Someone should make a game about: Frasier Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Someone should make a game about: Frasier "Dog Army." Feature by Christian Donlan Features Editor Published on 3 Mar 2021 62 comments For years I've been dreaming of a Left 4 Dead mod that features the cast of Frasier. Trapped between safe houses in an abandoned hospital, Niles caves someone's head in with a hardback copy of the ICD-9 codes, as Marty jams a door shut with his walking stick. Daphne - who's a little bit psychic - correctly predicts the arrival of a Jockey through a broken window while Frasier is lost in a panic, circling wildly and raging about his next trip to La Cigare Volant. It would work, I think. A set-piece at the KACL studios, where zombie-Roz traps them all in the sound booth as Gil Chesterton - possibly not zombie-Gil-Chesterton - lights the place on fire. A frantic last-minute rescue mission back to the apartment to save Marty's armchair. Niles is wiping his new machine gun with a handkerchief because who knows who had it before him? Eddie sniffs out a cache of grenades. "Need a med-kit!" yells Daphne. I'm listening. But is this the only way to take the greatness of Frasier and spin it into a video game? Is it even the best way? Let's go to a new caller. One of the things that has always surprised me about Frasier comes down to the idea of character function. In films and TV, where time is at a premium, you tend not to have a lot of redundancy. In terms of characters, this means they have to be distinct, and they have to fulfil distinct roles. Look at Cheers, in fact, and you'll see a good example of this. Sam is the womaniser, Diane is the moral heart of the show, and Woody is a goofball. But then look at Frasier and something quickly becomes apparent. Fretful, pompous, pedantic, over-educated and slightly out of touch with modern life, Frasier and Niles are both fulfilling very similar functions. Brandy, the traditional spelling. I have pondered this for a while - mostly while watching Frasier. Frasier himself came from Cheers, where he was a special character, an extreme stereotype of the over-thinking psychiatrist whose own life is a terrible mess. To make him the actual star of a sitcom, he had to move slightly - just slightly - to the centre ground. The producers did this by in effect creating a more extreme stereotype, his brother Niles. Compared to Niles - and only compared to Niles - Frasier is more of a natural lead. What this also gives Frasier, though, is a glorious set-up in which you have something of a rarity: two central characters who are very, very similar. Which means they can create a kind of echo chamber. Lots of Frasier episodes are essentially the same plot: Frasier is worried about something and Niles amplifies his worry, and then Frasier amplifies that, and then Niles comes up with a foolish solution, which Frasier makes even more foolish. It turns out that having two characters who are almost identical is actually a brilliant idea for a sitcom after all. Character function be damned, as Frasier might say, tossing back a sherry. Watch on YouTube Anyway: I think this would also be an interesting foundation for a game. A narrative adventure game. We switch between controlling Frasier and Niles. Both have similar skills, but there are areas where they are different. Niles is a touch more obsessed with cleanliness, Frasier is more desperate for a date. Niles is a Jungian, and Frasier is a Freudian. An adventure where you make progress by using each character's skills in the areas where they do not overlap - finding the places where Frasier and Niles complement one another rather than simply doubling up - would be a fascinating prospect. Sort of a puzzle game, sort of a narrative comedy version of Head over Heels. Scrambled egg all over our faces. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More Features Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." 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