Review: The Simpsons (PSP)

If we're to be completely honest, we haven't really enjoyed watching The Simpsons for a few years now. Perhaps this is because it's dragged on for so long and is fast running out of ideas. Still, the latest Simpsons title does capture the show's humour and characters brilliantly... so it's a shame the gameplay is dire.

Maybe dire is a bit strong, but this is certainly one of the worst movie tie-ins of the year. The problems stem from the controls: the analogue movement is fine, but the button presses are horrific. To attack, you just hammer a button - though at times it doesn't even register, making the all-important combos particularly useless. The special attacks that you're given are also useless and you'll be forced to just hammer the punch button while attempting to lock onto the enemy. This is all made worse by the bad camera movement, which appears to have been designed the early days of 3D platform games when developers were still learning the ropes. Instant death syndrome in abundance, then, but at least now you have unlimited continues, so even if you fall into a bottomless pit, you quickly spawn right next to where you fell in. Without that little saving grace, the game would probably end up in the bin.

Some cleverness has gone into the game design. You can control two characters during each story, both with their unique abilities. Bart has the ability to change into a superhero, Lisa can stun enemies with her saxophone, Marge can recruit her very own army and Homer can turn himself into a ball. But, like every good idea found in The Simpsons, it's ruined by terrible nuisances. Switching between characters is a nice idea in theory, but it's incredibly broken when the character you're not controlling decides to stay behind for no apparent reason, causing you to babysit them every step of the way. During lengthy platform sections, it becomes excruciatingly painful. Whatever happened to giving them AI?

There is one thing that The Simpsons does perfectly, though, and that is the presentation. Written by actual writers from the show and including all the voice actors, the game captures the spirit of the TV show perfectly. The whole story is very tongue-in-cheek and often has subtle (and not-so-subtle) nods to other video games. One particular level has you chasing a giant ape through green pipes, another has a plot about Marge trying to stop the sale of a violent game called Grand Theft Scratchy (complete with in-your-face message to such idiots) and there's even a level called Medal of Homer. The story and writing is actually better than the rest of game. Some of the jokes seem to hit a little too close to home; during one level, you find yourself inside the inner workings of a game, with Bart asking why, with this much junk, so many games turn out to be rubbish. We do wonder.

Fans of the show will be pleased to know that the best character makes an appearance. Of course, we are referring to the Comic Book Guy. He is quick to comment on various clichés you come across while playing, such as double-jumps, switches and other things you find in the majority of games made since 1989. The collect-a-thon doesn't just stop there; each character has a specific item to collect in each level, adding longevity to a thankfully short game. And there's certainly no denying that The Simpsons is a lovely-looking game. The cartoon scenes are seamlessly integrated and the graphics make great use of the PSP hardware.

The Simpsons really does go to show that you can't take a turd, paint it gold (or yellow) and expect it to be worth a million. The presentation values are immense, but the whole inner workings of the game are nothing short of a disaster. Here's hoping the next game fares better; after all, from here, the only way is up.

Rating: 3 / 10

Words by Adam Gulliver