TopGearAustralia

Ever wanted to strap a Scion to two thermal rocket boosters and launch the bastard into the stratosphere or fill a car to the brim with water and drive it into general traffic just to see the reaction of the others drivers on the road? Do you still like having a clean driving record and car insurance that doesn't require the blood of your first born child?

BBC has got the solution for gearheads like you and me: an official 'Top Gear' video game! The broadcasting giant is taking the world's greatest car show and bringing it to a a Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS or iPhone near you, news that doubly good to me because I'm a huge 'Top Gear' fan and I called for it to be turned into a video game right here at TV Squad! Who says dreams don't come true now, Mom?

A new season of Top Gear, one of this particular gear head's favorite shows, is headed to BBC America on January 25. And, to build buzz for the show's upcoming 13th season, BBC America is giving away DVDs for the new releases of Top Gear Season 11 and Season 12.

One of the modern stalwarts of British TV, Top Gear is a popular import to the U.S. with its mix of super cars, stunts and less than politically correct humor. For viewers like me, it's fantasy fulfillment and as close to some mammothly powerful cars as we'll ever come.

We're a season behind here in the U.S., as U.K. fans already worked their way through Season 14. But, the show's ongoing success on U.S. screens means this franchise should drive on a little farther.

There is nothing inherently wrong with turning a TV series into a video game spinoff. It can fill in the gaps between seasons to quell the viewers' hunger, let audiences explore characters from new perspectives and even give the more hardcore couch potatoes some much needed exercise even if they only burned 1/100ths of a calorie solely through their thumbs.

The problem is video game developers pick TV shows that should never even become a travel sized board game. Developers have given the greenlight to games based on shows like American Idol, Desperate Housewives and even ... Grey's Anatomy?!? I hope that last one was a first-person shooter.

There are far better shows that offer far more entertaining elements for a kick-ass video game. These are the shows that should be next in line for a pixelated re-treatment.