John Carpenter‘s 1981 post-apocalyptic action-thriller Escape from New York is one of my all-time favorite movies. Shot on a low-budget with the slums of St. Louis, Missouri subbing for the crime-riddled streets of a walled-off Manhattan Island, Carpenter delivered a thrilling adventure that has aged well and continues to lure in and surprise new fans with its fast-paced action set pieces and a lead performance from Kurt Russell as one of the big screen’s coolest anti-heroes: Snake Plissken.

Ten years ago, it was revealed that the iconic eyepatch-sporting criminal with nothing to lose would be starring in his own video game created by Namco Hometek (Dead to Rights) and featuring Russell’s distinctive voice and likeness. Snake Plissken’s Escape was designed to be a third-person adventure game in the vein of the Tomb Raider and Metal Gear Solid (which also featured a hero named Snake) series. The game was scheduled to hit store shelves in Christmas 2005, but for reasons unknown it was cancelled and the project was never resurrected despite having a storyline approved by Russell, Carpenter, and their late producing partner Debra Hill.

Below you’ll find an extended promo for the unreleased Escape game. Take a look and wonder with me at what might have been. A Snake Plissken video game? I would have bought an Xbox brand new for that.

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[Source: Kotaku via IGN]