Ghostbusters (1984)
Designed by former Atari luminary David Crane (Pitfall, Decathlon), the wonderful Activision connection captured the humor and spirit of classic comedy. Players create their own ghost hunting franchises and purchase equipment before setting out to hunt down ghosts. With its use of digitized voice and a joyous rendering of the film’s soundtrack, it proved that games really can deliver a truly cinematic experience.
Die Hard Trilogy (1996)
Developed by UK-based film tie-in specialist Probe Entertainment, Die Hard Trilogy is three games in one: a third-person action-adventure, a small arms shooter, and an arcade driving challenge, each based in back-to-back installments of the film series. . Although the visuals were crude, the game perfectly captured the locations, themes, and dark humor of the films, which was a real bargain for early PlayStation and Saturn owners.
Golden Eye 007 (1997)
Considered by many to be the greatest film of all time, Rare’s first-person shooter masterpiece offers a compelling reproduction of the 17th Bond film, from the opening set of the dam to the control center of Severnaya. Characteristic elements of the 007 experience are cleverly replicated as well, from stealth and investigation to high-tech gadgets and thrilling gunfights.
The Thing (2002)
Designed as a sequel to John Carpenter’s brilliant 1982 chiller, players control a squad of special forces sent to the Antarctic outpost to discover the fate of the original research team. Its main character, Captain Blake, must recruit scientists and AI soldiers, but his actions and responses to his commands are governed by his fear and trust meters – a clever play on the film’s theme of hyperparanoia .
Lego Star Wars series (2005–present)
It’s hard to pick out just one installment in the Lego Star Wars series, so we’re going to include them all. These games work as brilliant puzzle platformers in their own right, but they do just as well at capturing the atmosphere of the Star Wars universe, from exciting battle sequences to in-jokes and exciting use of John Williams’ score.
Robocop 3 (1991)
Created for the Amiga computer by Runcorn-based flight simulation specialist Digital Image Design, Robocop 3 is a first attempt at a true interactive movie, with its 3D visuals producing immersive car chases and futuristic gunfights interspersed with reporting. TV news family from the movie. . A truly prescient title, often shamefully overlooked by those looking to trace the history of cinematic narrative games.
Disney’s Aladdin (1993)
One of the best-selling Mega Drive titles of all time, this delightful scrolling platformer took the characters and story from the film and applied them to a typically challenging Sega gameplay template. Scripted by Earthworm Jim’s Dave Perry and featuring a soundtrack by Tommy Tallarico, it’s pretty much the pinnacle of early ’90s console gaming.
Alien: Isolation (2014)
There have been many excellent Alien games, including the tense 1984 strategy title Alien, the proto-FPS Aliens: The Computer Game from Electric Dreams, and the recent squad-based shooter Aliens: Fireteam Elite. But here we go with this utterly terrifying take on Creative Assembly, a survival game that pits Ripley’s daughter Amanda against a single AI xenomorph. You spend about 90% of your time holed up in a gym locker, as it should be.
The Warriors (2005)
A somewhat forgotten diversion from Rockstar, best known of course for Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. Featuring voice acting from the original cast and plenty of meaty fights, it’s a sort of fight for survival set amid the squalor of late 1970s New York, with rival gangs fighting over turf and making art. of graffiti and petty theft. A scrupulously respectful adaptation of the cult film; if video game links had a Criterion Collection, this would be in it.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (2004)
Actor Vin Diesel founded the development studio that created this faithful prequel to the Pitch Black movie. It is an atmospheric prison escape stealth shooter that perfectly captures the intense and dirty look of the Riddick movies. And, naturally, Diesel is on hand to provide the tongue-in-cheek voiceover.
