We’ve all been disappointed by movie adaptations before. Spider-Man, Star Wars, even this year’s much-hyped Avatar – no one seems to be able to catch the spark that makes our favorite films great and turn it into a playable, intelligent video game. That disappointment may be soon to disappear, though, as soon as EA releases Precious: the Video Game: Based on the Movie “Precious”: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire.

Hardcasual was lucky enough to play through the first few levels in EA’s Redmond offices last week, in the midst of a fellatio-laden press junket (let’s just say that that’s one of those Dante’s Inferno publicity stunts we ain’t writin’ about). We were pleased to find a game full of hard-fought tales of poverty, molestation, and difficult platforming.

While many recent games have shied away from issues of poverty and child abuse in the inner city, Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire was unafraid to show the world for what it was. Similarly, Precious: The Video Game: Based on the Movie “Precious”: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire wastes no time in exposing the world, one button-mashing mini-game at a time.

“Morality challenges” are one feature that the developers talked up to us. “Say, you’ve been raped repeatedly by your father. But you’re pregnant, and your community tells you not to get an abortion. But you can’t take care of the baby, and your mother is abusive. The only game this year that will give you an achievement for making the right choice is Precious: The Video Game: Based on the Movie “Precious”: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire.”

Due to be released in a matter of months, some critics have already begun decrying the game as “ghetto porn”. One critic told us that “the game looks like a mishmash of old stereotypes, horrible sex-predator fantasies, and an uncanny-valley appearance by Mariah Carey. Honestly, I can’t tell if she’s CGI or not – either way, she looks better than she has in years.”

That said, after a playthrough of one level in the EA headquarters, we can safely say that Precious: The Video Game: Based on the Movie “Precious”: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire does do one thing well: high-quality platforming. We expected upon seeing the horribly overweight, abused child star of the game, movie, and novel that the game’s physics would push “realistic” expectations on it. But in the game, the player can easily traverse obstacles ranging from a flawed government welfare system to systematic abuse at the hands of every nearby adult.

Let’s just say that based on our time with Precious: The Video Game: Based on the Movie “Precious”: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire, it’s a true Game of the Year contender. Watch out, BioShock 2 – there’s a new horribly abused child in town, and this one isn’t crying in a corner about how Ken Levine didn’t love it enough.