by Jay "THE FLEA" Wade
A new Simpsons video game has been long over due. The last Simpsons game to be released was on the Super Nintendo and Genesis. There’s been side scrollers, action, adventure, and action fighters.
And now wrestling, . . . wrestling? Actually it’s more of a fighting game with a wrestling feel.
The characters of Springfield duke it out in a ring; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Krusty, Apu, Barney, Willie, Bumblebee Man, Moe, Flanders and Frink. These are just thirteen of the nineteen characters available in the game. The rest are secret characters that have yet to be discovered.
The animation graphics are okay, but have a lot of problems. There’s some break up and sometimes don’t connect well. All the characters are voice acted, and most are clips straight from the show. Any Simpsons fan will get a laugh or two from the quotes.
The control is the weakest point in this game. While simple there are times you feel you can’t do anything but stand there and get your butt whooped. D’oh! But any gamer can mash the buttons and get win easily.
Each character has their own special moves that fit the character, Barney’s beer belch, Flanders strikes from god, or Homer’s Bowling ball to name a few. The computer can be extremely cheep when it comes to special moves.
Special items will also appear in the ring to help your character; Full Health, Speed Shoes, and Taunt letters to become invincible to name a few.
For a wrestling game this game is weak. For a fighting game the game is weak.
The only people who will get enjoyment from this game are Simpsons fans. If you just want to play your favorite Simpsons character beat it out in a ring, you’ll get a few laughs. Then get board real quick.
Personally if Fox wanted to create a Simpsons fighting game, they should have copied the style of almost any Capcom 2D fighter. The Simpsons just don’t look or feel right in 3D.
PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION / FOX
GRAPHICS: 5 MUSIC & SOUND: 8 CONTROL: 4
SECRETS: 8 ORIGINALITY: 4 FUN & REPLAY: 7
OVERALL: 6