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From the Dark Knight to Lego Legolas: The Most Iconic Games Based on Movies
Hollywood, with all its glamour and blitz, is a long-standing beacon in the entertainment industry, producing blockbusters that captivate a wide range of audiences. From action-packed dramas to epic sagas like The Lord of the Rings and its sequels, there is something for every taste on the big screen. But when the movies inspire games, then sometimes, the result is truly the best of both worlds. Here are some of the best games inspired by movies.
Batman: Arkham
Iron Man might be credited with rebooting a whole movie genre and laying the foundations of the superhero movie empire of Marvel, yet the Dark Knight trilogy directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan was the film series that planted the seeds for the return of superheroes on the big screen. Nolan took the Caped Crusader more seriously than any other creator had ever before, enveloped him in darkness and mystery, and encouraged a nuanced delivery from his lead actor Christian Bale as well as his amazing supporting cast, including Heath Ledger’s iconic portrayal as the Joker. The compelling visual approach of his trilogy inspired the Batman: Arkham video game series, set around the infamous Arkham Asylum.
Gotham city is as dark and sinful as ever, Batman goes on a journey that takes him through rage and revenge, and all of his iconic foes are there and ready to do battle, from Penguin to Two-Face. Starting off with Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2009, Batman battles the Joker and many of his old enemies in his efforts to regain control of the Arkham Asylum, before he finds that the whole of Gotham is turned into Arkham City in the next instalment in the series, which was released in 2011. Arkham Origins, released in 2013 functions as a prequel to the series that ended with 2015 Arkham Knight, where the Dark Knight sees most of his foes united under the leadership of Scarecrow – and also features a fully playable and brand-new Batmobile.
Jurassic World
Not all games based on blockbusters have to be action-adventure titles filled with fighting and solving riddles. That is precisely what the producers behind Jurassic World Evolution thought and decided to take a spin on the classic movie. After the reboot of the iconic film series with Jurassic World in 2015, a business management simulation game was developed and released alongside the next installment in the new trilogy, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, in June 2018. The game lets you do what many fans wanted to do ever since the first movie came out: take the reins and build their very own Jurassic Park. Developed by Frontier, the studio behind many successful theme park simulations such as Rollercoaster Tycoon, the game brings some long-awaited fresh air into the movie-based game genre.
The film series has also had some other fortunate adaptations recently, spilling over in other game industries like online casino games and the mobile gaming market. Jurassic World has inspired one of the most popular movie-themed slots in the online industry – while its predecessor, the Jurassic Park slot, has already claimed a place in the pantheon of online slot games. The new version of the slot game features no less than 243 paylines, a Multiplier Trail and features like Raptor Den, which offers players 10 free spins. Mobile gamers were also keen to play the new Jurassic World: Alive mobile game that sort of takes over from Pokémon Go. In this augmented reality and location-based game that launched on both Android and iOS in May 2018, dinosaurs have broken free and roam the cities – including your city. Using geolocation and AR, players spot dinosaurs nearby, collect DNA samples, and use them to recreate hybrids and build their very own dinosaur team.
The Lord of the Rings
No list of movie-based games would be complete without mentioning the incredible array of LOTR-inspired games. Listing them all would be a saga of its own, as they range from 1982’s The Hobbit all the way to 2014’s classic Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and its 2017 sequel, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War. An honorable mention is undeniably due to the LEGO series of LOTR games: LEGO The Lord of the Rings and LEGO The Hobbit, released in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Building on storylines from the respective movie trilogies, both action games incorporate RPG elements and manage to provide engaging gameplay and familiar yet stunning visuals. As the player explores the game taking on any of the film’s most renowned heroes, including Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf and Legolas, all in LEGO-minifigure form, the plot is enriched with fun and humorous additions that really set the LEGO video games apart.
Superhero video games and action-focused RPGs are all the rage at the moment, as new titles keep coming up every year. So next time you are searching for a new game to play, why not look for your favourite movie in the game section?