Shows have long been intertwined with games. If you look at ROM archives of old consoles like the NES, you’ll find tons of game adaptations of various shows — such as Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, and even Texas Chainsaw Massacre. However, Esquire points out that not all these adaptations from movies are great. After all, the gaming industry realized that they had to capture the 90-minute narrative into around 10 hours of playtime. But this may be simpler in the case of series where game developers had episodes to lean on. While adaptations normally gamified a movie’s or show’s narrative, some took to creating a new narrative that existed in the same world.
In the long history of movies-and-shows-inspired video games, many have stood out, for good or for bad. But below are five of the better adaptations:
South Park
The first game it inspired was South Park: Stick of Truth, which experienced a lot of delays and problems in the development cycle. But when Obsidian Entertainment released it in 2014, it was surprisingly brilliant. Stick of Truth is a turn-based RPG that has a pretty basic battle system. But it does a great job of incorporating everything you would expect from the series itself, from voice clips of Hitler to alien conspiracies. Even the weapons are interesting — with names like the Rod of Major Boobage and the Canadian Halberd, and containing characteristics like stopping global warming.
Friends
A simple game that pays homage to this legendary sitcom is Friends Slingo on Foxy Games, which Gaming Realms developed to combine bingo and slots. Friends Slingo has the New York skyline that provides the backdrop for this easily accessible and exciting game. You can also create winning lines using symbols such as the car, the La-Z-Boy armchair, and the Christmas turkey. Meanwhile, Ross’s monkey is a blocking symbol to prevent potential matches, and the armadillo will mark random numbers on the reel. To add to the nostalgia, the game has the show’s soundtrack on loop.
James Bond
James Bond has inspired a lot of games across different consoles. But some of them were cancelled due to various reasons. For instance, the movie Casino Royale, which features Bond’s first mission as 007, was supposed to have a game of the same name released in 2006. But it was cancelled since it wouldn’t be finished by the film’s release. But out of all the released James Bond games, GoldenEye 007 is still the best. Developed by Rare and released in 1997, it did a good job of recreating the events of the movie GoldenEye. It even popularized the concept of the split-screen local multiplayer on home consoles.
The Matrix
The Matrix is easily one of the most famous sci-fi franchises. It has inspired a lot of action-packed games like Enter the Matrix and The Matrix: Path of Neo. However, an interesting game adaptation is The Matrix Slot, which is based on the 1999 movie that starred Keanu Reeves. It features actual footage from the movie, which includes a backdrop of a computer code and the famous digital rain. The Matrix fans will recognize that the three characters that make up the value symbols are Trinity, Morpheus, and Agent Smith.
Batman
Batman is another franchise that has inspired tons of games. But perhaps one of the greatest is Batman: Arkham Asylum, which was released by Rocksteady 2011. In fact, it was even granted a Guinness World Record for the Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game. There’s a lot to love about the game, from the wonderful voice acting to the ability to try Bat-gadgets. The release of Arkham Asylum resulted in a heavier demand for quality superhero games.
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