Here Are Three of the Best Games That Took Inspiration From The Big Screen

Source: Pixabay

Everyone says that life imitates art, but sometimes, art initiates art. At least this has proved the case in the entertainment industry, with many sectors taking inspiration from others. In particular, many movies have looked to books for inspiration or source material when creating live-action films. For example, Frank Herbert’s book Dune was turned into a movie in 2021, with the sequel set for release in November 2023. However, we also see this imitation in other forms, such as games taking inspiration from movies. Today’s article will look at three of the most popular games inspired by the big screen.

1. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Character building is a crucial element in both movie and game development. Creating engaging and unique characters will ensure players keep coming back either out of interest or because they feel connected to them somehow. One of the best characters in a game visibly inspired by a movie is Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, a 2001 action-adventure video game developed for PlayStation 2. In this installment, the protagonist Solid Snake uses the alias “Iroquois Pliskin.” This is because the character was inspired by Snake Plissken, the main character in John Carpenter’s Escape From New York film. Carpenter reportedly gave the video game director Video Kojima his blessing for adapting his beloved character.

2. Book of Dead

Yet another famous movie character that has inspired a character in a game is Indiana Jones, famously played by Harrison Ford in the 1980s through 2023. While we have seen this character adapted and acting as the muse for many characters in video games, such as Nathan Drake in the Unchartered series, we have also seen a cross-over in the online casino gaming industry.

For example, casino gaming developer Play’n GO created an online slot game called Book of Dead. The Book of Dead frequently features among the “most popular” slot game pages for some of the best UK online casino franchises like Casimba, which evidences its popularity with audiences. The game’s protagonist is Rich Wilde, who bears many similarities to Indiana Jones. The name of the slot game, Book of Dead, also refers to an ancient Egyptian text, which is a nod perhaps to the fact that previous Indiana Jones movies have been set in Egypt, such as Raiders of the Lost Ark.

3. Payday: The Heist

Like Kojima looking at Escape From New York for inspiration for his game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, the developers of the heart-racing cooperative first-person shooter video game PayDay: The Heist reportedly studied the 1995 American crime film Heat. The film stars Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, and PayDay: The Heist honors the film in many ways, including having names that mirror the movie’s characters and featuring scenes that resemble the movie’s story.

If we have learned anything about the entertainment industry over the last few years, it is that the industry isn’t afraid of taking inspiration from its counterparts. We’re constantly seeing more adaptations of old movies, books, or games, and the reception has been positive. For these reasons, this is a trend likely to continue in the future.