The Simpsons Game

"As soulless as the recent seasons"

The Simpsons was a show I watched growing up. I stopped watching almost 10 years ago when the show went down hill. The recent movie also failed to make me laugh. I must admit I was interested in this game though as it did look amusing.

The Simpsons' home town is invaded by aliens and they all realize they have super powers so help this American family save their small town. Sadly the plot doesn't go past there. It some how strings together cliché after cliché and while that style is its own joke it doesn't really work. The humor is actually pretty good at first but then it settles into the really bad zone. It becomes stale and the overused one liner will drive you insane.

This game is a mixed bag in the graphics department. While I didn't notice any clipping or anything I did notice that the animation went from TV quality to down right horrid. The level designs are kind of bland but it does maintain a pretty good look alike for the show.

The actors from the TV show provide their voices for this game. It's a nice addition but it also becomes more obvious that certain people voice way too many characters. The music has a pretty basic feel and besides the theme song nothing stuck out to me. Sound effects are okay but again, the one liners end up repeating way too often.

The control in this game is terrible. The camera can be manipulated with the right stick. It gets caught on everything and after fighting it into a spot where you need it will most like spazz out and flip around to where it was before. The character moves okay but I found that at times the controls weren't responsive. Switching characters with the d-pad is a terrible idea because it really doesn't respond at all so you'll either not switch or you'll switch to someone and then right back to whomever you were playing as before.

The game is made up of about 16 levels. These levels will have you tag teaming your partner. Who each character is depends on the level. I like this idea as it spices the game play up and keeps it from growing too stale.

You reach the levels via warps in the world map. So it's cool that you get to explore the town of Springfield. Within the city is a ton of collectables to find. The same goes for the stages as well as you must be a specific character to pick up their collectables.

The levels themselves are fairly linear and at times are clichéd. Yes, the game is suppose to be that way but at what point does making fun of something by creating clichés go from being funny to becoming tired. To be honest it took about 4 stages before I grew tired of this.

But again the characters keep things interesting. Homer is slower but his attack pack a punch and his ability to turn into a ball and break stuff is helpful. Bart's light weight and his Bartman powers allow him to grapple to high spots. Lisa's love of the earth and the sax allows her to stun enemies and to use her close connect to Buddha as a way to move objects. And then there is Marge. She brain washes the masses to follow her by sharing the ways of the evils of video games.

So it isn't that it gets boring but it gets old. The characters do gain some new abilities as they go along but they are rarely used and when you do need to use them then you don't even remember you have them. It's a flaw for the game.

The game is short. It does offer a lot to work towards and the achievements require you to finish each level twice due to timed stages. I beat the game in 2 days and will never return to it.

With all of that said it's still the only worth while Simpsons game since the original arcade classic (which is not included). Is the game worth the money? Not really. It reminds me of the more recent episodes which aren't even funny but the little pokes at gaming itself keeps this game from falling flat on its face. Rental at best but nothing else.

Story - 6/10
Graphics - 7/10
Sound - 8/10
Control - 6/10
Game Play - 6/10
Replay Value - 4/10

Final Score - 6/10

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 11/16/07

Game Release: The Simpsons Game (US, 10/30/07)