The Simpsons Game

aka: Die Simpsons: Das Spiel, I Simpson: Il Videogioco, Les Simpson: Le Jeu, Los Simpson: El Videojuego, The Simpsons: Videopeli
Moby ID: 31062

[ All ] [ PlayStation 2 ] [ PlayStation 3 ] [ PSP ] [ Wii ] [ Xbox 360 ]

Critic Reviews add missing review

Average score: 71% (based on 79 ratings)

Player Reviews

Average score: 3.4 out of 5 (based on 75 ratings with 4 reviews)

For die-hard and casual fans alike, it’s a fun play

The Good
I’ve watched The Simpsons for the majority of my life. They’re my second family that have been there through thick and thin, from childhood to adulthood, and I wanted this game to be an extension of that. Thankfully for my sanity, it sort of is. This title is, without a doubt, the most faithful interpretation of the show I’ve found. It’s rich with self-referential humor and parody, and the jokes are very reminiscent of quality Simpsons’ episodes from the sixth-tenth seasons.

Comic Book Guy presents us with, ranging from Double Jumps to Green Warp Pipes, back around again to Wooden Crates and Pressure Pads. There are also countless funny references to other popular culture mediums throughout the game. There are quotes from Batman, appearances by Hilary Clinton and Will Wright (of Sim City and The Sims fame), and even a parody or two of contemporary video games like ‘Metal Gear Soiled 4.’

The Simpsons Game doesn’t just present you with funny dialogue and jokes, it comes across with gorgeous cell-shading visuals and flawless animations. The graphics are strong throughout the game, but falter at the in-game cinematics. These scenes look a bit more like my drawings of Homer from when I was seven, as opposed to following the same visual style as the rest of the game. The cutscenes, however, are just as visually pleasing as you’d want them to be.

Though there are some visual flaws, the soundtrack and voice track to the game are the crowning achievement. The music feels ripped directly from season six and fits perfectly into each level, or ‘episode.’ The cast does a tremendous job voicing the characters and the one-liners and jokes almost all land well. Without a question, the sound is the shining star of this game.

The Bad
What’s that? The Internet told you that the gameplay, controls, and camera work are shoddy? Fine, some of that is true. Holding out hope that the demo was not going to detail the poor camera angles, I was let down. The camera gets lost several times in each level and while in the Simpsons’ house, might as well be buried in Snowball II’s litter box. This could have been executed much better. Controlling the characters is easy enough, with no glaring flaws. Overall gameplay is pretty standard for this platform. It’s reasonably fun, but easily becomes a bit boring.

The Bottom Line
Presentation: Ranging from funny to hilarious, at times, the game plays out like a marathon of pretty good episodes. The script is well-written and stays true to the tone of the show. Cameos and parodies make a strong showing around the slightly-longer-than-comfortable load times.

Gameplay: If you’re looking for a short, six-to-eight hour, fun (but not exciting) game without much replay value, this is it.

Graphics/Sound: Even considering the few visual flaws regarding in-game cinematics and camera work, the sound is a strong enough reason to play through the title. The graphics are, for the most part, true to the television show and are pulled off well with the cell shading. And did I mention the soundtrack?

Value Factor: I have Simpsons’ plush dolls, chess sets, blankets, toys, coffee mugs, and every other useless piece of memorabilia you can imagine. Keep that in mind when I say this: this game is not a must own, it’s a rental.

Bottom Line: For die-hard and casual fans alike, it’s a fun play. Go out to your nearest gaming store and rent it for a decent weekend game. But overall, I was disappointed, and that hurts.

Xbox 360 · by Brandon Tabbert (17) · 2008

Simpson, eh? I'll remember this name!..

The Good
As a fan of The Simpsons TV show (and an even bigger fan of video games), I was disappointed by Hit & Run, which was neither particularly good as a game nor satisfying as a Simpsons product. After having seen screenshots and reading some of the reviews for The Simpsons Game, I thought it would probably be a more exciting experience. And indeed, it was.

The first thing you'll notice here is just how well the game captures the spirit of the TV series. The graphical style immaculately transfers the cartoony characters and environments into cel-shaded 3D; the transition is so smooth that you'd swear you are playing a real cartoon, with the third dimension somehow magically squeezed in. The Simpsons look, move, and talk exactly the way they do in the series. The Simpsons Game is like another episode in the show.

Unlike Hit & Run with its sporadic, weak lines, The Simpsons Game excels not only in presentation, but also in writing. Almost every single line of dialogue is written perfectly in the spirit of the series. It is a pleasure just to watch the cutscenes and hear those characters talk (luckily, there is a feature that allows you to watch all the 40 or so movies in the game).

The situations and the dialogue can get extremely funny: I laughed out loud several times (while Hit & Run hardly caused me to smile). All the characters behave just like their prototypes, nobody acts out of character, and they keep passing the ball to each other, providing non-stop entertainment. The story is what you'd expect from some of the most whacked-out Simpsons episodes; with constant self-references and breaking of the fourth wall, the story gradually becomes more and more weird and even metaphysical, culminating in an ending that is almost scary in its twisted logic. The writers chose video games as object of parody and satire in the game; the whole narrative is in fact about video games, and it contains cynically amusing remarks about the industry.

The humor is not only present during the cutscenes; the levels themselves are conceived as parodies and contain plenty of funny locations, enemies, and assorted one-liners that are guaranteed to make you laugh. Video games are being mercilessly lampooned throughout the whole game. You'll explore hilarious levels such as Medal of Homer or Shadow of the Colossal Donut. You'll meet the famous designer Will Wright, whose evil plan of destroying obsolete 8-bit Simpsons games (because they "don't sell any more") you'll have to foil. You'll engage in paradoxical, metaphysically challenging dialogues with real-world people (including the creator of The Simpsons, Matt Groening!) and video game characters, and fight hilarious Simpson-themed "video game-ish" enemies such as undead Ottos or a dragon with two heads, those of Selma and Patty.

The varied thematics of the levels keep them interesting despite the stale gameplay. You'll play as Marge, calling gun-wielding dogs to rebuild a whole neighborhood that has been turned into a seedy San Andreas-like environment (albeit with an Itchy & Scratchy theme, e.g. cat whores and mouse gangsters); in another one, you'll have to figure out how to target and destroy the weak spot of a huge walking donut commercial, in an obvious parody of Shadow of the Colossus.

The Bad
Stripped of its glorious license, The Simpsons Game is just another overly easy 3D platformer with mediocre gameplay. One could blame the designers for hiding their unwillingness to get rid of video game cliches by masquerading them as obligatory part of the humorous narrative ("look, it's another video game cliche! Ha, ha, ha"). The thought of the developers' self-awareness softens the blow, but the fact remains that The Simpsons Game is full of video game (particularly platforming) cliches; whether they were intentional or not, they aren't particularly fun to encounter. My personal gripe is the characters' inability to swim. Of course, it is presented as a funny cliche to collect ("don't you know you never learn to swim until the sequel?"), but... come on.

Most of the game consists of jumping puzzles and using the characters' special abilities. Granted, it's fun to crush enemies with Lisa's "Hand of Buddha" or turn into fat Homer who throws gummi at people the first time you get these abilities. But the scripted nature of the game doesn't leave room for strategy: you'll rarely have choices between your abilities, and for the most part will have to use them exactly at the points the designers tell you to.

When I say "tell you to", I mean it almost literally: whenever you need to use an ability to solve a puzzle, the game conveniently shows you an icon of the corresponding character. What's the point of figuring out how to solve a puzzle if the game tells you exactly what to do? The only "challenge" that remains is to find the "hot spots" where an ability can be used.

The Simpsons Game is far too easy, clearly marketed towards more casual players. You'll still need to redo jumping sequences thanks to the irritating jerking camera - a flaw that has plagued many 3D platformers, including far better ones. Occasional awkward navigation and imprecise, graceless movement coupled with frequent environmental clashes prevent the game from at least being a smooth, if childishly simple, platformer.

The lack of challenge is a pity, since the game's clever script and parodies can be best understood and enjoyed by video game veterans accustomed to actually using their brains to overcome obstacles. Ironically, the game is once again aware of it: at one point, the 8-bit Simpsons contemptuously dismiss the game because "how can there be challenge if you have infinite lives?". Well... just like with the cliches, maybe the designers could have actually listened to their own creations?

The Bottom Line
The Simpsons Game is probably the best Simpsons game out there, and it's fun to play through one time. However, I didn't feel compelled to come back to it. It is a clever and faithful recreation of a beloved series, but a fairly weak game relying too much on its license and its humor to be truly fulfilling.

PlayStation 2 · by Unicorn Lynx (181788) · 2013

Best...Simpsons Game...EVER!

The Good
What's not to like?! Simpsons games these days have gone up from the trash pile in terms of graphics, sound, and overall gameplay. This game is a culmination of that comeback. I've never seen a game this colorful in my entire life! Cel-shaded graphics keep the Simpsons tradition.

But of course, it isn't just about graphics. Gameplay is, as always, the main topic. And boy, did it pass with flying colors! I keep replaying half the stages over and over again, because they're long, there's so much to do, and the challenge is fair. Each character has something fun about them. Homer can turn into a giant ball, Bart(man) can glide and use a grappling hook, Marge can rally people to do anything she says, and Lisa has the hand of Buddha.

Oh, and voice clips. Ever since consoles had the ability to deliver digitized sound, you'd know the Simpsons would have a game with some funny dialogue. And it did so quite nicely. Move over Conker, this is the funniest game ever made!

The Bad
Well, I could barely hear the music, because there's so much going on. Even if nothing's happening, you can barely hear it, so it's hard to tell if it sucks or it's awesome.

Oh, and the Futurama cameo. I really didn't want to bring back that fateful memory of the day I popped in a DVD of Into the Wild Green Yonder, watched 5 minutes, and then took it out and smashed it BECAUSE IT SUCKS!

Other than that, this game is FREAKING AWESOME!!!

The Bottom Line
I'm not trying to suck up to Matt Groening here, I LOVE THIS GAME!!! When I bought it, I thought it would suck, but no! If you want to buy a Simpsons game because of the game itself, not because it has the words "The Simpsons" slapped on it, then get this game!

PlayStation 3 · by Miles "Tails" Prower (97) · 2010

Mixed

The Good
The gameplay is truely feels like a real Simpsons game that people been waiting for. The cutscenes are just plain funny but not as funny as The Simpsons today. You can explore The house which I always wanted. The graphics in the Wii version aren't that bad. But the other the versions have them better. The only thing I can love is the Wii moments.

The Bad
There can be some drawbacks to this game. The camera system doesn't function and that makes me not clearly trying to jump across. The controls have some issues. You have to keep shaking the Wiimote over and over. The levels can take a long time. You need to solve puzzles that can a bit confusing. The game is just too short. Only 16 levels and the story isn't that exciting.

The Bottom Line
However, I can only say this game worth renting on any system that's good for about 2 weeks. If your a hardcore Simpsons fan, I say go buy it. I can't highly recommend it.

Wii · by Mario Duenaz (19) · 2009

Contributors to this Entry

Critic reviews added by Evil Ryu, Alaka, Wizo, Patrick Bregger, Big John WV, Yearman, beetle120, Picard, jaXen, Jeanne, WONDERなパン, RhYnoECfnW, Jacob Gens, chirinea, Sonikku225, Alsy, vedder, Tim Janssen.