Why The Simpsons Game is underrated and underappreciated

We can’t deny our nostalgia when it comes to the halcyon days where The Simpsons churned out licensed, cash-in videogames that would seem like ultra rare indulgences in this day and age. The Simpsons entered the squared circle in The Simpsons Wrestling, tore through neighbourhood streets searching for customers in a blatant ode to Crazy Taxi in The Simpsons: Road Rage, exchanged four wheels for four ball bearings in Tony Hawk-alike The Simpsons Skateboarding, and in 2003, they decided to take a shot at open-world shenanigans GTA-style with The Simpsons Hit N’Run. 2007’s The Simpsons Game was a different behemoth (and no we’re not talking about Homer rolling around a food court as a giant obesity ball), because this big appetizing porker of a Simpsons adventure decided to go insane and focus on itself rather than ride on the backs of successful videogame franchises. The result was a pure Simpsons title that placed emphasis on jokes and delicious nods to the show, but somehow history struggles to remember it fondly—so let’s find out why. 

2007 was a huge year for The Simpsons; not only did this ambitious Simpsons game come out, but also The Simpsons hit the big screen as The Simpsons Movie premiered during the summer, so fans were very well catered for yet frothing for more Simpsons goodness. The Simpsons Game evidently arrived at an appropriate boom period, so it had all the momentum needed to be a heavy hitter. 

Unfortunately, The Simpsons Game garnered middling review scores upon release, with much of the criticism levelled towards an unreliable camera, an over-reliance on jump-based puzzles, and the fact it was a brief title that couldn’t make full use of the qualities it possessed. Were critics harsh on The Simpsons Game? Perhaps. Length doesn’t define a game as bad or good because gameplay is king, and the quality of the jokes and writing ought to surpass how long the game took to complete.

Thankfully, The Simpsons Game contained a quarry full of great ideas and moments we shouldn’t ignore, such as the tutorial level being set inside the Land of Chocolate from the episode “Burns Verkaufen Der Kraftwerk,” which features Homer chasing a white chocolate bunny and disbelieving that white chocolate is real chocolate because “it doesn’t even contain coco salad.” The whole level involves Homer beating milk chocolate rabbits to pieces and scarfing down chocolate while jumping on platforms made of cookie sandwiches, donuts and other delicious confectionaries. Starting out in such a gloriously, chocolatey way brings in a fantastical essence to this Simpsons adventure, an appetizing primer for what unfurls as the story progresses.

The story of The Simpsons game is very deliciously meta in how it presents itself. Bart visits the local videogame store to buy the brand new Grand Theft Scratchy. After he is initially denied because the game is rated M, he bribes the Squeaky Voiced Teen with a free calzone coupon, and manages to successfully make the trade. Afterwards, Bart encounters Marge, who isn’t pleased Bart has a copy of this new GTA parody, and takes it off him because it encourages violence. Marge states she’ll place the game in Homer’s underwear drawer, which is a pin-headed remark because Bart could so easily pinch it out of there—but chances are Homer’s undie drawer is particularly grotesque.

After walking away pouting, an instruction manual falls from the sky, and as Bart flicks through it, he is astonished to find out the manual grants Bart and the rest of the Simpsons family special powers. Bart quickly assumes the roll of Bartman, and after Homer comes along with swimsuit magazines he found in his underwear drawer, he asks Bart if he wanted to shoot some bats in the sewer  which is where the game really starts.

The Simpsons Game takes players through a spirited amalgamation of settings including a space museum infested with bullies like Jimbo, Kerney and Dolph, a giant food court with different cuisines encased inside of a huge castle-like presentation (also containing a big golden Eiffel Tower you can ascend), a huge forest area containing tree-severing lumberjacks, a timid French town with white flags hanging sombrely outside house windows, and of course levels situated within different areas of Springfield. Suffice to say, The Simpsons Game can show you more in six hours than some RPGs can show you in 100 hours, and that’s why it is perfectly fine that the game is set to a digestible length.   

Parodies are peppered throughout The Simpsons Game, whether they are references from the show itself, or to other videogame, or to pop culture, there are so many call backs and cheeky nods that coalesce into an aura which distinctly and unequivocally defines The Simpsons. References to the show are all over the place, including Moleman’s remarks about the sun and his decaying vision, Lisa’s ongoing quest to restore nature’s vibrancy against the tyranny of Mr Burns, the appearance of Lard Lad - that giant donut mascot from Treehouse of Horror VI - and so many more nods that they fill up most of the game’s content. These references are terrific and ensure The Simpsons Game blooms with the specialized flavour of TV’s greatest animated family, and they bleed meticulously into the gameplay in wild and entertaining ways. 

Whether you’re wrecking through levels as a huge Homer ball, gliding through the air as the purple draped crusader Bartman, shouting through a megaphone as Marge shattering the ears of Springfield’s citizens, or carrying out nature’s bidding with enlightened spirituality as Lisa Simpsons-there are many ways The Simpsons Game allows players to revel in superheroic versions of the Simpsons family.

Unlike previous licensed efforts, The Simpsons Game leans into what it truly means to be a videogame starring characters from The Simpsons, rather than latching desperately onto hot properties like Crazy Taxi, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater,  or GTA to make a quick buck. The Simpsons Game isn’t about wrecking up shop in cars performing errands for the Springfield townsfolk because it actively engages players in a story that unifies the family and hones in on its rich and remarkable history in order to make an impact. 

A due respect to The Simpsons Hit & Run, but without its GTA-style leanings what does it have? Many gamers flock to and herald Hit & Run as the absolute best Simpsons game, yet as reductive as it might seem, it’s coasting too heavily on the back of a popular franchise. Admittedly though, collecting those Buzz! Cola collector cards was an absolute treat because they included trivia from classic Simpsons episodes.

The Simpsons Game,  meanwhile, packs so many references and callbacks into its 6 hour runtime, that it feels like an authentic Simpsons product that fuses the uniqueness and awesomeness of the videogame medium, with all the fervour of this legendary animated series. You can lament the game’s camera and the platforming puzzles all you want, but The Simpsons Game inserts more of The Simpsons identity than any previous game before it.

On the subject of identity, identifying The Simpsons Game on the store shelf is just as enjoyable and whimsical as the game itself because each version of the game has its own distinct box art. The Xbox 360 version shows Homer seemingly shouting “WOOHOO!” While the other box arts see him attacked in some way. For example, the PS3 version box art shows Homer’s left hand pushing towards the Patty and Selma dragon while fending off Itchy from Itchy and Scratchy. The PS2 cover shows an elf version of Ralph Wiggum biting Homer, the PSP version shows Homer terrified of miniature Krusty The Clowns, the Wii version shows an alien attacking Homer from the backside, and the DS version shows Homer getting bitten by a chocolate rabbit from the tutorial mission. Poor Homer only seems to be joyous on the 360 cover, maybe it’s because the Xbox 360 absolutely dominated the seventh generation of consoles, and EA et al knew that at the time.      

In hindsight, The Simpsons Game was and still is a delightful novelty because we don’t see Simpsons licensed videogames anymore, and we aren’t often treated to mainstream games coming up short in terms of overall length. There are so many cool moments in The Simpsons game that it is a pleasure to play for six hours. Yes, it might be more linear than Hit & Run, but it boasts more comedy and a greater Simpsons flavour than any other Simpsons game.