Suffice to say, video games don't have the greatest reputation for successfully making the jump to live action. From the travesty that was the Super Mario Bros. movie, to the early impressions of the forthcoming Sonic The Hedgehog films, you'd think they'd have given up by now.
Indeed, wisdom would suggest that video games would have greater success with animation, but the legacy - as suggested by these 10 American cartoon series - proves otherwise...
Indeed, wisdom would suggest that video games would have greater success with animation, but the legacy - as suggested by these 10 American cartoon series - proves otherwise...
PAC-MAN
Created by animation luminaries Hanna-Barbera, Pac-Man: The Animated Series directly influenced the video games - leading to the Pac-Land, Pac-Man Jr and Super-Pac arcade games, the former of which itself was a huge influence on, among others, Super Mario Bros.
Beyond that, its mythology and continuity is defiantly its own thing, with Pac-Man's wife being called Pepper Pac-Man, with whom he has a son - Pac-Baby. They also have a dog, Chomp-Chomp, and a cat with the unfortunate name "Sour Puss".
Most episodes revolve around their ongoing rivalry with Pac-Land's resident ghosts; Blinky, Inky, Pinky, Clyde, and - in a bold strike for equality, Sue - an original character not found in the games.
Adding another layer of narrative complexity, the ghosts are employed by a cackling, Darth Vader-like villain, Mezmaron, whose sole aim in life is to gain control to the source of the Pac Pellets coveted by Pac-Man and his family.
Contrary to its actual quality, the show was an enormous hit, and led to other video game-inspired cartoons.
Oddly, Marty Ingels, who voiced the lead character, was best remembered for his many court cases - for, among other things, unpaid commission and ageism. In his obituary, following his 2015 death from a stroke, the New York Times wrote: "He always seemed to be suing someone, and someone always seemed to be suing him."
Silly old man.
Beyond that, its mythology and continuity is defiantly its own thing, with Pac-Man's wife being called Pepper Pac-Man, with whom he has a son - Pac-Baby. They also have a dog, Chomp-Chomp, and a cat with the unfortunate name "Sour Puss".
Most episodes revolve around their ongoing rivalry with Pac-Land's resident ghosts; Blinky, Inky, Pinky, Clyde, and - in a bold strike for equality, Sue - an original character not found in the games.
Adding another layer of narrative complexity, the ghosts are employed by a cackling, Darth Vader-like villain, Mezmaron, whose sole aim in life is to gain control to the source of the Pac Pellets coveted by Pac-Man and his family.
Contrary to its actual quality, the show was an enormous hit, and led to other video game-inspired cartoons.
Oddly, Marty Ingels, who voiced the lead character, was best remembered for his many court cases - for, among other things, unpaid commission and ageism. In his obituary, following his 2015 death from a stroke, the New York Times wrote: "He always seemed to be suing someone, and someone always seemed to be suing him."
Silly old man.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
The first, but certainly not the last, animated series to be based upon the omnipresent Sega mascot, The Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog lasted for one epic 65 episode series, plus a Christmas special.
Though broadly inspired by the video games, it also introduced new characters, including the memorably-named Stinky The Badger, and Professor Caninestein - who almost sounds like a treatment for vaginal yeast infections.
In its US broadcasts, each episode would end with a to-camera life lesson from Sonic, under the title "Sonic Sez" - on topics such as alcohol abuse, sexual harassment, gun safety, and the dangers of shallow water...
Not a joke.
Though broadly inspired by the video games, it also introduced new characters, including the memorably-named Stinky The Badger, and Professor Caninestein - who almost sounds like a treatment for vaginal yeast infections.
In its US broadcasts, each episode would end with a to-camera life lesson from Sonic, under the title "Sonic Sez" - on topics such as alcohol abuse, sexual harassment, gun safety, and the dangers of shallow water...
Not a joke.
STREET FIGHTER
Primarily based upon Street Fighter II, the Street Fighter cartoon series also borrowed elements from other Capcom fighting games, including Final Fight and Saturday Night Slam Masters, as well as the godawful Street Fighter movie.
Guile was the main character (voiced by Michael Donovan, who also plays Obi-Wan Kenobi in assorted Lego Star Wars games), leading a force of international peacekeepers, whose main tactic for dealing with the threat of international terrorism was to punch bad guys via the use of martial arts. These days, they'd be better off cracking an egg on their heads, albeit at the risk of invoking the wrath of Dean "A Superman" Cain and Brian "A Westlife" McFadden.
M.Bison, Zangief, Vega and Sagat were the main antagonists, attempting to dominate the world through biological weapons, invisible planes, and by diverting big eggs (comets) to smash into the earth.
Guile was the main character (voiced by Michael Donovan, who also plays Obi-Wan Kenobi in assorted Lego Star Wars games), leading a force of international peacekeepers, whose main tactic for dealing with the threat of international terrorism was to punch bad guys via the use of martial arts. These days, they'd be better off cracking an egg on their heads, albeit at the risk of invoking the wrath of Dean "A Superman" Cain and Brian "A Westlife" McFadden.
M.Bison, Zangief, Vega and Sagat were the main antagonists, attempting to dominate the world through biological weapons, invisible planes, and by diverting big eggs (comets) to smash into the earth.
DOUBLE DRAGON
There wasn't much in the way of plot in the Double Dragon games, but somehow they managed to eke 26 episodes out of Billy and Jimmy attempting to rescue Billy's girlfriend, Marian, from a bunch of real bad people.
The series deviated sufficiently from the source material - the brothers could transform into weird, bat-mask-wearing superheroes with swords - that it led directly to a game based upon it, Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls, in an effort to bring some of the cartoon's continuity into the game series.
Amusingly, two of the main recurring villains were called Anobo and "Willy".
The series deviated sufficiently from the source material - the brothers could transform into weird, bat-mask-wearing superheroes with swords - that it led directly to a game based upon it, Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls, in an effort to bring some of the cartoon's continuity into the game series.
Amusingly, two of the main recurring villains were called Anobo and "Willy".
EARTHWORM JIM
With a main character voiced by Dan "Homer Simpson" Castellaneta, Earthworm Jim was on the wackier side of the Saturday morning cartoon scale. Characters were often seen in vignettes showing them engaged in mundane activities, or would break the fourth wall to address the viewers. Indeed, one notable episode featured a quest to find a lost eggbeater.
In a rare incident of crossover, series antagonist Psy-Crow was played by Jim Cummings, who also portrayed Doctor Robotnik in The Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog, thus making him the go-to guy for video game villains in animated shows.
Adhering to the nonsensical nature of the games which inspired it, every episode of Earthworm Jim concluded with one of the characters being crushed by a falling cow.
In a rare incident of crossover, series antagonist Psy-Crow was played by Jim Cummings, who also portrayed Doctor Robotnik in The Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog, thus making him the go-to guy for video game villains in animated shows.
Adhering to the nonsensical nature of the games which inspired it, every episode of Earthworm Jim concluded with one of the characters being crushed by a falling cow.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA
Troublingly, the main impetus for Link's heroic deeds in The Legend of Zelda cartoon was his desire to receive a kiss from the titular Princess Zelda. The series otherwise made overtures towards being slightly more progressive than the games upon which it was based, with Zelda taking much more of an active role in the stories - often fighting alongside the snog-hungry, whining, Link.
Who would often spout his catchphrase "Excuuuuuuuse me, Princess!", make remarks about her cleavage, ogle her while she's getting changed, or burst into her bedroom uninvited.
In fact, Link is so perma-horny that he doesn't care who he sexually harasses. In one episode, he meets a female character who doesn't speak English, and suggests: "Oh, I'm sure there's still a language we could all understand!"
That language? Sexxus.
In an apparent bid to balance the scales, Link's fairy companion Sprite seems to be attracted to him, even watching him in the bath at one point, and commenting how she likes seeing him in flagrante.
Who would often spout his catchphrase "Excuuuuuuuse me, Princess!", make remarks about her cleavage, ogle her while she's getting changed, or burst into her bedroom uninvited.
In fact, Link is so perma-horny that he doesn't care who he sexually harasses. In one episode, he meets a female character who doesn't speak English, and suggests: "Oh, I'm sure there's still a language we could all understand!"
That language? Sexxus.
In an apparent bid to balance the scales, Link's fairy companion Sprite seems to be attracted to him, even watching him in the bath at one point, and commenting how she likes seeing him in flagrante.
SUPER MARIO BROS. SUPER SHOW
Famously, every episode of Super Mario Bros. Super Show - based upon the first two Super Mario Bros. games - opened with a live-action introduction from the eponymous brothers.
Mario was played by former wrestler Lou Albano - who collaborated with pop singer Cyndi Lauper on various wrestling projects - while Luigi was portrayed by one Danny Wells, who later provided voices for the video games Descent 3, Evolution Worlds, and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. He also once starred in a 1975 film called "Whiffs".
Various real-life celebrities made appearances in the live sections, including Wheel of Fortune hostess Vanna White, large-breasted vampire-style woman Elvira, Ghostbusters star Ernie Hudson, and basketball legend Magic Johnson (how did he get that name?!?).
In a nod to Star Trek, eps would open with Mario recording an entry into his "Plumber's Log", representing a repeated missed opportunity for a joke about the number of logs plumbers encounter in their line of work.
Mario was played by former wrestler Lou Albano - who collaborated with pop singer Cyndi Lauper on various wrestling projects - while Luigi was portrayed by one Danny Wells, who later provided voices for the video games Descent 3, Evolution Worlds, and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. He also once starred in a 1975 film called "Whiffs".
Various real-life celebrities made appearances in the live sections, including Wheel of Fortune hostess Vanna White, large-breasted vampire-style woman Elvira, Ghostbusters star Ernie Hudson, and basketball legend Magic Johnson (how did he get that name?!?).
In a nod to Star Trek, eps would open with Mario recording an entry into his "Plumber's Log", representing a repeated missed opportunity for a joke about the number of logs plumbers encounter in their line of work.
MORTAL KOMBAT: DEFENDERS OF THE REALM
As you would expect, Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm removed any of overt violence and gore that was a staple of the game series, putting it in the same category as other kids' shows based upon R-rated properties, such as Robocop and Rambo.
To get around the whole ripping-human-spines-out stuff, Defenders of the Realm had the characters facing off against robots, aliens and zombies, and trying to paper over it with cheesy one-liners and horrible "life lessons".
Continuity-wise, the cartoon had more in common with the dreadful movie franchise than the games, but - again - without any of the movies' violence.
Oddly, it also featured a four-part crossover with several other animated series, including the aforementioned Street Fighter and the justifiably forgotten Wing Commander Academy.
To get around the whole ripping-human-spines-out stuff, Defenders of the Realm had the characters facing off against robots, aliens and zombies, and trying to paper over it with cheesy one-liners and horrible "life lessons".
Continuity-wise, the cartoon had more in common with the dreadful movie franchise than the games, but - again - without any of the movies' violence.
Oddly, it also featured a four-part crossover with several other animated series, including the aforementioned Street Fighter and the justifiably forgotten Wing Commander Academy.
DONKEY KONG COUNTRY
The one CGI-entry on this list, Donkey Kong Country initially aired in France, before making it to the US a year later. It's notable for being one of the first - if not the first - TV animation to be entirely motion-captured, ensuring that it at least tried to look the part. Unfortunately, late-90s CGI, at least on a TV budget, wasn't quite up to the task, and the horribly stiff movements of the characters is straight out of a nightmare.
Every episode revolved around the hunt for the wish-granting Crystal Coconut, featured at least one song - which would span the entire spectrum from unwatchable, to sort of so-bad-it's-good - and had Diddy Kong in full excruciating Scrappy Doo mode.
The best thing that can be said about it is that the first episode offered the suggestive title "I Spy With My Hairy Eye"...
Every episode revolved around the hunt for the wish-granting Crystal Coconut, featured at least one song - which would span the entire spectrum from unwatchable, to sort of so-bad-it's-good - and had Diddy Kong in full excruciating Scrappy Doo mode.
The best thing that can be said about it is that the first episode offered the suggestive title "I Spy With My Hairy Eye"...
SATURDAY SUPERCADE
Inspired by the success of the Pac-Man series which kicked off this list, Saturday Supercade was an anthology show which featured short episodes starring a host of arcade game heroes. These included a pre-Country Donkey Kong, a pre-Super Show Mario/Jumpman, foul-mouthed-flaccid ginger penis Q*Bert, Frogger, Pitfall Harry, and Space Ace.
Frogger took the greatest liberties with the source material, turning the character - who had previously no motive beyond crossing the road without being smashed beneath the wheels of a truck - into an investigative reporter.
Important trivia: Saturday Supercade's version of Mario was voiced by the legendary Peter Cullen, who Transformers fans may know better as Optimus Prime, the robot.
Frogger took the greatest liberties with the source material, turning the character - who had previously no motive beyond crossing the road without being smashed beneath the wheels of a truck - into an investigative reporter.
Important trivia: Saturday Supercade's version of Mario was voiced by the legendary Peter Cullen, who Transformers fans may know better as Optimus Prime, the robot.
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