A Simpsons game, for the PS3, courtesy of EA. I’ll let you know now my expectations were not that high. Previous Simpsons games haven’t exactly been spectacular and EA have a less than perfect record developing for the PS3. Having been a fan of the Simpsons, through better and through worse, I was hoping all my reservations would be completely unfounded. To tell the truth, I’m still not sure I have an answer.
The game is your standard platforming fare. You direct the entire Simpsons family around a variety of different levels, battling foes and overcoming obstacles. After an initial tutorial level you are then free to explore the town of Springfield, GTA style, well without the drive-by shootings. All the main sights are there, as well as the towns famous residents. Areas such as Moes bar and the church have been faithfully recreated and you are able to fully explore them. This does contain a problem though; there is nothing to do, you just basically go in for a bit of a look around, which while fun, does wear thin, fast. The town itself though is full of different types of collectable items, one for each member of the family, for this process Maggie and Marge count as one. The levels are dotted around the town, located by tall beams of light. They don’t play out in the city though, once activated they take you to separate areas.
During levels you always pair up with two predetermined members of the family. They are relatively varied, a wide variety of areas, though you are essentially fighting the same type of enemy every time. Each character has their own special abilities, which you will learn as you progress through the game. Lisa for example utilizes her sax, Bart turns into Bart-Man etc. The powers are fun and levels are dotted with pick-ups and collectables for both characters. The plat forming elements are mostly fun with frustrations from time to time. The game does utilise lots of shortcuts though, instead of finding cleaver ways to overcome problems such as ‘invisible walls’, the game puts these down as ‘video game clichés’, which you have to discover and collect. The game plays better as a two-player games and a 2nd player can jump in and out at will, the AI taking over when you’re on your own.
The plat forming elements are not however games main attribute. The game is actually quite funny, the cut scenes are nice, but I found the main humour came from the in-game comments from the Simpsons characters and their opponents. The humour itself is not purely directed at the child market, as I was expecting. The game has a 12 rating and some of the dialogue is adult in nature. The story line as well was well built and certainly not what I was expecting, lots of twists, turns and many funny moments. So I won’t delve into it here any more at risk of spoiling it.
Each level starts and ends with a clip featuring the same professional standard you would get from the TV shows. Professional to every standard, the visual quality is top notch and they do tickle that funny bone.
The game features a decent length, 1st play through about 13 hours and that’s missing many of the collectables. The game has an alright online mode, you don’t actually play online, but features online leaderboards for each level, so you can record and show off your speed runs. So overall a must for any fan of the series and recommended for anyone who enjoys a laugh and has any interest in the Simpsons. Otherwise it’s just another adequate platformer.
Cultured Vultures: While the number one entry might be a foregone conclusion for some, let’s see if we can surprise you with our look at every Simpsons game ranked from worst to best.
Its crazy when you look at ALL the games they made. Same with Assassins Creed, when you count in all the handheld and mobile games there are three times what you may have thought. Some of it shovelware though. I completed Simpsons Arcade recently at a local retro gaming arcade, awesome, I really felt like a 90's kid all over again, except my back was hurting!!
From the classic arcade game to their appearance in Lego Dimensions, The Simpsons has a storied history in gaming.
No Virtual Springfield? Though tbf it was more of an experience than a game, even though it did have some little gameplay in some parts. Fun for fans though.
Hit & Run was great, my only complaint would be that Homer didn't have enough missions, the game could've been a bit longer and bigger.
This! Virtual Springfield is hands down the best Simpsons game. Such love and a modern take on that (in VR) would really bring the 35 years of Simpson-mania together in one massive package. I would love this!
Homer didn't have enough missions? What do you mean? Homer and Bart were the only 2 characters that got 2 levels each.
I myself liked the DS version of the Simpsons game much more than the one on main consoles, it was a proper 2D platformer game, I recommend.
Hit & Run is in dire need of a sequel. They could do so much more with the upgraded tech.
15 years without a single Simpsons game now because it's in the hands of one of the worst companies, EA. A license in the hands of one of the worst companies and look what they have done to it. They have effectively killed it to make money off that crappy mobile game.
Im with you, I hate when companies effectively kill off a franchise like that. They could have done anything with the license and they did THAT?! 🤦🤷
My dream would be for Volition to use the Saints Row engine for a Simpsons open world game. Would be awesome!
Hit and Run was by far my favorite, even though I loved the Simpsons Arcade. I even had the full old school cabinet in my house at one point! A video store in my town went out of business the guy sold me the arcade unit for $50 😳 I couldn't say no! Good times.
I totally wish we could get a new Hit and Run sequel or similar open world GTA style Simpsons game. I loved exploring the iconic places in game. I'm so glad I live near Universal Orlando, the Simpsons themed parts of the town are amazingly detailed and fun to be around, even if the rides suck.
GameCrate: "Here is the definitive list of the best Simpsons games ever. That's right: ever. Or, ya know, at least five pretty good ones."
The Simpsons Arcade game was a fond childhood memory. And Hit and Run was another fantastic game. Most of the rest are meh.
Virtual Springfield is my favorite Simpsons game. It was a point and click adventure title that served as a living fangasm.
I also played Simpsons Tapped Out for about 3 years but had to stop because even with a cracked version, it was getting too much with the micromanagement. Would love it if it was a game to buy without the phone microtransactions.
The Simpons Hit & Run, Virtual Bart and The Simpsons Game are my top 3. EA have killed Simpsons games though, they are just sitting on that crappy mobile game.
I remember renting Hit and Run and thinking it was so different than advertised. In a good way! Wasn’t expecting an open world Springfield GTA mashup.
Lego Dimensions’ Springfield deserves an honourable mention. If you’re a fan it’s worth hunting down the map and some toons.
I think i played the arcade game on an arcade machine, other than that my first one to actually own was on my first PC, Virtual Springfield.. I think i meant to buy Simpsons cartoon studio or whatever it was called, but i think Argos replaced it with Virtual Springfield, it turned out to be quite funny if not much else. Hit & Run was of course really good. If there's a remake I'd like a bit bigger world with more missions and side stuff though.
Pretty sure i rented Krusty's Fun House, what a pain in the ass of frustration that was.
I really enjoyed The DS version of The Simpsons Game. And I agree everything you wrote about it ;)
I definitely feel like it was an underappreciated gem and was overlooked on account of the console versions.
I actually got the PS3 version: but never got around to play it, so I still got to make an opinion about that one. Still agree though about the DS version being a great game.
aNYWAY hAPPY nEW yEAR!
