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One of the funniest games ever? Yes.
It’s clear that the development team at EA knew what they were doing with this license. The storyline and dialogue in the game is simply amazing. The basis of the game is laughably absurd but also works extremely well given the wacky nature of the show in recent years. The game is broken up into episodes that include Marge wanting to keep a game called “Grand Theft Scratchy” off the streets so she has to go on a crusade to do so. In another, Bart finds the manual for “The Simpsons Game” where he’s able to wreak as much mayhem as humanly possible. There are also cameos by Ryu, Mario, Sonic and Madden football player look alikes, which control an alternate world. Even the Treehouse of Horror’s Kodos and Kang get their chance to cause some damage. The game doesn’t shy away from making fun of its medium though, with plenty of parodies that range from Medal of Honor to Grand Theft Auto and EverQuest, among others.
In terms of gameplay, the game has you playing as two Simpsons characters at any given time. The puzzles, although light, will require both of your characters to complete. You can play with another person at any time or play with a computer-controlled sidekick. The AI for your sidekick is fairly good and you can switch between characters at will. Further, the different characters have unique powers at their disposal. Bart has his slingshot and can turn into Bartman to hover from tall buildings. Homer can roll around as a huge ball or throw gummi balls. Marge can persuade civilians to follow head lead and turn them against the enemy. Finally, Lisa can make enemies fight each other and can even clear out a bunch of enemies at once by wielding a massive arm.
However, there are some faults with the game’s gameplay. The game has you fighting numerous characters from mini Krustys to Ryus and Itchy and Scratchy, etc but the actual combat is very shallow. Even those the missions are parodying great games, the objectives are often simple with light puzzles and straightforward platforming. The camera isn’t especially helpful and can block your view many times. But even here the game manages to poke fun of itself and other videogames by highlighting clichés. Try to fall in the water, well you can’t and The Simpsons Game informs you that swimming isn’t coming until the sequel. Although the faults are there, they aren’t a huge issue because you’re often too engrossed in the game to even notice.
Visually, The Simpsons Game looks like it was pulled directly from one of the cartoon episodes. The cel-shaded graphics really manage to capture the art style, characters, environments and feel of the show more so than any previous cartoon-based game. It’s wonderful how the game can make you feel like you’re controlling an actual episode of the TV show. Technically, the framerate keeps up with the game very well.
The audio also impresses. The soundtrack is exclusive to the game but the wacky tunes (jazz music in the Japan level) are right in line with what you would expect from the TV show. The voice acting is superb thanks to the fact that EA managed to get all of the voice cast from the TV show. The dialogue is sharp, witty and funny and delivered with the same enthusiasm that you would hear on the TV show.
The Simpsons Game is a must-have for Simpsons fans. There is so much funny dialogue and fan service, coupled with the superb presentation that I can’t imagine a Simpsons fan not cracking up for the game’s entire duration. If you don’t like the license, though, the game probably won’t do much for you since the underlying gameplay isn’t anything special. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Oct 31, 2007
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