The 80s is an incredibly revered decade for both music and film. So much good stuff came at the time, and you’ll be blown away if you actually look at what was launched year by year. Banger after banger after banger. The 80s was also when a lot of pop culture franchises or acclaimed cult films started.
Ghostbusters, Terminator, Back to the Future,Indiana Jones, and much more. Many of these 80s films are ripe for video games, and there are a lot of good ones. Especially in recent times, where movie games, at least based on older films, are donewith much more care and appreciation than before.
Platforms
2009
Xbox 360 (Series X|S Backwards Compatible), Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Switch, PC
The late 2000s wasn’t a great time to be a Ghostbusters fan. Ghostbusters 3 was still in development hell, but one project slipped through the cracks and became a fan favorite. That was Ghostbusters: The Video Game. Having all four Ghostbusters with their original actors, plus even written in part by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, made the game seem incredibly authentic.
The ghost-bustin' action was great, and so was the funny dialogue that was in tune with the source material. This title was basically the third movie for a while and was even canon. However, many of the game’s events were retconned in the actual third movie, Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Still, it’s an absolute blast to play today.
2019
PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Developer Teyon has sort of a rags-to-riches story in terms of game quality. Its early work was often panned by both critics and audiences, likeRambo: The Video Game. However, Teyon continued to improve and has really delivered with its last couple of movie games.
The first one that came wasTerminator: Resistance. Taking place during the future war of the Terminator universe, it’s a solid FPS that series fans will eat up. The devs put a lot of love and care into this game, and it’s much more technically competent than Rambo. Even the soundtrack is good.
2023
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
While Terminator: Resistance was good, Teyon’s best-licensed movie game has to beRoboCop: Rogue City. Once again, it’s very faithful to the source material, and Peter Weller returns to voice RoboCop. However, the game itself is just pure fun.
You actually feel like RoboCop in how you utterly obliterate your foes. You can throw enemies around, and they could even get stuck in the ceiling. It’s a total trip of a power fantasy. The downside is that the game ends up being pretty easy, but you don’t mind it. The high fun factor here easily makes up for that.
1989
NES
One of the few good licensed movie games on the NES wasBatman, based on the 1989 Tim Burton movie. Made by Sunsoft, it’s a great 2D action game for its time, being most similar toNinja Gaidenwith its movement. You have various Batman weapons to play with, and the soundtrack is also excellent, like most Sunsoft games.
Unfortunately, Batman suffers from the same issue NG1 had in that the final stage is a ludicrous jump in difficulty. The gap in difficulty between levels 4 and 5 is absurd and not how it should be. Regardless, Batman is still an NES classic.
2002
PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC
John Carpenter’s The Thing is one of the most acclaimed horror films of all time, let alone of the 80s. The great special effects andAmong Us-style tension between the cast of characters made for a one-of-a-kind horror movie that has yet to be duplicated. In 2002, a video game sequel to the movie was launched, and it was a good early sixth-gen horror experience.
The Thing is a squad-based horror title, which makes sense, given the source material. You’ll be doing blood tests on your teammates throughout the game to check for alien impostors, or sometimes just shoot them on sight if you suspect something. It captures the movie very well, and there’s even a few surprises in the story, too. It’s not one ofthe best horror games of the era, but it’s still solid.
2017
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
A lot of amazing movie-licensed games work best for series fans, butFriday the 13this justa stellar multiplayer horror titlethat anyone can enjoy. It’s still fresh to play today compared to other games in the genre. First, the maps here are much bigger, accommodating the seven playable camp counselors and the wildly overpowered Jason.
You need a bigger map here for the gameplay elements, and along with the multiple ways to escape, it feels more dynamic than virtually every other multiplayer horror title. There’s even an incentive to stay after death due to being able to spawn as Tommy Jarvis if he gets called. A system like that should be in every similar multiple horror game because when you die, almost everyone will just leave.
2008
PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360 (Series X|S BC), PC, Mac
Most will say the best Lego game is the classicLego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, but it really is the first Lego Indiana Jones. Lego Star Wars can feel like a skinner box with much pointless stuff you need to do for 100 percent completion. It’s frankly a slog, but Indiana Jones ends at the right time.
100 percent completion is satisfying and fun the whole way through, plus it has all the great elements of the prior game. The original trilogy is cutely recreated in Lego form, and it’s fun going through all these scenarios and set pieces from the films. Like Lego Star Wars, you can play as virtually all the characters seen in the movies, even the really obscure ones. That’s awesome.
2006
PlayStation 2, Xbox, Wii, PC
Few games outdoGrand Theft Auto, but one arguably better is Scarface: The World Is Yours. Taking place in the real Vice City, Miami, Florida, it’s a blast to play, even more so than GTA’s take on the location. Tommy Vercetti’s a great protagonist, but he simply can’t match up to the legendary Tony Montana.
Developer Radical Entertainment nailed this iconic character with the same personality as the film. The gameplay is also excellent, especially on the Wii with its shooting and driving controls. Pacing is better, too, as many didn’t finish Vice City due to having to buy all those properties near the end. Scarface doesn’t have that problem.
