It is a long held belief that movies based on video games tend to – let’s be charitable, here – not be good. Despite sprawling epics and interesting characters, the needs of moviemaking and the realities of video game storytelling rarely gel successfully. What about Edge of Tomorrow? Despite the easy logline of “Groundhog Day with guns and aliens,†the real source material, other than the original All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, is easily recognizable as modern video games.

Multiple lives? Check. Checkpoints? …Check. Leveling up? Check. Getting better gear? Check. Boss battles? Check. Edge of Tomorrow isn’t based on a video game, but is structured like one, to its visceral thrills and unexpected comedy.

However, Edge of Tomorrow publicly underperformed. Other than the… philosophical issues audiences might have with Tom Cruise, the marketing for Edge of Tomorrow was held directly responsible for its “failureâ€. So saddened by its box office numbers, Warner Bros. Pictures struggled with rebranding Edge of Tomorrow into Live Die Repeat once it hit streaming services, an only slightly less vague title.

Edge of Tomorrow speaks in a language close to two generations of moviegoers understand. Why was it such a critical success faced with underwhelming domestic numbers? Did its video game look and feel hurt its chances, or help streamline an interesting story about warfare and heroism? This week, Tobias and Ivey sit down with Nicholas Simmons from Video Game Heaven to discuss Edge of Tomorrow and Video Game Storytelling!

Be sure to come by Dave & Busters at Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach, VA Nov. 12 for Video Game Heaven’s Geek Trivia Night, co-hosted by your good friends at Block Bluster!, Tobias and Ivey! Test your mettle, and win some prizes… if you know your stuff! And remember to subscribe to Block Bluster! on iTunes and listen to us on the Mind Of The Geek Radio Network on Stitcher. Like us on Facebook, and follow Block Bluster! on Twitter @blockblusterpod. Follow Tobias Ellis @callmetobias and Ivey West @Dorv.

(Image: Warner Bros.)