Slowly, and at a gradual clip, Teyon has honed in on how best to encapsulate the vibe, tone, and spirit of the 80s through an increasingly badass catalogue of video games.
Their Rambo game might have drawn first blood in a sense, though it didn’t set the world ablaze and failed to measure up against some of the better film-to-game adaptations we’ve seen throughout the journey. Next came Terminator Resistance, a relatively humdrum shooter that somehow fit tidily into the franchise’s messy canon while nailing the feel of a Los Angeles in ruins and under the steely thumb of Skynet.
So while their Terminator was a rung higher than their attempt at Rambo, a stinker is still a stinker. However, it was Teyon’s inspired, undeniably pulpy go-around as RoboCop that left me racking my brain as to which nostalgic IP from the 80s that could be revived next for video games.
Here are six of the most quintessential action flicks from the 80s that I’d love for the RoboCop: Rogue City team to crush next.
The Running Man
The general idea that The Running Man posits is one we’ve seen a few times already, primarily through games like Smash TV, Manhunt, and even The Darwin Project, where a person’s mettle, resolve, and instinct for survival is tested in front of an audience of sorts, leading to all kinds of creative barbarism.
Not unlike the grimy Chicago that falls under Alex Murphy’s jurisdiction, there is no denying that Richard Bachman’s dystopian United States-set police state would make an equally grisly setting for an action-survival game where you’re hunted like a dog by trained killers. And to clear your name of the wrongful conviction that saw you hurled into this bloodsport to begin with, you have to draw your would-be killers’ own plans against them.
Throw in a few of Arnie’s classic one-liners and I think a game set in the world of The Running Man could be hugely entertaining.
Escape from New York
It’s not entirely surprising that, given his love for video games, John Carpenter’s Escape from New York was once earmarked to get a video game adaptation out of Namco back in the early noughties. In fact, it was cancelled well into development with gameplay footage still online today for your viewing pleasure.
Although we’re not likely to see a finished product from the team behind Snake Plissken’s Escape, there’s nothing stopping a team like Teyon from collecting the scraps to create something badass. After all, the film’s legacy is already profound within the medium, Solid Snake as he is wouldn’t exist without Snake Plissken and Phantom Liberty bears some resemblance to Escape’s plot.
Kurt Russell signed on once, he might again. And shoot, if he doesn’t, his son Wyatt could absolutely take up the mantle for a prequel treatment.
Beverly Hills Cop
If there’s one thing that on paper sounds like a riot, it’s cruising the streets of Beverly Hills as a smart-mouth cop voiced by the donkey from Shrek who soars by the seat of his pants like a true maverick.
He’s a police chief’s worst nightmare but god damn it, he gets results. Not only that, but Beverly Hills Cop is a fascinating satirisation of the white and wealthy of California through the eyes of Axel Foley, an African-American cop out of Detroit, which I think would absolutely ring true today.
If synergy is a concern at all, there’s yet another sequel in production that’d tie in nicely with an Axel Foley game. And of course, that’ll mean pushing “Axel F” back up the charts to give millennials flashbacks of that arsehole frog.
Lethal Weapon
For someone of my, ahem, vintage, there’s no better buddy cop flick than Lethal Weapon. It was a fixture for both my family and Channel 9, who wouldn’t hesitate to run that shit the very second Australia would wind the cricket up two hours early.
Whatever form the game would take, I think one that played Riggs’ absolutely unhinged, suicidal tendencies off Murtaugh’s tired, old demeanour would make for a humorous co-op shoot ‘em up. I’d expect no less than half a dozen scenes where the duo’s commanding chief demands their gun and badge.
Of course, the elephant in the room would be Mel’s casual racism, sexism, and general arseholery. But if that can be deftly sidestepped, and it’s a big if, I’d expect it wouldn’t be tough to find the fun.
Police Story
It’s a film that has in part inspired works like Bad Boys, Tango and Cash, and unfortunately the Uncharted film. Despite that last point, it’s considered by Jackie Chan to be his best work as far as action and stunt work goes. Police Story could easily translate to a cinematic shooter with parkour elements.
I tend to imagine a bigger, bolder Mirror’s Edge with enormous action-centric set pieces that recapture some of the film’s wildest moments, from the infamous car chases to the unmistakable shopping mall stunt that could have easily killed Chan instead of propelling him to worldwide stardom.
I was somewhat amazed to discover Jackie has starred in a number of video games to date, although it would seem none have yet been worthy of his legacy.
Cobra
Easily the “worst” film on this list, there’s a cult appeal to Cobra that cannot be denied. It’s obviously drivel, though the wanton ultraviolence and unflinching action elevate what is an aggressively mediocre product into a regularly mediocre one.
Cobra’s already existing video game adaptation from the Commodore 64 days is perhaps the game such a film deserved at the time. There’s no reason, however, that Sly couldn’t return to the role he was born to play as a hulking, hyper-violent menace without a lot going on behind the eyes.
If nothing else, Cobra allegedly inspired Nicolas Winding Refn to create Drive, one of my guilty pleasure favourite films, so it deserves to get its flowers in one way or another.
