Friday February 10, 2012 3:31 PM AEST

The top 10 fictional video games

By Staff Writers
13:10 Feb 12, 2009 | 12 Comments
Tags: video | games
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The top 10 fictional video games

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.)

 

 
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12 Comments
sirsquidness
Feb 12, 2009 1:49 PM
Where's Duke Nukem Forever in the list? D=
.:Cyb3rGlitch:.
Feb 12, 2009 2:15 PM
Maybe they know something we don't sirsquidness. :P
chapps
Feb 12, 2009 3:17 PM
OMG!!!!!!!!!!
BRAINSCAN!!!

I watched this movie in about '95 when I was much younger and watched the first 20mins or so. I was loving it so much but was torn away by my parents for dinner at a family friends. I totally forgot the name of the movie and have been searching for it for 13 years!!!!! Now i'll finally be able to watch the entire thing WOOOT
Hawkeye
Feb 12, 2009 3:44 PM
That's just the kind of service we provide here at Atomic.

- DH
Lord_Huggington
Feb 12, 2009 5:26 PM
What about the game from the book Enders Game?
chapps
Feb 12, 2009 8:49 PM
I think one more fictional game that should be added is eXistenZ. Plug blubbery little living pods into your spine and enjoy the ride wooohooo
Periander
Feb 14, 2009 1:49 AM
Page 3 is the best. Degenatron and 'Better Than Life'. Truly awesome games.

Still waiting with baited breath for the latter!
ahsoka
Feb 17, 2009 10:42 AM
Where's Primacy? From NUMB3RS s04e07?

Otherwise, awesome list.
taknakhan
Feb 18, 2009 6:18 PM
Where's the game they play in Hackers?
Paul Samways
Feb 19, 2009 1:19 PM
taknakhan: You talking about Wipeout? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wipeout_(video_game)
mrtim6
May 6, 2009 10:34 PM
Not quite a game but more a virtual sim - I loved the movie strange days with the quote "illegal 'squid' recordings - recordings made directly from the cerebral cortex of the participant, which allow the viewer to feel and experience everything the participant experiences as if they were there.
I would rate this up there with eXistenZ for potential.
smadge1
May 13, 2009 4:38 PM
What about the one from that X Files episode? Had the three guys from The Lone Gunman in it.

And the Stargate episode where they use the alien memory device to run invasion simulations, but it traps Teal'c in an endless loop as it learns his strengths.
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