Developed and Published By: Konami
Ported By: Backbone Entertainment
Date of Release: February 3, 2012 (XBLA), February 7, 2012 (PSN)
Price: $9.99/800MSP
Are you ready to Doh! it all over again?
Back in 1991 when the Simpsons tv series was just starting to pick up steam, Konami was hired to create an arcade game based on the series. What resulted was one of the most amazing arcade beat-em-ups of the era. Running on the same engine that powered 1989's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Simpsons Arcade was a smash hit that readily devoured the quarters of fans. The Simpsons Arcade is arguably the greatest arcade game to ever be based on a cartoon, with it's incredibly true-to-source graphics and animation, and the full cast of characters voiced by their original actors.
The plot for The Simpsons Arcade is not exactly groundbreaking, but it does work. The Simpsons family collide with Smithers during a bank robbery, and Maggie ends up being kidnapped by Smithers after she replaces her pacifier with a diamond that he dropped in the scuffle. The rest of the family take off behind them in hot pursuit, fighting Mr. Burns's goons through an absurd misadventure. You can be assured that there will be plenty of wacky hijinks along the way. Players will have to make their way through Downtown Springfield, Krustyland, a nature reserve, and even a surreal dreamscape.
As simple as it is, the gameplay holds up well despite the game's age. As you make your way through the various stages you will be using mainly standard brawling maneuvers, though occasionally you'll find an interesting weapon or two lying around. The Simpsons Arcade definitely hails from the days when a game would hand out as many cheap deaths as possible to relieve players of their quarters, though you have many options for managing this situation. You can choose to have a limited pool of quarters, free play, or even a survival mode which grants you only one life with no continues.
Backbone Entertainment has added a wealth of unlockable extras to The Simpsons Arcade, including sound tests, music tests, and an excellent online multiplayer mode where four players can work together online to save Maggie. Of course local four player multiplayer is still available, and what better way is there to play a game such as this than to have 3 of your friends right there with you. As a standalone game The Simpsons Arcade may not impress as much as some of today's titles, but as an experience it definitely shines. If you are an arcade fan or into the Simpsons in general you cannot go wrong with this one!
