During the late 80s/early 90s, the Simpsons had become a TV classic. We’ve seen plenty of games back then and now, some of which are rather bad, but none of the Simpsons games stand out like the arcade game that was released in 1991. The game was also made by Konami, so you knew it had to be good.

The arcade cabinet for The Simpsons.

This is the arcade machine that carried The Simpsons. The game was a side scrolling beat ‘em up within the same category of games such as Final Fight, Streets of Rage, and Double Dragon. You play as one of the members of the Simpsons depending on which slot you put the quarter in. Player 1 is Marge, player 2 is Homer, player 3 is Bart, and player 4 is Lisa. Each character has a unique way of fighting. Marge carries a vacuum, Homer uses fists, Bart uses a skateboard, and Lisa uses a jump rope.

Don't you hate it when your family is out and your bosses' assistant just kidnaps your kid? That's very rude.

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.

Play up to 4 players and partner up with friends to perform team moves

Gameplay:
Controls are basic. You move with a joystick and you have 2 buttons, one to jump and one to attack. Characters can stand next to each other to perform a dual attack of some kind, and it varies with each character combination, so that adds a bit of a replay value to it. Controls are smooth, nothing is forced. Throughout most of the game, you’ll be scrolling from side to side fighting the same people over and over, so it may feel repetative, however, to add some difference to the game, you can pick up various weapons. Weapons include a hammer, a slingshot, signs, barrels, and just about any object you could think of. The difficulty of this game is really subjective. For the most part, the game is relatively easy, however, if you are careless, it will eat up your quarters faster than Homer at a plate of appetizers. After completing some levels in the game, you’ll be greeted to a bonus game. The game is simple, tap the attack button repeatedly to fill up a balloon of your face. The person to fill the balloon first, wins.

Quiet kid, I'm reviewing your game.

Graphics and Sound:
The graphics are excellent. Very cartoonish. When your character enters the scene, they come in dressed as a super hero, and it looks very well done. I almost think that the animators of the Simpsons TV series were called to animate the game. Sound effects are nice, and they add a very arcade feel to the game. When entering coins it does a small bit of the Simpsons theme. The music in the game also sounds very cartoonish, overall giving it a very positive vibe throughout the entire play.

Who doesn't enjoy beating up random goons in suits?

Overall:
It’s fun, addictive, however could become repetitive. The visuals are nice and the sound effects are fun. Overall this is a very solid beat ‘em up. I give this a 4 and a half stars out of 5.

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