Techtite Game Reviews ---

Movie tie in game? Nope...and that's only part of the good news. I was actually surprised by how good The Simpsons Movie was, especially when the series ---and no, don't bother arguing--- has been crap for almost a decade by now. Yet The Simpsons Movie was a film that saluted the series' best (earlier) years, while it parodied popular movies. The Simpsons Game salutes the same series moments, yet parodies popular moments in gaming. That's just one of many aspects of this game that make it a must-have for fans...and everyone else.

The story is perfect game fodder for a faux family living in "Springfield" America. Bart wants a game his mom won't buy, called Grand Theft Scratchy. Everyone's playing it, he isn't...what's a boy to do? Suddenly, a mysterious game guide falls from the sky, for The Simpsons Game...and Bart is in it, right now! What's more; the book describes how every member of the Simpsons clan has special powers in this game (more on that next). What has happened to thrust the Simpsons into a video game, and what can they do to escape? That's up to the gamer to discover.

The game levels are played by two Simpsons members at once. This allows for easy two-player levels at any time, whenever player two activates a second controller. Otherwise; the other Simpson is controlled by admirable yet hardly foolproof A.I., until the single player presses the "switch character" button. Does this mean this is a strictly two-player game? No. While a "virtual" Simpson is not a good partner in a battle against enemies, they will at least stay alive long enough to solve the puzzles that need to be solved together (like a two-person switch), so you won't miss a second player too much.

Each Simpson has their own unique "powers." With a flick of the button, Bart is Bartman, with a grappling hook, special climbing abilities, and a cape that doubles as a hang gliding pair of wings. Homer can morph into both a giant fat-man sized ball to roll over enemies, and "Gummi Homer," which is sort of like a giant blob that can "slime" enemies. Marge has the ability to persuade whole groups of people to do her bidding, for those moments that require a team effort. She also always has Maggie riding on her back, who can be used by Marge to crawl through hard to reach places and find hard to reach items. Lisa can use her meditation powers to see the level from a top-down view, and then do any number of magical changes to the terrain, including telekinesis, freezing, and lightning. Cool.

While later levels put out all the stops and allow for all four characters to do their thing; earlier levels are "locked" into two characters only. This doesn't reduce the fun factor of each level, in the least. A two-man level of Bart and Homer has Bart solve puzzles from above (with his grappling hook and glider-cape) while Homer can kick enemy butt on the ground (Gummi Homer is particularly "funny yet functional"!). There's at least one level for each likely pair of Simpsons: Marge and Homer, Homer and Lisa, Lisa and Bart, and so on. This allows for multiple methods of solving a level and therefore, surprisingly diverse levels.

Such levels are based on the finest moments of classic "Simpsons" comedy. The cool part: the "hub" map where all levels begin is of course...Springfield! Use the bus stops to jump easily to the next level/story, or explore the town at will. There was once this cool non-game called Virtual Springfield; this is cooler. You can to every popular Springfield locale at will, including the Quick-E-Mart, Moe's bar, Reverend Lovejoy's chapel, and much more. The levels that this "hub" leads to include many salutes to classic Simpsons moments, including some memorable aliens, some not-so-memorable killer dolphins, and everything else a Simpsons Game would need.

Yet how is the game itself? Overall, it's challenging yet not aggravatingly so. This is assisted by fair game mechanics, including no limit to the number of "lives" a Simpson has (seriously, diehard classic arcade fans; the "limited lives" concept should be put to death already, pun not intended). Health is important though much like Halo (and every decent game proceeding it); health regenerates in time when you're able to find a safe enough place to recuperate. Puzzles are challenging yet not frustrating. To keep spoilers limited to what you've probably seen already in the demo: while it's easy to defeat the giant donut-wielding Big Boy Parody at first, you later have to attack him from above, forcing you to climb a building, find a place where he cannot see you, wait until he passes the building, and then attack from behind. That's just one example of a challenging yet "doable" puzzle; the best kind, I would say.

The best moments of the game are kept for later, when Bart and family venture into the deeper realm of gaming, where many game parodies reside. It's here where the game pushes the envelope, with levels that are riotous copies of popular games of the past. My favorite joke is when a fantasy game parody switches its view to top-down mode, and suddenly Homer and Marge find themselves in Gauntlet ][. Says the narrator (in a perfect likeness of the game's original "voice over"): "Homer needs food badly!" Quips Homer: "Homer also needs beer badly!" It loses a bit of the humor in its translation to text-only, though it's funny.

There are actually so many games parodied in this game; it's perhaps impossible to list them all. The most obvious in-jokes include Everquest, a parody of Grand Theft Auto (yes, you get to "play" Grand Theft Scratchy for a whole level!), and a riotous parody of every Japanese import you ever loved (check out a very Katamari-inspired cameo by Milhouse, for another hilarious gaming joke). At one point, the game even keeps true to its penchant for guest voices, where a major game guru guest stars in one level, providing their own guest voice.

True, like most moments of recent Simpsons history, the game doesn't know where to stop. That's a plus...and a minus. Let's cover the pluses first; there are these items you can find called "Clich�s." Most games would avoid clich�s; this game revels in them, if just to easily joke about them. Instant Death, the inexplicable inability for your character to swim, and other game clich�s are all used here, for better or worse, if just to ridicule them more.

The game doesn't stop there, though, which is part of the game's bittersweet finale. The Simpsons Game's ending is so grandiose, it still leads to disappointment; how is that for irony? You might think the final level is going to be the obligatory "giant" level viewed just above the quartet of game-level parodies. Yet the game suddenly has the gang return to their home for one last batch of levels that are almost as though the level editors are saying subliminally: Can You Top This? Well, maybe not...though neither can they, in a sequel. The level tries so hard to be daring, it is at times inexplicable at best, and perhaps even slightly politically incorrect, at worst. An example of the former: one of the boss battles is with the ghost of Ben Franklin. You might think this battle makes more sense when seen in the context of the game. Nope.

Yet not unlike people who still watch the series: it's the prior unforgettable fun which keeps you coming back. The final levels might go a bit too far, though earlier levels did not. Just about every little nuance of the earlier levels is great fun, from a short yet hilarious jest at the expense of the classic arcade game, Joust, to a trio of Pok�mon-style boss battles; this game holds back no punches with its ribald humor. Maybe the game jumps its own shark by the final level, and maybe it doesn't. The ride it took to get there is what makes this game a keeper.

	Final Rating : Large Crater. Short of a decent "story mode" to even things out, I can't think of a single addition that could've been made here.
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