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Game Title: The Simpsons Road Rage
Platform: PlayStation 2
Developer: Radical Entertainment
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: Racing
Age Rating: ELSPA: 3+
Release Date: 30th November 2001 (Europe)
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Game Score: 7.0/10
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Summery:
The Simpsons Road Rage offers some fun gameplay but it's a shame that the experience is over before you know it.
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Sometimes references are done for a quick show or given as a fun Easter egg which you have to stop and laugh to take note of it and then there's The Simpsons Road Rage on PlayStation 2, Gamecube and XBox which acts as a total rip off of Sega's Crazy Taxi. Dispute that and the short length Simpsons Road Rage offers some fun gameplay while the car trip lasts.
The basic plot in the game is that Mr Burns has overtaken all bus stations all over Springfield and has created radioactive buses which are a threat to public health. So the various Simpsons characters decide to take the job into their own hands and work as drivers who take passengers to the destinations. It's not really something to complain about as far as plot goes but the standard Simpsons humour alongside having the actual voice actors of The Simpsons does it entertaining through and through.
If you played Crazy Taxi before then you will know the basic rules of Simpsons Road Rage. You pick up customers and take them to their destination with in a small time limit, by taking them where they want to go you will earn money and a small boost of time which you will need in order to keep playing. There about 6 areas in the game and just like in Crazy Taxi this game points out to where the passenger wants to go. Each of the areas may not fully resemble the whole town of Springfield in video game form but I'm sure it's just like that for the sake of gameplay.
The driving controls are reasonably handled giving the various cars a sense of depth and feel although it will take some time to get used to using drifts. The main aspect of the gameplay is good for what it is and also you get a side mission to do as well. This may include avoiding traffic or destroying objects in your way. The physics in the game are just crazy, trees and sign posts can be dragged about while pedestrians easily fly several miles upwards before landing back down. There is also a moment where you will lose control of the controlling car and it will end up flying upwards for a split second before landing back down. Every other physics in the game are good like how you can bump into various cars and knock down signs and posts and it's shocking to see a giant sign get dragged by a small car. These are just very funny physics but they are good and fit well to the chaos.
You can set the timer which determines the difficulty and also determines how much money you earn from the satisfied customers. If you earn enough money after the game is over you can unlock either a new character to play as or a new area to play in. There are about 17 different characters to play as with 6 being available from the get go. You only start off with 1 area avaiable with the other 5 being unlockable.
Aside from the main game you got a multiplayer mode for 2 players and also a mission mode where you complete 10 missions which involve taking a passenger to the destination without getting attacked by Mr Burns who does the same thing in the main game or knocking out targets in the time limit. These missions are forgettable and very repetitive but all can be completed in just under an hour if you know what you're doing.
The game's main highlight is the fan service it delivers. If you enjoy many of the episodes from the show you can recognise some of the show's references like 2 of Homer's vehicles that appeared in 2 different episodes, a man statue who's holding a Doughnut and lastly some of the places that appeared in some of the Simpsons episode. The game's graphics look decent considering the year the game out with character models and environment looking reasonable dispute the very low quality. At least all the car physics and animations are really good though however the frame rate can drop really bad when plenty of stuff is happening on screen which can make the game a little less stable. The soundtrack is reasonably good and it also has a remixed Simpsons theme for this game and it is quite good.
What I really got against this game is the whole package, it will only last a few hours to get all the unlockable vehicles and areas and also complete the 10 missions easily. If you bought this game brand new for £29.99 you would have been easily ripped off at the time this game was released. For a cheap price second hand stores would sell the game for The Simpsons Road Rage only provides a few hours of enjoyment before the novelty wears off. Compared to most Simpsons licensed games out there this one is passible and playable compared to the garbage that the license has released on the gaming world like the horrible Simpsons Wrestling. It's a Simpsons game with some fan service and should only be enjoyed by hardcore fans of the TV show.
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The Good Points:
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1. Various fan favourite Simpsons characters to pick up, deliver, listen and also play as
2. It has the actual Simpsons actors locations and fanservice
The Bad Points:
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1. It's short with little replay value
2. Huge framerate drops
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Reviewed by: Anthony Hayball (AQWBlaZer91)
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