In 1982, Howard Scott Warshaw created a small slice of history. His Raiders of the Lost Ark computer game for the Atari was the first ever officially licensed movie-based video game. Since then, the big screen has provided a rich source of inspiration for game developers, and over the course of those 37 years, it is fair to say there have been more misses than hits.
However, that only makes it all the more rewarding when you find a game that both remains faithful to the source material and also adds a little extra something. The following roses among the thorns tick all of the boxes and are worthy additions to any movie buff’s gaming repertoire.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
The range of Star-Wars games serves as a microcosm for movie-based games in its own right. Incredibly, there have been more than 50 games released over the years. Knights of the Old Republic gets the nod here for its ability to tell as good a Star Wars story in its own right as any of the movies – arguably, an even better one. Darth Revan is a complex and compelling character, and his ultimate fate is entirely in your hands.
Jumanji
It’s almost a quarter of a century since Jumanji was released, and it has spawned a number of games. Here, however, we have singled out the slots game that was created by NetEnt and is available to play at the Winningroom slotmachines site. There are hundreds of slots games out there these days, and the developers need to come up with something truly special to stand out from the crowd. This one does exactly that, with its stunning visuals, including animals that literally crawl across the reels. It has some fun bonus games, and with a potential to win 140x your stake, it could prove to be highly lucrative, too.
The Thing
If you were simply looking for the best survival game, you might not necessarily choose this offering from the early 00s. However, it is worthy of its place here as it so faithfully recreates the sense of paranoia and tension that John Carpenter’s 1982 classic engenders. As you battle against the odds with very few resources, the sinister music seeps into your very bones. Nothing is quite as it seems, and you can never be certain that an apparent ally is not, in fact, something quite different in disguise.
Goldeneye
Goldeneye has gone down in history among gamers as the Bond-based video game that stands head and shoulders above the rest. Incredibly, it is more than 20 years since it was first released on the Nintendo. Sure, the graphics look a little clunky by today’s standards, but from a playability perspective, it still stands the test of time. Significantly, its influence can still be seen in the first person shooters that are a staple of today’s eSports phenomenon. Bond games come and go, but like the very best of the movies, this is one that can be considered a classic.