10 Video Game Adaptations Forgotten by Time

3 weeks ago 14

Daniel has been playing games for entirely too many years, with his Steam library currently numbering nearly 750 games and counting. When he's not working or watching anime, he's either playing or thinking about games, constantly on the lookout for fascinating new gameplay styles and stories to experience. Daniel has previously written lists for TheGamer, as well as guides for GamerJournalist, and he currently covers tech topics on SlashGear.

Compared to years prior, we’ve been on a pretty decent streak of adapting video games into other mediums like books, comics, serialized television, and of course, movies. The simple fact that the Sonic and Mario movies weren’t eye-searingly awful alone was a pretty big win for both the video game and film industries, especially in comparison to the infamous live-action Mario movie from 1993.

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As far back as the 1980s, there have been numerous attempts to adapt popular video game IPs into other formats, with extremely mixed results. Some of these adaptations live on through meme power and “so-bad-it’s-good” watch parties, but the vast majority simply faded into obscurity, neither good enough to break the bank like their namesakes nor bad enough to be interesting. It’s important to remember what did and didn’t work in the past, because hopefully, it’ll help us maintain our current streak of not-terrible adaptations and keep from repeating the mistakes of ages past.

10 The 1983 Donkey Kong Cartoon

Not the 3D One

Saturday Supercade Donkey Kong promo image

When it comes to Super Mario Bros and its sibling series Donkey Kong, the first non-movie adaptations that spring to mind for either are the Super Mario Bros. Super Show and the Donkey Kong Country cartoon, respectively. However, those series were technically not the first time Mario, Donkey Kong, or Pauline would appear in a cartoon. The three of them shared a recurring segment in Saturday Supercade, a weekly anthology of video-game-based cartoons.

The Donkey Kong cartoon is based exclusively on the premise of the original arcade game. Donkey Kong is a circus gorilla who one day decides to bail on the big top and go on a cross-country jaunt. Mario and Pauline, employees of the circus, take off after him in their truck, and episodic shenanigans ensue, usually involving the three of them getting wrapped up in some villain’s business and defeating them together before the chase resumes.

Couple of fun facts: first, Mario is voiced by Peter “Optimus Prime” Cullen of all people, though rather than that deep-voiced performance, he’s got a vibe I can best describe as “disgruntled Snagglepuss.” Second, these segments received a follow-up series starring Donkey Kong Jr., who came to visit his dad, but just missed his escape, and goes on a trip of his own to track him down.

9 The 1998 NiGHTS into Dreams Archie Comics

Hey, it Worked for Sonic

I heard someone say recently that it’s funny to hear people talk about the story and setting of NiGHTS into Dreams when the original game is just flying through rings. As a longtime fan of NiGHTS… yeah, that’s not inaccurate. Still, it’s a setting with potential, which is why in the late 90s, Sega put the task of realizing it in the hands of one of its trusted partners, Archie Comics, creators of the long-running Sonic comics.

The NiGHTS comics make a valiant effort at wrestling a coherent narrative out of the original Sega Saturn game, setting up the lord of Nightmares, Wizeman, his efforts to conquer the waking world, and the subsequent defection by one of his right-hand men, NiGHTS. At NiGHTS’ heeding, a couple of Nightopians try to find “perfect dreamers” to aid them, stumbling upon Elliot and Claris in the waking world and drawing them into the world of dreams.

Perhaps by virtue of focusing on a world set in dreams, the comics are a bit difficult to parse, and the rather cheesy presentation of the setting didn’t go over too well with fans. The comics were broken up into two miniseries, three issues each, before the whole thing was scuttled due to bad reception.

8 The 1990 Maniac Mansion Sitcom

Very, Very Loosely Based

1987’s Maniac Mansion was one of LucasArts’ seminal adventure games, giving rise to the SCUMM engine that would serve as the basis for several of its other major titles like The Secret of Monkey Island and Sam & Max Hit The Road. It was a big deal for its time, which I guess is how it got enough street cred to get the adaptation treatment. Though, I don’t think anyone expected said adaptation to be a live-action sitcom.

The 1990 Maniac Mansion television series is based (and I use that word very loosely) on the cast and premise of the game. It follows Dr. Fred Edison, his wife Casey, their children Ike, Tina, and Turner, and uncle Harry and aunt Idella as the lot of them get into a variety of sci-fi shenanigans. Only the Edisons and their extended family appear in the show; none of the actual protagonists of the game, like Dave or Bernard, ever show up.

The show was created by actor and comedian Eugene Levy, so it had a teensy bit of star power behind it. Reception from average viewers was generally positive, enough to get it three seasons, though fans of the game weren’t impressed.

7 The 1996 Sonic The Hedgehog OVA

This One Goes Out to the Blockbuster Members

If I said “Sonic The Hedgehog: The Movie,” your understandable first thought would probably be the live-action film, right? But before that movie came out, all the way back in the 90s, that phrase carried a different connotation. Specifically the direct-to-video OVA that was released as “Sonic The Hedgehog: The Movie.” If you’ve seen this OVA anywhere besides YouTube, you almost certainly had a Blockbuster membership growing up, and you are one of my compatriots.

The Sonic OVA features an original story and setting very loosely based on the classic Sonic sidescrollers. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are your usual heroes for hire on a land of floating islands. Dr. Robotnik takes the President and daughter of said islands hostage, demanding Sonic help him defeat his “brother,” the giant Metal Robotnik, though unsurprisingly, this is a trap to lure Sonic into a battle with the newly-completed Metal Sonic.

Obviously, none of the original characters introduced in this OVA have ever appeared in any other Sonic media. It did have some cool art and animation bits, though, so it’s worth checking out if you’re a fan. Also, Knuckles wears a cool hat!

6 The 1995 Darkstalkers Cartoon

Basically Just Mummies Alive

In the mid-to-late 90s, there were a handful of cartoons like Creepy Crawlers and Mummies Alive that followed roughly the same formula: some manner of supernatural hero or heroes teams up with a normal human kid, protecting them from harm and battling the forces of evil in the process. Surprisingly, one cartoon that used this formula in spite of itself was the 1995 Darkstalkers cartoon, produced by the same company that handled the Street Fighter cartoon.

Since Darkstalkers has a bit of a dark, mildly saucy setting, they had to tone down some elements and reshuffle some alliances. The main protagonist is an ordinary kid named Harry, who happens to be a descendant of the legendary spellcaster Merlin. This places him in the crosshairs of the evil alien Pyron, and his chief world-conquering generals Demitri and Morrigan. Harry ends up crossing paths with Felicia, and together, they rally together good dudes Rikou, Bigfoot, Victor, and Jon Talbain to protect the world from evil.

The series did not go over well, either with Darkstalkers fans or regular viewers. The animation wasn’t very good, the jokes were groaners, characters were mischaracterized; heck, Morrigan is supposed to be one of the series’ protagonists, but I guess the writers couldn’t square the idea of a succubus being a good guy.

5 The 1995 Earthworm Jim Cartoon

Still Genuinely Funny

A problem with a lot of video game adaptations is that they were clearly made by people who didn’t really get what the game in question was going for, thematically or narratively. However, there was one adaptation, a cartoon specifically, that I would say understood the assignment perfectly: the 1995 Earthworm Jim cartoon.

The basic premise of the cartoon is the same as that of the games: Jim was just an ordinary earthworm, but when a super-suit from space fell on top of him, he mutated into a hyper-intelligent, sapient worm and decides to become a superhero alongside his sidekick, the demonically-possessed Peter Puppy. That’s really all the setup you get; every episode’s a little different, with Jim sometimes battling cosmic evil and sometimes just trying to find and return his neighbor’s borrowed eggbeater.

It’s a show with a very similar energy to the golden age of Warner Bros. cartoons like Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, and Freakazoid. It’s irreverent, breaks the fourth wall constantly, and is stalwartly committed to being ridiculous. Honestly, it’s still a hilarious show, which is why it’s irritating that it’s not on any streaming services.

4 The 2001-2003 Halo Novels

“He Shot a Guy, Then Shot Another Guy”

Out of any video game IP you’d ever think of turning into an exclusively text-based medium like a novel, I feel like Halo would rank fairly low on most peoples’ lists. While the series may have its memorable plot beats, you don’t really play Halo for the story, and you certainly didn’t all the way back when the first game came out. Against all odds, that didn’t stop a couple of authors from writing a trilogy of Halo novels.

Released from 2001 to 2003, the original trilogy of Halo novels include The Fall of Reach, The Flood, and First Strike. The Fall of Reach is a prequel to the original Halo, showing the creation and training of the original Spartan squad. The Flood is just a novelization of the events of the original game, with a bit of extra lore dumped here and there. First Strike is an interquel between Halo and Halo 2, with the Covenant on its way to Earth.

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While The Flood got a somewhat middling reception, The Fall of Reach and First Strike actually did pretty well for themselves, the latter even getting on the New York Times bestseller list. Halo novels still come out at a fairly steady clip, though I can't say I've heard any particular press about them, positive or negative.

3 The 2010 Dead Rising Short Film Series

A Movie Director, Inafune is Not

Prior to the release of Dead Rising 2 in late 2010, Capcom was tinkering with various means of expanding the IP’s overall presence. This included more overt means like the very well-received Case Zero, and subtler stuff like the Tape It or Die website. Besides all that, Capcom regular Keiji Inafune had another idea: a live-action short film series titled Zombrex: Dead Rising Sun.

Dead Rising Sun is a miniseries consisting of eight episodes, gradually released weekly in the lead-up to Dead Rising 2’s launch. The films follow a pair of boys caught in the midst of a zombie outbreak in Japan. A portion of the action is shown from the first-person perspective of the film’s main protagonist, George, who, along with his brother Shin, try to find a safehouse to shelter from the worsening zombie threat.

The series was released exclusively through Xbox Live, which probably didn’t do its discoverability any favors. Not that there was much to see; reviews of the miniseries were lukewarm at best, with the somewhat shoddy English dub and generally stilted performances turning most viewers away.

2 The 2007 Devil May Cry Anime

Dante Loves his Ice Cream

When the Devil May Cry animated series was announced for Netflix, there was a rumbling of concern throughout the fanbase. It was the usual worry that accompanies game adaptations, of course, but it was also a concern that we’d tread this ground before with iffy results. I’m referring to the Devil May Cry anime that aired in 2007.

The anime is set sometime between the events of the first and second games, though this was prior to the timeline shuffle post-DMC5. The series follows Dante on his daily devil hunting escapades, occasionally aided by Trish and Lady, as well as a long-term plot involving him caring for an orphaned little girl named Patty. The tone of the series is a little hit-or-miss, with Dante’s inconsistent characterization being a sore spot for some fans.

Dubious quality aside, the anime is still technically canon to the overall Devil May Cry plotline. Remember at the start of Dante’s story in Devil May Cry 5, where he’s bemoaning having to attend someone’s birthday party and ducking phone calls from the birthday girl? Yeah, that’s Patty, the same orphan girl from the anime.

1 The 2011 BioShock Novel

Good Read, Questionably Canon

One of my absolute favorite things about BioShock is its phenomenal lore and worldbuilding. Rapture, as a setting, is fascinating, and after playing the first game, I desperately wanted more than the audio logs gave me. In 2011, a year after the release of BioShock 2, I got my wish in the form of the BioShock: Rapture novel.

BioShock: Rapture is a prequel to the events of the first BioShock, following a multitude of character perspectives and setting up the major players from both of the Rapture-era games like Andrew Ryan, Frank Fontaine, and Sofia Lamb. We see Ryan’s initial conception of the Rapture plans, his efforts to assemble it in secret, the discovery of ADAM, and the beginnings of Rapture’s civil war and downfall.

I actually think this is a quality book, and have read it a couple of times. However, it’s also a bit of a sticking point for BioShock fans due to its questionable canonicity. A lot of events that occur in it are directly contradicted by the games, with the release of the Burial at Sea DLCs for BioShock Infinite complicating things further. Treating it as non-canon kind of takes some of the impact out, but them’s the brakes.