D'oh! It's like reliving the early '90s all over again with a
ho-hum Simpsons console game on the market. At least they got the humor right this time ('cause they had the actual
Simpsons' writers).
The Simpsons Game released this week and reviews have it hovering in the 70 point range. Many were hoping this game would bring video game fun to
The Simpsons like only
The Simpsons Arcade Game gave us those many, many years ago. EA could have made buckets of cash just copying Konami's simple formula from over a decade ago and we wonder if the reviews might have been slightly better.
- Game Informer (73/100): "For all of its self-referential humor and nods to gaming classics (there are brief segments mimicking the likes of Frogger, Space Invaders, and Wolfenstein 3D), the process of actually playing The Simpsons Game is unfortunately average. The chuckles along the way make it worth the trouble for fans, but if you don't know Arman Tamzarian from Disco Stu, most of the game's redeeming elements will fall on deaf, bored ears."
- Game Daily (70/100): "Obviously, Simpsons nuts will thoroughly enjoy the game, not for its excessive box breaking and switch hitting, but for all of the sweet content and attractive visuals, sans the characters. For $59.99, you basically receive an eight to ten hour interactive bonus episode. At the very least, it makes for a great rental."
- GameSpot (70/100): "In the end, The Simpsons Game is one of those weird cases where a recommendation of it is based less on its merits as a game and more on its merits as an experience. The things that make this game are its sense of humor, sharp writing, and excellent presentation. The gameplay isn't awful by any means, but it's also completely unmemorable. It's something that's more to be put up with while you appreciate the many other things going on than enjoyed on its own merits. That might not sound like a ringing endorsement, but The Simpsons Game is absolutely worth playing. Games this spot-on in the humor category don't come along too often. Considering what a fantastic job it does spoofing the variety of clichés and crutches our favorite pastime relies upon, that's got to count for something."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
F. Rocker or Fernando R.? @ Nov 4th 2007 11:38AM
Well... I enjoyed Hit and Run on the Gamecube, but after a while it gets very repetitive.
I will buy this game maybe next year, after Mario Galaxy, Assasins Creed and others.
Maybe when the game is at $29.99 to get some extra achivements (but before it turn into a Platinum Hit... I hate those damn boxes... Players Choice, Greatest Hits and Platinum Hits sucks)
F. Rocker or Fernando R.? @ Nov 4th 2007 11:40AM
Ah, and for me... the best Simpsons game ever is the 90's arcade game.
Without a doubt.
F. Rocker or Fernando R.? @ Nov 4th 2007 11:48AM
By the way, I was reading the wikipedia entry of the Simpsons arcade game. The speed of the cpu was only at 3 mhz... and still in this day is one of the best beat em ups.
So I guess that raw power doesn't make a good game. The creativity and talent makes a good game.
ShortFuse @ Nov 4th 2007 1:15PM
No offense, but I don't you know how anything about how CPUs work.
It's 3MHZ for the specific instruction set. You can't run anything else on it. Instead of software, it's all done via hardware. But that means the it can only run those instructions (that big arcade machine will only run that one game)
ruibing @ Nov 4th 2007 2:25PM
They really should make an edit function for people who likes to respond to their own comments.
Rubang B (BRUSH WITH FAME) @ Nov 4th 2007 4:08PM
Every time I see the name ruibing I wonder if I somehow blacked out, changed my name, spelled it wrong, and left comments I don't remember. You're freaking me out.
sheppy2.0 @ Nov 4th 2007 10:04PM
I love how people who claim certain games as the best in their genre likely haven't touched em for years. Otherwise they would remember the excessively shallow attack zones or like every other beat,em up, enemies often got you trapped in combos that all you could do is stare dumbfounded as your bar dropped or performed the supermove, sacrificing a fair chunk of your health bar. Quarter Munching game design FTL.
I mean, Simpsons Arcade was fun and all, but it still stacked odds in the computers favor just to get you feeding those quarters. Frankly, if I had an arcade cabinet fit for a jamma board, I'd prefer the AD&D brawlers. Had the same problems as the others but with a leveling system, currency model, magic, and even a branching path through the game itself, it practically curbstomped the fire belching, ass crushing Barney experience of Simpsons.
gonk @ Nov 5th 2007 1:55AM
that D&D arcade game was pretty pimp, it's too bad it isn't very well known
jesus_bon_jovi @ Nov 5th 2007 4:04AM
The Simpsons Arcade game was pretty much just a rehashed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game with updated graphics to reflect the Simpsons which is what made both games lots of fun.
The Great T Run @ Nov 4th 2007 11:38AM
interesting review.
http://www.gamerawr.com
rom @ Nov 4th 2007 11:55AM
Hahaha... I love the Olivia Munn clip! McHammer?!?! Priceless!
Rob @ Nov 4th 2007 11:39AM
Anyone who read the metareview of Hellgate: London knows my views on 'average' scores (i.e. 5/10 is average, 7/10 is pretty good), but all that aside, I thought the demo on XBL was pretty good fun. Certainly not challenging, and certainly not original, but it made me laugh out loud at several points, and there aren't many games that can do that for me. I think this is more of a rent than a buy though.
MasterInsan0 @ Nov 4th 2007 1:53PM
It seems to me that video game review scores have turned into grade school academics. Like so:
A - 100 to 90 (Excellent)
B - 89 to 80 (Good)
C - 79 to 70 (Average)
D - 69 to 60 (Bad)
F - 59 and lower
(I explicitly define this because I'm not sure if the system is the same elsewhere in the world.)
In fact, I wish reviewers would stop using the 0-100 scale and start using this grade-style scale, because really, how much difference is there between a 96 and a 97? Sometimes I even think that reviews shouldn't even use scores as such, but rather a Buy/Rent/Skip system.
Blogdolci @ Nov 4th 2007 11:40AM
Ecco le ciambelle di homer simpson:
http://blogdolci.com/2007/11/04/video-doughnut-i-dolci-di-homer-simpson/
ThornedVenom @ Nov 4th 2007 10:28PM
ZOMG, Mario speaking in Italian?! UNHEARD OF!
MegaSnort @ Nov 4th 2007 11:58AM
Did the Simpsons game seriously get better reviews than Hellgate London???
required @ Nov 4th 2007 12:13PM
Maybe the portable (PSP and/or DS) variants are better.
ThornedVenom @ Nov 4th 2007 10:31PM
According to gamer tradition, you shouldn't count on it.
playwhutyalike @ Nov 4th 2007 12:24PM
I'd like to give this a rent, but in my area (Fargo, ND) everybody seems to get games a week after they have been released. Well, Cockbuster has them but $7 for 2 days rent is a little ridiculous. Maybe it's time to try the gamefly.
AC @ Nov 4th 2007 12:38PM
I bought this game yesterday for the Wii, and I honestly can't understand why somebody like EA would ship such a poor quality product.
Did ANYBODY inside their HQs QC'd the game? The controls are HORRENDOUS because the camera angles are so bad.
If this is what I did for a living, I would be ashamed of putting this product out on the street. There are so many games out there that use a different type of camera view that simply re-adjusts to where your character is going but that's not the case for the Simpsons, at least on the Wii.
It completely takes away from what could be an amazing experience and I'm utterly disappointed with those controls.
Not a hater, just telling it as is. Buy this game if you like the Simpsons, but expect to be frustrated by the camera/controls scheme.
ThornedVenom @ Nov 4th 2007 10:34PM
Because it's EA? /sarcasm
LAZoftheTamarinds @ Nov 4th 2007 12:40PM
The last simpsons game I bought was Hit and run on NGC. I will still buy this probably because I want a Simpsons game that isn't all about driving and has good comedy.
But hey at least it isn't like The Family Guy game...(Shudders)
sheppy2.0 @ Nov 4th 2007 10:09PM
I have you beat. Last Simpsons game I bought was Krusty's Fun House on SNES. Because that was the LAST good Simpsons game. Actually, aside from the arcade, the ONLY good Simpsons game.
holyice7 @ Nov 4th 2007 1:18PM
Conker's Bad Fur Day didn't have great controls or gameplay either, but it's still a classic for similar base reasons.
I'll definitely keep my eye on this one, and try to snatch it at the last moment.
Though as Fernando attested to, those "Greatest Hits" boxes suck.
DonWii @ Nov 4th 2007 1:53PM
I'm renting it, because I'm not paying full price for a 6-8 hour game.
I hear the DS version is much better, control wise. Humor wise, it has less content.
gonk @ Nov 4th 2007 2:00PM
these reviews sound about right
Skeffington @ Nov 4th 2007 3:45PM
I bought and finished the DS version (it was out on the 2nd in Europe). Not perfect by any means, but still really good fun. It's an old fashioned 2D platformer with great graphics, great humor and so-so gameplay.
No more, no less.
Brian @ Nov 4th 2007 5:19PM
I bought it, I finished it, and now I'm going to trade it back to Gamestop for the 30% bonus for Rock Band. Definitely a rental title; fun, but short with no real replay value.
ThornedVenom @ Nov 4th 2007 10:33PM
This was expected.
t_m @ Nov 4th 2007 11:37PM
Is anyone surprised?
I haven't been following this game much, but every trailer i've seen had very dull, repetitive, "run around and punch stuff" gameplay.
Based purely on the trailers, I never got why this game was seen as having a lot of potential.
Joe Siegler @ Nov 5th 2007 1:29AM
Uh, the link to the Game Daily review is wrong. You link to Hellgate London. Not the Simpsons game. D'oh!
http://www.gamedaily.com/games/the-simpsons/xbox-360/game-reviews/review/4754/1828/
mike @ Nov 5th 2007 9:22AM
I rented it and its a pretty good game. Its basically like getting a whole season of simpsons (theres around 17 episodes) and the jokes are better then the current state of the show. I guess cause alot are parodies and expansions of old jokes are used.
I gameplay however is not as fun as a simpsons hit and run game. I still believe simpsons hit and run 2 would of been a better product for them to make (improve upon the first game).
For the camera angles, well the camera angels are fine, and so is the camera, but the problem lies with the fact that the camera cannot pass through objects. This means if you are against a wall, you cannot rotate the camera to be behind you since the camera cannot pass through that wall. Theres also times where you can like get the camera stuck between 2 objects and keep walking into the distance making your character tiny until the camera pops free. If Only it was allowed to pass through objects it would of been much better.
I played the game on my 360 and its looks amazing. The cut-scenes is like watchin the simpsons in hd, which is better then the dvds. If you have multiple consoles I recommend getting the 360 version because other then a strait run through of the 18 episodes, the only other thing to do is collect ALL the collectables and beat all the target times. Doing this on other consoles is pretty much pointless since all the colectables do is charge your familys health meter higher which is not needed at all, and beating the target times does nothing. On the 360 version however, you get Achievmenets for completeing these so it puts a little more value into the game.
Gangsta Smurf @ Nov 5th 2007 9:42AM
I loved the premise of the game (well, the demo I've played) but the controls are lacking to me. It took quite a while for me to own the Lard Boy, maybe I just suck at it.
Oh well, it's worth a rental to me.