A funny, sometimes exciting gaming romp that sadly does not last as long as it should.
The main plot is that Bart finds an instruction manual for a video game entitled "The Simpsons Game". This instruction manual gives him and his family video game powers, and they use these powers to conquer their every day troubles. But just after they thought their problems were over, the space aliens Kang and Kodos decide to destroy Springfield, and so the Simpsons must travel to various parodies of video games to try and save their home town. Along the way, there are loads of little cameos and parodies of famous video game characters like Mario and Sonic. The whole story line is pretty much an extended episode from the show.
Of course, being a Simpsons game, there are going to be knocks at the game industry, and a litters of jokes that will make anyone laugh, though there may be a couple in there that only the hard core fans will understand. The video game references are obvious to any video game player though. The parodies of Grand Theft Auto and Medal of Honour are pretty hilarious.
The sad thing about this game though is that the gameplay itself isn't terribly exciting. Even though their there's a large variety of villains, the combat is very simple. Just mash X button as fast as you can, pressing B if you want a power combo. The camera isn't perfect either. It has a tendency to give you a bad view of the action a lot of the time and particularly annoying when you come to one of the many platforming sections.
The more you play, the more you notice that the game seems to be just fine with having mediocre gameplay. You collect "clichés", like invisible barriers and poor AI. While these are funny and are indeed things that have become a staple in video games, it seems a little weird that the game does not mind having these kinds of problems.
The game pairs you with another Simpsons family member as well, and the AI is actually pretty decent. Obviously it isn't as good as one of your friends, but it still holds up pretty well, which is a good thing, seeing as nearly all of the puzzles will need both of the family members to proceed. You can also swap characters by tapping the directional buttons, which is very simple and useful, seeing as you'll need to combine the two characters abilities to advance.
The powers that the Simpsons have, while cool at first, are pretty lame. Homer can turn into a rolling ball of lard, Bart can glide, Lisa can use her Buddha powers to levitate objects and Marge uses the power of nagging. All of these abilities aren't used a lot during the gameplay, and it kind of ruins the flow of the game really. If they had made more sections where you actually have to use these powers (and expanded on them a bit more), we could be looking at more decent game here. The levels are also pretty simple, and it's not really hard at all to find out where you should be going next. The puzzles are also pretty easy, which again, is not a good thing.
The main story of the Simpsons game will take you roughly six hours. If you tried to complete in one sitting, I would say it would take you around 2-2 and half hours. If you like however, you can explore the Springfield hub, but even that isn't terribly exciting, seeing as how slow the Simpsons characters run. That's the one power up they don't have, super-speed! There are also hidden collectables hidden around the levels that grant you bonuses, so anyone willing to collect these will add another 2-3 hours to their play time. There are also crazy time challenges for each level, so these can fill up some more time.
The graphics are one of the best things about this game. The developers have done a pretty impressive job with the cell shading technique, which to be honest, suits the game, seeing as it is based on a cartoon. The cut scenes are also animated, and these too are of pretty high quality. While you can easily tell the difference between gameplay and cutscene graphics, they both look pretty much identical. This helps to give the Simpsons Game a unique personality.
The audio is also a key highlight here, with all of the cast members giving an impressive performance. The guest voice actors do an equally impressive job. The sound effects also suit the action, and the background music suits the level that you are in perfectly. The audio is brilliant.
Really, the Simpsons Game is one of those games that you should rent first before you buy it, as the pretty dull gameplay may not appeal to you at all, but if you are a diehard fan of the show, you will no doubt love this game. This is a game that you need to give a chance, and if you are willing to look past some flaws, you will find a gem of a game.