Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this game is about as controversial as the television show. It includes Itchy & Scratchy blood and violence (for the uninitiated, that's the show's parody of violent cat-and-mouse cartoons), some minor curse words, a few sexual references, and so on. In other words, if you let your kids watch the show there isn't anything in the game that will raise a red flag.
Families can talk about how The Simpsons animated TV show was considered very offensive back in the early '90s -- Bart's underachieving attitude, Homer's language (which upset his religious neighbor, Ned), and some violence and gore -- but is this as big a deal today? Does the game push the envelope as the show did in its day, or is it now seen as clever, irreverent social satire? Does the game feel like an interactive episode of the show?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Marc Saltzman
Fans of The Simpsons, the longest-running animated TV series in history, have played through tie-in video games worthy of yelling "woo-hoo!" (such as 2003's The Simpsons: Hit & Run) and some deserving of a "D'oh!" (2002's The Simpsons Skateboarding).
Now America's favorite yellow, four-fingered dysfunctional family has gone interactive again with EA Games' THE SIMPSONS GAME, and the good news is that it's the best Simpsons game to date -- but you do need to be a fan to appreciate all the inside jokes.
With a zany story line crafted by the Emmy award-winning writers from the TV show, the Simpsons family -- Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie -- are aware they're trapped inside a video game, and so they use their newfound special powers to live out their fantasies and help save their town of Springfield. For example, the overweight father Homer can unleash a serious belch or change into a giant ball of fat to roll over enemies, while bad-boy Bart, armed with a slingshot, can peg off baddies with ease or glide through the air with his Bartman cape.
Most missions let you play as one of two characters, and in some cases you'll need to use one in particular to take advantage of their abilities. When playing alone, the game's artificial intelligence controls the other family member, but at any time a second player can pick up a controller to start playing.
Not only have the TV show's cast members provided voice talent to the characters in the game -- including all the Springfieldeans you will come across in your adventures, such as Lenny and Carl, Chief Wiggum, Krusty the Clown, and more than 100 others -- but this video game also enjoys smooth "cel-shaded" animation that resembles the TV cartoon, even with the move to 3-D. The game offers 16 distinct "episodes" and more than 8,000 lines of dialogue.
The hilarious missions include running through Homer's dream in "Chocolate Land" at the beginning of the game; Marge and Lisa trying to get the violent video game "Grand Theft Scratchy" banned (The Simpsons Game parodies many other video games, including the World War II shooter Medal of Honor); stopping the Lard Lad statue, which has come alive, from wreaking havoc on Springfield; and a personal favorite where Homer and Bart must run through an eating contest divided into different countries.
The game is also loaded with collectible items such as Duff beer bottle caps, "video game clichés" as discovered by Comic Book Guy, unlockable costumes, and an optional time challenge mode to add to the game's replayability.
While a fan of the TV show will get a lot more out of The Simpsons Game than someone who is not, it's evident a tremendous amount of effort and detail went into this ambitious game. The end result is an adventure that's more fun than making a crank call to Moe's Tavern.
Other good action-adventure hybrids include Sony's Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction and Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentSome sexual references, such as saying Marge's eyes look like "boobs." |
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ViolenceSome animated blood in one or two levels (later on in the game). |
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LanguageSome words might offend including "hell," "damn," "butt." |
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Social BehaviorInappropriate role model behavior, but that's the source of the humor. |
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CommercialismSome references to pop culture and other video games. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoA few references to drinking alcohol, smoking, but nothing major. |
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