'The Simpsons Arcade' Hands-On Preview with Video
posted by Eli Hodapp on December 17th, 2009 3:38 AM EST in Fighting, Games, Upcoming Games, iPhone games, iPod touch games
Before you get too excited from the title, no, this is not The Simpsons Arcade you're probably thinking of. Instead, it's a upgraded port of a J2ME game which still manages to be quite a bit of fun, especially for fans of the show. The premise of the game involves some secret plans stored on a USB flash drive which Springfield's illuminati (consequently practically consisting of all the rest of the show's cast) decided to hide in a doughnut and entrust to Waylon Smithers.
Smithers naturally loses the doughnut and Homer gives chase, since it must be a pretty good doughnut for everyone to want it this badly. Using a mixture of a virtual D-Pad and two on-screen buttons you engage in fisticuffs with the various henchmen who are, um, protecting the doughnut. There isn't much to the plot, but given the arcade beat-em-up style of the game there doesn't really need to be.
Characters from the show make up the game's bosses, and scattered between every few levels is a mini-game of sorts where homer either chases or runs from something. The only real variety in the game is from the power ups you pick up along the way, which consist of weapons for you to use as well as other members of the Simpson family coming to briefly help you out.
Here is the first few levels, including a boss fight with Chief Wiggum and Mayor Quimby:
The Simpsons Arcade is a title in EA's holiday lineup and is coming soon.
So it will be released before Christmas?
I almost had a party here tonight, almost threw my laptop across the room, flipped over my coffee table and yelled out a mighty YEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then realized, this isn't THE Simpsons Arcade game from back in the day. Sigh………
It's *close enough* to the arcade game. Have you played ye olde Konami arcade game lately? A few months ago, I tried gathering a bunch of friends in front of it with 4 joysticks and a big screen (via XBOX MAME), and it did NOT go over well.
This seems to be very much a remake, with the same kinds of attacks, and hopefully better pacing.
In my opinion, "run to the right and keep pressing the Attack button" is not a great game formula, but nostalgia and pretty graphics will make me buy this, just like everything else. It's sure to become a top seller on name recognition alone, just like Dragon's Lair.
First line was not soon enough, title should have read 'The Simpsons Arcade'(No not that one) Hands-On…etc.
Was never aware of the other Simpsons Arcade so I won't comment on that, but this looks like it might be fun at the right price.
Oh man, I also flipped out until I saw that phrase "Before you get too excited from the title, no, this is not The Simpsons Arcade you're probably thinking of" man I fell apart D:
I still remember those good old days spending 3h at the Arcade playing The Simpsons all day long :'(
Looks very uninspired…
Agreed. Has 'bland' written all over it.
Well, I got too excited because of the post title, thanks a loT!
I like this Beat them all! Graphism are awesome!
This looks like Double Dragon, Simpsons style. Probably fun nonetheless, but not Simpsons Arcade
hmmm……interesting…..i probaly will buy it…..maybe,…..or maybe not^^
It looks really quite boring, very clichéd and the music is very, very annoying.
why not just port the arcade game… =(
I don't think we'll ever "officially" see the Konami/Simpsons arcade game. Too many copyright issues… Konami no longer holds the rights, Fox can't publish a Konami game, etc.
looks pretty boring… Simpson arcade game wasn't awesome because of the actual gameplay, it was awesome because of multiplayer =)
So this wouldn't really work well on iphone. Rather have it on Steam or XBLA
How far along in development is the game? Right now it seems pretty incomplete but I've never even heard of the original J2ME game so I can't really compare the two.
How can they legally call it this? It's the EXACT SAME NAME AS THE ARCADE BUT NOT THE ARCADE
I'd totally buy the original Simpsons Arcade game if it ever came out on the PSN.
As a previous poster said, it seems to have most of the same sorts of elements as the original (bonus round, combos of a sort, teaming up with others) but just tarted up for the iPhone (surely they could've done something better with the music though). I think many people wishing for the original arcade game have retro coloured glasses on, it's just not that pretty or as fun as we probably want to remember. Multiplayer was cool though.
Oddly enough, this looks like some good mindless fun with reasonable production values. Some kind of multiplayer would actually make this a great buy…but I wouldn't bet on it.
This looks very nice, but what's up with that corny, MIDI soundtrack?
We love the Simpsons and anticipate the release of each season. Wish they would release more than 1 or 2 seasons a year. You can't see these episodes too many times. Love the charactor packaging. We try to guess who will be featured on each year's release.