The Simpsons (video game)
 | This article possibly contains original research. (February 2012) |
| The Simpsons Arcade Game | |
|---|---|
| File:TSAG DOS front.jpg Advertisement flyer of the game depicting the four available characters and Maggie, the character they must rescue. | |
| Developer(s) | Konami Backbone Entertainment (XBLA, PSN) |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Composer(s) | Norio Hanzawa |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network |
| Release | Arcade Xbox Live Arcade PlayStation 3 |
| Genre(s) | Beat 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Up to four players, simultaneous |
The Simpsons Arcade Game is an arcade beat 'em up developed by Konami released in 1991, and the first video game based on The Simpsons franchise. The voice actors of the immediate family (Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, and Yeardley Smith) provide voices for their respective characters. It uses the same engine and therefore has similar overall gameplay as the 1989 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game, also made by Konami. The game was ported to the Commodore 64 and MS-DOS soon after its launch in the arcades. The game was released on Xbox Live Arcade on February 3, 2012 and was released for the PlayStation Network on February 7, 2012.
Plot
The game begins with Waylon Smithers and two of his goons stealing a giant diamond from Springfield Jewelers for Mr. Burns. Smithers bumps into Homer Simpson, whose family is conveniently walking down the street. The encounter knocks the diamond out of Smithers' hand, and Maggie snatches it in her mouth (to replace the pacifier), prompting Smithers to kidnap Maggie (rather than just the diamond) and run off. The Simpsons must give chase, but hundreds of suit wearing goons under Mr. Burns' employ stand in their way.
The Simpson family go through many stages chasing Smithers, from Downtown Springfield (Stage 1), Krustyland theme park (Stage 2), Springfield Cemetery (Stage 3), Moe's Tavern (Stage 4), the Springfield butte (Stage 5), a concussion induced dreamland (Stage 6), the KBBL's Channel 6 Broadcasting studio (Stage 7.0), and a dojo (Stage 7.5). Eventually, Smithers retreats to the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant (Stage 8, the final stage). Grabbing onto his helicopter, they go inside after him.
The game ends with the player(s) having a showdown with a bomb throwing Smithers and then finally Mr. Burns who is in a plutonium-powered armored fighting vehicle. Then, once the player(s) defeats him, Maggie appears, walking toward the unconscious Mr. Burns. A finale cutscene shows her putting her pacifier into his mouth and sucking on the diamond. As the victor, the player(s) stands behind Maggie and picks her up, and the family walks off. The family walks back to Springfield while the credits roll. After the credits, Homer tosses away the giant diamond that Maggie had in her mouth.
Gameplay
The player chooses from one of the remaining four Simpsons: Homer, who punches and kicks; Marge, who swings her vacuum cleaner; Bart, who wields his skateboard; and Lisa, who uses a jump rope like a whip. They fight through the employees and chase Smithers as he escapes through various Springfield landscapes. The game's levels are based on the streets of Springfield, Krustyland, a graveyard, Moe's Tavern, Springfield Gorge, a dream world, the Channel 6 studio, and the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Each level ends with a boss whose speed and strength would increase after taking a set amount of damage.
In Stage 4 (Moe's Tavern), there are several arcade machines, including one of the Simpsons arcade game. There was an Aliens arcade game that revealed the Alien to be Marge wearing a costume. Aliens was made in 1990 by Konami.
Although the game is one of many beat 'em ups produced after Final Fight, it contained many innovations, including the option for two players to team up and attack enemies, with the exact attack differing slightly depending on which two characters were being used. Food could be used for healing, and various weapons and items could be obtained for use for a short time or for a one-time projectile attack. These items were often brought into the game by other Simpsons characters, and the Simpsons' own pets could be used as thrown weapons at various points in the game. The Japanese version of the game included small scale nuclear bombs that, when thrown, clear all on-screen enemies, as well as a life bar that can be doubled by eating food when your character's health was full. The main characters retained their voice actors from the show.
The game features two minigames in which players competed against each other to be the first to finish a task (inflating a balloon shaped like their character in the first game, waking up their character in the second). The minigame was based on repeated button-pushing, with the player who pushed the buttons fastest winning. If fewer than four players were present, the player or players competed against 1-3 computer-controlled characters in these minigames.
The game featured many enemies, ranging from the infamous men in the purple suits, to battles with Bongo-like rabbits. The game included battling fat, old men; miniboss-like firemen; and even giant donuts.
One of the visual gags in the game include Marge showing rabbit ears similar to the Life in Hell rabbits, like her skeletal silhouette when electrocuted. According to several DVD commentaries, before The Simpsons became a full series, Marge was supposed to be a Life in Hell rabbit in disguise as an in-joke.
Legacy
Soon after its release in the arcades, the game received ports to Commodore 64 and MS-DOS computers developed by Novotrade. A listing on the Australian Classification Board website, posted on November 9, 2011, hinted at a port of the game being developed by Backbone Entertainment for multiple platforms.[1] In January 2012, Sony announced the launch of a high-definition remake of The Simpsons Arcade Game on its PlayStation Network online service in February. The game will be initially made available exclusively to PlayStation Plus users at no charge.[2] One day after the Sony announcement, Konami added that the game would also be ported to Microsoft's Xbox 360 console through Xbox Live Arcade.[3] Konami elaborated further on the game's upgrades, which include online multiplayer, the ability to unlock the Japanese version of the game, and promotional content from the game's arcade launch.[3]
A gameplay-inspired remake by EA Games was released for iOS on December 19, 2009. Although the plot and actual level layout was mostly altered from the original to avoid conflict with publisher Konami, the bonus Balloon blow up mini-game was included in the remake.
Reception
ScrewAttack placed the game as the #1 best cartoon-based game of all time.[4] The PC/MS-DOS version of the game was reviewed in 1992 in Dragon #180 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 3 out of 5 stars.[5] Gamespot rated the Xbox Live Arcade Version a 3.0 out of 10, however, IGN rated it a 8.0 out of 10.
References
- ^ Sterling, Jim. "The Simpsons Arcade likely coming to consoles". Destructoid.
- ^ Eddie Makuch (January 31, 2012). "Simpsons Arcade Game arriving next week for PlayStation Plus subscribers". GameSpot.com. CNet. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
- ^ a b Eddie Makuch (February 1, 2012). "Simspons Arcade Game hits XBL Friday". GameSpot.com. CNet. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
- ^ http://www.gametrailers.com/video/top-10-screwattack/52919
- ^ Lesser, Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk (April 1992). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (180): 57–61.
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