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."
_thumbnail.jpg "i am 8-bit: 2008")
(Page 1) Reader Comments
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)
Reply
Without a doubt.
So I guess that raw power doesn't make a good game. The creativity and talent makes a good game.
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)
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.
http://www.gamerawr.com
Reply
Reply
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.
http://blogdolci.com/2007/11/04/video-doughnut-i-dolci-di-homer-simpson/
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
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.
Reply
But hey at least it isn't like The Family Guy game...(Shudders)
Reply
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.
Reply
I hear the DS version is much better, control wise. Humor wise, it has less content.
Reply
Reply
No more, no less.
Reply
Reply
Reply
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.
Reply
http://www.gamedaily.com/games/the-simpsons/xbox-360/game-reviews/review/4754/1828/
Reply
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.
Reply
Oh well, it's worth a rental to me.
Reply