Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and other action movie icons unite their testosterone-filled movie sensibilities in The Expendables 2, which hits theaters August 17th. For many, The Expendables 2 is a celebration of big muscles, big guns, and big body counts, but here at 2D-X we’re taking a look at the impact that the film’s stars had on the video game industry.
Would Ikari Warriors exist in a world without John Rambo? Which films influenced Contra? Have The Expendable 2 stars (or their likenesses) appeared in video games that weren’t absolute trash? We’ll answer those questions via several feature stories, and review the games thematically related to The Expendables 2 actors’ bodies of work. We’ll also discuss the relationship between video games and ’80s and ’90s action heroes in our podcasts, and discuss our favorite action movies.
So, join us as we reflect on the intersection of action movies and action video games. Note: It’s a shame that the world lacks a Gymkata video game.
The Spread:
- Contra NES Review: Schwarzenegger and Sly’s pre-Expendables team up
- Commando: Steel Disaster Review: Big guns, big frustration
- The 8-bit Expendables
- Expendables No More: The Rise of the Action Movie Tie-In Game
- Metal Slug 7 Review: Slug (mostly) done right
- The Best Damn Video Game Podcast #4 – The Expendables and ’80s Action Games
- The Most Bad Ass Military Action Games
- The Games behind The Expendables 2
- Dynamite Cop Review: Die Hard on acid
Founder and Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey L. Wilson’s love of all things shiny/digital has led to jobs penning gadget- and video game-related nerd-copy for 1UP, E-Gear, Laptop, LifeStyler, Parenting, PC Magazine, Sync, Wise Bread, and WWE. Besides overseeing the editorial content at 2D-X.com, the Brooklyn College grad hosts New York City’s monthly Bits and Bytes video game media and public relations meetup. You can find him at a bar sampling foreign beers, or on Twitter doing twittery things.
