23 Best Games In Movies

Sugar Rush - Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

The Game: A saccharine-themed racing game with multiple character options. Think Super Mario Kart, except when you’re finished playing you’ll likely want to drown yourself in an ooze of chocolate and sweets.

Coolest Detail: Vanellope, the glitching character who spices up the game with her choice verbal outbursts.

Where Can You Play It? The official online version is your best bet for this confectionery competition.

The Game - The Game (1997)

The Game: A real-life interactive game operated by Consumer Recreation Services. The shady organisation offers players the opportunity to become immersed in an experience that’s akin to having your life destroyed by identity thieves.

Coolest Detail: The car chases, the threats on your life, being kidnapped and held hostage in a tomb - it’s so realistic because it’s all actually happening to you!

Where Can You Play It? While it’s a profound life experience for Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) this sort of game has yet to become a reality.

Slayers - Gamer (2009)

The Game: This is not your normal third-person shooter. Sure, there’s a series of battles you must win. But here, your onscreen avatar in Slayers is an actual human being, selected from a group of death row inmates.

Coolest Detail: While the player controls the inmate, there is no communication between the two. The man on the ground decides ultimately when he will act upon his player’s demands.

Where Can You Play It? As much as technology has advanced in recent years ( The Net was right - you can order pizza from your laptop!) the ability to control another person like a marionette hasn’t yet arrived.

Stay Alive - Stay Alive (2006)

The Game: The object of this advanced-tech video game is all in the title: stay alive. Moody, gloomy, and packed with a lot of gore, the players are stalked by a woman in red who slaughters them one-by-one. The problem with this unique title is, if you die in the game, you die in real life.

Coolest Detail: The use of a butchered version of Konami’s Contra code, used by one of the characters to strip the zombies down to their birthday suits.

Where Can You Play It? There’s no game available based on either the game played in the movie or the actual movie itself. Resident Evil and Silent Hill would be your closest bet.

NHL All-Star Hockey - Mallrats (1995)

The Game: At the time of shooting, director Kevin Smith was a huge fan of the EA version, NHL ’94, which was unable to appear onscreen due to licensing reasons. Hence, Sega’s NHL All-Star Hockey stood in for the visuals while the sound effects were stripped from the EA version.

Coolest Detail: The uber-realistic game announcers bellowing out commentary like carnival barkers.

Where Can You Play It? A lot of second-hand copies are floating around online.

TimeSplitters - Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

The Game: A first-person shooter game, enjoyment on TimeSplitters is far greater with multiple players as you each take on the role of a space marine. Tasked with defending the planet from a race called the TimeSplitters, the marines have to collect time crystals to ensure Earth’s survival.

Coolest Detail: This part is especially neat considering the movie - one task involves the players shooting the heads off zombies.

Where Can You Play It? Released across all major gaming platforms, you can pick up a second-hand copy of the 2003 game online or in a used game store.

eXistenZ - eXistenZ (1999)

The Game: Based around a new virtual reality gaming system, eXistenZ requires players to have bioports installed in the base of their spines. Once the hole is fitted, a fleshy umby cord connects the port to the game, which is housed in an organic pod.

Coolest Detail: The diversity of the game outcome, determined by the players hooked into the system, means there’s an endless ‘open world’ roaming style to the experience. And then there’s the possibility of playing another game within the game...

Where Can You Play It? This is one game that cannot be played outside of the movie. That is, until technology catches up.

Wild Gunman - Back To The Future: Part II (1991)

The Game: One of Nintendo’s most popular light gun games it was originally released in 1974, before receiving an update in 1985. The latter version shares a similarity with the one played by Marty McFly in the Cafe 80s sequence, during which he successfully zaps the gunmen - earning him the ‘crack shot’ title.

Coolest Detail: Should a player fail to defeat the opposing gunmen, a piece of Chopin’s Funeral March is played. Just to rub in your loss with class.

Where Can You Play It? There are copies of the original NES cartridge knocking about online if you have the original NES console, of course.

Starfighter - The Last Starfighter (1984)

The Game: Starfighter is an alien recruitment tool disguised as an arcade shoot-em-up, in which the player must ‘defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada’ .

Coolest Detail: Turns out that whoever lands at the top of the high score table is enlisted by an alien race to aid them in battle. The game in effect, becomes real.

Where Can You Play It? A group of avid Starfighter fans called Rogue Synapse have created an emulation available for download .

The Getaway: Black Monday - Superbad (2007)

The Game: A sequel to The Getaway , Black Monday is another free roaming open world video game. Set in London, players choose from three characters to determine the gameplay - a cop, a grifter or a boxer - before racing around the seedy underbelly of the nation’s capital.

Coolest Detail: The ‘choose your own adventure’ style of gaming means there’s multiple options for exactly how it ends.

Where Can You Play It? It’s available for the Playstation 2.

Brainscan - Brainscan (1994)

The Game: The impressionable Michael (Edward Furlong) is given a video game touted as ‘the ultimate experience in interactive terror’ by a shifty chap called Trickster. To win, the player must carry out a series of brutal murders. The virtual reality ‘feel’ of the experience is because it’s no game - he’s become a serial killer.

Coolest Detail: Its realer-than-real quality, never before has a game felt so immersive!

Where Can You Play It? Err... this one’s unavailable for any platform. Strangely enough.

Karate Champs - Bloodsport (1988)

The Game: Another classic stand-up arcade game, Karate Champs made an appearance in Jean Claude Van Damme’s 80s brute-fest, Bloodsport . The aim of the 1984 game is for the player to beat his opponent with a series of attacking moves initialised with an old school joystick.

Coolest Detail: One of the earliest games to feature speech synthesis, at certain points the judge shouts out a handful of phrases in a staccato tone that only adds to its vintage appeal.

Where Can You Play It? It’s available as an app on most smart phones, alas, tracking down the arcade version might be a trifle more difficult.

Mortal Kombat: Deception - The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

The Game: The sixth instalment in the MK series, Deception has 28 characters to choose from as the story continues on from the previous game. This time the Dragon King Onaga, who beat down the two main sorcerers from the fifth chapter, is back as the big baddie. Before the gamer faces Onaga he must defeat a slew of warriors in combat.

Coolest Detail: Serial gamer, Andy (Steve Carell) installs a bespoke chair in his living room to enhance the gaming experience - with built-in surround sound speakers and controllers attached to the armrests, the game between David (Paul Rudd) and Cal (Seth Rogen) is elevated to geek chic.

Where Can You Play It? It’s available for the Playstation 2 and XBox.

After Burner - Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

The Game: Moments before the T-1000 tracks him down, John Connor is living it up at the arcade playing After Burner. The legendary flight simulator game from Sega has the player in control of an F-14 Tomcat jet, with a mission to wipe out as many enemy planes as possible.

Coolest Detail: The retro cabinet is one of the old styles with a rotating cockpit that moves vertically and horizontally with the player seated inside.

Where Can You Play It? According to Arcade Museum, there are only 51 known cabinets owned by collectors. During the late 1980s it was released on most major computing platforms, so you’d have to track down an old machine before hitting eBay to pick up a copy.

Super Mario Bros. 3 - The Wizard (1989)

The Game: Super Mario Bros. 3 was blasted into public consciousness prior to release, appearing at length during the film’s Video Armageddon tournament. The anticipated third outing for Mario pits the Italian brothers against Bowser, as they traverse the kingdoms in Mushroom World to retrieve the wands stolen by their nemesis.

Coolest Detail: Adding onto the world created in the first two games, the Super Leaf and Tanooki suits enable Mario to adopt different appearances and take to the skies and fly!

Where Can You Play It? You can still pick up original copies of the game - you will need a NES to play it, however.

Doom - Grosse Point Blank (1997)

The Game: The marquee might read Doom II , but make no mistake, the game being furiously played by a convenience store employee while John Cusack’s Martin Blank chats away is actually Doom.

One of the 90s original first person shooters, it changed the face of gaming with players taking on the role of an unnamed marine who blasts away at hordes of demons from hell.

Coolest Detail: The classic arcade cabinet. What a sight to behold! Alas, Doom was never released in arcade format - its just a PC placed inside a mockup cabinet.

Where Can You Play It? This version has never been released but you can pick up a copy of the original home computer release, available on most platforms.

The Cavern Of The Evil Wizard - Big (1988)

The Game: Who doesn’t remember this text-based adventure that Tom Hanks’ younger self struggles to win? Its 8-bit graphics locate it firmly within the 80s era of computer games.

Coolest Detail: The opening text prompt is so memorable it’s almost as if it’s a piece of dialogue: “You are standing in the cavern of the evil wizard. All around you are the carcasses of slain ice dwarves.”

Where Can You Play It? A dedicated Big fan has taken the time to craft the portion of the game seen in the movie. Check out the online version , complete with sound effects and become Josh Baskin.

Space Paranoids - Tron (1982)

The Game: A zappy shoot-em-up arcade we see Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) having a wild time playing, it’s your standard aim and fire with old school graphics.

Coolest Detail: The glowing gold pads you hover over to recharge your ammo, complete with an old school power-up sound.

Where Can You Play It? A free version is available for hours of endless entertainment here .

Battle Room Training Game - Enders Game (2013)

The Game: In a zero gravity sphere, trainees participate in a game designed to sharpen their battle skills. Split into two teams they blast away at their opponents with stun guns in a futuristic version of capture the flag.

Coolest Detail: Spinning around in an anti-gravity chamber - pretty much is as cool as it gets.

Where Can You Play It? An installation chocked full of advanced tech is probably out of anyone’s price range, but you can play an online version .

Shadow Of The Colossus - Reign Over Me (2007)

The Game: Sony’s hugely popular fantasy game provided Adam Sandler’s character much-needed escape in the 2007 drama. Thee player assuming the role of Wander, a young man who ventures to a mythical land to find a way of bringing his girlfriend back to life. Along the way he must fight a series of giant beasts, the Colossi.

Coolest Detail: The jaw-dropping scenery, often cited as ground-breaking, isn’t plagued by crowded background visuals.

Where Can You Play It? With 2.5 million copies sold worldwide to date, there’s most likely a copy in one of your friends’ bedrooms.

Global Thermonuclear War - Wargames (1983)

The Game: An alleged simulation of a global nuclear war prompted into action by a naive teenage hacker. Turns out it’s not a game, and WOPR aka “Joshua” the supercomputer is programmed to win - i.e. kickstart World War 3.

Coolest Detail: Joshua’s voice - creepy as hell.

Where Can You Play It? Oddly enough, you can buy WOPR as a game app for your mobile.

Jumanji - Jumanji (1994)

The Game: A straightforward board game with 2-4 players, the object is to roll the dice, move around the board and be the first person to reach the end. Try to avoid being transported into the dangerous world of the game, wherein an animal might mistake you for a tasty snack.

Coolest Detail: The pieces move by themselves, saving you the unnecessary stress of counting out moves.

Where Can You Play It? While the magical experience of really living in the game is alas, only fictional, there’s a very rare board game that sometimes crops up on eBay.

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games 2012-)

The Game: A group of citizens living in a future dystopia are chosen at random to fight each other to the death in a booby-trapped arena. A bit like Battle Royale , but with more rules / less subtitles.

Coolest Detail: The game creators’ ability to conjure any atrocity at will and inflict it upon the competitors.

Where Can You Play It? It’s no surprise that with the increasing popularity of the franchise, fans have created their own real-life versions. Obviously, in these iterations no-one is fatally wounded by a crossbow, but you can use your imagination.