If you’ve been playing video games for a while, it stands to reason that you’ve probably stumbled across a game or two based on The Simpsons in your time. A whole bunch of these have been made available for Nintendo systems over the years (19 to be exact) and they range in quality from yes, really good to I hate video games and I hate The Simpsons.
While it may have seemed like a no-brainer at first, we set out to find out which of these games is the best and who better to ask than you, our lovely readers? We called on you fine people to rate every Simpsons game you’ve played out of ten, and below you’ll find the results.
An obvious oversight, but something we have to talk about, is The Simpsons Arcade. This arcade brawler has been ported to PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, but Never to a Nintendo console. Come on, Konami — you know your arcade catalog, and you gave us The Cowabunga Collection! Or maybe DotEmu can give us a Shredder’s Revenge style sequel? Mmm, nostalgia…
Of course, the magic of this list is that it is by no means definitive! The current ranking is based entirely on the games overall user rating and is updated in real time. This means that if you didn’t have the chance to rate your favorite game and still want to get involved, you can click on one of the star ratings below and rate the game out of ten. And you will see the list change right before your eyes.
So, without further ado, let’s head to Springfield and see which game came out the best…
Publisher: Praise / The developer: Imagination
Making Bartman the main character in a video game is a no-brainer, and Imagineer seems to have understood that. With the potential to create something silly, full of the show’s trademark humor, and with added creativity, The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man should have been a hit.
At least things are off to a good start. From some neat cutscenes to a decent opening level full of tricky platforming, we got a good feel for what was to come. But the NES-style difficulty really ramps up. Remember all those jumps in Ninja Gaiden and Castlevania, where you can’t see what’s in front of you? Yep, they’re here. Also, there is no password system, which means if we die, that’s it. Although it starts well, it falls short of our high expectations, and of your readers as well.
Publisher: Shelves entertainment / The developer: Sculpted software
A Simpsons game full of different gameplay sounds great on paper, but Virtual Bart has a pretty big obstacle in the way of it being fun — poor controls.
It’s a fun game, we’ll give it that. Bart as the lead is a perfect choice, and the entertaining setup of each of the games, along with his trademark quips and jokes, gave us a laugh. But when riding a dinosaur across a landscape or escaping a factory like a pig feels like traveling through molasses, patience will be tested. Especially when the game is as nitpicky and difficult as it is — there’s no real reward other than the novelty or humor. And that’s a damn shame.
Publisher: Praise / The developer: Imagination
Bart Simpson’s Escape From Camp Deadly appears to be very similar to its Super Mario Land-like compatriots on a surface level, in an attempt to join the many other cracking platformers that came to the Game Boy in the early 1990s, though it is let down by frustratingly arbitrary difficulty and lack of originality.
Sent to a summer camp run by Ironfist Burns and filled with bullies, Bart and Lisa try to escape unharmed and get to safety. The game has some good platforming ideas with an array of Simpsons-inspired weapons for Bart to use against the enemies, but compared to other platformers of the time, it’s somewhat uninspired. It doesn’t help that the game actually bears very little resemblance to the TV show. Yes, Bart, Lisa, and a handful of other Springfield residents pop up here and there, though links to past TV seasons are few and far between.
Publisher: THQ / The developer: Software creations
The Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror is a neat late Game Boy Color title, but if you’ve played any other 2D side-scrolling Simpsons game, you already know what you’re getting with this one. . This is a real shame because the Treehouse of Horror theme deserves more.
We’ll start with the good stuff first. The levels. Each character gets their own unique level with a different style or horror feel. So Marge will have to deal with zombies, while one of the Homers turns our donut lover into a vampire hunter. But despite the lick of paint, there is a lot get differences in the levels. Stages reuses assets and sticks to similar level layouts, so you might be charmed by the theme, but you’ll soon be bored to death. It doesn’t help that this Game Boy Color title is also quite frustrating. What could have been a perfect Halloween game just turns into a bit of a handheld horror show.
Publisher: Praise / The developer: Imagination
This title was released almost immediately after The Simpsons: Bart vs Space Mutants and was a much more standard platformer. And while it doesn’t reinvent the wheel with its level design, The Simpsons: Bart vs. the World with improved controls, which is a big bonus if you’ve played any early Simpsons games. This, plus the simplicity of the game, made it a more enjoyable experience.
Bart vs. The World gets one other crucial thing right – the globe trotting level structure introduces far more references to The Simpsons TV show than ever before. You also get to meet a number of Mr Burns’ extended family members. The game may not be a classic by any means, but at least it felt like a part of The Simpsons universe, unlike some other games that bear the show’s name.
Publisher: Praise / The developer: Imagination
The Simpsons: Bart vs Space Mutants was the first real attempt to create a platform game set in the world of The Simpsons rather than just a regular side scroller that just happens to have Simpsons characters in it. As Bart, you must take on a wave of aliens that have taken over Springfield.
To thwart their plans, you must complete an objective in each level (remove purple objects, pop balloons – you know, good old anti-alien stuff). The result is one reasonably competent platformer, albeit one with controls so fiddly that very few people managed to get past the preliminary levels when the game was first released in 1991.
Publisher: Shelves entertainment / The developer: Bits Studios
Not to be confused with The Simpsons: Itchy & Scratchy in Miniature Golf Madness, The Itchy & Scratchy Game is billed as the definitive starring role for The SimpsonsTV characters in the universe. Except of course it isn’t.
Unlike its golf-themed counterpart, The Itchy & Scratchy Game is much closer to a platformer. You play as Itchy and must fend off hordes of oncoming Scratchys by taking them down in classically gruesome ways with axes, throwing stars, swords and a host of similarly OTT options. After dispatching a predetermined number of the feline antagonist, you must take on a boss version to complete the level before doing something very similar in the next location. It’s ridiculously repetitive, but somehow captures the mind-numbing violence-for-no-reason of the popular Springfield shit.
Publisher: Shelves entertainment / The developer: Audiogenic
One of the better Simpsons games on the NES, Krusty’s Fun House understands how to take one of the show’s most iconic characters and embrace the source material to its fullest. Instead of being a straight-up platformer, Krusty must navigate maze-like levels, solve puzzles, collect rats and guide them through the stage to exterminate them. Yep, it’s like Lemmings, except you’re trying to do the opposite.
You’re not safe yourself, of course, but you’re armed with your trusty pies to get past enemies and not make a total clown of yourself. It can be quite addictive, even if it’s a little on the easy side for this generation. Still, for a different type of Simpsons game, Krusty’s Fun House is a decent outing.
Publisher: Praise / The developer: Software creations
Less to do with The Simpsons and more to do with (you guessed it) Jack and the Beanstalk, The Simpsons: Bart & the Beanstalk uses the popular TV series to retell the classic tale with some annoyingly accurate platforming. You play out all the cow-selling, beanstalk-climbing, giant fugitive plot beats everyone knows so well here, but this time it’s got some Simpsons characters in it! It’s a cool addition… isn’t it?
Maybe it would be if this didn’t revert to the frustrating and convoluted formula that Simpsons fans have endured in previous games. But the setting and visuals give this a pretty lovely and unique aesthetic compared to other Simpsons games. After all, the chance to see Springfield’s finest in a world outside of its own is always a good time.
Publisher: Praise / The developer: Imagination
Something of a strange cross between The Simpsons and the knockout game American Gladiators, The Simpsons: Bart Vs. the Juggernauts is based on a series of mini-games where Bart competes in a Gladiators-style competition. The mini-games vary in challenge level and demands, from a shoving contest in Moe’s Tavern to a game similar to basketball but with electrified floor tiles. Ouch.
As a collection of smaller games, Bart vs. The Juggernauts together quite well. Some of the mini-games are more fun than others, but all offer a good level of simple entertainment over the game’s relatively short playing time. There are four different levels and with each challenge based on a different Simpsons character, there are plenty of fun references to enjoy in this above-average Simpsons game.
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