The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was a staple for many childhoods, filled with bright colors, catchy tunes, and games based on beloved cartoons and toy lines. But did you know that this family-friendly console also played host to a surprising number of titles based on R-rated movies?
From gory horror to gritty action, developers in the late 80s and early 90s attempted to bring mature themes to a younger audience—often with mixed results. Join us as we take a quick tour through 22 NES games born from R-rated cinematic experiences. Some were surprisingly good, others were hilariously janky, but all of them are fascinating pieces of gaming history.
Horror & Sci-Fi: Terrifying (or Just Tough) Adaptations
The transition from silver screen screams to 8-bit sprites wasn't always smooth, but it gave us some memorable titles.
Alien 3
The Alien franchise made its mark on the NES with Alien 3, a solid run-and-gun released late in the console's life cycle. Praised for its graphics, animation, and soundtrack, it offered fast-paced carnage despite its harsh difficulty. It stands as one of the better examples of how to adapt a dark film for the NES.
Interestingly, a cancelled Famicom Disc System game for Aliens also exists as a playable prototype. It was a 2D action platformer with what many describe as "floaty and kind of jank movement," a far cry from the polish of Alien 3.
Friday the 13th
Horror fans surely remember LJN's Friday the 13th. This was an ambitious attempt to bring Jason Voorhees to the NES. Despite often being negatively received for its cryptic nature and unforgiving difficulty, it's considered a "proto survival horror classic" by some. The game is full of jump scares and constant time pressure, capturing the anxiety of the film even if the gameplay was frustrating.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Similarly, A Nightmare on Elm Street by LJN and Rare offered a unique experience. It allowed up to four players to team up against Freddy Krueger—a rare feat for the time. Its "sleep meter mechanic" and "wonderful soundtrack" made it one of LJN's better offerings, proving that movie tie-ins didn't always have to be terrible.
Predator & The Terminator
Sci-fi action had its moments too. Predator was often criticized for its controls and difficulty, but it could still be a fun time if you embraced the "jank."
The Terminator, however, might just win the prize for the "jankiest game" on this list. Thankfully, Terminator 2: Judgment Day was a definite step up in production quality, featuring better graphics and an "incredible soundtrack" that did justice to the blockbuster film.
Total Recall
And let's not forget Total Recall. Described as "bombastically violent," it made a valiant effort to stick to its complex movie plot, even with some "weird liberties" taken for the sake of gameplay.
Action & Crime: Gritty, Slow, or Just Plain Bizarre
Translating gritty crime dramas and action blockbusters into platformers led to some interesting design choices.
Dirty Harry
Ever wanted to play as a grizzled detective on the NES? Dirty Harry gave you that chance. Published by Mindscape, this game is often described as a "hot mess" that is so bad it's good, featuring Harry Callahan blasting anyone in his way in a pixelated San Francisco.
Mad Max
From the gritty crime world, we move to the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Mad Max. This game focused on survival with limited fuel and ammo. It was an ambitious concept, though gameplay often devolved into "driving around for a minute or two until you run out of gas."
Cliffhanger & Darkman
Action movie adaptations were plentiful. Cliffhanger (1993) was an "ugly" NES title with tiny sprites and awkward controls, making simple actions a struggle.
Darkman, based on Sam Raimi's 1990 film, was notoriously difficult with slippery controls, yet it featured solid graphics and music that captured the film's mood.
Die Hard
Die Hard brought John McClane to the NES in a top-down shooter with ambitious ideas like eavesdropping on enemy conversations and multiple endings. However, like many games of its era, it could be "tricky to get a handle on."
Lethal Weapon & Rambo
The Lethal Weapon series spawned a beat-'em-up that, while not the worst, became repetitive and boring fairly quickly.
Rambo, loosely based on First Blood Part Two, took an action RPG approach reminiscent of Zelda II. It offered a "surprisingly fun and somewhat ambitious" adventure, despite the oddity of fighting "random wildlife" and "flying skulls."
Robocop
The iconic Robocop also had its NES outing. This "walk and punch" game faithfully captured Robocop's slow, deliberate movement. While accurate to the character, it made climbing stairs a struggle. Its sequel, Robocop 2, used a similar engine but leaned heavily into "difficult platforming" and introduced frustrating quotas for stages.
The Untouchables
Finally, The Untouchables (1987) presented a "mini-game collection" with levels switching between shooting galleries, side-scrollers, and top-down stages. True to the era, it came with "unflinching and unforgiving difficulty."
Comedies & Unlikely Choices
Even R-rated comedies found their way to the NES, resulting in some truly bizarre genre shifts.
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers, based on the 1980 film, was a "ridiculously fast" precision platformer focused on avoiding hazards and landing tricky jumps. It's a strange fit for the musical comedy, but a decent platformer in its own right.
Hudson Hawk
And then there's Hudson Hawk, based on the box office flop. It offered a mix of precise puzzle platforming and stealth that was "really tough" to get into, much like the movie itself.
Honorable Mentions
We can't finish without touching on some "edge cases" that almost qualified.
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Conan and The Punisher were more generally based on characters rather than direct R-rated film tie-ins.
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Toxic Crusaders was based on a cartoon and toy line, which in turn was based on the "very R-rated" Toxic Avenger.
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Dr. Chaos felt like a game that "really wanted to be a game based on House," the 1985 horror comedy.
This deep dive into NES games based on R-rated movies certainly proves that the console had a surprising and often bizarre lineup! Which of these unlikely adaptations have you played?
