Hey, friends! It has been one of the busiest Spring semesters of all time – including several state-wide events, a fresh set of classes and students, and an interview for my own job (which was successful!). When there were finally moments to breathe, TV sitcoms and video games were some of my greatest sources of comfort. But, what if we combined the two!? Double the comfort, right??????
Unsurprisingly, there aren’t very many games based on sitcoms. So, here’s what I could rustle up for my Top Ten! Can you think of any other? Share with me in a comment below!
10. Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers
(Super Nintendo, 1994)
Okay, okay, so Power Rangers is not really a sitcom. It’s considered a live-action superhero show. But, you can’t ignore that it has elements of situational comedy especially in the early parts of each episode where they’re hanging out at school dealing with the town bullies, Bulk and Skull. In fact, there were times when I preferred just watching these parts as opposed to the fighting and giant robots – it kind of reminded me of Saved By The Bell!
9. M*A*S*H
(Atari, 1983)
One of the most beloved series in television history, M*A*S*H follows the crew of the 4077th surgical unit during the Korean War and combines dramatic elements with quirky characters to make light of a challenging time in history. To make a video game out this was a rather bold move, but Atari took those two elements and made them as arcade-y as possible. 1) You rescue people in the field by helicopter while avoiding being shot down. 2) You operate on soldiers who have been shot by removing bullets from their body a la the Operation board game. Kind of a depressing concept when you think about it, huh?
8. Alf
(Sega Master System, 1989)
ALF: You’ve been looking at my recipe book.
Our favorite furry space alien got his own game on the Sega Master System, touting some classic one-liners and….exploring caves with bats. In this semi-open world adventure, Alf is trying to assemble pieces of a spaceship so he can meet his friends on Mars. Honestly, they missed out on an opportunity to make this a game about hunting cats for dinner.
7. The Three Stooges
(NES, 1987)
Boxing, food fights, go-kart races, and more! In this series of mini-game challenges, you help the classic trio of Larry, Curly, and Moe (but no Shemp) to raise money to save woman’s orphanage. Each scenario is cleverly based off of movies and skits from the Stooges’ history. Though, the execution makes me want to get poked in the eye. I think this game would have done better as an effort to actually raise money for orphanages.
6. Lizzie McGuire: On The Go
(Game Boy Advance, 2003)
From the manual: “Lizzie McGuire: One the Go! game is more than just a game – it’s an address book, a brain teaser, and a whole lot more. Alone or with friends, you’ll be entertained for hours with fun games such as When Cheerleaders Attack!, Box Bash, Code Blue, cool party activities like Lizzie’s Charades, Ask Lizzie and Operator. It also includes rockin’ PDA features like Class Scheduler, Horoscopes, and Best Friends Address Book.”
Can’t say much more than that, huh?? Can you imagine bringing your Game Boy Advance to school and powering up your Lizzie McGuire game so you can figure out what class to go to next?
5. Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit
(Super Nintendo, 1994)
Real men don’t need instructions – and if you were to try to read the instruction manual for this game, you’d literally see the text BLOCKED by a big label that says “real men don’t need instructions.” So, instead you’re thrown into the first stage of the game, Tim “the Tool-Man” Taylor trying to retrieve a set of stolen power tools by navigating the set a show about dinosaurs. Where’s Wilson when you need him?
4. The Office: Somehow We Manage
(Mobile, 2022)
If you ever wanted to fill the shoes of Michael Scott by running the in’s and out’s of the Dunder Mifflin paper company, you’re in luck! This mobile simulation game based on The Office will have you tapping your way to victory (that’s what she said!) while interacting with your favorite characters. The game’s homepage touts that you can “relive memorable from The Office in a whole new way!” Can I relive Kevin dropping a giant pot of chili? Which famous Office moment would you want to relive??
Try the game for yourself: https://www.theofficesomehowwemanagegame.com/
3. The Adventures of Gilligan’s Island
(NES, 1990)
Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a game that forces you to aimlessly wander an island until you figure out what to do. You control the Skipper, followed by the faithful but bumbling Gilligan, while searching for a way back to the main land. I appreciate that there’s a constant stream of dialogue taking place between the characters as they encounter each new obstacle, adding the same kind of banter you’d experience while watching the show. Will the castaways ever get off the island? … Stay tuned!
2. The Flintstones: The Rescue of Dino & Hoppy
(NES, 1991)
Kidnappings? Time travel? A cross-over with The Jetsons? It’s all here in The Flintstones: The Rescue of Dino & Hoppy! This action-platformer provides a surprisingly rock-solid adventure as you help Fred recover his and Barney’s pets from a 30th century madman. Check this game out – you’ll have a gay ol’ time!
Honorable Mentions:
The Simpsons: Bart vs the Space Mutants
(NES, 1991)
NBA Jam: Tournament Edition
(Super Nintendo, 1995)
Full House
(Tiger Electronics, 1992)
1. Fester’s Quest
(NES, 1989)
While there are several Addams Family games between the Nintendo and Super Nintendo, Fester’s Quest is the only one based (very loosely) on the original 1960’s sitcom. All of the classic characters appear to help our hero, and the title screen even has a modern 8-bit rendition of the theme song. Okay, yeah, maybe Fester never hunted down any evil alien invaders in the show. But, if anyone in the family were to take on the task, it most certainly would be him!
Thanks for stopping by to read my post! Can you think of any other sitcoms that have a video game adaptation? Or, did you play any of these games? Share you’re experience with me in the comments!
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Eric Hagmann Music 
I played a mean Sabrina the Teenage Witch on Gameboy growing up!
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