The Simpsonshas been on TV screens for nearly thirty-five years at the time of writing. In that time, the franchise has expanded into all kinds of merchandising and marketing opportunities. For instance, the early Bart-centric seasons of the show led to a few early video games that were focused onthe show’s breakout star.However, the show would go on to feature more of the family and the citizens of Springfield. As such, many fans agree that this was when the show was at its best.
The height ofThe Simpsonscoincided with the release of the PS2. This meant that many of the games released at this time featured most of what fans loved about the show, but some of these games were better received than others.
The Simpsons Skateboarding had a lot of promise when it was first announced. The sport featured heavily in the show, so it was natural for someone to pair the franchise with this genre of video game. What’s more,the Tony Hawk Pro Skater franchisewas currently at its height, showing gamers exactly how to make a fun and challenging skateboarding game. AddingThe Simpsonsto this formula seemed like a guaranteed home run.
The story features a large skating competition rolling into Springfield to find the best skateboarder in town. Although the game allows players to control characters outside the family like Nelson and Otto, the skateboarding mechanics make the game difficult to pick up. All the tropes and challenges from theTony Hawkfranchise are here, but the heavy controls and poor collision detection means that players will spend more time on the ground than skating around Springfield.
The Simpsons Road Ragewas the first game based onTheSimpsonsshow that allowed players to take advantage of the show’s huge cast of characters. Alongside the core family, players could use Chief Wiggum, Moe, Professor Frink, Apu, Ned Flanders, and more to drive their signature vehicle and pick up passengers all over Springfield and take them to their destination. The story and gameplay mechanics are fairly simple, but it all works in this cartoony taxi game.
Where The Simpsons Road Ragefalls into trouble is in the fact that the gameplay is almost identical to that ofThe Crazy Taxigames that came out in arcades a few years prior. In fact, the similarities were so apparent that it led toSega successfully suing the developers of this game in 2003.Still, the original cast of voice actors all reprise their roles to offer some unique lines of dialogue and keep fans of the show satisfied.
Simply titled,The Simpsons Game,this 3D action platformer was the lastSimpsonsgame to be released during this era of gaming. Taking the 2D art style of the show, each level in the game has the player take control of a new member of the family in a story that is essentially designed to actas an extended episode of the show, rather than take inspiration from an existing genre of video games. The plot revolves around theSimpsonsfamily discovering that they have been given superpowers and must use these to stop their reality from being erased from their creator.
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Homer can turn into a large wrecking ball, Bart becomes the hero Bartman from the show, Lisa can use meditation to clear objects from her path, and Marge has the power to control people with her nagging and megaphone. All these powers are used to clear waves of enemies or solve puzzles to progress through the levels. It is full of jokes and references to the show, sothe Simpsons gameis often considered one of the best from the era.
The Simpsons Hit and Runwas developed to be a fully open-worldSimpsonsgame like that of theGTAseries. As a result, players can explore Springfield in this 3D open-world adventure game on foot or in one of the many vehicles in the game. There are seven levels in the game, each one slowly revealing the plot that aliens have been poisoning the citizens of Springfileld with a new soda for their new reality show. It is up to Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge, and Apu to stop this menace.
The gameplay in this PS2 title includes races, destruction missions, platforming tasks, and collectathons. Players can even choose to kick the residents of Springfield around the map if they so choose.The Simpsons Hit and Run is a faithful recreation of the show and its characters that is full of gags and recognizable moments from the TV show. That is why many PS2 fans have beenexpecting a remaster of the game for years now.
