*Originally published on 6/16/09
I've never been a hardcore gamer. I grew up on the Sega Genesis and Nintendo Game Boy. There was a large lapse until I moved out here and I bought my roommate's old Xbox. Sometime last year, I finally upgraded to a 360. We have all three of the current gen consoles in our living room as well as my roommate's Nintendo and Genesis hooked up. Slowly, but surely, I've been getting back into gaming. This made me start to wonder, are there any video games based on the works of Stephen King?
No, there aren't. I looked on Amazon and the only thing I could find was some computer software called F13. It's not a game so much as it is a program that gives you some desktop wallpapers, screensavers, and a few minigames. A digital version of King's novella Everything's Eventual is also included. The reception on this was mixed at best, and most say that it wasn't worth the cost.
I have to say that I was rather surprised by this. It's true, that there aren't any video games based on books, but movies based on King's work are Legion. Game companies are always looking for a movie to release a tie in for. They even released a tie in game for a movie that was based on a video game. I figured there would be at least one game made. It may not've been good, but when has that ever stopped them from making a tie in game? Surprisingly, there isn't a single one.
I actually think some books would make for entertaining games. It and The Stand have potential for good game adaptations. I wouldn't mind battling Pennywise or wandering the barren post-apoctalyptic world after Captain Trips ravaged society and left only 1% of humanity to carry on. Cell is another one that would transfer well, I know it would just be another zombie game, but zombie games are always enjoyable. Carrie could work, only if you spend the whole game wandering around the town wrecking stuff post-prom. It would be like Grand Theft Auto only with less plot and instead of guns, you'd have telekinetic powers. Both Salem's Lot and The Shining have potential too. If done well I could see a video game based on The Shining being up there with Silent Hill in regards to the creepy factor.
What would be really cool is a fighting game with characters from all of King's work. You could pit Christine against that portal car from From a Buick 8. Jack Torrence could battle Annie Wilkes. Pennywise could battle Randall Flagg. An alien possessed Jonesy could fight a different alien possessed Bobbi Anderson. The possibilities are endless.
With the surge of popularity of MMO's, they could try something in that area. The only thing that comes to mind would be The Dark Tower. With all the worlds, landscapes and character options, it could work.
I'm just spitballing here. All these ideas could backfire horribly just as easily as they could work to create enjoyable games. This was one of those thoughts that popped into my head and just snowballed.
Correction
*Originally published on 8/21/09
It's come to my attention that I was premature in declaring that there hadn't been any video games made based on the works of Stephen King.
As it turns out, there was a Running Man game made for the Commodore 64. It was based on the movie, but that still counts as a King based work. For some reason, this did not turn up when I looked on Amazon for the first article. Ebay, however, did turn up results for said game.
I looked on Amazon again, for this specifically and only got one result so, evidently, it's quite rare.
Just to be on the safe side, I searched for a few other titles. There is a game called Firestarter, but it's not based on the book. Aside from that, I found nothing. I'm not going to say that this means no games exist, only that I couldn't find any.
Much thanks to Ben for informing me of the Running Man game. I, like all humans, err on occasion. I have no problem making corrections when I am wrong.
A while back, on a whim, I looked into whether or not any of Stephen King's works had been made into video games. There certainly haven't been any for the newer consoles, but with all the movies that have been made, I found it odd that no video games tied into King's work. While a bit hard to find and not really well known, some Stephen King based video games have been made. I myself didn't find any after my original search, it was only through the diligence of others that the existence of these games was brought to my attention.
The only thing that I was able to find on my own was a program called F13. It wasn't so much a game as a program that gave you wallpapers for your desktop. There were some mini-games as well as an electronic copy of Everything's Eventual. It received a mixed review at best.
The first game I was told about was one based on the novel, The Running Man, which was written under the pseudonym of "Richard Bachman". The book involves a man getting involved in a deadly game show, where you essentially become a wanted man, being pursued by the general populace as well as hunters employed by the show. The game was only released on the Commodore 64. I think it would adapt well to current gen consoles though. It would incorporate a stealth element as well as chances for heavy FPS action.
Stephen King's short story, The Mist, was also made into a text based game by Angelsoft. You can find it by a simple google search. I tried to download it, but for reasons beyond my understanding, it didn't work. Maybe you will have better luck if you wish to play it.
Another computer game was based on King's novel, The Dark Half.
The only King material that got a video game adaptation was The Lawnmower Man. The game was released for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. It was based on the movie, which was so different from the story that King asked for his name to be taken off of it. As such, I don't know if it technically qualifies.
I think a next gen rendition of Cell would be pretty cool. You could argue that it would be just another zombie game, but there's nothing wrong with zombie games. If anything, the more zombie games that are released, the better prepared we will be should they rise from the grave to try and overthrow society.
Going in the same survival horror vein, another game based on The Mist would be interesting to see. Getting a group of people together to try and fend off the ungodly horrors seems like it would be fun times.
A Dark Tower MMO has potential, being able to play as a gunslinger or as an agent of the Crimson King. Obviously it would have to take place well before the novels, much like the Knights of the Old Republic games take place long before Star Wars.
What I want to see most though is a tournament fighter with all of the Stephen King villains. Pennywise could battle Randall Flagg, an alien possessed Jonesy could battle a Tommyknocker possessed Bobbi Anderson, Jack Torrance could battle Annie Wilkes. There are tons of possibilities for cool fights to be seen.
With video game technology as advanced as it is, there is plenty of potential for a resurgence of King based games.
What Stephen King Works Would Adapt to Video Games?
*Originally published on 11/11/09
I kind of touched on this a few months back, but I wanted to go into a bit more detail and provide some suggestions. Also, and I feel the need to be honest about it, I really wanted to use that picture. I mean come on, that's just so cute.
I talked about it before, but I want to repeat how cool I think a King based fighting game would be. There've been a variety of great supernatural characters who have appeared in King's work over the years and it would be fun to see them all go head to head. King is no stranger to this sort of discussion as he mentioned it when he wrote about Freddy vs. Jason. I want to see who would win in a fight between Charlie McGee and Carrie or between Jack Torrance and Roland Deschain. It would be great to somehow see a human villain like Annie Wilkes beat up Randall Flagg. Of course, in a real showdown, she wouldn't stand a chance, but part of the fun is that the fights are decided by the player. I mean, there's no way that Liu Kang could defeat Wonder Woman and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe still works really well.
One idea that came to me last night was a Dead Zone game. It could follow a Fallout 3 style of gameplay in that you go around and receive visions that send you on quests to do these good deeds while Stillson would provide the major story arc for the game. They could also throw in all sorts of Easter eggs for King fans kind of like how the Ghostbusters game threw in all sorts of nods to the franchise.
I mentioned the idea of making a Dark Tower MMO, but it could also work as a first person shooter. You could play as Roland and you would travel through the various landscapes trying to get to the tower, fighting enemies and all that. With his ka-tet, mutliplayer wouldn't be a problem and with the vast scope of the books, you don't need to worry about time as gamers actually prefer to get 20 to 30 hours of entertainment from a game as opposed to just 3 or 4.
King doesn't really need the money, but it would be a pretty big moneymaker so it would be a win for the developers. If the games are well done, it would be a win for the fans as it would allow them to enjoy King's work in a new way. It could also bring in gamers, who would've otherwise never become familiar with the novels that the hypothetical games were based on.
While King's work has gotten some video game adaptations, there hasn't been anything notable. Even if there were, it's been decades since we've seen one. With the technology and resources available for modern gaming, a King based game could be a great experience for both gamers and King fans alike. For the gamers who are King fans, it's everything they ever wanted.
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