Mini-Review - Simpsons: The Game

While The Simpsons has enjoyed a fairly healthy video-game franchise- from its early arcade roots to Hit and Run and Road Rage, the formula has finally started to become stale. Knowing that, The Simpsons Game is a parody on video games itself, with the comic book storekeep calling attention to blatant cliches...the only problem? The game itself is a cliche.

• The plot is fairly random in mini-episodic fashion. You'll do everything from saving Springfield from aliens, defend the world from mutant dolphins, get transported to a video-game dimension, play Grand Theft Scratchy and fight in Homer's chocolate world infested by chocolate demonic bunnies. Despite the controversy Grand Theft Scratchy caused when it first hit the net- EA Games, being the big honchos they are, did not seem to change the content in the game.
  

• The Simpsons Game is 3d platformer at its worst and best. The only combo you'll be using over and over in the game is X, X, Y and enemies are never-ending hordes of clones that spawn from random areas like porter potties and the ocean. It's mind-numbingly dull at times.
  

• To further de-stimulate the brain, levels mostly comprise of blatantly obvious puzzle solving, most of which involves switching to the appropriate character to use their skill to do something dumb like put triangle-shaped piece in triangle shaped crevice (seriously!). It's also obvious this game was meant for two players, it reduces the agony of getting to one location to only realize you need to switch characters, especially when fighting certain bosses that clearly were designed on coop-mode.
  

• Production levels are really high. The cinematics are top-notch and as good as the actual TV show. The graphics and level design are great and keep the game fresh. While some levels have little things to mix them up (a spoof on Frogger or Alien Invaders), the game is still at heart another 3d platformer. It's most certainly fun to trudge through the video-game parody levels, especially the one on Everquest.

• You'll get to play as all the Simpsons family, each with their set of special powers. Homer can turn into a ball (ala Katamari), Bart into a caped crusader, Lisa has telekinesis powers and Marge can use a megaphone to induce riots. Interesting ideas, but despite their wackiness, none of it particularly leaps out.
  

• Game challenge is on really easy. While some sequences will annoy the hell out of you, you should be able to complete this fairly smoothly in about 8-10 hours.
  

Thanks to a fairly large assortment of levels and great production value, The Simpsons Game isn't exactly crap- but the gameplay mechanics really aren't all that fun. A majority of the game actually involves careful platform jumping (you versus the pit of lava, sludge, goo, chocolate, spikes, etc.) and while there are few penalties for dying, the redundant "try again and again" linearity of the levels are enough to gag on. I wanted to recommend this highly since the trailers and gameplay stuff you'll see out there looks bloody great- but in the end, at best I recommend a rental.