Highlights
- Barbie's successful transition into movies sets a high standard for other toy-to-video game adaptations that have struggled to meet the same level of success.
- Army Men, Digimon, G.I. Joe, Hot Wheels, and Transformers are examples of toys that have successfully made leaped the video game realm, captivating both kids and adults.
Barbie is better than anyone could have hoped for. The brand was established in 1959, so it seemed like a too little too late situation. Whether Barbie, as a brand, is still as relevant to kids in 2023 as it was in the 1960s is irrelevant.
Barbie is just a good movie. So, in celebration of this let’s take a lot at toys and the video game realm. What toys have made the transition into gaming as good as Barbie did with films? There are some obvious examples along with some deep cuts from the retro scene. Sadly, no Barbie game makes an appearance because they are all lacking in the gun department, to put it mildly.
8 Army Men
Army Men, as toys, are older than the Barbie brand as they were established in 1938. Barbie dolls were everywhere and they became a popular icon in toy media. It’s not that wild then to imagine why the toys would get made into games in the 1990s then.
The first one, which was an RTS, was the first of the big reboot initiative that paved the way for dozens of sequels and spinoffs that were mostly action games. It was a way to market shooters to kids without parents having to worry about blood flying everywhere. They were cheap, but fun experiences and wholesome in a way too.
7 Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth
What came first? Was it the toys? Was it the anime? Was it the games? Even hardcore Digimon fans may not know the answer, but the brand was first marketed to kids as a digital pet in 1997. The empire spawned from there and from the video game scene, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth is one of the best games in recent memory.
It’s a cybernetic detective game with turn-based RPG gameplay. Players could recruit and Digivolve Digimon into their party to create a cool squad of crime-solving monsters in this Pokemon clone.
6 G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
G.I. Joe was the evolved form of Army Men which first came into play in 1964. G.I. Joe held plenty of comic characters that practically demanded to be introduced into comics and cartoons, and kids of the '80s and '90s knew this toy line was perfect for a video game.
It was hard to get away from the brand whether one was perusing the toy aisle or watching the cartoon or playing a game. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a great adaptation of the NES that allowed players to take three famous soldiers on a mission. Everyone had unique skills, and their health, and they could be swapped in the heat of battle.
5 Hot Wheels Unleashed
Hot Wheels was created in 1968 and the brand is still going strong. It’s popular with kids who just want to race cars as well as adults who love to collect things. There have been many attempts over the years to make a good racing game within this brand and it wasn’t until the last couple of years that things started to change.
Hot Wheels Unleashed is the biggest and best standalone option but the DLC packs for the Forza series, like Forza Horizon 3: Hot Wheels, have been great too. They are fun for kids and adults who want something more in their racing game besides karts.
4 Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a complete package that allows players to experience the entire nine-movie saga in Lego form. Lego is another brand that tried desperately to leap into the video game genre for years after making a solid name in the toy market starting in 1949. Fans have always adored the Lego Star Wars games, and Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga combines what they loved from the classics.
None of the games were good until the original Star Wars adaptation in 2005 which featured the prequel trilogy. It might have been weird to start there instead of the original trilogy but the prequels were more relevant in the 2000s. Since Traveler’s Tales took over the brand digitally, things have been great.
3 Monster In My Pocket
Monster in My Pocket is an NES game, made by Konami, in 1992. Some may not realize it was based on a toy brand that began in 1990. Tiny, pocket-sized toys have always been a thing but putting monsters in pockets was unique in the 90s from Dracula to Frankenstein.
Players could choose a character in the game, fly through a string of levels, and that was it. It was short, not too hard, but enjoyable all the same because Konami was still masters at their craft in the 90s.
2 Skylanders
Skylanders technically did and didn’t start with a toy line. The first game was a spinoff from the Spyro series which began in 2011. Skylanders took Spyro and put him in an action RPG alongside dozens of other toy figures. The hook was that players could buy characters, level them up, and then take them over to a friend’s house to continue the mayhem.
This is more of an example of a toy line and a video game line launching at the same time. It’s relevant to bring up because it exploded at launch and even established the toys to life genre. Other clones would follow such as Disney Infinity.
1 Transformers: Devastation
Transformers were one of the coolest toys in the '80s. It combined the love children had with cars and action figures. It was like getting two toys in one in 1984 and the brand grew stronger from there. Transformers have seen plenty of movies, cartoons, and video games.
Among them all, Transformers: Devastation is one of the best adaptations since PlatinumGames worked on it. Also, a close second would be Transformers: War for Cybertron. Both games are kind of hard to find because of licensing issues, but hopefully, there should be hard copies out there somewhere for those curious.