Welcome to my new site!
Read No-Injury Policy
C.M. HUMPHRIES
  • Home
  • Less Taken Pod
    • Less Taken Blog
    • Store
  • Library
    • No-Injury Policy >
      • All Things Beautiful Excerpt
      • Facade
  • Delusions (Blog)
  • Connect
  • Home
  • Less Taken Pod
    • Less Taken Blog
    • Store
  • Library
    • No-Injury Policy >
      • All Things Beautiful Excerpt
      • Facade
  • Delusions (Blog)
  • Connect

Forbidden Blog

Fear, focus, and the future. Here, C.M. Humphries writes about whatever. ​

6/7/2012

0 Comments

Video Games Based On Books

 
The traditional video game industry is down in the dumps. Anywhere you look, like here, you find commentary on way the industry is failing and how it might ditch the huge hardware for hand-held devices. Before expensive units such as the Playstation and Xbox series become tiny telecommunication devices (which I can't really see myself buying), I thought I take a trip down memory lane with games related to another industry that sees similar lows: The print publishing industry.

Conan 

Picture
You gotta love when an adaptation of a famous series of sci-fi novels simply becomes all out hack-and-slash. 

Conan, which released for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 in 2007, is a button-smashing gore-fest that lets the player act as Conan the Barbarian from Robert E. Howard's fantasy/sci-fi literature. 

Since the beast's popular appearance in Weird Tales magazine in the 1930s, Conan has been in the hands of many filmmakers, comic book writers, and so on. Each time someone uses the character, he has a slightly new look and a bit more of a drama centered around his rise to the throne. Once the stories took form in a video game, people had no idea where this guy came from, his literary relevance, or the fact that he had feelings. But they did give him a crazy sword and a spear. 

Dante's Inferno

When I read Dante's Inferno, it was nothing like this. It was all mooshy and touchy-touchy-feel-feel. Oh, and Italian. 
Picture
If you ever played this game, you might've realized it's the preferred method for learning the story. I love the long poem form, but it's a bit DANTing of a read (see what I did there?).

It's a great tale, but the video game kind of has a Pearl Harbor (the movie) feel to it. In Pearl Harbor it's a love-triangle - and oh yeah, war somewhere in the background. With Dante's Inferno (the video game), it's all about the war with something about Hell and a damned loved one in the distance. 


To me, this was nothing more than a God of War rip-off interestingly akin to a suped-up Super Mario Brothers . . . except it had the nicest pairs of digital mammary glands anyone has even seen.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein 

Picture
I would be remiss if I only stuck to the newer literary rip offs. 

Nothing has been more overdone than Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus. Yes that's right, there's a semicolon and a comma in the title. 


Imagine if Mary Shelley were alive to day. Assuming Frankenstein would still work in today's culture, can you image how much cash she would rake in? You think Twilight was over-saturated . . . 

Anyway, since I'm partial to old blow-on-the-cartridge-before-playing systems, let's stroll back to 1994, when this gem was released for Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis - and oh my lord - Sega CD.


(Quick digression: It's sad that Sega didn't stay in the hardware race. They were way ahead of anyone. I mean, they had the Internet- and media-ready Saturn and Dreamcast, but no one thought there was a point to have the Internet hooked up to a video game console.)

OK, oddly enough this game somewhat sticks to the ideas behind Frankenstein. It's based on the 1994 movies and not quite the book, but it's intriguing nonetheless. You get a wooden stick, which can be lit on fire, to swing at enemies. If I recall correctly, you can also shoot these big blue balls of negativity. 

The game is about a creature who fights for acceptance as women throw Zelda-like pots at him and men blast away at him with muskets. Comparatively speaking, this is probably the most true-to-the-general-idea video game that has been ever made.

There are dozens more video games based on novel, and there are dozens of novels based on video games. At the end of the day, though, it's important to see the relationship between literature and video games. Actually, this blog was just about some fun nostalgia. 

What Book-to-Game Do You Remember? 

You Might Also Enjoy

Video Game Industry Searches for Reset Button
Video Games Based on Movies Based On Books
Best Game Books
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    About

    Fear, focus, and the future. C.M. Humphries talks about writing, horror, and whatever. 

    Archives

    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009

    Subscribe.
    ​We'll keep in touch.

SUBSCRIBE
Picture
© 2009-2022 C.M. Humphries. Any unauthorized use and/or duplication of the content without expressed and written permission from the site and content author/owner is prohibited by law. ​ Not intended for audiences under the age of 13 years old.
Photos used under Creative Commons from moedermens, hans s, gidovd, Federico Limonta, Marcin Wichary, heather aitken, Caren Mack Photography, Guilherme Yagui, Latente 囧 www.latente.it, miss_rogue, quinn.anya, Javier Kohen, sampitech, Gerald Gabernig, the_black_room, Bernt Sønvisen, jamalfanaian, andrewrennie, Elizabeth/Table4Five, quirin.thalhammer, swruler9284, Kryziz Bonny, Miguel Virkkunen Carvalho, chuck4x5, Mountain/\Ash, Jonathan Kos-Read, Niels_Olson, h.koppdelaney, Matthew Paul Argall, DidWee, Sweet One, osseous, Tony Webster, maf04, Gustavo Minas, poptech, r.nial.bradshaw, marcoverch, emilianohorcada, porschelinn, markbyzewski, dannywebs, amanessinger, declanandrews, Artotem, M. Martin Vicente, davescaglione, Gamma Man, ell brown, glasseyes view, LukeDetwiler, ephotography, Luiz Fernando / Sonia Maria, Filter Collective, cdedbdme, mhx, Enokson, gagilas, Max Wolfe, Ted Van Pelt, Sigfrid Lundberg, Sean Loyless, Mr. T in DC, Key Foster, marimbajlamesa, Fitsum Belay/iLLIMETER, Vectorportal, Alberto_Montoya, carianoff, luc.viatour, >>> Silly Rabbit, Trix are for Kids <<<, electricnerve, Nanagyei, crimfants, Editor B, gordontarpley, eleanor ryan, eviltomthai, shanon wise, dutchlad, Rick Moerloos, Poetprince, david_shankbone, Kurt and Sybilla, Abode of Chaos, grilled cheese, quinn.anya, Xoan Baltar, Marko Milošević, little blue hen, uzi978, SweetOnVeg, procsilas, Robin Hutton, Thruhike98, zaneology, Cameron Nordholm, CarbonNYC, Enderst07, dollen, LunaMoth116, swanksalot, aturkus, ElvertBarnes, Paul Jerry, Pip R. Lagenta, Joshua Kaufman, currybet, Oh-Barcelona.com, Joe Shlabotnik, Will Folsom, Helena Liu, David.R.Carroll, Robert Bejil Photography, Patrick Doheny, Hachi Gatsu, Justin Marty, Julie Lyn, Scott LePage, Daquella manera, Markusram, ginnerobot, Zach Linder, StevenW., denn, h.koppdelaney, TheeErin, aaron.michels, davidflanders, Dustin and Jenae, Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline, mr_t_77, gordontarpley, brewbooks, coconut wireless, Håkan Dahlström, Mr. T in DC, urbanshoregirl, cathyse97, The Cleveland Kid, iamliam, andy jou, 666isMONEY ☮ ♥ & ☠, julesxt, MonkeySimon, Carlos Aguilera Espinosa, twentymindsomething, Xanetia, ♣♦♥♠, vonguard, sillygwailo, Geraint Warlow, Alyssa L. Miller, chadmagiera, how will i ever, Parker Knight, Unhindered by Talent, wwarby, teresawer, Lo & Behold >> Shrie L. Spangler, Larry Tomlinson, magnetbox, Very Quiet, prendio2, j_anet, timhettler, David Boyle, hang_in_there, krossbow, robertrice, Schmirn, Fitsum Belay/iLLIMETER, an iconoclast, samlavi, Ron Bennetts, Jagz Mario, eugeneflores, LetTheCardsFall, Rochelle, just rochelle, JaseCurtis, Ivan Marianelli, Dave Catchpole, mike 23, ANSESGOB, Catalin Vrinceanu, kio, kevin dooley, Amanda M Hatfield, Smath., rick, Grace Hebert, auntjojo, Kryziz Bonny, jwillier2, Al Pavangkanan, anokarina, my camera and me, IntangibleArts, Pink Sherbet Photography, hodgers, arohasilhouettes, Neal., greenfaerietree, sidewalk flying, Miles B., Luxxian Flair, amelungc, romana klee, dcJohn, Mitchypop, simonsmith001, Bruna Schenkel, zayzayem, KJGarbutt, simonlesleyphoto, torbakhopper, Glutnix, Panegyrics of Granovetter, Karamellzucker, h.koppdelaney, Photos by Mavis, perpetualplum, FutUndBeidl, NASA Goddard Photo and Video, b0jangles, suburbandollar, UnnarYmir, ohdarling, amulonphotography, Zach Dischner, _Fidelio_, OakleyOriginals, andertoons, little blue hen, rococohobo, FutUndBeidl, Pop Culture Geek, ben.chaney, theilr, genvessel, mariachily, Seth Mazow, Looking Glass, jslee_, lindsayloveshermac, Brett Jordan, AndYaDontStop, danperry.com, functoruser, gcfairch, Mikamatto, Thomas Claveirole, goodnight_photography, cometstarmoon, Ack Ook, Don Hankins, celesteh, Pip R. Lagenta, Cpt<HUN>, stvcr, Andreas.