In 1976 John Carpenter wrote a screenplay that would eventually develop into the 1981 film “Escape Form New York”. The film depicts a dystopian future in which the city of New York has been turned into a giant prison. When Air Force One crash lands in the middle of the prison, the government sends in one reluctant man to rescue the president, that man is the anti-hero known as Snake Plissken, a character whose anti-authority attitude seems to speak to something in all of us.

In the decades following the release of the film it has built up a massive fan following. Made on the meager budget of about $7 million, the film stands as a solid example of how films don’t necessarily need the big bucks in order to be well made and have public appeal.

In 2003 a four-part comic book miniseries was released entitled “Snake Plissken Chronicles”. Also planned around this time were an anime film and video game, both of which were ultimately cancelled.

The cancellation of the video game is particularly disheartening as I am convinced that such a game is a masterpiece waiting to happen. As a film, “Escape From New York” lends itself well to a video game adaptation. Having a fully interactive recreation of the New York setting form the film would be an amazing treat for fans.

It would be so exhilarating to take Snake through all the major scenes in the film: from the landing of the glider, to the fight in the boxing ring, to the epic rush down the bridge; all of it would be exciting. A faithful adaptation of the film would by its very design offer gamers a wide variety of gameplay mechanics.

Whenever I think of a video game based on “Escape From New York” I tend to envision it through the lens of a Metal Gear Solid game. Such a comparison is not hard to understand when you realize that Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima has stated that “Escape from New York” served as an inspiration for many of the elements in the Metal Gear games. I’m certainly not trying to say an “Escape From New York” game should adaptation every aspect of a MGS game, I just feel it would serve as a good starting point.

With the rumored release of an “Escape From New York” film remake on the way, one could image that a game might surface from that project in the form of a movie/game tie-in (which seems to be all the rage these days). If I had my choice though, I would want to see a game based on the Carpenter original, preferably with John Carpenter and Kurt Russell closely involved with the project, as both men created the film together and have a solid understanding of the plot and it’s characters.

In the end, be it based on the ‘81 classic or the upcoming remake, an “Escape from New York” video game is an idea that deserves to see the light of day. You can be sure that if and when such a game comes about, I will be one of the first in line to pick it up.