also support up to four players in dragon-combat multiplayer bouts via 12 different arena-game types.
The Eragon games are slated to ship in November, several weeks before the Eragon film hits theaters December 12. The film stars Ed Speleers, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou, Robert Carlyle, and Resident Evil: Extinction's Sienna Guillory. Newcomer Ed Speleers will play the role of the titular hero.
I know we're all hoping the movie is going to be Great. The series has potential to be a great movie trilogy and I can see it being up there with other great trilogies if it's done right. I'm excited!! Games never seem to adapt right just because we all have our own views on how the action in the books pan out. But if it's done like the LoTR series then it will at least be commendable to say the least.
"Eragon the game follows a teenager who discovers a strange rock while out playing one day." Wtf? are playing and hunting the same thing now? The book was amazing. IMO the game will be nothing compared to the book.
Eragon and Eldest were amazing novels. I expect the movie to also be amazing. And now, this game is getting me excited! Cant wait for the third book, the movie, and the game!
Great another poor book being turned into a poorer movie which will translate into a horrible game. Anyone else see a pattern?
"he discovers a rock while out playing one day"...he wasnt playing! he was hunting a deer in the spine...haha sorry =p
Reserving judgement until I either read the book, see the movie, or see what the game looks like. Can you tell I haven't heard of this story?
I have read 'Eragon'. And after finishing sci-fi novel "Anvil of Stars" I will read the sequal to 'Eragon': 'Eldest'. I didn't know the novel was big enough to be noticed by game developers. I wonder how these 'Eragon' games will turn out. I love the novel so I am really looking forward to these games.
Read the 1st book, bought the 2nd and maybe it's time to jump in. Excited about the movie, could care less about the game(s). For christs sake, finishing moves and combos... I'm soooo sick of finishing moves and muliti hit combos.... can we have a little originality please? 2 player co-op is about all that may save this.
the books are awesome especially eldest but i dont about it all becoming a movie and a game. i liked how i was following a trilogy that no one knew about. the movie better not ruin the books.
If the game and movie is as good as the book, then 20th fox and gaming producers will roll in a lot of bank! If you thought Eragon was good then read Eldest! (no I dont' know what's below the Menoa Tree!)
Cool but I'm not sure if this'll be a great game. Most licensed games don't turn out very well.
read the book and it wasn't to bad it will be interseting in seeing how well they make the game I hope they go with the story in the book rather then just using the movie. These type games never seem to yeild more then 8 hours of play. At least for the first time through. Never can say if it has replay value.
E-ragon the internet has gotten to the dragon's now. hopefully this will not be a dot-bomb movie/game like other "E" related stuff was.
Haven't read the book but I also read a bunch of articles (online and in print) that say the kid who wrote it was trying too hard at writing the next Lord of the Rings. Will have to wait until I see/hear more but now I'd have to agree with "grasu" and say that it'll be in the high 6 - low 7 rating range.
the books are excellent. So the should the game. i WIsh the third book of inheritence would come out
This could easily be a killer adaptation like LOTR or a piece of crap like Narnia. That is to say nothing about the games, which are easily hit and miss. This sounds more like a cash-driven project and not a gaming one, be wary.
Great book, but I'll be shocked if any of this comes to fruition. This article reads more like a press release.
to think that the Matrix games tarnished the Matrix saga is a freaking hunting fact to consider.
sounds like a pretty good game. i just hope they don't mess up the movie though. eragons a really good book, and it deserves an equally good movie
Is it just me or is it nice to see that each portable version will be suited for its system instead of a direct port like it is all to common with PC and console games?
The book series is very amazing, especially considering that the author is relatively young. The movie should be pretty good too, as it seems to have a solid line-up of actors. Although, I'm starting to wonder why there isn't a PS3 version in the works, and why it seems as if the version for each console is different from the rest.
too bad the lotr games and demon stone were horrible. I dont trust these guys to make anything good unless someone actually liked their previous games.
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