VGR The Simpsons Game

Let's be honest, most Simpsons game sucked. Sure they they might have been fun depending on your own tastes, but it's not like they tried much...

... That is, until this one.

For more Matt Groening-related reviews, check these other pages below!

The Simpsons Movie
Futurama Season 1 / Futurama The Game
Bender's Big Score / The Beast with a Billion Backs / Bender's Game / Into the Wild Green Yonder

Futurama vol. 5

VGR: The Simpsons Game

From EA Redwood Shores/Electronic Arts

Played on Xbox 360

Also available on PS2, PS3, PSP, DS & Wii

Type Action platformer

Year 2007

The Simpsons Game was developed by Electronic Arts' Redwood Shores team.

There's been so many awful attempts in the old days of video games. And after some decent 3D titles this past decade, the staff thought it was time to finally attempt pulling off a genuinely good Simpsons game.

At least technology had progressed enough that you could make 3D graphics look like 2D characters with a good cel-shading effect.

Several people from the cartoon's crew worked on this one. The storyline was written by Tim Long, Matt Selman, and Matt Warburton, all writers on the show.

With EA they tried to make a great new Simpsons game with feedback from Matt Groening and the other writers during the development. That is why the game doesn't have a subtitle, it's a proper new take on the Simpsons' gaming series.

The game was originally supposed to follow The Movie before it became its own thing.

The story is told through animated cutscenes straight from the animators behind the series giving this game the credibility that was lacking in all of the previous attempts.

One day as Bart was trying to guy a copy of the newly released Grand Theft Scratchy, he finds a manual for a Simpsons game taking place in Springfield. Long story short, everyone's favorite yellow-colored family discover they are actually protagonists in a video game in a story not that far from the Treehouse of Horror episodes.

Our heroes start the day fighting their way through simple problems, protesting to prevent a violent video game release, saving some trees and preventing a robbery at the Natural History Museum.

But things escalate rapidly. And after an alien invasion they turn to the Internet to find some help.

The end up meeting their predecessors, obsolete 8-bit Simpsons, go through various game parodies, and finally meet with Matt Groening himself and face down with God!

What an epic tale, I tell ya!

The game itself actually takes some cues directly from Futurama The Game actually.

It's very much the same interactive experience, with the same amount of story guiding through these various different levels. It even plays pretty similarly, but The Simpsons Game takes that concepts and expands it.

You are actually free to roam through Springfield where the story and some places will bring you the next levels. At first the game switches characters for you but you can select who you want to use in the city.

You can control 2 members of the family simultaneously (or play co-op!). There's a ton of collectibles to find in the city and in the levels, from video game trivia sarcastically commented by the Comic Book Guy to specific objects (such as Donuts or Duff Beers) only a character can pick up. Perfect for replay value.

Once beat the pretty long entire campaign you can replay any chapter, continue to unlock stuff you missed or simply rewatch the hilarious story!

All characters can attack and have a sort of "super power". Plus costumes you'll unlock during the story you can select any time.

Everything's done to allow you to explore back the world of Springfield such as Bus Stops taking you wherever you want to go.

Bart can change into Bartman and his segments parody Batman, of course. The game predates Batman: Arkham Asylum yet while you're using his cape and grapling hooks it feels like a jab at that game years before its release. Perfect!

Homer - personally my least favorite in the game I admit - burps and farts. He can change into both an enormous rolling blob. Or a jell-o creature for some reason. But he's still the funniest to hear comment during gameplay. Still voiced by the awesome Dan Castellaneta. Actually the entire cast of the show return on the game, it's a real pleasure to the ear.

Lisa plays the sax as a weapon. She tries to make use of these new found powers to help the environment.

And if you can use those to help a cause, why not stop the release of violent video games like Marge? Marge is also playable (with Maggie!). Not like she won't be using some violence herself, getting the crowds rallied to trash the place.

The Simpsons Game has the perfect look and feel of the show.

It's amazing to just wander around the town.

If it does anything right is taking the tone of the show and transposing it into an actual video game.

The game is quite long, challenging enough without being way too difficult.

It offers a lot of surprises and variety. Sure the controls could be a bit better at times, but it's really not that big a problem.

It makes fun of the gaming industry. The game has a ton of Simpsons allusions, random cameos and game references. From Grand Theft Auto to Donkey Kong and even Guitar Hero. Although rumors say they had to take out an entire GTA level because Rockstar Games didn't like it, while other developers loved the idea to be parodies by the Simpsons.

The cel-shading graphics look fantastic, it perfectly renders the world of the Simpsons in 3D! I can imagine the hardest to recreate was Lisa's spiky hair...

The music is just as good. It was composed by James Dooley and Christopher Lennertz. The soundtrack of the game is mostly based on The Movie's score.

Overall, it's a great game!

Very fun, it really is an interactive Simpsons experience!

They tried the best possible to match the cartoon series' tone.

On the DS the game was a much simpler sidescrolling platformer and you can't switch between characters.

It took quite some time for the Simpsons to finally pull this off, but it really is a genuinely good Simpsons video game.

 

I give it:

3 / 3 Quacks!