The Simpsons Game - Nintendo Wii review

Does The Simpsons work on the console?

3 December 2007 9:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

The Simpsons, da da da da-da da da, dum dum dum dum, yep that's right it's the soundtrack that has played out in the back of our lives for over 10 years, but does the dysfunctional nuclear family translate to the games console? We eat a box of donuts to find out.

Here's what we like. The graphics make it look like you are in the TV show, wonderfully created even on the Wii console with its lack of processing power.

We like the witty remarks, the video game clichés and its self mocking style that fans of the cartoon series will be familiar with, like the acknowledgement of double jump to allow you to jump higher for example, or the acknowledgement that you've got to use switches to open doors.

We also like the fact that you can play all the family, working as a team, Bart and Homer on the quest for glory, and using the those characters' skills, Homer is heavy, Bart can use his cape to get past certain elements of the game.

Great you say, until you hear what we don't like.

The game is incredibly boring, unimaginative and as about as challenging as drinking a can of Duff beer. Levels are linear, with most based around you having to make certain jumps rather than actually offering any taxing puzzles to solve.

The gameplay is equally dull, with the first few levels having you walk around empty rooms being attacked by bunny rabbits or museum guards all with no real intelligence.

If that wasn't bad enough the camera angle will get you every time. Constantly out of kilter with where you want to look, it will be the main reason you die having missed that all too often important jump or guard who has managed to sneak up on you in a opening with no restricted view. You can, according to the help screen, centralise the camera angle by pressing Z, but the trouble is, is that the you'll be pressing that button virtually all the time, and even then it still doesn't work.

The final grumble is the lack of any real Wii Remote implementation. Every so often you'll get "Wii Moments" that see you racing to eat donuts and pork chops quicker than a bunny rabbit and the such like, that involve you shaking your controls like a dervish, but other than that everything else is controlled via the buttons.

Verdict

The Simpsons may be one of the most popular TV shows on television over the last decade, however for us EA has made a real dog's dinner of the video game.

Doh!

Score

Review Recap

Made by: EA
Price as reviewed: £35
The good: Graphics like the cartoons, some witty remarks, get to play whole family
The bad: Boring, unimaginative, gameplay, lack of Wii implementation, camera angle
Quick verdict: Not as clever or as much fun as the TV show
Score