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Gael Rakotondrabe (born 20 July 1984) is a French pianist, composer, and jazz musician. He achieved recognition by winning the First Prize in the piano competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2008.
Books That Became Video Games. This list is for any book that later was the basis for a video game. Do not add to the list any book that was created AFTER a video game about said video game (for instance, the Dragon Age graphic novels that continue the story line of the game).
- Overview
- Best Video Games That Were Inspired By Books
- 15. Metro series
- 14. Vampire Hunter D
- 13. Dune
- 12. The Witcher series
- 11. World War Z
- 10. STALKER series
- 9. Conan Exiles
- 8. Call of Cthulhu
We're living through an era where films and books are starting to be based on computer games regularly, but books have inspired game creators since the first arcade games began to appear. So, to honor this fine tradition, we've compiled our list of the 15 best video games based on the books below.
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Whether direct ports of the stories or taking inspiration from the worlds created in the authors' minds, some of the most memorable and long-running game series have taken their spark from the written word. They cover multiple eras in gaming, as well as genres, so consider the numbering arbitrary. But these classic computer games are all inspired by equally classic novels and series.
Related: Metro Games in Order – Complete List
Image via Deep Silver
Now a hugely popular franchise, the first installment in this series was the dystopian 2005 novel Metro 2033 by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. A vast range of fiction has since spawned from the setting, several different authors, and a range of genres. But the FPS video games Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light, and 2019's Metro Exodus have helped make it a globally recognized brand.
Image via Jaleco
While this 2000 PlayStation title didn't receive much critical acclaim, Vampire Hunter D was an exciting take on the Resident Evil style of survival horror game that tried to introduce a bit more dynamism to the combat. But the vampire's castle setting was inspired by the Vampire Hunter D novels of Japanese author Hideyuki Kikuchi, which have also inspired anime and comic adaptations over the years.
Image via Cryo Interactive
Frank Herbert's original Dune novel may date back to 1965, but it has regularly been the inspiration for board, roleplaying, and video games ever since, as well as films and television series. The 1992 Amiga and PC game was genuinely epic by the standards of the day, becoming a huge hit. It largely follows the book's plot, using RTS and adventure game elements to create a unique experience.
Image via CD Projekt Red
Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski had his first collection of short stories, The Witcher, published in 1990. There have been six novels and 15 short stories about the antihero Geralt of Rivia in total, but many fans will be more familiar with the television series and popular ARPGs. The games have wowed fans across multiple platforms, with 2015's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt often mentioned in best games of all time lists.
Image via Saber Interactive
While best known to many as a hit Hollywood movie, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War was first released as a novel by American author Max Brooks in 2006. But it wasn't until 2019 that the multi-platform co-operative third-person shooter arrived. It took inspiration from both the book and the film and was praised for its combat mechanics, selling millions of copies.
Image via GSC Gameworld
Loosely based on Soviet authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's novel Roadside Picnic, the first STALKER game was released in 2007. The survival horror FPS was a huge hit, with the book's original extra-terrestrial setting replaced with a starkly realistic Chernobyl backdrop. Two more highly acclaimed titles followed, with STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl.
Image via Funcom
When you think of Conan, it's hard not to imagine Schwarzenegger in all his 1980s glory. But the character dates back to 1932 when Robert E Howard originally created the swords and sorcery hero for a series of stories published in the magazine Weird Tales. RPG Conan Exiles was released in 2018, creating a harsh landscape based on the lands of the printed stories and with characters beginning the game by being saved by Conan himself.
Image via Cyanide
The original Call of Cthulhu short story, written by HP Lovecraft, was published in 1928 in Weird Tales, just four years before the first Conan stories appeared in the same magazine. Practically ignored at the time, Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos rose to public attention in the 1980s, years after his death, inspiring games of all kinds. The most recent video game title was the 2018 survival horror RPG Call of Cthulhu, which was praised for capturing the essence of Lovecraft's vision.
antonio campos. loris greaud. marina abramovic. nadia lauro. radenko milak. nicolas peduzzi . robert wilson. tessa louise-salomÉ. willem dafoe. rebecca zlotowski
Novels are a huge untapped source of fiction for games—but which of our favorites could actually make good games?
Novels that have been ADAPTED INTO a Video Game. Not tie-in novels that are written AFTER the video game. Can be a straight up adaptation, an educational game, sequel or anything else.
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From The Witcher to Rainbow Six, books inspired some of the biggest games of all time.
