Grey’s Anatomy: The Video Game & 9 Other Shows You Didn’t Know Were Playable

Motion pictures and television series have more than often served as inspirations for video games, often as promotional tie-in products. While a game based on franchises like Game of Thrones, The Simpsons, and Star Trek wouldn’t come off as a surprise, it’s amusing to note that even sitcoms, reality shows, and drama series have inspired many video games over the years. Such lesser-known examples include Law & Order, Grey’s Anatomy, and even Hell’s Kitchen!

Most of these video-game adaptations might not have fared well with the critics and audiences but they still make for essential collectors’ items for TV aficionados.

10 Grey’s Anatomy: The Video Game (2009)

Published by Ubisoft for the Wii, PC, and Nintendo DS, Grey’s Anatomy: The Video Game was an action-based single-player game. Players can choose between a Challenge and a Surgery Mode, with events mostly taking place in the continuity of season 4.

A diphtheria outbreak in the hospital forms the central storyline, along with subplots like Cristina’s desires to seek a fellowship and Meredith and Derek’s relationship. The plot-driven gameplay was noted for incorporating dramatic as well as romantic elements, much like its source material.

9 Desperate Housewives: The Game (2006)

Desperate Housewives is the perfect pick for fans of the show, as well as life simulation games like The Sims. Divided into 12 tasks, the central character is an amnesiac who moves to a house on Wisteria Lane and learns to cope with the other wives, while going through the ups and downs of her own life.

Despite mixed reviews, Desperate Housewives: The Game achieved impressive sales and the show’s continuous popularity ultimately led to a 2017 free-for-all game on iOS.

8 The Sopranos: Road To Respect (2006)

The Sopranos has had a cult following and with it roughly falling under the gangster genre, a video game tie-in might not seem surprising.

The plot largely takes place in the middle of the fifth and sixth seasons, with players taking control of a new protagonist, Joey LaRocca (an illegitimate son of Salvatore Bonpensiero) as he gets the hang of the Sopranos family business. While the game is an interesting mafia-based adventure, it doesn’t focus on other dramatic aspects of the show pertaining to internal politics and familial relationships.

7 Bill Nye: The Science Guy – Stop The Rock! (1996)

Bill Nye is best known for appearing in the educational science program Bill Nye: The Science Guy, a big hit in the 1990s. As can be expected from a Bill Nye video game, this too was educational in nature.

Stop The Rock starts off with a meteoroid threat that can be countered by a laser satellite-linked computer system. However, when the system acquires a personality of its own and begins asking seven science riddles, the player must answer these scientific questions first before the meteor strikes Earth.

6 Jackass: The Game (2007)

The extreme sports and prank comedy show Jackass received the video-game treatment for the PlayStation2, Nintendo DS, and the PlayStation Portable. However, instead of performing any of the over-the-top stunts, the player serves as an interim director of the series who’s tasked with assorting and editing some of the best cutscenes from the stunt footage.

Once the scenes are arranged in the preferred order with the right amount of thrills, the player can attain the objective of creating an all-new season of Jackass. With cast members like Johnn Knoxville and Ryan Dunn reprising their roles, the game also provides for some entertaining cutscenes.

5 The Shield (2007)

The crime drama series The Shield inspired a critically-panned release for the PlayStation 2 that can still be enjoyed as a guilty pleasure by some. In its essence, The Shield is a third-person shooter with players controlling the fan-favorite protagonist, Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis).

Mackey is mostly tasked with investigating crime on the streets of Los Angeles as he controls gang violence, finds guns, and arrests troublemakers. Given the nature of the missions, stealth is seen as important a skill as combat.

4 James Cameron’s Dark Angel (2002)

Created by James Cameron, Dark Angel might be a largely forgotten sci-fi drama, but it’s notable for having given Jessica Alba her first major role. The series was set in a post-apocalyptic Seattle, with Alba playing a genetically enhanced supersoldier on the run.

The accompanying beat ’em up video game received unfavorable reviews for its flawed stealth mode and bizarre camera angles, but Jessica Alba’s voice acting as Max Guevara was still praised. The game’s story is also compelling, given how it faithfully recreates the show it’s based on.

3 Prison Break: The Conspiracy (2010)

Prison Break‘s premise is evident from its title. But with the video game adaptation of the show’s first season, a new “conspiracy” was introduced. Instead of joining the good fight as the protagonist Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller), the player takes up the role of an undercover agent in the prison who must ensure that a falsely incarcerated inmate gets executed.

The addition of this original character seems a tad bit absurd, while the gameplay didn’t have much to offer for the critics who gave it an overwhelmingly negative response.

2 Fonz (1976)

A major reason behind the success of Happy Days was the character of The Fonz, played by Henry Winkler. The leather jacket-wearing greaser was mostly seen on a motorcycle prompting Sega to release a racing arcade game in his honor. The branding was pretty apt, as the game’s flyers bore the slogan, “TV’s hottest name, your hottest game.”

Originally, the game was released in Japan as Road Race, with the player’s objective to steer a motorcycle and prevent any collisions with other vehicles. Fonz was a rebranding of the same game, released as a tie-in for the aforementioned sitcom, as Winkler’s supporting character’s popularity was overshadowing that of the show’s lead stars.

1 Hell’s Kitchen: The Game (2008)

The tension and intensity of Gordon Ramsay’s show Hell’s Kitchen is replicated in the game of the same name. It plays out as a time management cooking game while making dishes and managing a kitchen under the supervision of the foul-mouthed and hot-headed chef.

The Ubisoft release might not be a gaming masterpiece, but its concept is enough to provide entertainment. Canada-based Ludia developed the title, continuing their legacy of reality show-inspired games, as they were also involved in the adaptation of The Price Is Right, a few months later.

About The Author

Shaurya Thapa
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Shaurya Thapa is an Indian freelance journalist who mostly dabbles in writings on cinema, music, and human interest features. When it comes to Screen Rant, he writes lists on a wide array of subjects ranging from international films to mainstream Netflix series and comic book trivia. He also hosts a podcast called ‘BhindiWire’, an Indian parody of IndieWire.

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