Helldivers 2 isn’t the only Unofficial Movie Adaptation in gaming, but it might be the best one

Stop pretending that Deadly Premonition is good on any level.

Collage of troops from Starship Troopers and Helldivers 2 - 1

Image credit:Arrowhead Game Studios, TriStar Pictures

Please enjoy this week’s Best Games Ever Podcast, your Tuesday lunchtime pick-me-up panel show where a bunch of regular guests try to convince me, the host, that their Gaming Opinion is the best one. This week I’m asking the question: what’s the best game that’s an unofficial adaption of a movie or TV show?

I already know what you’re thinking, but no: not a single person put forward Deadly Premonition as an unofficial adaptation of Twin Peaks. Or Alan Wake as an unofficial adaptation of Twin Peaks. Or Life is Strange (Twin Peaks). Or Silent Hill (Twin Peaks). Or, er, Link’s Awakening ? Nope, no, that’s enough Reddit for today.

Watch the video version ofThe Best Games Ever Showhere:

Check out the video version of The Best Games Ever podcast. You should watch it, that way you get to see our faces as Tom resurrects his worst ever bit.Watch on YouTube

Listen to the audio version ofThe Best Games Ever Showhere:

This is the audio. You should listen to it, that way you don’t have to see Tom’s smug look when he resurrects his worst ever bit.

It’s clear from Helldivers 2 ’s marketing that the game is directly inspired by Blair-era Dutch arthouse anti-war movie Starship Troopers. It’s also clear from playing it that Warhammer 40,000 and the future war bits of Terminator have made their mark on the project, and with its sprawling, player led, strictly PVE campaign engendering a keen sense of community among players, it’s rather like a wholesome war-themed social club for 90s teenagers. As a Nearly 40 it feels laser-targeted at my exact levels of pop culture cutoff, shooting skill, and associated decrepitness.

It takes a lot of willpower after a play session to not immediately open Netscape Navigator and e-commerce that poster of the grey alien that says “take me to your dealer” and also one of Gillian Anderson doing a pout. But my wife wouldn’t let me put them up anywhere, so it would be a waste of £18.98 plus shipping. I would advise current teenagers to never grow up and move out: that freedom is an illusion. Stay at home where it’s cheaper and nobody bats an eyelid if you cover your bedroom walls with folk off the telly in sultry poses. What the actual f* ** was I talking about.

Oh, yeah, podcast. So which other games are Secret and/or Unofficial Adaptations of films or TV shows? And of them, which are the best? In order to find out what our expert panel thinks, you should watch or listen to this week’s Best Games Ever podcast. Methods for doing so are handily listed above, so you don’t have any excuses.

Special thanks to David Bulmer for performing “Jim’s Theme”.

Helldivers 2 isn't the only Unofficial Movie Adaptation in gaming, but it might be the best one - 5

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Helldivers 2 isn't the only Unofficial Movie Adaptation in gaming, but it might be the best one - 7

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Wishlisted - Our 10 Best Steam Next Fest Demos

Another Next Fest kicks off soon, but we’ve already done the digging for you.

Welcome to Wishlisted, a showcase of our favourite demos from Steam Next Fest: June 2024. Check the video above or watch on YouTube .

Finding the Best NextFest Demos is all about the joy of discovery, but with so many Steam Next Fest demos getting released in such a short amount of time, it can be bewildering. So we’ve decided to show you our ten Best Steam Next Fest games which we think deserve your attention. These are all upcoming Steam Next Fest games that we’re genuinely excited for, and that we think should play nicely on PC handhelds too!

This is just the start of our Next Fest coverage. This week we’ll be previewing loads of upcoming demos across the entire network - right here on VG247, of course, but also over on our sister sites Eurogamer and Rock Paper Shotgun. Bookmark our Wishlisted Steam Fest hub to stay in the loop. And this is well before Next Fest actually starts, so you, dear reader, get to bask for a solid fortnight celebrating all the wonderful new games that are just around the corner. Enjoy!