Now available for pre-order from Press Run Books!
The modern movie blockbuster was born in the late 1970s with films like Jaws, Alien, and Star Wars. If you grew up during the ’80s or ’90s, odds are you’ve rented or purchased a game based on your favorite movie only for it to turn out to be junk. This is a book about those games.
Now Playing probably won’t change your mind about any of them! But the Hardcore Gaming 101 collectively played and documented more than 900 games to create this comprehensive survey. Some of those games were good, but many were absolutely dire! This is a look into what makes them interesting, whether for their historical importance, their obscurity, or the inventive ways in which they attempted to translate one medium into another.
With detailed, hands-on write-ups on every game we could find based on a vintage film property—from best-sellers based on global blockbusters to forgotten oddities for esoteric machines—Now Playing is the definitive treatise on a slice of gaming that most people take for granted… despite its ubiquity.
Covered games include games based on the following movies:
Star Wars
Indiana Jones
James Bond
Alien
Predator
Alien vs. Predator
The Terminator
Robocop
Robocop vs. Terminator
Rambo
Cliffhanger
Top Gun
Platoon
Batman
Jaws
Jurassic Park
Die Hard
King Kong
Bruce Lee
Jackie Chan
The Karate Kid
Rocky
Mad Max
Dirty Harry
The Warriors
Beverly Hills Cop
Days of Thunder
The Last Starfighter
The Thing
Big Trouble in Little China
Cloak and Dagger
Krull
Lethal Weapon
Highlander
The Hunt for Red October
Dick Tracy
Hook
Darkman
Last Action Hero
Waterworld
Mission Impossible
The Matrix
Starship Troopers
Blade
Men in Black
The Mummy
Rocketeer
Independence Day
Stargate
Congo
Total Recall
Running Man, The
Judge Dredd
Demolition Man
Duel
Biggles
Red Heat
Death Wish 3
Firefox
Flight of the Intruder
Aces: Iron Eagle 3
Blue Thunder
Megaforce
Cobra
Masters of The Universe
Young Sherlock Holmes
The Taking of Beverly Hills
Navy Seals
Arachnophobia
Missing in Action
Jewel of the Nile
Manhattan 95 (Escape from New York)
No Escape
Suburban Commando
True Lies
Cutthroat Island
Hudson Hawk
Universal Soldier
Timecop
Street Fighter The Movie
The Shadow
Expect No Mercy
Blown Away
Eraser
Soldier Boyz
The Crow: City of Angels
Braveheart
Bad Boys
Wild Wild West
Fight Club
From Dusk Till Dawn
Mask of Zorro
Italian Job
Soldier
Shaft
Great Escape, The
Hard Boiled (Stranglehold)
Bud Spencer & Terence Hill
Star Trek
Tron
Westworld
Fantastic Voyage
Blade Runner
Dune
WarGames
Lawnmower Man
2010
Flash Gordon
Plan 9 From Outer Space
Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai
Space Camp
The Abyss
City of Lost Children
The Fifth Element
Johnny Mnemonic
The Arrival
Conan
Labyrinth
The Neverending Story
Willow
The Dark Crystal
The Princess Bride
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Dragonheart
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Friday the 13th
Nightmare on Elm Street
Halloween
NightBreed
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
Toxic Crusaders
Evil Dead
Dracula
Blair Witch
Frankenstein
Warlock
Fright Night
Psycho
The Birds
The Howling
Vertigo
Poltergeist
The Entity
Zombi
House (Mashou no Yakata Gabalin)
Dark Half
Bloodwings: Pumpkinhead’s Revenge
Virus
Pet Sematary
Phantom Fighter
Mirai Ninja
Sweet Home
Gunhed
The Godfather
Scarface
Untouchables
Reservoir Dogs
Casablanca
Champions
Saturday Night Fever
Dirty Dancing
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Manos: The Hands of Fate
Ghostbusters
Beetlejuice
Back to the Future
E.T.
Blues Brothers
Gremlins
The Goonies
Monty Python
Porky’s
Home Alone
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Addams Family, The
Casper
Wayne’s World
Cool World
Small Soldiers
3 Ninjas Kick Back
Surf Ninjas
Space Jam
Austin Powers
Ace Ventura
Clueless
Jumanji
Babe
Laurel & Hardy
Charlie Chaplin
MASH
The Gods Must Be Crazy
Short Circuit
Gotcha!
Cannonball Run 2
Howard the Duck
Major League
Grease
Pretty in Pink
Toys
Flintstones
Mask, The
Dennis the Menace
Beethoven
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Naked Gun: I.C.U.P
Groundhog Day
White Men Cant Jump
Indian in the Cupboard, The
Incredible Journey, The
Forrest Gump
Baby’s Day Out
Tasmania Story
White Lion Densetsu
Dino City