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Eat my shorts: The Simpsons Game (Xbox 360) demo first impressions

Posted Oct 8, 2007 at 1:30AM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: Xbox 360 Tags: Electronic Arts, Homer, PS2, Rampage

After 19 seasons, 400 episodes, 22 video games and a whole bunch of other numbers, America's "first family of cartoons" is back in their latest foray into the Simpsons franchise.

This time, you'll see them in their latest adventure in a video game published by Electronics Arts - The Simpsons Game (Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, and DS). The Xbox 360 team here at QJ.NET proudly brings you our first impressions on The Simpsons Game demo.

The Simpsons... in 3D (or not)

The game itself was written from an original storyline by some of the writers from the actual cartoon series. Initially thought to be an adaptation of The Simpsons Movie, the game (or the demo at least) proved to be a true, blue Simpsons classic that gamers can appreciate for both its wacky plot and humorous outtakes typical of the show.

The Simpsons Game is a third-person action game which throws everyone's favorite yellow-skinned characters into a parody of a series of video games of various genre. It purposely pokes fun at a lot of pop culture references, as well as other video games. To accentuate this, each member of the Simpsons family has his ans her own unique video game "power" which fits their personality perfectly.

You can expect the same brand of comedy that has entertained people for over 20 years in the game. With irreverent titles for each level spoofing giving tribute to other famous games, such as "Shadow of the Colossal Donut" and "Medal of Homer", you'd think you were watching separate episodes from the actual TV show.

The graphics switch from pseudo 3D cut scenes lovingly illustrated by Matt Groening to cel shaded 3D models during the actual game. Couple this with the fact that nearly the entire cast reprised their roles and lent their vocal talents for the game, it's no wonder that The Simpsons Game can be considered as every fan's dream of what an interactive Simpsons show would look like.

"That guy has a bigger ass than Homer!"

Niceties aside, after watching how the intro of the demo plays out on the Xbox 360, we seriously thought we were watching another Simpsons episode on TV. It began with local newscaster Kent Brockman reporting live on the scene as the town's Lard Lad statue has animated itself and is going on a destructive rampage.

Enter Homer and Bart, with their new-found powers, out to save the day. The two have their work cut out for them as they try to stop Lard Lad and a host of animated little Krusty clowns from leveling the town.

The gameplay is pretty typical of your everyday 3D action platformer as you take control of either Bart or Homer. Both characters have unique powers that you can use to take down your opponents and help you navigate through the level.

Bart is armed with his slingshot and can transform into his alter ego, Bartman. As Bartman, he can use his cape to glide through the air and use his grappling hook to cling to surfaces and climb up tall structures.

Homer, on the other hand, has the power to transform into a malleable and squishy ball of lard (WTF?!) that can roll, flatten or even float through the air. Go figure that this was one power that you'd expect Homer to have.

Holy camera angles, Bartman!

The controls seemed simple enough at the start of the game, with appropriate and easy to understand tool tips littered across the stage on how to use Bart's and Homer's powers. Also, the various items on the stage grant extra abilities or help boost your existing ones so we thought we wouldn't have any trouble finishing the demo.

After you find out how to defeat the giant statue, that's where the real "fun" begins. Trying to hit Lard Boy's weak point becomes almost like a chore after a while. And while Kent's commentaries are funny, listening to them repeatedly over and over grate on the nerves especially when you can't complete the stage's objective (or maybe we just suck at platformers).

It also doesn't help that the strange camera angles mess up your point of view sometimes, especially when you have your character backed up against a solid wall or a building. It would've been helpful if the developers included a sort of transparency feature when going behind such objects.

All's well that ends well

What seemed like an eternity to take down the giant monstrosity, we were finally able to enjoy the ending segment of the demo. The demo itself consists of that one stage, but we felt like it took forever just to finish it. All in all, though, nobody can deny that the game has the trademark Krusty seal of approval typical to the series.

The funniest thing we have to say about the demo was the fact that the entire stage is just littered with funny outtakes to different games and other pop culture references. We don't want to spoil anything so try to spot as many as you can if you ever get your hands on the demo.

In any case, Electronic Arts did a masterful job at giving fans a game worthy of the Simpsons name. We personally can't wait for the full The Simpsons Game to hit shelves by the end of the month. We have a personal score to settle against that giant ceramic piece of lard when the game finally comes out.

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