The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants

"I would stay away from this game!"

Nothing has evoked as much frustration and anger quite like this game and most other Simpsons Acclaim games as well. Most people will be challenged, on the first couple of levels, to the point that they'll give up after a while. Only the criminally insane (Or someone with game genie cheats) will take the time to beat the entire game.

Graphics
Like much of this game, the graphics are lacking, but are much better than the NES version. The citizens, for the most part, are just clones of each other, with minor tweaks here and there. The Simpsons characters look like their Tv counterparts for the most part. Though many of the items/sprites are reused over and over again. The game is bright and colorful

Sound
Not much going for this game in this department. There are very few sound effects in this game. The sound test has about 39 sounds if I remember correctly. The Simpsons' theme song is apart of the game. Though nothing is more irritating then hearing the Simpsons' theme song playing for the umpteenth time while running around the first level (Trust me, if you're an average or less than stellar player you'll be on the first level for a while).

Story
The basic story behind this game is that the space aliens have landed on earth and are trying to build the ultimate weapon. Your task, as Bart, is to run around collecting the items or hiding them from the aliens. For some reason the aliens are able to keep switching the types of items that the “ultimate” weapon can use.

Gameplay
This is the section of the game makes it so that this game is, at it's very, very best, average/sub-par. The game takes a literal nosedive here with an extreme amount of difficulty. To start off you can only get hit twice before you die, and only have three lives to start. If you do die, most of the time you start at the beginning of the level/section of level.

Not only do you have to deal with an almost Contra-esque feel about your life, but you also have to put up with some pretty crappy controls too. Most of the platforming is a chore to deal with. If you don't time your jumps just right you miss your mark at most places. Bart also has a tendency to slide around, thus putting his life in peril all the time after jumps or running around. If you can collect enough letters to get your family members' names then they will help out at the end of the level with the boss, though getting to the bosses in this game is pretty much three-fourths the battle.

Replay Value
None, zilch, nada, nothing. Why would you subject yourself to replay this game again? If you're even considering it after playing this game, then you might want to think about checking yourself into your local Psych Ward, and let them know that you're not sane enough to make any rational decisions.

Overall
This game is only slightly better, but still the same gameplay issues are there from the NES version. The only thing that makes this better is the better graphics I really wouldn't bother buying this game unless you're some kind of collector who just has to have everything Simpsons/own every genesis game.

Overall Score: 4/10

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 12/11/06