RE: Why do almost all video game films fail to impress?

The Last of Us may be the best recent live action adaptation of a game.

Season 1 of Fallout was good. Season 2 was ok but not as great.

Uncharted live action was ok but perhaps only average.

I think you're definitely on to something as far as live action adaptations of games being lackluster go. The bar for films and storytelling is so high. Its such a competitive arena. Unless someone has a next level vision of a story they desperately want to tell. Its easy to fall short of expectations.