History of Doctor Who Videogames

I am sure many of you play videogames for entertainment and relaxation.  But are you aware of the video game history of Doctor Who?  Admittedly it’s a short and torrid path but one worth recounting.

 

Dalek Attack came out in 1992.  A simple side scrolling game for the PC, Commodore 64, Amiga, ZX Spectrum, and Atari ST.  You play as the Seventh Doctor (although some versions had the Fourth & Fifth Doctor available).  I personally never played this game but would love to give it a try.

 

Doctor Who Pinball was released in 1992 from Midway.  Midway was well known for pinball and arcade games of the 80’s and early 90’s before the infamous arcade crash.  Doctor Who was one of the last great pinballs of that time.  The game itself was vastly different than any other standard pinball game.  This pin required more strategy than any other which was quite confusing for most who played it.  Both Sylvester McCoy  and Anthony Ainley can be heard while playing.  I have fond memories of this pin.  I first came across it in a north London pub while backpacking across the UK.  Having a couple of pints while playing this game was a real treat.  I have hopes of adding this to my personal arcade in the near future. 

 

Destiny of the Doctors was released in 1997 for the PC.  A first person keyboard / mouse adventure in which the player is cast as Graak.  Graak is a nondescript green glob that makes its way around the TARDIS in order to rescue all seven incarnations of the Doctor from the Master.  Back in 1997 I remember ordering this game from a UK retailer for $60 shipped.  So I had very high expectations…  However, once I received the game I was a little upset at the quality.  The game was well remembered for the video content that accompanied the game play.  Anthony Ainley’s acting was superb as was exploring the TARDIS interior.  It was the game mechanics that fail to impress.  On a side note the motion video from the game can be accessed from the Survival DVD under special features.  Which is nice since you don’t have to suffer through the game to see the true gem.

 

Doctor Who Top Trumps is a recent release for the Playstation 2 and Nintendo DS & Wii.  The game is based off of the Top Trumps card game.  Very much in the same vain as Pokémon, Yugioh, Bakugan, etc...  Two players face off and the one who acquires all of the cards win.  Admittedly, when a new Doctor Who game was announced I had hoped for something a little more exciting.  While I’m sure this game will appeal to some, Edios could have done a lot better with the license. 

 

There are also many that have hacked PC games to include Daleks, Cybermen, etc. into games like Doom and Unreal.  While it is commendable to see fans of the show create their own content, I feel that Doctor Who lends itself better to an adventure/ puzzle game.  I just can’t see the Doctor running around firing a BFG 9000 up someone’s backside.

 

If you think I missed a particular game please email me at [e-mail] .

 

-Steve