The best Simpsons game finally gets the port it deserves
The story is a bit silly but then again, it is The Simpsons. Smithers and a group of thugs have just robbed a jewelry store and stole a precious diamond when they run into the Simpson family, who just happened to be taking a walk into town that day. The jewel goes flying and gets caught by Maggie. With no time to lose, Smithers takes Maggie and kidnaps her. Now, the Simpson family must work together to get back the stolen diamond and Maggie. This plot makes little sense (why is Smithers robbing a bank? Why does Mr. Burns need Smithers to steal a diamond when he's filthy rich?) but it's sort of charming in a way.
But who cares about story in a beat-em-up anyway? It's all about the chaotic, button mashing gameplay that makes them tick. When starting the game, you are given a choice between playing with infinite credits, 40 credits, or 1 credits. Then, you and up to 3 other friends get to choose between your favorite Simpsons family member (Homer, Marge, Bart or Lisa), each with slight advantages (Homer is powerful, Marge has the best attack range, Lisa is the fastest and Bart is middle tier). Like most old school beat em ups, the goal is to punch and kick everyone on the screen and move to the next area. This seems a little repetitive by today's standards but those with fond memories of playing this in the arcade are sure to enjoy it once again.
The stages vary from famous locations found in the famous tv show, The Simpsons such as downtown, Krustyland, Moe's Tavern, the Nuclear Plant, and more. Each stage feels unique with their own brand of baddies, weapons, and a difficult boss at the end (although I don't recall any of those from the show, except for Smithers and Mr. Burns of course).
As fun as it may seem alone, it's even better with friends. You can play locally or online. Luckily there is Xbox Live to help you out should you not have any friends to play with. As with any beat em up, playing with more players can get very chaotic and it's easy to get lost but that's also what makes it more fun. You can also do team attacks which allows two players to band together and take out several enemies on the screen with a more powerful attack (such as throwing the other player). The only problem with playing online with random players is some serious lag. I played with a friend and we did ok, but matchmaking slowed the game down severely.
The only problem with this port is the price; 800mp (or $10) for a game that you can beat in under an hour. There are unlockables to collect for beating the game mutiple times but it just involved sound tests, concept art or character descriptions. If you're an old fan of this game, I'm sure reliving some childhood memories might make the game worth it to you, but $10 is a little much to ask for this game due to a lack of content.
Spite the fact that the game is overpriced, this is a nearly perfect, untouched port of The Simpsons Arcade that any fan of the arcade version will appreciate. As someone who spent several quarters in the arcade, this brought back a lot of memories and it will surely do the same for you. To others, it may seem a little outdated and repetitive, but this port was mainly for the arcade fans anyway. Newcomers beware, but old school fans may find plenty to love again in The Simpsons Arcade, which I still believe to be the best Simpsons game to date.