Rule 1:
Only Pick Hot Video Games
There is no point in beating a dead horse, but let's face it, when Wing Commander and Double Dragon were released it had been years since you could consider either to be a BIG HIT. Both of those games had been far eclipsed by better games, and in the world of video games, which is not like music or books, things come and go on a regular basis. One can surmise that Double Dragon was picked up for cheap, whereas newer, better games in the genre were going for top dollar in the licensing world. But isn't it better to get a top product than save some money, especially if it means you can't afford such "talent" as Freddie Prince Jr. and Matthew Lillard?

street fighterThis is especially curious when you figure that the original Wing Commander games were among the first games to incorporate real actors in their games. Heck, Wing Commander IV featured a full on cast including Mark Hamill (who was in this film called Star Wars you might have heard of), Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), and John Rhys-Davies (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and the upcoming Lord of the Rings trilogy). So, again I ask you, why the heck would you pick Freddie Prince Jr. and Matthew Lillard?!? Wasn't the cast from Friends available?

And it's not just Wing Commander. Mortal Kombat is based on characters that are real (well, real in the sense that they are digitized as fighters). For years now these characters have worked, yet the movie through out all the original actors, and brought in all new actors. Sure Christopher Lambert was great in Highlander ... but frankly, it would have been nice to see the original actor (Carlos Pesina) in the roll.

The long delayed, probably dead, Doom project may have been the lucky one. Perhaps they are waiting for the right time, perhaps they realized it had no story, but whatever the reason, I have great respect for those who chose NOT to make it.

Don't worry. We have a Rule Number Two