The Simpsons (arcade game)
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| The Simpsons | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot of The Simpsons |
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| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Release date(s) | 1991 |
| Genre(s) | Beat 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Up to four players, simultaneous |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Commodore C64, PC DOS |
| Input | 8-way joystick, 2 buttons keyboard |
| Arcade cabinet | Standard |
| Arcade CPU(s) | KONAMI (@ 3 Mhz) |
| Arcade sound system(s) | Sound Chips: YM2151 (@ 3.579545 Mhz), K053260 (@ 4 Mhz) |
| Arcade display | Raster, 288 x 224 pixels (Horizontal), 2048 colors |
The Simpsons is an arcade game produced by Konami in 1991. It is a beat 'em up based on the cartoon series of the same name. The voice actors of the immediate family (Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, and Yeardley Smith) provide their talents for their respective characters. It uses the same engine and therefore has similar overall gameplay as the very popular 1989 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game, also made by Konami. The game was ported to the Commodore 64, and PC.
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[edit] Plot
The plot, like that of many similar arcade games, is simple. After stealing a giant diamond from Springfield Jewelers, Waylon Smithers bumps into Homer Simpson, whose family was conveniently walking down the street. The encounter knocks the diamond out of Smithers' hand, and Maggie Simpson snatches it in her mouth (in place of her pacifier), prompting Smithers to grab Maggie and run off. The Simpsons must give chase, but hundreds of goons in matching suits stand in their way.
[edit] 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 must 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, Krustylu Studios, Moe's Tavern, Springfield Gorge, a graveyard, a dream world, the Channel 6 studio, and the Power Plant. Each level ended with a boss whose speed and strength would increase after taking a set amount of damage.
Bosses included Professor Werner von Brawn (a professional wrestler from the episode "Bart the Daredevil", although many people mistook him for Barney Gumble), a hot air balloon shaped like Krusty the Clown, a pair of bouncers, a drunk at Moe's Tavern, a "bear" similar to the one from the episode "The Call of the Simpsons" (really a henchman in a bear suit), an imaginary gigantic bowling ball and a martial arts sensei dressed like a kabuki actor. After each boss was defeated, Smithers would briefly appear with Maggie and narrowly escape. Smithers wears a cape through the entirety of the game, which he had not done at any point in the cartoon. In addition to using the cape as a shield and a makeshift weapon, in the final battle, he also draws handheld bombs from beneath it, which ultimately backfire on him. The game eventually leads to the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, where Smithers battles to protect Burns and ultimately Montgomery Burns awaits to defend his prize using a robotic suit.
Although the game is one of many beat 'em up produced after Final Fight, it contained many innovations, including the option for two players to team up and attack enemies in tandem, 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 also 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 game featured two occurrences of a minigame between two of the levels, 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 less than four players were present, the player or players competed against one to three computer-controlled characters in these minigames.
The Simpsons arcade game featured many strange enemies, such as the infamous men in the purple suits, to battles with Binky-like rabbits. The game included battling fat, old men to miniboss-like firemen to even giant donuts! As 'afore mentioned, many "boss monster" type enemies will appear at the end of each level. These bosses include, but are not restricted to: Giant Bowling Balls, A Professional Wrestler, A Drunken Teenager, A Pair of Bouncers, And even Mr. Burns's assistant, Smithers.
An interesting note is that, at the beginning of each level, Binky the Rabbit will appear on the family's TV. He shows up doing something related to the upcoming levels:
- Skates down the street with a boombox (Stage 1)
- Juggling (Stage 2)
- Grim Reaper (Stage 3)
- Extremely drunk (Stage 4)
- Wearing lederhosen and yodelling (Stage 5)
- Dressed as a wizard (Stage 6)
- Manning a TV camera (Stage 7)
- Glowing green with radiation (Stage 8)
After the game ends, the game resets back to the beginning.
[edit] Reception
The Simpsons is often praised for its faithfulness in digitizing the animated series' unique animation. The continued success of the series has ensured that the game has its place in many modern arcades. The game does seem somewhat dated by modern standards however, largely because it was produced so early in the show's history.
More contemporary fans of the show may be surprised, for example, to find that the game features such a large amount of "made up" characters (like the men in the purple suits), as many of the show's most popular supporting characters had not yet been introduced to the series. Also, in the gorge level, Sideshow Bob makes a quick appearance, but instead of trying to kill the Simpsons, he drops a ham that restores the player's health. Another oddity was Waylon Smithers as a villain; as the television series became more established, he at most would get caught up in Mr. Burns' various plots, but generally was never out-and-out villainous.
In addition to numerous Simpsons characters, characters from Simpsons creator Matt Groening's comic strip Life in Hell also make cameo appearances.
[edit] External links
- The Simpsons at the Killer List of Videogames
- The Simpsons Arcade Game at Progressive Boink
- The Simpsons Arcade Game at MobyGames
