Welcome back to our intermittent spin-off concept Side Quest, where we focus on something other than indie games but like, on purpose. This episode is the second in-person recording from August’s Indieventure IRL hang, and it’s a double feature as we make the incredibly sensible decision to watch some bad video game movies, and then chat about them while drinking Buzzballz just because none of us had ever tried one before (and no, this episode isn’t sponsored).

After a brisk round of negotiations, our chosen movies were 2001’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – the first movie which loosely adapted the games, of which there were only five at the time, if you can believe it – and Return to Silent Hill, the continuation of that movie series after more than a decade-long hiatus that finally saw the light of day this year, allegedly adapting beloved series highlight Silent Hill 2.

(If you’re wondering why we picked these specific two films instead of, I don’t know, watching some movies based on indie games… well, there aren’t actually all that many indie game movies, but mainly these choices seemed much much funnier and more likely to generate lively Buzzball-fuelled discussion.)

Now, neither of these films reviewed particularly well on release, but one came out barely six months ago and the other has had 25 years to really settle into its identity, so will we learn something about the art of making legendary video game movies as we go? Maybe! You’ll have to listen to our chat to find out, as indeed will I, because this was a late-night discussion that took place six weeks ago and also those Buzzballz kicked in harder than I was expecting, honestly.

Some questions to consider while you listen: Where’s the line between a simply bad adaptation and a masterclass in campy silliness? Should Liam and Rebecca be trusted to combine alcohol, microphones, and their latent crushes on early-2000s Angelina Jolie? Will Rachel – who has a film degree and minimal knowledge of either game franchise these movies are based on – save the day with some actual high-tier criticism? Feel free to let us know over on our listener Discord, where we encourage you to join in with the watch-along if you would like!

Our music was written and performed by Ollie Newbury! Find him on Instagram at @newbsmusic. Meanwhile, you can find us at indieventurepodcast.co.uk or wherever you listen to podcasts. Don’t forget that you can now join our dedicated Discord too, and be sure to check out our new Steam Curator page if you simply still can’t get enough of us!