Jawsis a perfect example of simple yet effective. Since it came out in the summer of 1975, it has plagued the imagination of basically every beachgoer at some point. Initially, the franchise showed enormous promise.Jaws 2was one of the most successful sequels of all time, but as the series wore on, it spiraled into absurdity, and the ratings of each subsequent movie plummeted.
Unfortunately,Jawsdid not have such a glamorous debut in its video game run. The first game released wasJawsfor the NES, and although it probably stands as one of the better games to come out of the franchise,Jawsnever really managed to find its footing after a shaky start. WhileJawscan take credit for kicking off a new genre of game, fans that are eager to take the reins and control a ferocious, bloodthirsty shark should probably look outside the franchise toalternatives likeManeater.
RELATED:This Creature Feature Is A Great Spin On The Jaws Formula
Jaws (1987)
Jawsis actually one of theshortest games on the NES. The entire experience can last about 45 minutes in total, but almost the entire time is spent whittling away Jaws' life bar. For what it’s worth, the difficulty ofJawsis both its biggest weakness and its greatest charm. For the generation that grew up on the NES, beating a game likeJawswas often a badge of household honor.
Jaws: The Computer Game (1989)
WhenJawshit the Amiga, things started to fall apart.Jaws: The Computer Gamewas a confusing and convoluted mess that featured the titular Jaws as more of an afterthought than anything else. The game mostly consisted of players going from screen to screen wreaking havoc on various creatures of the sea and pelting Jaws with bullets whenever he would show up. After whittling down Jaws' health bar, the game would immediately cut to a victory screen and the hi-score leaderboard.
Jaws (1989)
Jawsfor the Commodore 64 is very much the same offering that was available on the Amiga. While theCommodore 64 had a handful of memorable games,Jawsis not one of them. For all intents and purposes,JawsandJaws: The Computer Gameare identical, except that Jaws on the Commodore 64 has arguably worse graphics and the shark itself has a less imposing aesthetic. On the whole, the offerings of the 80s in terms ofJawsgames were fairly weak.
Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure (2001)
Unfortunately, Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure is another failed outing forJaws. The base game consisted of running around collecting trash around the theme parks in order to earn enough points to buy movie-branded hats. Once a player had accrued enough points and bought the correct hat, they could enter the related ride. The game featured other Universal Studios classics likeE.T. the Extra-TerrestrialandBack to the Future,but the actual games lack any depth and are presented mostly as mini-games. ForJaws, the player has to fend off the shark by throwing crates and barrels at it as it attacks their ship.
Jaws Unleashed (2006)
After almost 20 years from the initial game, fans finally got the ability to take control of the man-eating shark. This game probably came closest to capturing the terror ofthe initialJawsfilm and shark moviesin general.Jaws Unleashedhad its fair share of minor problems, but the simple concept of taking control ofJawsand leveling up by causing mayhem meant that the franchise finally had a game that captured the essence of the films and paved the way for future games likeManeater.
Jaws: Ultimate Predator (2011)
IfJaws Unleashedstraddled the line between absurd and believable,Jaws: Ultimate Predatorcompletely jumped over it. The game bestowsJawswith action hero level abilities on par withJohn Wickthat see the shark tricking a giant squid into wrapping itself up with its own tentacles and dodging a homing missile by leaping over a boat. For whatever reason,Jaws: Ultimate Predatorsort of works in spite of its silliness, and is generally a fairly well-reviewed game compared to what players might expect.
Pinball FX 3 (2017)
Jaws' latest outing was in the form of aPinball FX 3table that came as part of the Universal Classics pack, which allowed players the chance to play on tables inspired byJaws,Back to the Future, andE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), this game is much more pinball than it isJaws. At the very least,gruff captain Quint from the originalJawsfilmjumps around the table activating bonuses and cheering the player on.
