Hamlet the latest game that didn't need to exist

Surely, this is what the great Bard intended back in 1599.

Hamlet, his tragic Danish prince haunted by vengeful ghosts… played for laughs as a sword-swinging, chest-baring machismo stud! Ophelia, the drowned and suicidal noblewoman… now a fun-filled, brain-bending logic puzzle! Claudius, the treacherous, fratricidal king and one of literature's greatest villains… a totally rocking boss battle!

Of course, I haven't played Hamlet yet – this indie adventure, created by Russian developermif2000 and scheduled for release on April 8, could be an entertaining twist on the classic play. But if it's just a joke, why bother? When adapting beloved properties to our beloved hobby, must we always add the aforementioned twist?

Will we only play if enough humor or violence are added? Or if the ideas, characters and settings are diluted into casual fare? Here are some other cases in point:

Above: The Princess Bride = Minigames!

Above: Dante's Inferno = Button-mashing violence!

Above: Dirty Dancing = More minigames!

Above: Jaws = GamesRadar running joke!

I'll know the games industry has truly matured when properties like these can be adapted into legitimate interactive experiences, not just attention-grabbing gimmicks. What do you think? Could a real Hamlet game work? Am I really going to pose this entire article as a comment-baiting question? Discuss. Or just watch the full Hamlet trailer and decide for yourself.

Mar 23, 2010

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