This week, the fourth and final segment in our series detailing which old movies would make good video games.

Gymkata
In Parmistan, there is only one law: The Game! Any player that survives the race across the country and through the City of Madness is allowed one request. This is why the United States government has commissioned Jonathan Cabot to infiltrate Parmistan and participate in The Race: they want him to request permission to place a U.S. installation within strategically-placed Parmistanian borders.

In this spiritual successor to Mirror’s Edge, guide Jonathan through the rugged landscape of parmistan, climbing cliffs, crossing ravines, and swimming rapids. Jonathan is constantly pursued by ninjas, and has to avoid wild animals and hunters with spears. As Jonathan gains experience, he can level up his endurance, agility, and strength via a series of olympic-themed training montages, including the parallel bars, balance beam, and rings.

At the game’s climax, Jonathan must navigate the walled City of Madness, dodging or battling its many criminally insane, pitchfork-wielding occupants.

Wizards
In this post-apocolyptic RPG, fairies, elves, and dwarves have re-appeared. Life is peaceful in the land of Montagar until a robot named Necron 99 appears and assassinates the president. As the wizard Avatar, you must lead your companions on a quest through the forest of the faeries and into the land of Scortch, where you will confront your evil brother Blackwolf and destroy his most powerful weapon: a Nazi film projector.

Waterworld Tower Defense
Your group of atoll dwellers has discovered the fabled map to dry land! But The Smokers have found out, and are planning to raid the atoll on their jet skis and gas powered boats. You must erect floating archer towers, catapult towers, and gun towers to fend them off. Meanwhile, Kevin Costner can help by swimming out underwater to deal with the invaders and steal their boats for use in defense. He can also reclaim gasoline from them so that you can build flame towers, which are powerful but have limited ammunition. If the invaders reach the atoll’s map to dry land, or Kevin Costner dies, the game is over.

Night of the Lepus
One that one horrible night, our worst nightmares all came true. Killer rabbits started slaughtering people throughout the American southwest, and we were helpless to stop them. Roy and Cole found it hard to believe, but before they knew it they were fending off rabbits as big and as fierce as wolves with nothing but a pair of shovels!

In this survival horror remake of the classic movie, defend small-town families against vicious hordes of rabbits, and conduct daring raids on their warrrens. When the Lepus expeditionary force outmanuevers the state militia and the town of Ajo comes under threat, Roy and Cole are the only ones with enough experience fighting the blood-thirsty rabbits to organize a defense.

In part three of October’s series on old movies that would make terrific new games, we look at four new games based on decades-old films. While Atari has failed to greenlight Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend, Arthur: Still Stinking Drunk, Teen Wolf: Legend, and Monster Squad vs. the Lost Boys, there are plenty more movie titles left in the can.

Time Bandits
For his next game, Suda51 is creating an RPG, and has obtained the license to the old Terry Gilliam film Time Bandits. Now you can take control of the roguish dwarves Fidgit, Strutter, Wally, Og, and lead them in their adventure through time. Using The Map, navigate your way through holes in time, stopping in medieval England, civil war era Virginia, France in 1942, and the mysterious Time of Legends. The purpose of it all? Get stinking rich! Collect anachronistic weaponry, and even get Robin Hood himself to join you in order to rob the rich to feed yourselves! Avoid the Supreme Being, who wanders the byways of time like a hall monster, and above all, keep the map out of the hands of The Supreme Evil, lest he unmake Creation!

Gleaming the Cube
Gleaming the Cube is a collection of skateboard-themed extreme sports games. Head by Rodney’s skate shop, and sign up, but watch out: the competitors in this hood mean business, and you might just catch a facefull of pavement!

In the Downhill Race, skate downhill through a park, jumping fences, navigating stairways, and dodging cars. In the Downhill Jam, you’re racing against a live opponent as you skate through the city, five blocks to the finish line. It’s parkour on a skateboard! Throw punches and kicks, but try not to lose your balance, or your opponent might shove you into a tree or a dumpster. The Freestyle Ramp will give you a chance to practice your tricks without interference, and the High Jump Ramp challenges you to see how much air you can catch. Lastly, the Pool Joust, the skater’s true combat zone. This totally original game is coming soon for the XBox 360 and Playstation 3.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space
Built on the same engine as the highly successful Wii port of Resident Evil 4, Killer Klowns from Outer Space places you in the role of Mike Tobacco, a normal guy in the town of Crescent Cove. One evening, Mike spots a space ship shaped suspiciously like a circus tent landing in a remote field. Mike must infiltrate the alien circus tent, uncover the truth behind the horrible alien klowns, convince the authorities that he’s not playing a joke, and save the world from the evil of the Klowns.

• Special Klown on Klown battle mode
• Use dozens of whimsical weapons, such as the popcorn gun, cotton candy ray, and killer shadow puppets.
• New Klownmapping technology, exclusive to the Wii!

Lego Ernest
In the newest Lego sequel, you take the role of Ernest P. Worrell and dive into his many adventures. Visit Kamp Kikakee, get superpowers, break Santa Claus out of jail, and battle Trantor the troll and the evil dictator of Karifistan. The game has 102 playable characters, including Bluebeard, Michael Jordan, Rush Limbaugh, Jack Kevorkian, and Jenna Jameson. Relive the events of Ernest Goes to Camp, Ernest Saves Christmas, Ernest Goes to Splash Mountain, Ernest Goes to Jail, Ernest Scared Stupid, Ernest Rides Again, Ernest Goes to School, Slam Dunk Ernest, Ernest in the Army, Ernest Goes to Africa, Ernest the Pirate, Ernest Does Dallas, Ernest Needs a Kidney, and Ernest Stinking Drunk. KnowWhutIMean, Vern?

In the first installment of Everything Old is New Again, I discussed decades-old movie properties that are ripe for remaking into new game titles, a la Ghostbusters. Since Spielberg made the move from movie director to game designer with Boom Blox, George Lucas has been planning Super Howard the Duck Melee, and Ridley Scott is already in production on a FPS titled G.I. Jane. But what other older movie IPs might be snatched up by game producers and be the next big budget movie-to-game masterpiece?

Midnight Madness
Through the magic of XBox Live, compete against teams of players from across the country in a sport all but forgotten since 1986: The Great All-Nighter! Follow clues through the open world city of Los Angeles, progressing from location to location while doing your best to stymie your opponents. Achievements include…

Beer Bomb: Burn the Pabst Blue Ribbon brewery to the ground without killing anyone
Frame-up: Frame a another team for a crime, causing at least a 3-star wanted rating
Fagabeefe?: Complete the Mission “Musical Mayhem”

Throatwalker’s Bailiwick
Throatwalker’s Bailiwick is the story of Bora, a 15-year-old boy whose world is shattered when an epidemic of flatulence overtakes his homeland. At the same time, there is turmoil in Monstropolis. Sulley, Monstropolis’s top scarer, is missing. Buzz Lightyear and Lightning McQueen set out to find him. On their travels, they meet Bora, and they are told of ominous creatures known as the Fartless – beings without flatulence derived from an unknown dimension.

Pixar has teamed with Bioware to produce this new game. While some criticize the choice of title, others point out that “Throatwalker’s Bailiwick” makes no less sense than “Kingdom Hearts”.

Zardoz Online
In the distant future, men of the elite warrior class all wear bikinis. In this next-generation MMO, you can choose to play as one of these well-armed Exterminators, or as one of the powerful nomadic Brutals. Who will discover the truth about the mythical god Zardoz? Who will fly to the paradise of the apathetic Eternals inside a giant stone head? And with what powers will he return? Answers to these questions and more await within the fantastic world of ZARDOZ.

Xanadu
Do you like Barry Manilow, Gordon Lightfoot, and The Carpenters? Then you’ll love this new Nintendo DS Rhythm Game from iNiS. As the muse Terpischore, you must travel the world, inspiring people to accomplish their goals – help a frustrated fourth grader with her math homework, help a laid off steel worker from Bethlehem build his own roller rink, and help a disbarred lawyer show the bar association that they were idiots to disbar him – all through the music of the seventies! Includes music from Paul Anka, The BeeGees, The Commodores, Abba, and Captain and Tennille.

With the announcement of the new Ghostbusters video game, and the already successful Princess Bride video game, one is left to wonder what other decades-old movie properties are ripe for remaking into brilliant new high-definition gaming masterworks. Because I know so many game developers follow this site, I’ve decided to offer a few of my own ideas. In fact, I’ve got so many ideas that I’ll be featuring four of them every Wednesday in October.

Weekend at Bernie’s
Bernie may be dead, but he’s still the life of the party! This new game from Eidos Interactive is the Playstation 3’s first comedy action stealth puzzle adventure. Assassins are on your tail, and making them think that Bernie is still alive is the only way to protect yourself. While parading through crowds, come up with creative new ways to add to the illusion that Bernie is still alive and delay his decomposition. Away from Bernie’s side, you must keep to the shadows. Relive the drop-dead comedy of the year in glorious 1080i!

Short Circuit
For the big-budget Wii-make of the wildly popular Short Circuit, they’ve booked the vocal talents of screen legend Steve Gutenberg himself! And that funny Indian guy who’s not actually Indian! Unfortunately, Ally Sheedy was unavailable.

Johnny Five is malfunctioning. To repair himself, he must locate the three missing pieces of his original circuit board and bring them to Newton Crosby so that he can be repaired. Meanwhile, he’s pursued by military goons from Nova. Johnny must traverse Washington state, falling into various pits – within some of those pits are the pieces of his circuit board. Once inside a pit, you’ve got to waggle your way out! Use Johnny’s booster rockets to very slowly glide out, a la the old Lunar Rover game. If the military catches him, you’re forced to watch a five minute cutscene during which he repeatedly yells “Not disassemble number Johnny Five!”

Rad
Go balls out! Cru Jones has decided that rather than go to college, he’ll be a professional BMX racer. Race through a greulling series of BMX tracks, upgrading your bike along the way. Survive, and face the ultimate challenge: Helltrack! (Disclaimer: this is a reskinned version of PURE)

Repo Man
For employees of the Helping Hand Acceptance Corporation, life is always intense. In this GTA clone, you must take contracts and repossess cars, hot wiring or carjacking them as necessary. Earn money to buy drugs, booze, and prostitutes. Play through the campaign in online co-op, using Otto and Bud, and discover the bonus co-op only missions, including The Punk Rocker Bar and The Terrorist Laundromat. Rated M for explicit sex, drug use, and alien-infested Chevy Malibus.

Stay tuned for the second installment of Everything Old Is New Again next Wednesday.