There is a near-infinite amount of creatures in the ever-expanding world of video games, from the terrifying abominations that plague the survival horror genre to alien creatures from beyond the stars in sci-fi series like Mass Effect and Halo and even lovable collectable monsters such as those featured in Pokemon and Digimon.
While the sources of inspiration for these creatures come from all different forms of media, some are heavily inspired by those who came before them. Movie monsters themselves have been inspiring video game creatures since at least the early 1980s and continue to inspire them to this day.
10 Maneater Was Inspired By Jaws (And Other Shark Movies)
One of the most obvious examples of video game creatures inspired by movie monsters is the Shark from Maneater, which was inspired by Jaws, and more specifically, the 2006 PlayStation 2 game Jaws Unleashed. Maneater even roars similarly to the way Jaws does, even though real-life sharks are not able to do so.
The Truth Quest DLC for Maneater seems to be inspired by the various Shark and Versus movies made by The Asylum, complete with a secret experimental site leaking radioactive chemicals, predators including the shark itself gaining various abilities due to mutation, and a mosasaur as the final boss.
9 The Vortex Were Inspired By Xenomorphs
Many video game creatures have been heavily inspired by the Xenomorphs from the Alien franchise, from the titular alien species in Metroid to the enemies in Contra and more. One species of Xenomorph-inspired video game aliens that aren't discussed as much are the Vortex from the Ecco the Dolphin series.
Like their inspiration, the vortex have a hive with drones and warrior drones led by a singular queen. The warrior drones, in particular, look nearly identical to their inspiration, with the same head, torso, and claws that Xenomorphs have. Maybe Ellen Ripley can give Ecco some pointers if he ever comes back.
8 The Prone Were Inspired By The Yautja
Despite their similar status as a famous 1980s sci-fi movie monster, the Yautja, or the alien race from the Predator franchise, don't seem to have as many video game creatures inspired by them when compared to Xenomorphs. There are still a handful though, including the Prone from Xenoblade Chronicles X.
Both the Yautja and Prone are warlike alien races, consist of different clans, have mandible-like mouths, and wear similar armor when going into battle. Luckily the Prone, or at least the Tree clan, are willing to ally themselves with other races when facing a threat they know they can't defeat on their own.
7 Demetri Maximoff Was Inspired By Dracula
Dracula was first featured in Bram Stoker's novel of the same name, but the antihero protagonist of the Darkstalkers series is likely based on the version of the character from the 1931 film.
Shared traits between the vampires include but are not limited to: living in a castle with servants, sleeping in a coffin to recover, and having an aversion to sunlight. However, Dracula has never been sent to another dimension by an outside force alongside other Universal horror monsters in order to fight against them. Demetri's Midnight Bliss attack can also turn his male opponents into female versions of themselves.
6 Kermonster Was Inspired By Frankenstein
Muppet Monster Adventure features several well-known Muppet characters that have been turned into creatures resembling Universal horror monsters and could fill half this list, but that would be less interesting. The most important one of all is Kermonster, or Muppet mascot and spokesperson Kermit the Frog turned into a Frankenstein-like monster.
It's interesting that Kermit wasn't turned into something more akin to Gill-man from Creature From The Black Lagoon due to his swampy origins, but this position was instead taken by Clifford, a popular Muppet at the time, due to being the host of the TV show Muppets Tonight.
5 V.E.R.N. Was Inspired By Gremlins
Rampage has a large variety of giant monsters, that are either inspired by other sources or are original characters. The character V.E.R.N., who first appeared as a power-up form for any character in Rampage World Tour and later became a playable character in the Nintendo Wii version of Rampage Total Destruction, was inspired by the titular creatures of the 1984 film Gremlins.
In Rampage World Tour, any other monster will temporarily become V.E.R.N. after ingesting purple toxic waste, which grants them flight, increased damage, the ability to shoot fireballs, and invulnerability to death. In Total Destruction, V.E.R.N. is immune to radiation.
4 Abhorrent Beast Was Inspired By The Wolfman
Bloodborne has many different horror elements and inspirations throughout its world, with cosmic horror being the basis for quite a few enemies and bosses. However, the Abhorrent Beast is based more on traditional horror and is more akin to The Wolfman. The player can first encounter the Abhorrent Beast if they attack the Afflicted Beggar, an NPC who is relatively harmless otherwise.
If the player tells him to go to the Oedon Chapel, he will be there, but the other NPCs present will start disappearing one by one until he is the last one left. He leaves afterward if not killed.
3 Preytor Was Inspired By The Deadly Mantis and Them!
All the characters in War of the Monsters are based on the giant monsters that frequently appeared in a number of sci-fi films of the 1950's. Preytor, the giant praying mantis and the only female monster in the game, is based on the titular creature from The Deadly Mantis, although they have different origins.
Preytor also has an alternate costume which makes her look more like an ant, and prior to a boss fight in the single-player campaign, the player fights against a colony of them, similar to the colony of giant ants featured in the 1954 sci-fi film Them!
2 The Zilla Were Inspired By Godzilla
While the Zilla breed from Monster Rancher 2 look absolutely nothing like the king of the monsters, they're based on wordplay of his name. The name Gojira is a combination of the English word Gorilla, and Kujira, the Japanese word for whale.
Zilla take this in the more literal sense, being whale ape hybrids. The name Zilla is also used for the reimagined version of Godzilla from Tristar Pictures 1997 movie of the same name after rights for the fish-loving monster were acquired by Toho in 2004, although this was five years after the original release of Monster Rancher 2.
1 Rhydon Was Inspired By The Kaiju Film Genre
The first Pokemon to ever be created was Rhydon, but it didn't always look reminiscent of a rhinoceros, which is because Rhydon was originally based on the concept of Kaiju, the various monsters featured in the Japanese film genre of the same name.
Rhydon may be only one Pokemon, but the franchise as a whole partially owes its existence to the kaiju genre. Due to its original influences and older designs, including but not limited to Rhydon, it seems as if big Pokemon were inevitable and have finally been set free due to the inclusion of Totem Pokemon, Dynamax, Gigantamax, and Alpha Pokemon.
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