The Simpsons (arcade game)

Infobox VG
title= The Simpsons


caption=
developer= Konami
publisher= Konami
released= 1991
genre= Beat 'em up
modes= Up to four players, simultaneous
platforms= Arcade, Commodore C64, PC DOS
input= 8-way joystick, 2 buttons keyboard
cabinet= Standard
cpu= KONAMI (@ 3 MHz)
sound= Sound Chips: YM2151 (@ 3.579545 MHz), K053260 (@ 4 MHz)
display= Raster, 288 x 224 pixels (Horizontal), 2048 colors

The Simpsons: The Arcade Game is an arcade game developed by Konami in 1991. It is a beat 'em up based on the cartoon series of the same name. The voice actors of the immediate family (Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, and Yeardley Smith) provide their talents for their respective characters. It uses the same engine and therefore has similar overall gameplay as the very popular 1989 "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" arcade game, also made by Konami. The game was ported to the Commodore 64, and PC.

Plot

After stealing a giant diamond from Springfield Jewelers for Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers bumps into Homer Simpson, whose family is conveniently walking down the street. The encounter knocks the diamond out of Smithers' hand, and Maggie snatches it in her mouth (in place of her pacifier), prompting Smithers to grab Maggie (rather than just the diamond) and run off. The Simpsons must give chase, but hundreds of goons in matching suits stand in their way.

Gameplay

The player chooses from one of the remaining four Simpsons: Homer, who punches and kicks; Marge, who swings her vacuum cleaner; Bart, who wields his skateboard; and Lisa, who uses a jump rope like a whip. They must fight through the employees and chase Smithers as he escapes through various Springfield landscapes. The game's levels are based on the streets of Springfield, Krustyland, a graveyard, Moe's Tavern, Springfield Gorge, a dream world, the Channel 6 studio, and the Power Plant. Each level ends with a boss whose speed and strength would increase after taking a set amount of damage.

In Stage 4 (Moe's Tavern), there are several arcade machines, including one of the Simpsons arcade game. There was also an "Aliens" arcade game that revealed the Alien to be Marge wearing a costume. "Aliens" was made in 1987 by Konami.

Although the game is one of many beat 'em ups produced after "Final Fight", it contained many innovations, including the option for two players to team up and attack enemies in tandem, with the exact attack differing slightly depending on which two characters were being used. Food could be used for healing, and various weapons and items could be obtained for use for a short time or for a one-time projectile attack. These items were often brought into the game by other "Simpsons" characters, and the Simpsons' own pets could be used as thrown weapons at various points in the game. The Japanese version of the game also included small scale nuclear bombs that, when thrown, clear all on-screen enemies, as well as a life bar that can be doubled by eating food when your character's health was full. The main characters also retained their voice actors from the show (although Burns and Smithers' voices are noticeably different).

The game features two occurrences of a minigame between two of the levels, in which players competed against each other to be the first to finish a task (inflating a balloon shaped like their character in the first game, waking up their character in the second). The minigame was based on repeated button-pushing, with the player who pushed the buttons fastest winning. If less than four players were present, the player or players competed against 1-3 computer-controlled characters in these minigames.

The game featured many strange enemies, ranging from the infamous men in the purple suits, to battles with Bongo-like rabbits. The game included battling fat, old men; miniboss-like firemen; and even giant donuts.

When electrocuted, Marge's skeletal silhouette shows rabbit ears similar to the "Life in Hell" rabbits. According to several DVD commentaries, before "The Simpsons" became a full series, Marge was supposed to be a "Life in Hell" rabbit in disguise as an in-joke.

At the beginning of each level, Binky the Rabbit appears on the family's television and does something related to the upcoming levels:
* Skates down the street with a boombox (Stage 1 - Downtown Springfield)
* Juggling (Stage 2 - Krustyland)
* Grim Reaper (Stage 3 - Springfield Discount Cemetery)
* Extremely drunk (Stage 4 - Moe's Tavern)
* Wearing lederhosen and yodelling (Stage 5 - Springfield Butte)
* Dressed as a wizard (Stage 6 - Dreamland)
* Manning a TV camera (Stage 7 - Channel 6)
* Glowing green with radiation (Stage 8 - Springfield Nuclear Power Plant)

Enemies

Regular enemies

*Henchmen (Royd and Stan for "standard" goons, Clovis and Victor for hat-throwing goons) - the most basic enemies, commonly seen through the game. They will rely mostly on basic punches and kicks, sometimes even using sliding kicks, flying kicks, backward grabs and even Moonwalker-style hat throws for a distance. In later levels these guys can throw objects (such as bombs) or use "weapons" such as hammers, umbrellas and brooms. Henchmen will come in purple (for Royd and Clovis) or green suits (for Stan and Victor).

*Fat Guys (Rupert) - another enemy commonly found, they wear pink with beige and their attacks are true to their build: punches, kicks, slaps, grabs, jumping belly flops and a deadly Zangief-style Spinning Clothesline (their best attack). Just like Henchmen, Fat Guys can also grab and throw heavy objects and use mallets. Players are advised to priorize this guy's downfall.

*Firefighters - appearing only late in Stage 1, they are not much of a real threat, but their concentrated shots of CO2 are still a force to be reckoned with.

*Clowns (false Krusties) - they only exist in Stage 2, and their attacks range within jumps and kicks aided by their colored balance balls. They are easy to beat.

*Bongo Rabbits - like Clowns, they only appear in Stage 2. They attack with treacherous punches and kicks and a deadly "ear slap". They are just normal henchmen in rabbit costume.

*Phantoms - hanging from trees in Stage 3, they are only regular henchmen disguised in white blankets. A single hit breaks their disguise, causing them to drop into battle.

*Undead Witch - another enemy exclusively from Stage 3, and she is fought only once. She is relatively easy to destroy, despite her powerful claws.

*Undead (Zombie and Ghoul) - another enemy found only in Stage 3. They sprout out from the earth to attack the player. Their actions consist only on silly slaps and jumps; Ghouls can also hide and move under earth to reappear and attack stealthily. Zombies have green clothes and "default" flesh, while Ghouls have brown clothing and "tanned" flesh.

*Gorillas - a very cheap reuse of Homer's sprites, re-drawing them to create the aspect of a gorilla / yeti creature. Being redrawn from Homer, it has the same actions and patterns from the Simpson family dad, only slightly stronger and less intelligent.

*Farmer - existing only late in Stage 5, they can be dangerous due to their greater aggressiveness and big tree logs as their preferred weapon of attack.

*Giant Donuts (G. Donut) - an enemy presented only in Stage 6, they can fly, roll like a wheel and "spit" smaller donuts as homing projectiles. Really weak enemies.

*Radioactive Suits (Rad. Suit) - empty protective suits from Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. They can be a real pain because of their extended hit points and good horizontal reach of their lead pliers. Flying and "diagonal" attacks are safe choices against them.

*Saxophones (Sax) - flying saxophones which attack only by dropping musical notes on the player's head. Fitting to their air nature, only air attacks can hit them.

*Devil Barts - hellish counterparts of Bart, they fly and cast heavy lightning storms on the players. Just like Saxophones, they only exist in Stage 6 and only air attacks can affect these nasty creatures. They also appear above the player character when he loses his last life, holding the character's brain on a trident.

*Marge Clouds - another enemies exclusively from Stage 6, they only spring out from the "ground" to slap their victims with their long hairdoes. They cannot be defeated.

*Alien Bot - another "one-stage-only" creature, found late in Stage 7. This enemy can be particularly dangerous due to their extendable arms and powerful plasma discharges. Once defeated, his head can be thrown as a projectile.

*Ninjas (Senza and Kouji) - the "top" condition of the regular henchmen, they use several acrobatics and ninja moves, with the addition of throwing shurikens. Very dangerous enemies, however careful players can safely predict their actions and unleash a good counterattack. Senza wear purple ninja outfit while Kouji wear green ninja outfit.

tage bosses

*Professor Werner Von Brawn (Boss of Stage 1, Springfield Downtown) - a professional wrestler from the episode "Bart the Daredevil", although many people mistook him for Barney Gumble). He's quite tough for a first boss, which proves to be somewhat distressing for most players due to his physical power and sudden-death attacks. He uses lots of powerful wrestling moves and can often break free from combos. His shorts constantly fall down, providing an excellent moment to strike at him.

*Krusty Balloon (Boss of Stage 2, Krustyland) - a hot air balloon shaped like Krusty the Clown, he is best damaged from the flanks and rear because of its enormous, deadly hands. It sometimes can fly up and hit hard the ground in hopes to smash the player. This boss also spits out smaller balloons containing powerful bombs. Avoiding his slaps and smashing flies are the best strategy to win the battle.

*The Bounce Brothers (Bosses of Stage 3, Springfield Discount Cemetery) - twin bouncers (these two appeared in the last two levels before you actually fight them). They attack mostly with individual punches and kicks but can also use some combination attacks (such as when the bigger one "throws" the smaller one towards the player through the necktie, in the fashion of a yo-yo). Oddly the smaller one usually has some more hit points (or resistance) than the bigger. Once defeated, they allow access into Moe's Tavern.

*Drunk Dennon - (Boss of Stage 4, Moe's Tavern) - a drunk at Moe's Tavern who looks a lot like an awful Carl Carlson. He walks on his wobbly legs but has painful punches, nasty sneezing attacks and a powerful fire-breathing attack. He is not as dangerous as Werner Von Brawn but is still a hard boss the player must be smart-calculated to deal with.

*Bear (Boss of Stage 5, Springfield Butte) - a "bear" similar to the one from the episode "The Call of the Simpsons" (really a henchman in a bear suit; it should also be noted that a similar bear escapes from its cage earlier in the game which might be that bear). This ferocious being attacks the player with claw slashes and bear rolls; there is also a constant "rain" of massive boulders which can hit both the player and the boss. Short combos, flying attacks and specials, when correctly used, can revert the tide to the player's benefit.

*Ball Lord (Boss of Stage 6, Dreamland) - possibly Homer's "Happy-Go-Luck" bowling ball in giant scale. This boss has three distinct phases, each evidenced by a long "chain" of smaller balls which forms either "solid" twin arms (in second phase) or a single serpent-like arm (in third phase). This boss arrays several different attacks: a rolling smash for the first phase; a jumping smash and a spit of homing bowling pins for the second phase; and the same attacks from first and second phases with addition of a whip attack. When defeated, Ball Lord ultimately explodes like an old-fashioned bomb and shrinks down to normal size before vanishing.

*Kabuki Master (Boss of Stage 7, Channel 6) - a martial arts sensei dressed like a kabuki actor. This Kyoshiro Senryo "clone" swings his long halberd with great skill and accuracy, even using it to block attacks. His Spinning Halberd Strike is a dangerous technique that players are advised to avoid at all costs.

*Waylon Smithers (Boss of Stage 8, Springfield Nuclear Power Plant) - a cruel, caped and blue-haired version of the same character from the TV series. This "evil Smithers" only runs around the room tossing powerful handheld bombs - the blue smaller ones remain still for a few seconds until detonation unless the player can rapidly grab and toss them back to Smithers, causing good damage. He can also shield himself behind his cape, thus blocking the player's attacks. The best moment to attack him is while he runs around, but obviously having proper caution not to be hit by any incoming bombs.

*Charles Montgomery Burns (Final Boss) - after his "guard dog" Smithers goes down for good, Burns himself shows up in an ominous plutonium-fueled robot suit. This mechatronic monstrosity has 3 different phases, whose attacks can vary from robotic claws, laser cannons, small homing missiles and even a nuclear warhead which causes very heavy damage. The player must have sharp reflexes and extreme patience to definitively end Burns' menacing plans. Once his robot suit is destroyed, Maggie is safe and the game is completed.

Reception

"The Simpsons" is often praised for its faithfulness in digitizing the animated series' unique animation.Fact|date=March 2008 The continued success of the series has ensured that the game has its place in many modern arcades.

The game features such a large amount of "made up" characters (like the men in the purple suits), as many of the show's most popular supporting characters had not yet been introduced to the series. Also, in the gorge level, Sideshow Bob makes a quick appearance, but instead of trying to kill the Simpsons (even if you play as Bart), he drops a chicken that restores the player's health. Another oddity was Waylon Smithers as a villain; as the TV series became more established, he at most would get caught up in Mr. Burns' various plots, but generally was never out-and-out villainous.

In addition to numerous "Simpsons" characters, characters from "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening's comic strip "Life in Hell" also make cameo appearances.

The gaming website ScrewAttack.com named it the 2nd best "Beat-em-up" of all time, followed after

External links

*KLOV game|id=9550|name=The Simpsons
* [http://www.progressiveboink.com/archive/simpsonsarcade.html The Simpsons Arcade Game at Progressive Boink]
*moby game|id=/simpsons-arcade-game|name="The Simpsons Arcade Game"