We round up the best fake videogames from movies, games, TV and book worlds.
Video games and other media, especially film, don't mix. Aside from the surprisingly decent Silent Hill, their collaborations range from the distinctly average (Street Fighter, Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Max Payne) to the downright awful (Dead or Alive, Double Dragon, A Dragon Siege Tale). Unfortunately for us, studios still think this is a good idea.
Of course, we could have saved contributing to Uwe Boll's pension by paying attention to the 80s and early 90s, when games could be released without a half-arsed film equivalent flopping into cinemas the following week. This selection of films, games and novels understood that adaptations based on real games don't work, and made up their own fictional ones instead. And you know what? They're all better than anything featuring Bob Hoskins with a bushy mustache and blue dungarees.
On with the show!
Brainscan (Brainscan, 1994)Edward Furlong thought he'd played them all (he obviously hadn't, 1994's Theme Park had us addicted for months) until he was offered Brainscan, an immersive murder simulator with the aim of killing innocents and leaving no evidence behind. Naturally the murders are real thanks to his cyber buddy Trickster, a good reason as any to never meet people online. While it sounds a little on the rubbish side, it has a cult following between Furlong fans and horror maestros alike, and holds the esteemed accolade as the most violent fictional game. (But still isn't as dangerous as a game of Wii Sports.)
Copyright © 2009 Den of Geek
Issue: 111 | April, 2010