The Simpsons have a long history in video games — mostly bad. But, does the simply-titled “The Simpsons Game” break that tradition?

The Simpsons Game was developed by EA Redwood Shores, and published by EA on October 30th for all major consoles. As always, this review will focus on the XBox 360 version.

Story - The hottest game of the year is coming out — Grand Theft Scratchy, and Bart is lucky enough to find one. But it’s not long before Marge discovers him playing it. Shocked at the violence, she takes it away from him and vows to get the game banned in Springfield. Not long after, Bart is hit in the head by a falling game manual, seemingly coming out of nowhere. The manual is to “The Simpsons Game”, and upon reading it, he discovers that he and the rest of his family have super powers. Kang and Kodos, the aliens from the annual “Treehouse” episodes soon invade Springfield, and its up to the Simpsons to stop them. But during their adventures, they learn that everything happening is more than just coincidence and that they’re actually characters in a video game.

If not for Portal, The Simpsons Game would easily be the funniest game of the year. The writing, in all aspects, is sharp and witty, and some of the best Simpsons material yet. Most of the humor comes from parodies of games and gaming culture in general. The Madden series, GTA, Japanese games, nearly everything gets lampooned as you play. By completing certain actions, Comic Book Guy will pop-up onscreen and point out an obvious gaming cliche, such as the double-jump, in his blistering sarcastic tone. There are also plenty of in-jokes and references to pop culture in general to keep things moving along. Not every joke works, but as a whole, the writing and humor is leaps and bound ahead of any other Simpsons video game. Past games have focused too much on recycling gags from the series, while TSG focuses on creating new jokes, making this game feel very much like a brand new and extended episode of the series.

Graphics - Past Simpsons games have been really awful when it came to representing America’s favorite family and their hometown. The Simpsons Game, though, really shines when capturing the series’ look. TSG is cel-shaded in such a way that in-game graphics closely resemble the actual animation style of the show — no more lame 3D models anymore! Everything is bright, everybody looks like they should look, and the environments are fun and detailed.

There are two different types of cutscenes featured in the game. The first uses the in-game graphics, and these can get a little bit choppy at times, with inconsistent character outlines and blocky polygons. The second style are animated shorts produced specifically for the game. These look great, and if you’re lucky enough to have a high-definition television, the animation has never looked better.

Gameplay - TSG is set up as a sandbox style game — the town of Springfield is your hub, and going to specially marked areas will let you start character-specific missions. While in Springfield, you can interact with different characters, and you can also scour the city for hidden collectibles for each playable character.

Bart, Lisa, Marge, and Homer can attack with punches, as well as double-jump. Each character also has their special abilities: Bart (as Bartman) can float, use a slingshot as a ranged weapon, can reach certain areas with a grappling hook, and can climb on certain surfaces. List can use her saxophone to stun enemies, and can use the Hand of Buddha at the designated spots to move items (cars, crates, etc.) to solve puzzles or reach out of the way areas. Marge uses a bullhorn to take control of NPC’s to do her bidding, such as attacking enemies, solving puzzles, or building platforms. She can also use Maggie to crawl through small areas to find collectibles or… solve puzzles. Homer can transform into a bloated ball to smash and dash through obstacles, and his noxious burps can stun and damage enemies.

You control two family members in each mission, and can switch back and forth between them at will. Missions are character specific, and you’ll typically have to combine each special power to solve puzzles to progress through the level. Between puzzles, you’ll have to fight enemies and do the typical platforming duties. Each mission also has a handful of collectibles for each character, as well as power-ups that will grant you temporary invincibility.

The puzzles are fairly easy to figure out, while most of the frustration will come with the so-so controls. They’re not bad, they’re just average, and a lot of jumping sections are far too sensitive. The bad comes in the form of the camera, which is really irritating and damn near broken. It has a hard time positioning itself in the correct position, and your own controls over it aren’t much better. Sometimes, it will inexplicably swing around in mid-jump, completely throwing off your sense of direction. However, as I spent more time with the game, I got used to the controls, and was able to adjust to the little things.

Apart from the main game, there are challenge levels and time trials.

Sound - There’s not much in the way of memorable music, with the exception of the memorable opening theme. The bulk of the sound comes from voice-over work, which is supplied by the series’ cast. Past games have used a lot of recycled sound clips, but TSG features a large amount of brand new material. In addition to the regular cast, there are appearances by Sims creator Will Wright, series creator Matt Groening, and even surprise appearances by Futurama’s Bender and Dr. Zoidberg (John DiMaggio and Billy West, respectively).

The only complaint is that everybody suffers from a common video game problem — the same few voice clips played over and over during gameplay. Otherwise, everything is wonderfully acted, again making the game feel like an actual episode.

Multiplayer - Two players can play through the levels, but only on the same console. There’s no XBox live support for multiplayer, which is odd, considering that far more complicated games (Crackdown, Marvel Ultimate Alliance) offer the option.

Achievements - For the most part, the achievements are very attainable and straightforward. You get them for completing missions and the game itself. Others include completing the time trials, and achievements for finding the tons of hidden collectibles for each character (most aren’t hard to find, and there are online guides to help). Also, there is the “press start to play” achievement for 5 gamer points, which you get just for beginning the game. Easiest achievement EVER. Some of the time trials are a pain, but otherwise TSG will pad your overall gamer score with ease.

Intangibles - For whatever reason, fat, lazy Homer is the fastest and can jump the highest, thanks to his Homerball form. Who woulda thought that?

- While nobody likes Lisa, her ability to stun, and later on cause enemies to attack each other, is extremely useful.

- Marge’s missions are slow, and involve a lot of backtracking. They’re probably the least fun in the game, but at least you don’t have to use them often.

- If you’re a fan of lambasting the French, this game will not disappoint.

- I’m happy that The Simpson’s humor hasn’t been watered down just because it’s a game. The game is rated T for Teen, so expect a few naughty words here and there.

- No themes or gamer pictures? I’m surprised EA hasn’t offered up any downloadable content as of yet, considering how many people would love to have Homer as their gamer picture.

- Speaking of EA, the writers weren’t afraid to take several shots at the mega-giant publisher. EA must have a great sense of humor to let those jokes in the game.

The Bottom Line - The Simpsons Game is kind of odd that, while it excels at making fun of video games for their cliched moments, falls prey to them around every corner. When it comes to pure gameplay, the game offers a host of different ideas while never really excelling at any one type. Whether it’s platforming, puzzles, shooting, or rhythm-based button mashing, you get the feeling that with a little polish, they could have really been something great. Unfortunately, the very core of the game is mediocre, at best, and does nothing to advance how games are played.

With that said, though, the game’s saving grace is its excellent humor and writing, which I feel is strong enough to salvage the entire experience. By foregoing self-referential humor and focusing on other targets this time around, the comedy and satire works and works well.

The game is easy, so even casual gamers shouldn’t have too much trouble completing the story. As with most games these days, it’s also fairly short, and can be torn through in ten hours or so (not counting finding every collectible). So, if you’re a fan of The Simpsons, this game is a definite rental — at the very least, you’ll have a blast just watching things unfold. If you’re not a fan, then it will be much harder to forgive the sloppy controls and bland gameplay. The Simpsons Game, while not a triumph, is definitely a step in the right direction for the infamous animated family.

If you liked that, try...

1. Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness
2. Plenty for Twenty: God of War
3. Simpsonize Me!
4. Review Round-Up: Gears of War & Tomb Raider Legend
5. Plenty for Twenty: Devil May Cry 3

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