Developer: Electronic Arts
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Available On: XBOX 360, PS3, Wii, PSP, NDS, PS2

“Of course I can… I’m Will Wright, bitch”

As The Simpsons Game came out riding on the publicity wagon of the film release, I pre-empted an experience similar to that of The Simpsons Movie, be it story or setting. To then begin this game with a new and highly rendered re-creation of “The Land Of Chocolate” scene leading into the first level, I soon realised The Simpsons Game is a completely unique adventure with enough dialogue, scenery and videos to easily rival the movie in comedic content. The Simpsons Game is the 22nd video game to brandish the Simpson name, once again giving gamers the yellow glove of controlling our favourite American family through a Springfield of platforming and mob-crushing action.

Appearing on XBOX 360, PS3, Wii and PSP, The Simpsons Game appears to be the exact same on each platform be it 360 or PSP. Now the question is, is it impressive that the PSP can boast the same game as the 360? Or perhaps an example of what could have been more on the bigger home consoles? When I say bigger home consoles, don’t include the Wii on this one. This game was not made for the Wii, and has been implemented rather poorly. If the PS3 or 360 is an alternative for you, take it. One example off the bat is Homer’s short-range projectile belch ability. On the XBOX 360, Homer is able to move and belch at the same time; on the Wii, he is not. Perhaps without these comparisons playing the Wii version would be more appreciated so I am merely suggesting going for the powerhouse consoles when available.

The Simpsons Game tells the tale of Bart accidentally being provided a manual for the exact game he’s starring in. A few moments of self-realisation later, the family discover that with this manual, they can harness amazing video game super powers to utilise at their will. Lisa using her powers to stop Mr. Burns destroying a forest, Marge preventing a violent video game release, eventually the family find themselves more involved in the fact that their entire lives are nothing but a video game. I won’t go further into the story here, as it really is the most significant feature of The Simpsons Game.

While we have all the content (and almost too much dialogue) at the quality of any Simpsons creation – there’s still a game to be played in here. Visually The Simpsons Game is pretty good. The hi-res re-creation of Springfield is nice to see, it’s a shame it serves no purpose other than an unnecessarily lengthy path to walk to access the next mission. A lot of Springfield residents will be roaming around, from Patty to Ralph, with a lot of dialogue for each NPC be it new or re-used from the series. While there’s a LOT of dialogue and speech in The Simpsons Game, some of it will still be re-used, and other times you’ll really be wanting Marge to shut the hell up. Having dialogue for each time a repetitive ability is used can get annoying. In-game rendered cut-scenes look terrible for some reason, while all other movies are original 2D animation that looks great in HD. The world looks quite nice from a third person perspective, while swapping between family members helps stop game progression from going a little stale.

Each family member has a unique ability, such as Lisa turning into Clobber Girl, or Homer’s hot Insanity Peppers. The references to old episodes are also quite amusing, especially fighting the giant animated Lard Lad statue. The game is of decent length, shame you finish it once and there’s nothing else to gain. Perhaps down the track a replay may be of entertainment, but even exploring to get the collectibles is pretty futile. There’s heaps of collectibles for each family member throughout Springfield and each level. Too damn bad then that the 360′s achievement is only if you get every last one, and there are a LOT, so unless you’re super keen to spend hours collecting all these you may as well not bother with collectibles.

If you’ve played a third person beat ‘em up or even a past Simpsons game it’s not too hard to imagine the gameplay for The Simpsons Game, it’s really what you’d expect. Controls are adequate, combat is repetitive (helped by different abilities for each character) yet kind of bland. It then doesn’t help that Comic Book Guy goes around pointing out everything bad about this game and video games in general while you play it but I guess that’s the sadistic bastard he is.

Written by Tim Long, Matt Selman and Matt Warbuton (creators of TV episodes) The Simpsons Game shines and proves that the creators of this game really do know something about video games. The constant cracks at EA Games and the video game industry are an absolute riot, even down to the bribe-taking evil EA rep in the hot spa with Mayor Quimby, selling the new “Grand Theft Scratchy”. Once again I can’t stress the comedic value in playing through the entire Simpsons Game (God plays DDR, did you know?) and the odd relevance towards the industry today. Will Wright even makes an appearance, warranting a purchase alone.

Anyone who enjoyed The Simpsons Movie will find the game a hoot. In fact any Simpsons fan alone will find this game entertaining, if only the actual gameplay was a tad more consistent and competent, a significant milestone in licensed gaming could have been made. Without the story being where it is, the bland action could be enough to stop The Simpsons Game being enjoyable, luckily the balance of positive features in this game just raise it to be a quite enjoyable play through.

The Simpsons Game

75%

The Good -

* Humor and story that far surpass the movie.
* Lots of new Simpsons content and a lot of references to old.
* Imaginative levels with different abilities for each family member keeps the game fresh.

The Bad –

* Gameplay isn’t as consistent as it should be.
* Some camera and character control issues.
* Wii port to be avoided if possible.