The Simpsons: Road Rage

I could mark off for lack of originality, but after suffering through Simpsons Wrestling I’ll gladly settle for a competent rehash.

It looks a little worse than the Xbox version, but moves a bit faster and controls slightly better. That’s about the only difference I could discern. With so many games scheduled for release on both platforms, I don’t think this will be the last time I make that observation.

Simpsons reruns are always gold, because you can never take in all the obscurities and genius in one viewing. Though a little short on gameplay depth, Road Rage is worth repeated play because of the show-lifted locations and both original and reused character quotes. The leprechaun may tell you to burn things, but shut him up and listen to me: Simpsons Road Rage is most definitely okalee dokalee, neighborino.

A game can be great because of gameplay. A game can be great because of graphics, especially in this day and age of newfangled gaming technology. A game can be great because the music is so beautiful or catchy that it lingers in your immediate thoughts the whole day long. But when a game like this has so much to go off of, including thirteen seasons of material and several other pieces of paraphernalia, you find yourself thinking it's great because of its subtleties, and this is the greatest greatness of all.

A game can be great because of gameplay. A game can be great because of graphics, especially in this day and age of newfangled gaming technology. A game can be great because the music is so beautiful or catchy that it lingers in your immediate thoughts the whole day long. But when a game like this has so much to go off of, including thirteen seasons of material and several other pieces of paraphernalia, you find yourself thinking it's great because of its subtleties, and this is the greatest greatness of all.

Für ein kurzes Spiel zwischendurch ist Simpsons Road Rage allemal geeignet, aber was darüber hinausgeht, ist man wohl mit dem Sega Original besser bedient. Das Spielprinzip ist zu schnell durchschaut und bereits nach kurzer Zeit hat man im Spiel alles erkundet, was es zu entdecken gibt. Von da an gibt es im Prinzip nur Wiederholungen, bis man endlich genug Geld verdient hat, um das Spiel zu beenden. Letztlich bleibt zu hoffen, dass dieser Trend neuerer Simpson-Umsetzungen nicht anhält und dass man beim bereits angekündigten Simpsons Skateboarding etwas mehr Eigeninitiative entwickelt.

This is one of those rare games where the license really doesn’t matter. You could still have just as much fun with Simpsons Road Rage even if the Simpsons name wasn’t slapped on the box. Aside from the opening song and underlying plot there isn’t much to do with the Simpsons.

Die Raserei mit den gelben TV-Stars hat mir persönlich etwas mehr Spaß gemacht als die Handheld-Version von Crazy Taxi. Die Tatsache, dass jeder Charakter über einen eigenen Boliden verfügt, bringt mehr Abwechslung ins Spiel. Vor allem den Missions-Modus fand ich wirklich lustig, allerdings hätte ich mir mehr als zehn Missionen gewünscht. Bei den übrigen Modi sind zwar sechs Strecken gerade einmal ausreichend, aber über mehr hätte ich mich sicherlich auch nicht beschwert! Wer einen unkomplizierten Fun-Racer sucht, kann dennoch bedenkenlos zugreifen.

As poorly as the console versions of The Simpsons Road Rage ranked, I honestly didn't think the Game Boy Advance version was nearly as bad...in fact, there's a lot of fun, enjoyable modes in the GBA's game design, and it doesn't have a hard time being a better Crazy Taxi clone than the handheld version of Crazy Taxi. But it's both the lack of character and lack of cartridge save that hurt the product; without Simpsons catchphrases, it just feels like the Simpsons license was slapped onto an existing game design (which it was, honestly). And without the cartridge save, it makes it a far less friendly portable game design. Passwords just suck.

How much fun you have with Road Rage will depend entirely on how much you worship The Simpsons. I know for a fact if the game was just known as Road Rage with generic characters I wouldn't have had nearly as much fun. Crazy Taxi fans will enjoy it. Simpsons fans will enjoy it. But even the world's biggest Simpson fan won't have much more to do with it than the time it takes for a rental. Rent. Enjoy. Return. Apparently, The Curse of the Simpsons is halfway cracked. While not great, Simpsons: Road Rage is very fun and worthy of taking a few hours away from your Simpsons DVD sets.

If you are a big Simpsons fan you might want to check this game out just for the cool voice acting and the impressive character models. Otherwise, chill out the next few months and wait on Crazy Taxi Next from Sega.

Contrairement aux versions sur consoles de salon, The Simpsons : Road Rage est un titre très fun qui vous fera passer de bons moments sur votre GBA. Les nombreux bonus à débloquer et sa jouabilité sympathique en font une cartouche à envisager si vous aimez ce genre de jeu.

Road Rage is exactly like Crazy Taxi, though without the fine tuning and sweaty stress. It's a simple game, without the challenge or the depth of the game it clearly apes, but of course, with many more jokes about alcoholism and emotional abuse. The appeal of the game comes in the license, and I mean that sincerely. While the gameplay isn't going to grab you, your Simpsons geekiness will be totally fulfilled in the amazing detail given to the tons of referenced jokes and buildings from over a decade of the show.

In the end, though, The Simpsons Road Rage's control problems prevent this from being recommendable to all but the most die-hard of The Simpsons fans. Ultimately, the only saving grace Road Rage has is that it's a Simpsons game.

If you can see past these problems, then The Simpsons Road Rage might present you with a little bit of replay value. You can compete head-to-head against one other player in a split-screen mode, and you can drive as any character n any location that you've unlocked in a mode without a clock. There are even 10 missions in which you're given various tasks to complete within a short amount of time, such as driving Krusty away from a mob of fans and getting Homer to work without Mr. Burns noticing. And of course, there's something to be said about simply driving around a 3D recreation of Springfield. In the end, though, The Simpsons Road Rage's control problems prevent this from being recommendable to all but the most die-hard of The Simpsons fans. And while it's better than the poor GameCube port of the original Crazy Taxi, ultimately, the only saving grace Road Rage has is that it's a Simpsons game.

The game can best be described as Crazy Taxi in Springfield. Montgomery Burns has replaced the city's transit system with a series of radioactive busses that are causing havoc throughout Springfield. Naturally, the Simpson family springs to the rescue and decides to raise the necessary $1 million to buy back Springfield's transit system from Burns. Initially, you assume the role of Bart, Lisa, Homer, Marge, and Grandpa as you ferry fares to and from various famous locales such as the Quick-E-Mart, Android's Dungeon, and Moe's Tavern within a certain amount of time.

The Simpsons Road Rage is fun for short stretches of time, but it’s a definite rent-first title. While it’s the best Simpsons game I’ve ever played, that doesn’t mean it deserves a rating over "decent." To put Road Rage to the desert island test, I will say that if I was stuck on a desert island with only The Simpsons Road Rage to play, I wouldn’t be compelled to make a desperate swim for it (as would be the case with most other Simpsons games). But it wouldn’t take me very long to build a raft.

Men trots att livslängden inte är den bästa, är The Simpsons Road Rage ett ganska kul spel. Gillade man inte Crazy Taxi bör man dock titta åt ett annat håll, för spelen är som sagt oerhört snarlika.

This is a game for those who are still obsessed with Crazy Taxi and have longed for a two-player version of the game ever since its release. Everyone should rent it first, though I'm sure a few non-CT obsessors will enjoy it.

The game starts off with a cutscene that presents you with Burns’ scheme, when that’s finished you are presented with easy to navigate menus. The menus aren’t too impressive but they are easy enough for to just power on your GameCube and just play. The character selection menu is pretty cool though, when you highlight a character they pull up in their vehicle and yell out one of their catch frases.

The game starts off with a cutscene that presents you with Burns’ scheme, when that’s finished you are presented with easy to navigate menus. The menus aren’t too impressive but they are easy enough for to just power on your GameCube and just play. The character selection menu is pretty cool though, when you highlight a character they pull up in their vehicle and yell out one of their catch frases.

Simpsons Road Rage plays like a stripped down version of Crazy Taxi. As any one of a cast of characters, you’re tasked to drive around Springfield, picking up customers along the streets and racing them to their destinations before a timer counts down. Depending how quickly and efficiently you complete each trip you’re awarded money and extra time before you head off to find your next customer. To add to an otherwise simple concept, Road Rage challenges drivers to achieve certain goals, such as not hitting any more than three cars, or destroying Mr. Burns bus stops, while en route to the passenger’s location.

This game probably lacks the most in the graphical aspect. The game look cartoon-ish, but that’s a given, and it is supposed to be that way, so it doesn’t affect my view of the graphics. What does affect it, are the dozens of graphical glitches that there are in the game. It is totally pathetic. You can go through people, trees, other vehicles, through the ground sometimes, and any other obstacle that gets in the way. Many trees will get knocked down, but for many of them, you’ll just go through, and that’ll be the end of that.

Ahh, the one part of the game that was original: the sound, specifically the voice-overs. All the Simpsons cast lent their voices to the game, including Nancy Cartwright and Dan Castllaneta. The game characters all talk once inside the cab, which is pretty cool. There are lots of different lines as well, so it doesn't get very repetitive until you are well into the game. The music is nothing that you even really notice while playing, which is kind of a let down but it establishes the realism of the Simpsons well.

Road Rage is almost fun enough, but overall too shallow to be worth a solid purchase to anyone. It could have been much better if the developers didn't have a cruddy game to work from in the first place, but so goes business. Unless you were weird enough to like the game when it was on the big screen, then you might be able to find some extra enjoyment in the portable version. That's a big "might," though, since it's basically a carbon copy. Otherwise, it's best that you just drive right on by.

The concept behind The Simpsons: Road Rage is clever, but the game just doesn't deliver on its potential. You might be able to spend a weekend or two wandering the neighborhoods of Springfield just for kicks, but there are a number of other games out there that are more deserving of your attention.

All this makes The Simpsons Road Rage a perfect rental for Simpson fans, but I wouldn't want to buy it. In just a few days you can unlock all the bonuses, explore virtual Springfield to your heart's content and suffer through what will add up to hours and hours of loading time. After the fun wears off, you'll find Road Rage feels more like stop and go traffic.

Sega's Crazy Taxi was a runaway hit when it premiered on the Dreamcast so many years ago, and countless ports since have continued to prove successful. So it comes as no surprise that several Crazy Taxi clones have sprouted up from the gardens of competing publishers. One such game is The Simpsons Road Rage from Electronic Arts. The Radical Entertainment developed racer pits players as the hilarious characters from the animated television series and turns them loose in the city of Springfield to carry fares to different locations.

Les Simpsons continuent sur leur lancée de jeux moyens avec ce Road Rage sans aucune originalité et à la réalisation maladroite. Seuls les plus grands fans de la série trouveront un quelconque intérêt à ce titre, les autres se tourneront bien évidemment vers Crazy Taxi (l'original).

Les Simpsons continuent sur leur lancée de jeux moyens avec ce Road Rage sans aucune originalité et à la réalisation maladroite. Seuls les plus grands fans de la série trouveront un quelconque intérêt à ce titre, les autres préfèreront sûrement le troisième volet de Crazy Taxi...

I would half-heartedly recommend it for the die-hard Simpsons fan that wants to own everything they put out. Or if you are the kind of person who wants an easy game that can be beat by just spending enough time doing the same thing over and over again, then this game will probably raise your self-esteem. In the end, I wouldn't buy this game. It was poorly done and it's a disgrace to the "Racing" category of games. I wouldn't even bother renting it, because you will likely find yourself saying what I did: "Boy, I wish I had those hours of my life back."

Les Simpsons continuent sur leur lancée de jeux moyens avec ce Road Rage sans aucune originalité et à la réalisation maladroite. Seuls les plus grands fans de la série trouveront un quelconque intérêt à ce titre, les autres préfèreront sûrement le troisième volet de Crazy Taxi...

Leider... aber... dennoch...: Worte, die häufig im Test gefallen sind. The Simpsons Road Rage krankt -wie viele andere Spiele zu namhaften Lizenzen- an einem unausgegorenen Gameplay. Dabei sind gute Ansätze eigentlich ausreichend vorhanden, die Road Rage deutlich vom großen Vorbild Crazy Taxi abheben könnten. Doch da das Spielprinzip -ganz gleich in welchem Modus- nicht langfristig motivieren kann und dazu noch grafische Mängel und Schwächen gleich dutzendweise auftreten, ist The Simpsons Road Rage wirklich nur hartnäckigen Simpsons-Fans zu empfehlen. Die hätten aber mit der DVD-Box der ersten Staffel mehr und vor allem authentischeren Simpsons-Spaß. Schade - wieder einmal wurde eine Lizenz mit einem fragwürdigen Spiel verheizt.

The gameplay just isn't deep or compelling enough to warrant picking this title up unless you absolutely MUST have every single product with "The Simpsons" plastered on it. Regardless of how you look at it, The Simpsons Road Rage is nothing more than a very average videogame and an unrewarding gaming experience.

Bottom line, this game is seriously not worth playing. If you really, REALLY love The Simpsons, and you don't have a console to play the other version on.... well, I actually still wouldn't recommend playing this game. The more of a fan you are, the madder I think you'll be. The Simpsons' name is really the only redeeming aspect of the game, which is really sad. To close, I make this plea to any game developers that are reading- don't put out a portable version of a game just to have one. Not every console game needs to be on the GBA. If you do make one, take the time to make it well. The handheld gamers of the world will thank you.

The load times aren't great, but they are much improved over the PS2 version (15 seconds per load versus 30). Even so, the loads definitely interrupt the flow of the game. And why in the hell does the entire stage have to reload when you select "retry"? That's just lazy programming right there! The audio track features a lot of humorous lines from all the characters, but they tend to repeat a lot - sometimes even twice in a row! The split-screen mode for two players is mildly amusing but nothing to write home about. Simpson's Road Rage is a lighthearted driving game that's seems instantly fun at first, but can't seem to maintain its momentum.

Playing as various characters from the Simpsons universe, you transport passengers across Springfield, collect money for fast times, and avoid Montgomery Burns? dirty tactics that slow you down. Sure, this formula worked before, but Road Rage doesn?t offer any new innovations. Instead you?re faced with bumper-to-bumper frustration: seemingly obvious shortcuts only lead to dead ends, vehicles get snagged on curbs and other seemingly innocuous surfaces, and the rewards in Mission Mode are anything but.

I really like The Simpsons. I like the characters that Matt Groening creates. I like the irony and the parodies on the real world. Heck, I even bought Sierra's release of Futurama just to delude myself that Futurama lives on after Fox's cancellation of it. I'm a fan of this stuff because it is sophisticated and smart in its humor. This game isn't sophisticated, nor is it smart. The whole genre of Crazy Taxi was worked in successfully as a sub-game of Grand Theft Auto. In my mind, that sub-game was more fun than this one because of the whole living city backdrop, and for those developers, it probably wasn't a focal point of all their creative energies. The Simpsons can only get this game's engine started. To get it moving along, it'll need something else that just can't be found in the Game Boy Advance version.

As far as the controls go, A is to go, B is to stop. The directional pad is used to move, and the L and R toggle the power sliding feature. Not much here, I know. One final annoyance before I end this. My biggest beef is the way they chose to save your game. It is the most awful option EVER! Instead of a save point, you are given a 10 picture password after each successful completion of a mission, and you must enter this password to get back to your current game with your already-unlocked goodies. This only happens if you turn it off, which I am sad to say you do all the time.

It's the Simpsons, so kids and adults will find it appealing. There's nothing offensive here, aside from the gameplay, and the game even lacks the controversial Itchy & Scratchy style ultra-violence (even though both are, locked at first, playable characters). The password save is annoying, but the unlockable content will occupy kids on long car trips but really wouldn't you rather they played a better game?

Really, that's what's most sad of all. Simpsons: Road Rage takes a great formula (Crazy Taxi), and sucks out the fun, and marries it to a great franchise (The Simpsons), and sucks out the personality. And while there certainly seems to have been an effort made to make this game more than the sum of its parts, the corners cut everywhere else result in a product that will satisfy neither the gamers nor the fans of the TV show.

My biggest beef with Simpson's Road Rage lies in the load time. Like most EA games, it is excruciating, and it effectively ruins the Mission Mode, since the loading times are usually longer than the missions themselves! Only die-hard Simpsons fans and youngsters will be amused by Road Rage, but others need not apply.