A tasty taco of video game miscellany that mix nicely with others.

Reloaded, reinvigorated and refreshed, the entertainment machine will once again cause riotous ripples in the deepest of puddles.

If the prospect of excitement has not overwhelmed, this sausage is sure to sizzle more than an unfortunate bather in the Sahara.

Starting with something that literally stinks...

...to high heaven of fried onions and grease (and that's just the film).

There's just something about the positioning of Phil (Bradley Cooper) that suggests a design steal.

Video game art 'inspired' by film...

However, the above has the below poster to thank.

Sunsoft were obviously fond of their writing style.

An action adventure from 1998.

Sega/Sunsoft 1989 (Arcade)

Don't you just love the play on words of 'Beirut'?  Rush 'n Attack now has a worthy opponent.

This is probably just coincidence by design.

Look here, what is this?

Donkey Punch (2008)

Titantic (1997)

My heart will not go on.

SNK are responsible for unparalleled genius but sometimes, subtlety was not one of their strong points.  Still, I like to think this was in homage. 

Metal Slug 3 (Neo Geo)

Oh dear, please God, no.

A facehugger needs to attach itself to the asshole responsible.

I know, let's include Texas and the word 'massacre' to be sure as shit that our film will literally cling to the shelves.

Hey, 'what's hidden' behind your back?

While nothing great or even good, this 2011 British slasher film dangled the smart carrot of seeing Tulisa making her very brief acting debut.

A home invasion thriller that offers little explanation but still makes for surprisingly compulsive viewing.

Now we have another one of those...

It has to be said that the centralised position of the wand and/or tower is a remarkable 'coincidence'.

It was my pleasure to start a debate on something so irrelevant.  Ha ha!

Video game bosses can appear after a sudden lull in enemy attack or like this, prepping your ass for a sometimes marvellous monstrosity.

Taito booted the trend off in 1986.

Darius (Arcade)

Darius Burst on PSP saw a similar sin attack in 2009

One way or another, others were inspired.

1944: The Loop Master, Capcom (Arcade)

Blazing Star, Yumekobo (Neo Geo)

Ikaruga, Treasure (Various)

Megablast, Taito (Arcade)
They just altered their own idea.

Phalanx, Kemco (Various)

Prehistoric Isle, SNK (Arcade)

Prehistoric Isle 2, Yumekobo (Neo Geo)

Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad, Saurus (Neo Geo)

I know this news is older than I am, but letting snoozing mutts lounge is just not my style.

Let's just say, I didn't get around to it, until now.

Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean was born as a ride attraction in 1967.

It had no characters and its story was based around the exploits of piracy.

The Curse of the Black Pearl firmly announced itself on the silver screen in 2003.

Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow et al continue to count the gold, (in more ways than one)...

Dead Men Tell No Tales should hopefully see the end.

Fatal Attraction screwed Play Misty for Me, The Tortured is 7 Days with a boy and The Condemned stole horribly from Battle Royale.  Hang on a mo, so did box office smash The Hunger Games.  Will I be Catching Fire?  I'm considering it.

Well yo ho ho and bottle of bastard rum, most will still be oblivious that the multi-million dollar franchise bears a large resemblance to Ron Gilbert's masterful point and click graphic adventure Monkey Island.

23 years later, it remains the epitome of storytelling and humour.

Ron Gilbert can't claim all the credit as Dave Grossman and Tim Schafer more than got their hands dirty.

The series itself was inspired by the attraction but what Disney did is nothing short of sacrilege.

Lest we forget that the same company ripped off Kimba the White Lion with The Lion King.

That almost seems irrelevant in comparison but the principle remains.

Lucasfilm's The Secret of Monkey Island is set deep in the 'Caribbean', on the Island of Melee, as a young dude named Guybrush Threepwood dreams of being, er, a pirate.

Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012 so why don't they just own the universe and have done with it?

Lucasarts employees got the very shitty end of a stick earlier this year.

My cannon refuses to forgive and forget so here's my take on reliving the unfortunate carnage.

Some images are unfortunately a bit out of sync but otherwise, they'd be too small to appreciate.

Davy Jones fits but not quite like a glove...

Isn't it absolutely fantastic that they even nicked the chandelier swinging antics from the guy in the original's SCUMM drinking pit?  FFS!

I must retain a modicum of composure...

This is how it looked with a new coat of paint in the spoken Special Edition.

Guybrush and Marley tied the knot in The Curse of Monkey Island and thanks to Barbossa, Will and Elizabeth were briefly married At World's End, shortly before Davy cashes in Will's chips.

On 30 November 2013, Saturday night entertainment on Channel 4 reached a new high when host Charlie Brooker hosted and others reminisced How Videogames Changed the World.

When Monkey Island appropriately appeared, Ron Gilbert stated that he can't help linking elements of Pirates of the Caribbean to Monkey Island and reiterated the ride's inspiration.

He concluded that events had come full circle, or under his breath (WHAT A FUCKING RIP OFF).

I'm not suggesting Captain Jack shit but the ending from the first episode of Crying Freeman really rings a bell with the above.

Yo and Emu in perfect harmony.

While John Lennon played Mind Games, this horror has a similar title.

The above chose to rip the stuffing out of this design.

Now then my adoring public, the above wields a chainsaw and is draped in darkness.

What a crying bloody shame this wasn't original.

It's only fitting that such a design graces one of the greatest action games of all time.

A triple hit combo now, spanning video game, music and film.

The spiritual successor to Fahrenheit is one for the purists but remains an engaging adventure.  However, if action and explosions are your bag, avoid like the blackest of plagues.

Fenech-Soler by Fenech-Soler.
This paper crane taking a bath shares a scary resemblance to the above.

John Woo's action packed 1992 film Hard Boiled sees Tony the undercover cop make a paper crane every time he claims a victim.

Fates Warning - Darkness in a Different Light

Is my shit together or is my shit together?

The artist in charge of the home version of Black Tiger thought highly of Castlevania...

Another combo that equals 'three', that is of course, a magic number.

It's elementary, my dear Watson.

Nightmare Busters was an unreleased SNES game from 1995, but now available in its physical and legal cartridge form in 2013.
Flynn (pictured), along with his brother Floyd, are a pair of leprechauns out to upset the evil Tyrant and his cronies.

Clown of Fighter's History fame holds all the aces.

Gambit loves to play a game of 52 card pick up with the boys and girls of Marvel.

Ugly looking git Andross is the central antagonist in Super FX starlet Star Fox.

Galartor of Tad Corporation's Toki was never going to be top banana.

No it can't be.  The album FMUK is surely not a parody of?

Michael Keaton wore the cape in Tim Burton's 1989 original and sequel before Val Kilmer and George Clooney et al ensured the series span out of control.

M Bison eat your heart out as Heavyweight Champ was effectively Rambo 'remade' on Master System.

A very strange decision to use a drama mask hovering above a motherboard?
The game is Main Ram on C64 (I think).

Four different games, all featuring protruding hazards.

Apidya, 1992 (Amiga)

Abadox, 1989 (NES)

Lifeforce, 1989 (NES)

Abadox and Lifeforce are very much alike but probably the most originally themed shmups ever conceived isn't about to back off.

Phobia, 1989 (C64)

Are these supposed to be elephant trunks, bearing in mind this was during the first stage of Arachnophobia?  This game was fucking mental, and there's nothing accidental.

Capcom vs Konami.

Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, 1991 (SNES)

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, 1990 (NES)

Both end beasts involve hopping on moving platforms which is the only way to hit the sweet spot of facade.  Of the latter, this is Dracula, a few incarnations later.

Konami wins.  Perfect.

Don't change the same Castlevania channel yet...

...as Tecmo's 1989 Ninja Gaiden sees Ryu gazing at Dracula's castle.
No he isn't, but why not as this intermission looks nothing like the ending from the same adventure.

Smashing!

Don't stand under a tree as we're about to get a shock of lightning.

Splatterhouse 2, 1992 (Megadrive)

Castlevania IV, 1991 (SNES)

Random as fuck I know but instead of updating a dead issue, here are two more luke o likes.

Josh Rouse

Woody Harrelson

Here are two images from the final stage of Aicom's 1995 rendered shmup masterpiece on the meg chomping Neo Geo.

Play Pulstar and you will all bow down to the king, the king of kings.

What can you see?

Well I saw a monster brutally suffocating some kind of animal and a lion's head erupting smoke.

Was this intentional?  You or I will never know.

A congratulatory screen from Data East's 1988 arcade of Robocop.
Calling the OCP crime fighting machine a 'bad dude' (or yourself), is a cute reference to their earlier cult game.

DVD art never rips others off, trust me they really don't.  Ha ha fucking ha!

Hey Harrison.
Yes Billy?
Do you see what I see?
Yeah I do.

You'd think with Riggs and Murtaugh already in circulation, they'd be the obvious choice, but no, Han and Lando were chosen.

Well, what do you think?
Whatever will be, will be, we all get ripped off eventually, que sera sera.

Silent Hill is Jacob's Ladder shrouded in mist, complete with falling snow, twisted imagery, distorted reality, foul monsters, convoluted poetry and 'broken' locks.
What's almost crazier than the whole situation is that its creepy school is based on another place of education from a rather mild 1990 action comedy.

Ivan Reitman's Kindergarten Cop sees John Kimble (Schwarzenegger) play the tough guy and is later begrudgingly forced to become an undercover teacher in the hope to apprehend drug dealer Cullen Crisp.  Amazing right?

From incredible fact to unscrupulous 'steal'.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (PS3)

Is this an illusion or the Eye of Sauron?

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Hmmmm...

To extend the fun, here's Sauron roaring into view from Atari's Primal Rage.

SNK vs Capcom, an unparalleled rivalry.

The King of Fighters 94 ending screen (Neo Geo)

The original port of Street Fighter II on SNES rewarded those with this ending screen, providing that 11 others were vanquished on top difficulty without a single round lost.
Honda, Dhalsim and Blanka are the only chars to be given goofy expressions that don't form official victory stances.
I assume Capcom consumed a few bottles of Zangief's vodka.

Hyper Street Fighter II was released for arcades after the PS2 version in 2004.

Here's the same but expanded principle and I don't think anything special is required.

What the heck is Balrog doing behind Honda and why has Vega removed his claw?

Pass the vodka, I need another swig

Names can be fun, in the right hands.

Dora from Sega's 1992 arcade sequel, Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder.

I wish Dora the 'Irritating' Explorer and Boots etc would all just vamonos.

Only the truly miserable would deny Terry Bogard a cameo in the audience of SNK's crazy wrestling game 3 Count Bout, aka Fire Suplex.

Similar boss, different tasting sauce.

Actraiser, Quintet 1990 (SNES)

Nastar, Taito 1988 (Arcade)

The map of Old Silent Hill from the flawed PS1 classic pays tribute to many authors.

Matheson St: Richard Matheson of I Am Legend.
Bachman Rd: Richard Bachman (as Stephen King).
Bloch St: Robert Bloch of Psycho.
Ellroy St: James Ellroy of L.A. Confidential.
Bradbury St: Ray Bradbury of Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Finney St: Jack Finney of The Body Snatchers.
Levin St: Ira Levin of Rosemary's Baby.

I suppose Queen Burger must be a parody of Burger King.

In Homecoming, many streets are named after those famous in the world of horror such as Stanley Kubrick, William Friedkin, Wes Craven, Clive Barker and John Carpenter.

Another map and another angle.

Star Fox, 1993 (SNES)

Macbeth and Titania - The Queen of Fairies shake hands with Shakespeare.
The nearest video game title to stage Sector Z is Capcom's Section Z.
We see the Black Hole and Taito had a weird 1989 puzzle arcade called Block Hole.
Apart from what the average poisonous snake spits, Venom has two immediate meanings - a 2005 horror film and an alien from the Marvel universe.  It's also a 1987 graphic adventure on C64 and a character from the Guilty Gear series.

"This is media break, if you give me several minutes, then I'll give you the world."

Forget that asshole Chesney Hawkes, I am The One and Only who could bring this fantastic assortment together.

Axelay, Konami 1992 (SNES)

Eco Fighters, Capcom 1993 (Arcade)

Illusion of Gaia, Quintet/Enix 1994 (SNES)

King of the Monsters 2: The Next Thing, SNK 1992 (Neo Geo)

Nexzr, Naxat Soft 1992 (PC Engine)

Osman, Mitchell Corporation 1996 (Arcade)

Primal Rage, Atari 1994 (Arcade)

Ray Force, Taito 1993 (Arcade)

Road Spirits, Pack-In-Video 1991 (PC Engine)

Spinal Breakers, Video System 1990 (Arcade)

Tumblepop, Data East 1991 (Arcade)

Armored Warriors, Capcom 1994 (Arcade)

E.D.F. Earth Defense Force, Jaleco 1991 (Arcade)
Please note, the intro is completely different in the SNES version.

Joe & Mac Returns, Data East 1994 (Arcade)

Red Earth, Capcom 1996 (Arcade)

Super Aleste, Compile 1992 (SNES)

World Heroes, ADK 1992 (Neo Geo)

Border Down, G.Rev 2003 (Dreamcast)

R-Type Complete CD, Irem 1991 (PC Engine CD)

Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, Capcom 1998 (Arcade)

It's amazing that no two are really the same.

To finish up, I had to include this album...

Parkway Drive - Atlas

I wonder why?

Please stick with me (a little bit longer).

Lethal Enforcers was rather controversial for its use of derogatory police slang and shooting digitised photographs.

Konami took inspiration from the title sequence of Magnum Force, the second film starring Clint Eastwood as 'Dirty' Harry Callahan.
He is reinstated to Homicide to investigate a band of vigilante cops who appear to be doing the city of San Francisco a favour by wiping out undesirables.

"A man's got to know his limitations."

Fleas.  I have hated these bastard things for over 25 years as who ripped off who remains inconclusive.

Call it Katakis if you want but I grew up with Denaris.  The C64 original looks far more exciting when compared to the drab Amiga game.

This was a combined rip off of Thalamus's Delta and Capcom's Side Arms.
Observe the artwork, just look at this shit.

Now it ends, but on a maximum high.

Real Bout Special: Dominated Mind was a 1998 PS1 port of the second Real Bout game released only in Japan.  It featured an exclusive anime intro, a playable Alfred from Real Bout 2 and Geese mixing it up with the regulars.

It didn't stop there.

Heave or admire a brand new char select screen.
Can somebody please tell me why Southtown's crime kingpin now has a halo hovering above his head?
Either they were trying to be ironic or one of the best video game villains is suddenly being portrayed as a goodie?

Anybody who manages to satisfy the stringent conditions to fight, let alone defeat Nightmare Geese deserves kudos.

WHY THE FUCK aren't we seeing Real Bout Fatal Fury Special Dominated Mind on the title screen?  Why did SNK remove 'Fatal Fury' and with it, one of the most famous brands in fighting game history?

It makes no sense.

Upon defeat, new end boss White punished the unprepared with his cane.

Adapted from Anthony Burgess's novel, Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his droogs caused a bit of a nuisance in Kubrick's 1971 violent satire, A Clockwork Orange.

Stealing images from Full Metal Jacket and incorporating them with Nam-1975 obviously wasn't enough...

Still, it proves SNK had excellent movie taste.

There will be more, more, more, and I'm sure you'll like it...