Arthur and the Invisibles – the new Harry Potter?
Atari game of Luc Besson’s kids movie surprisingly good
Yeah, we all know about games based on kid’s movies. Let’s not mince words, they are (almost) universally developed and funded on the premise that if ‘ver kids like a movie then they’ll most probably buy any old merchandising tat associated with it - especially a videogame.
Atari’s Arthur and the Invisibles, based on the wonderful new kids movie from French auteur, Luc Besson (he of Leon and Subway fame) thankfully bucks this trend, in that the game works as a game and not as a quick thoughtless merchandising cash-in.
The game's out in a couple of weeks time to catch the half-term £s, but you can grab a free demo from Atari's website for a taster right now if you can't wait that long.
SPOnG was lucky enough to catch the movie’s premiere in that London last night and we were utterly charmed. Madonna was there too, which was quite exciting - and someone from Casualty: a proper ‘A-list’ affair.
As well as being the highest budget European animated movie in history, Arthur and the Invisibles – previously known as Arthur and the Minimoys - is a beautifully written and timeless yarn which should appeal to (big) kids of all ages.
The really good news is that Atari’s videogame spin-off is, surprisingly, really rather good, boasting the same high production values and attention to detail as the movie. You can see why for yourself by downloading the free demo from Atari’s website.
It’s highly likely that we will be seeing more videogame spin-offs from Besson’s movies – as there are another four sequels to the movie already planned. Is this the new Harry Potter?
In terms of other decent games based on (kid’s) movies, there really aren’t that many we can even think of, other than the wonderful Ghostbusters on the Spectrum. But that was a while ago.
Merely remembering the rudimentary voice sampling in that game ("He slimed me!") reminds us immediately of how far we’ve come in the last twenty-three years!
Can anyone else think of any decent movie tie-in games? Let us know in the forum.
Atari’s Arthur and the Invisibles, based on the wonderful new kids movie from French auteur, Luc Besson (he of Leon and Subway fame) thankfully bucks this trend, in that the game works as a game and not as a quick thoughtless merchandising cash-in.
The game's out in a couple of weeks time to catch the half-term £s, but you can grab a free demo from Atari's website for a taster right now if you can't wait that long.
SPOnG was lucky enough to catch the movie’s premiere in that London last night and we were utterly charmed. Madonna was there too, which was quite exciting - and someone from Casualty: a proper ‘A-list’ affair.
As well as being the highest budget European animated movie in history, Arthur and the Invisibles – previously known as Arthur and the Minimoys - is a beautifully written and timeless yarn which should appeal to (big) kids of all ages.
The really good news is that Atari’s videogame spin-off is, surprisingly, really rather good, boasting the same high production values and attention to detail as the movie. You can see why for yourself by downloading the free demo from Atari’s website.
It’s highly likely that we will be seeing more videogame spin-offs from Besson’s movies – as there are another four sequels to the movie already planned. Is this the new Harry Potter?
In terms of other decent games based on (kid’s) movies, there really aren’t that many we can even think of, other than the wonderful Ghostbusters on the Spectrum. But that was a while ago.
Merely remembering the rudimentary voice sampling in that game ("He slimed me!") reminds us immediately of how far we’ve come in the last twenty-three years!
Can anyone else think of any decent movie tie-in games? Let us know in the forum.
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Comments
OptimusP 29 Jan 2007 10:04
1/1
Eeumh...Goldeneye...and then my mind goes blank...however i did like the StarShip Troopers demo.
It's really too bad that Goldeneye still kinda stands as the pinnacle of a good movie tie-in game.
It's really too bad that Goldeneye still kinda stands as the pinnacle of a good movie tie-in game.