Back in the early days of home computers, when names like Commodore, Atari, Sinclair and Amstrad ruled the roost, practically every new movie to hit the big screen was accompanied by a game – it was a standard part of the merchandising, like coffee mugs or backpacks.
The results were a mixed bag. Ghostbusters was one of the great games of the 8-bit era. ET: The Extra-Terrestrial was so bad that most of the games ended up in landfill.
The Branded Casino Game Era
As the 80s gave way to the 90s, and home computers gave way to consoles, movie-themed games went out of fashion. Sure, there were a few exceptions. GoldenEye is surely the best Bond-based game ever and is arguably more memorable than the movie.
Other than that, though, most movie-based games these days are in the form of branded slot games, or pokies as they are known in Australia. Titles like Jumanji, Jurassic Park and Goonies are all among the most popular pokies at online casinos, especially in the gambling hub that is Australia.
Yet it is also here that something of a revival is taking place. You will notice that even those games mentioned are based on movies that came out at least 25 years ago. A handful of Australian game studios have set about reviving the old tradition of real games based on real movies. Let’s take a look at a few examples.
Starship Troopers Set the Wheels in Motion
Melbourne-based Blue Tongue Entertainment was one of the pioneers of the Australian gaming industry. It might be gone now, but it will never be forgotten. At the turn of the millennium, the studio created Star Ship Troopers, a real-time tactics game based on the 1997 blockbuster. The game successfully captured the essence of the movie’s universe.
Blue Tongue was acquired by THQ in 2004, and continued to operate as a brand in game software development. THQ finally dropped the Blue Tongue brand in 2011.
Mad Max is a Gaming Classic
VIDEO: Mad Max Game Announce Trailer
If ever a movie deserved to be adapted into a game, this post-apocalyptic Australian classic has to be it. Director George Miller took plenty of risks when he released a sequel to the much-loved Mad Max. Avalanche Studios took an “in for a penny, in for a pound” approach and worked closely with him as in developing their open-world action game. It hit thee shelves at the same time as Mad Max: Fury Road hit the movie theaters. The game won positive critical evaluations and was a top-10 seller of 2015 in most Western markets, including Australia, the USA, and the UK.
Happy Feet was Krome’s First Crowd-Pleaser
Krome Studios is a Brisbane-based studio that has made a career out of adapting animations into games. One of the first was the well-known tale of a certain penguin with a penchant for tap dancing.
Dancing, swimming and booty-shaking in the character of a cute penguin is a surefire recipe for success. In 2011, Krome was involved in developing a follow-up game through its subsidiary. Brisbane-based KMM, but the studio folded and the project remained incomplete.
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole
VIDEO: Legend of the Guardians – The Owls of Gahoole | E3 video games trailer Nintendo Wii & DS
Another from Krome Studios, this is a fun and stimulating action-flight game that is based on the 2010 film “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” which starred Hugo Weaving, Dame Helen Mirren and Sam Neil. The dark tone and engaging story made it perfect game material and Krome did not disappoint.
The game is not complex, but the simple story and intuitive gameplay make this the sort of game you return to time and again.
Babe Gives a Pig’s Eye View of the Action
Developers Bam! and Big Red teamed up for this project with Babe’s original movie director, Chris Noonan. Translating one of the best-loved family movies into a real game that would engage players was always going to be a serious challenge, and the team took time getting it right. Ultimately launched under the Mastertronic label, Babe was one of the more memorable puzzle games to be released for the PlayStation and is still a fun time-killer today.
Movie-based games went out of fashion in the 1990s. Australia’s game studios are gradually changing things with some carefully selected titles. Watch this space for information on any new releases that are on the horizon.
