The Simpsons Game (Wii)

The Simpsons Game is one strange thing. On the one hand, it's generally an uninteresting action platformer that dozens of high-profile licenses have cribbed for game-making purposes over the years. But at the same time, this is a game that knows what it is and takes every opportunity imaginable to riff on that very fact. The game is as much about mocking the various conventions of the game business as a whole as it is about being The Simpsons fan ...
...so that you almost forget the gameplay itself is still pretty uninteresting, but that's for you to decide, read on!

In the beginning...

--------------------------

The whole game begins with our very own little Bart (for those that like to know a little trivia, Bart's name derives from the anagram 'brat') Simpson, who gets a copy of "Grand Theft Scratchy" video game and then having it confiscated ... more

The Simpsons Game is one strange thing. On the one hand, it's generally an uninteresting action platformer that dozens of high-profile licenses have cribbed for game-making purposes over the years. But at the same time, this is a game that knows what it is and takes every opportunity imaginable to riff on that very fact. The game is as much about mocking the various conventions of the game business as a whole as it is about being The Simpsons fan service, which makes for a very weird and often a hilarious experience; so much so that you almost forget the gameplay itself is still pretty uninteresting, but that's for you to decide, read on!

In the beginning...

--------------------------

The whole game begins with our very own little Bart (for those that like to know a little trivia, Bart's name derives from the anagram 'brat') Simpson, who gets a copy of "Grand Theft Scratchy" video game and then having it confiscated by his mum Marge (go figure), the next thing Bart gets hit on the head by a copy of "The Simpsons Game" game manual which randomly dropped out of the sky. He reads it and discovers that he and the rest of his family members have unique powers; Bart uses his "Bartman" powers to stop the bullies Jimbo Jones, Kearney and Dolph from breaking in and stealing from the Natural History Museum (after destroying half the museum in the process anyways...); his father Homer uses his ability to become a giant ball to win an eating contest; his sister Lisa uses her powers of meditation to stop a deforestation project (even though it causes several people to lose their jobs...), and Marge uses her unique powers to influence crowds to stop the release of "Grand Theft Scratchy" in Springfield. 

Back at home, whilst everyone praises their special powers, Kang and Kodos (the salivating aliens) launch an attack on Springfield. Among their havoc-inducing strategies they bring a giant Lard Lad statue to life and turn all the dolphins evil (RAH!) (these events have previously happened in the TV Show The Simpsons). So upon these events, even the evil Sideshow Bob forms an alliance with the Simpson family! Realising that none of their powers are strong enough to defeat the aliens, Bart and Lisa visit Professor Frink (the big nerd with thick bottle-glasses), who was in the "Game Engine", which is a factory-like realm where video games are made. Professor Frink gives them "The Simpsons Game" manual to try and understand better how to use their powers as well as gaining new ones at the same time, and the Simpsons family rally again to stop the alien invasion. In order to find out the truth, the family turn to the Internet to discover more about the powers they have in the game, but instead they are accidentally sent back to the game engine when Homer spills beer while trying to play solitaire. (It always has to be Homer, doesn't it...)
In the "Game Engine", they discover Will Wright destroying copies of The Simpsons: Escape from Krusty Island purely on the basis that the game is dated and no one is playing it anymore (the cheek!). The family manages to save their 8-bit predecessors, who tell them that as they too are just characters in a video game, they are also doomed to become obsolete when the next "The Simpsons" game comes out, and that the only way to prevent this is to talk to "The Creator" himself.
Don't want to spoil the rest of the plot...

Gameplay

--------------

Players are able to control four of the five members of the family, each with their own unique abilities. Maggie is, in effect, an extension of Marge, being playable in air ducts and other small spaces, so the time you can play as Maggie is therefore very little. Two different family members are playable on each level, apart from The Land of Chocolate tutorial where only Homer is playable, and the final level, which allows all of the family members to be used (except Maggie). The game contains 16 levels, which are known as episodes. Each episode requires specific skills related to the characters in that episode. E.g. in Episode 4: Lisa the Tree Hugger, you are required to use Lisa's "Hand of Buddha" skill in order to move large objects, and Bart's slingshot skill in order to shut down numerous machines. Unique enemies are featured in all episodes with the exception of the final level, in which the enemies are "recycled" with different colours. Several after-episode challenges exists, and these include finding all the collectibles for each character, finding all the videogame clichés, and completing a certain task related to the episode's plot in a time trial, but this is available in in PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.
Each family member has their own abilities: Bart is similar to a traditional platform character, with slingshot, grapple and cape to glide, and the ability to use ziplines (whoopieeeee like Spiderman...ish). Homer's abilities let him turn into a giant ball by eating food, turn into a gummi blob version which can shoot pieces of gummi, and he can also inhale helium and turn into a balloon; Marge can recruit a mob she can use to destroy, repair or build parts of the environment, and to attack enemies; Maggie, inside a carrier on Marge's back, can be deployed into small areas for certain objectives; Lisa's power is to use the Hand of Buddha ports to move objects across the landscape, and to flick and smash enemies,freeze and send lightning bolts at her enemies.
There are two different motion sensitive controls to choose from. Flick the Remote for certain actions (Homer: Homer Ball Roll, Helium Homer Burst, Gummi Homer Smash. Bart: Grapple onto a hook. Lisa: Play saxophone to stun nearby enemies, and later, Buddha Smash and Buddha Lightning. Marge: To gather a person for the mob, to have the mob destroy or build something. & Flick the Remote and Nunchuk at the same time for a character to use up energy for a special attack. (Homer: A big burp. Marge: Makes a loud noise from her megaphone. Bart: A bat attack. Lisa: Plays her saxophone while spinning around.)
All of this excellent Simpson humour does a good job of veiling the fact that the gameplay isn't exactly the best. The camera constantly gets in your way and that most of these mission objectives are just kinda boring, which in the case of the Wii version also means frustrating. Most of the game revolves around simple action platforming where you hop around a lot of platforms and solve some light puzzles. You can also beat up football players, pseudo-Ryus, miniature Krusty the Klowns, lumberjacks, Kodos/Kang lookalikes, killer dolphins, sumo Comic Book Guys, as well as gangsta Itchys and Scratchys, among others.
The combat has all the depth of the old Simpsons Arcade Game from the early '90s, and the in-game camera has a tendency to make some of the platforming sections far more irritating than it really should be. It doesn't help that the Wii game maps the camera controls to the D pad as well. Not that there's ever been a great solution for camera control in these sorts of games on the Wii, but the sluggish and generally imprecise movement of the camera via this control methodology only exacerbates the general camera issues. On the combating side, if you're going to pick between the A and B button on the Wii Remote to make the button you mash to attack guys, why would you make it the B button? It's just plain uncomfortable.
The one interesting thing The Simpsons Game does from a gameplay standpoint is that it constantly pairs you with another Simpson since in most levels you require more than one Simpson's unique powers. You actually have the option to play cooperatively with a friend at any time, but when it's just you all by yourself (sniff), your partner is a computer-controlled tagalong. Nearly all the game's puzzles involve the two characters working together, and for the most part, the artificial intelligence rarely lags behind by much, which is quite good for once. Plus, you have the option to switch to the other character on the fly, which is helpful because you often have to use the special powers of both characters in somewhat rapid succession.
So simply put, expect some button bashing.

Graphics / Sound

------------------------

I find that the Graphics is very similar to the High Voltage Software developed Family Guy. (Is it developed by the same company? I'm not sure on this...) so the quality of the graphics is really good with an attention to detail.
Given that this is a game based on The Simpsons TV show, it would have been ever so easy for the developers to quickly slap together some lousy-looking cel-shaded graphics and call it a day, but that isn't the case in The Simpsons Game. This game looks a whole lot like the show on which it's based; the characters and environments are drawn or animated in such a way that you really get the sense that you're part of an episode of the show. You do lose a small sense of that when the game switches to an animated cutscene outside of the game engine however, but at times, the line between the two really is blurred. The colorful and crisp graphics are made better by a steady frame rate that rarely hitches, save for in split-screen mode. 
Most importantly, if you compare the Wii version with Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, the graphics doesn't fail you (that much); It may not look quite as crisp as those versions, but the art style still shines through wonderfully.

The Good Stuff...
-----------------------
The writers for The Simpsons Game have successfully merged both the gaming culture with the TV show itself, which should boost the sales, whether you may be a game nut or a Simpson nut, if you're both, this is perfect! With the sharp graphics and okay sound (it is original casting so it's cool) plus the ability to collect and unlock things, this game won't disappoint any Simpson fan.

...and The Bad Stuff

------------------------------

The Wii control always becomes a problem when it comes up to a platform game like this; its awkward and unresponsive gameplay only adds on top of the in-game camera issue that it constantly gets in the way.
Another annoying thing, particularly for game fans, is that The Simpsons Game can be completed in around 6-7 hours....
I mean, Family Guy might not have the game on the Wii platform, but the style of The Simpsons Game is far too similar to Family Guy's...so when this quote came up in the game it just made me laugh:
Matt Groening: It is I, animation's most beloved visonary!
Homer Simpson: Seth McFarlane?

So, despite the annoying gameplay, The Simpsons Game is one of those weird cases where a recommendation of it is based less on its merits as a game but more on its experience. The things that make this game is its sense of humour, sharp writing, and beautiful presentation. The gameplay isn't atrociously bad or anything. The gameplay is something that's more to be put up with while you appreciate the many other things going on than enjoyed on its own merits. That might not sound like a ringing endorsement, but The Simpsons Game is absolutely worth playing--just not necessarily on the Wii. It's an OK choice if the Wii is the only system you own, but you're ultimately better off looking at any of the other console versions if you're interested in the humor-filled adventure that is The Simpsons Game.

Technical Specifications
---------------------------------
Developer: EA Redwood Shores
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Action/Adventure/Platformer
Mode: Single player, Co-operative multiplayer
Ratings:
ESRB: T (Teen)
OFLC: PG (Parental Guidance)
Date released: (UK) Nov 2, 2007. (US) Oct 30, 2007.

Prices (includes free delivery unless stated)

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Ebay. co.uk: £2 with 1 day left! (may change subject to time)

Play.com: £29.99
Amazon.co.uk: Buy new:£29.98 22 Used & new (Amazon marketplace) from £25.00

Virgin: £29

HMV: £32.99

(Ebay always has the best bargain)

HAPPY GAMING! =) 

...less