I'm going to start this article off with a controversial point - we haven't had a good Simpson's game since 2003. Now, it's up to you whether you want to read the rest of this article to hear my rationale or jump straight to the comments to contest, but I had to get that off my chest.
Whether you love them or hate them, the Simpsons are a household name that everyone on this planet has either watched or could identify from a picture. The yellow guy with the annoying voice, the woman with the huge blue hair; Homer, Marge, and their wild family have played a big part in our lives over the years, and their gaming catalogue is a lot bigger than you might expect.
But I still stand by what I said - I've been waiting 22 years at the time of writing this article for another good game featuring Bart, Lisa, and the gang, and so far there's no sign of anything improving
Back when the GameCube ruled the roost (in my house at least), there were two games that spent a heck of a lot of time in my indigo powerhouse itself- The Simpsons Road Rage, and The Simpsons Hit & Run. If I ask any of my friends in my age group, those are the two games that we always talk about and probably the reason why they ask me continually about the Retroid Pocket 5 for playing PS2 games on the go. For Simpsons like us, they were the holy grail, and man did we play them to death.
'I Got The Need For Speed And Money'
For me, driving around Springfield in Road Rage when it released in 2001 was like stepping through the TV into the cartoon itself. Visiting locations like Springfield Elementry and the Kwik-E-Mart, unlocking new characters and vehicles like Groundskeeper Willie and his tractor, hearing the voices of the characters in the TV show - for someone who grew up watching the Simpsons religiously, it was everything. Sure, it was Crazy Taxi with Simpson's characters, but that was the only way you could have made Crazy Taxi any better.
'FINALLY, A Chance To Be On America's Most Irresponsible Police Chases!'
And then just when I thought they couldn't top the formula, out came Hit and Run 2 years later. Again, the idea wasn't new as it was essentially an alternative version of GTA, but it was essentially a crossover that worked. In all honesty, I don't think it would have worked with any other franchise either; A Nintendo version wouldn't have worked because Mario doesn't have the guts to kick people out of their vehicles, and it would have felt wrong to see the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or the kids from Snoopy's world smashing robotic beers, but Homer is unhinged enough for it all to work.
Games That Make You Go 'Doh!'
And herein lies my first problem - both of my favourite games in the series and the two that are widely considered the best in the series by critics in the business are actually based on other games. They aren't wholly original ideas, and with close to 800 episodes of plotlines to choose from, there certainly isn't a shortage of source material to work from.
It hasn't always been doom and gloom for The Simpsons when it comes to the world of video games, however. The 1991 arcade game is an absolutely incredible title and one that me and my mates spend a long stint on whenever we visit NQ64. The arcade console itself is also incredibly impressive - you just don't get the chance to get four people around one game like that anymore, and the game really holds its own over three decades later.
The rest of the 90s saw lots of games released to capitalise on The Simpsons fever, some of which were great, some not so much. It was very much a 'cash cow' kind of situation, and while games like 1992's Krusty's Super Fun House and 1997's Virtual Springfield really hit the mark with fans around the globe, a lot of the 'Bart Vs' games like Bart Vs. The World and Bart Vs The Juggernauts felt extremely disappointing.
The Simpson's Game in 2007 is the closest we've come to a game that, for me, lived up to the hype of Hit & Run. Having the ability to roam around Springfield between missions on the PS3 & Xbox 360 versions made for great gameplay and admittedly it looked nice, but something just didn't sit right with me. I'd been exploring Springfield in Hit & Run; was I the only one who wanted something new, something fresh, who expected a little bit more?
You know that feeling that you open up your savefile on God of War: Ragnorok or Breath of the Wild and really explore an area, or how Portkey Games created a beautiful version of Hogwarts and the surrounding towns and villages for us to delve into? Why couldn't we have a Simpson's game like that, a story that really made you feel like you were integrated into Matt Groening's world and one that actually tried to impress rather than just making a quick buck off the fact that it has Homer on the cover?
And if that sounds familiar it's also my thoughts on the way the Pokémon franchise is going, but that's another conversation for another day.
Time To Tap Out
It wouldn't be an article about the rollercoaster journey I've had with Simpsons games if I didn't talk a little bit about The Simpsons: Tapped Out. I don't think of this as a game but more of an obsession akin to drinking or smoking. I don't know how EA managed to make a game so addictive while just rebranding Sim City with Simpson's characters, but it worked.
I was working in a shoe shop at the time and would spend every break and lunchtime period just playing Tapped Out, sometimes while sitting outside on the curb with my Boss who was also addicted to the game. We would just sit there, our feet in the gutter while eating overpriced sandwiches, just tapping away as we built the ultimate Springfield while other people walked past with their heads in their phones. Come to think of it, they were probably playing Tapped Out too.
It was a way to pass the time, but an unhealthy hobby and one that I ended up resenting massively. The day I deleted it felt like quitting a drug that had been slowly sapping all of my energy, kind of like how I feel about social media today or how Matsy the Pokémon Tattooer told me his obsession with Pokémon Go got completely out of hand.
When The Series Hit An All Time Low
I'm interested to hear your thoughts when I say the words 'Simpsons Wrestling'. I loved Smackdown as a kid and it never left my PlayStation. And while there was cartoon violence in The Simpsons series, it doesn't mean that it always works in video games - we all know how the Itchy and Scratchy game turned out. Still, how the idea for Homer wrestling his kids got signed off in 2001 I'll never know...
The Simpsons Wrestling had terrible graphics, the gameplay was boring, there was zero skill involved, and it just didn't have anywhere near the level of sophistication as Smackdown (and calling the WWE sophisticated back during The Attitude Era is saying something).
And let's now forget Simpsons Skateboarding. I can see why EA thought that this would be a great idea back in 2002; Bart uses a Skateboard in the series, Tony Hawks games were all the rage, and they were clearly in the thought process of making 'tribute games' to other series at the time.
The game is so disappointing, however; if you thought you felt sad after playing Tony Hawks Pro Skater 5 back in 2015 then this experience is so much worse. Funny quips from famous characters aren't enough to mask the experience no matter how much you love the show.
So if anything, it's a miracle that there was some long-sought-after Simpsons success with Road Rage amongst all of this. I guess if you try enough ideas something will stick, right?
Where Can We Go From Here
I've already alluded to what I want to see from a new Simpson's Game throughout this article, but the main thing any developer looking to take on the challenge needs is just time and care. I'm sick of people cashing in on series and not caring about the consumer who has to spend their hard-earned money in the process. Yes, people will always buy games if you base them on their favourite cartoons or films, but let's make sure that user experience is front and center in the design and decision-making process rather than 'How rich is this going to make us?'
Storyboarding new ideas, an open world, character arcs, stepping out of Springfield for adventures - there are so many options for a Super Mario Odyssey-style style game or an It Takes Two-esque adventure using custom character combinations that I would love to see. There are so many NPCs in Matt Groening's World who could make an appearance and countless snippets of dialogue that could be used to create intricate plot points - is anyone out there up to making the ultimate Simpsons game, or are we doomed to live with brain-melting mobile offerings for the rest of our lives?
