Are video games based on TV always bad?

There are now more people gaming than ever before, with almost 3.2 billion people predicted to play games in 2022. While console gaming has been highly popular for decades, mobile gaming is now one of the fastest growing sectors as more and more players enjoy the ease and accessibility of gaming from their smartphone.

Game developers take inspiration from all kinds of sources, from historical events, science fiction to television shows and movies. However, games that are based on popular television shows like cartoons, reality shows or entertainment shows don't always have a good reputation or popularity rating with fans.

This does not mean that there are no good television inspired games, there are still plenty of great options, those based on game shows usually fair better, allowing the player to recreate the fun at home, like this Deal or No Deal tie-in reviewed by slots.info.

Sometimes these games receive negative ratings from fans of the television show or film because they have set very high expectations based on what they love about the characters, storyline and interactions on television. Developers do not always hit the mark in creating the experience players desire or anticipate.

One example is an arcade game that was released in 1987 and was based on the popular soap opera Eastenders. It was a one player action based game developed by Towers Associates (UK) and was available on Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro and the Commodore 64 platforms.

This game was not a hit by any stretch of the imagination, in fact it was described by reviewers as being the 'naffest' game release from a major software house in two years. Players played the game as a mysterious Albert Street character and competed in a series of mini games based on the show.

Admittedly this game was developed in the 80s when graphics were much more basic, however buildings in the game are unimpressive and are represented by plain coloured squares.

One mini game involved collecting up laundry from the laundrette, while another involved tending to an allotment. This Eastenders themed game was so disliked that it managed to win the award from 1st Worst Game in the 1987 Crash Readers Awards.

On the other hand, a game based on the long running animated television show The Simpsons was very well received by fans of the franchise. The Simpsons: Hit & Run was first released back in 2003 and was available on PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube.

Players of this game were tasked with driving around an interactive world called Springfield and completing a series of missions and tasks. Playable characters at different parts of the game included Bart, Apu, Homer, Marge and Lisa.

Players could collect coins throughout this sandbox game which could then be used to purchase new cars or clothing items.

This game was perhaps ahead of its time and sold one million copies by June 2004 after it was released. It received awards from Playstation and a Kids Choice Award from Nickelodeon.

One reason Hit & Run was enjoyed so much was because it was a parody of the highly popular Grand Theft Auto video games. It was also a comedic game that followed the same comedy style loved by fans of the show.

Another video game based on an animated series is SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom. This game was released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube in 2003 at the peak of the show's popularity.

The plot follows Spongebob on a mission to find golden spatulas with the help of his friends and prevent evil robots (sent by Plankton) from stealing the coveted Krabby Patty formula. Highly popular at the time, Battle for Bikini bottom was well loved by tv show fans and fondly remembered until this day.

However, the remake of the game 'Rehydrated', released in 2020, did not share the same success. Nostalgic Spongebob fans were unimpressed with the developers attempt to modernise the game.

One issue was that many of the show's watchers are now adults and the game remains kid friendly and game actions are repetitive at times for older players. Players of the original game expected the adventures in this game to differ more from the original.

This perhaps highlights the importance of considering timing and audience when releasing video games based on television shows. Should this game remake have been aimed at a more mature audience given the age of the show?

So, overall there are a wide variety of games that are based on television with varying degrees of success. Some games manage to embrace what a television show is all about and are well received by fans while others fail to capture much interest.