The Simpsons Game

The bothersome camera often gets stuck, thus obscuring your vision and two-player split screen messes with the game's speed, but the exclusive clips and humorous presentation make this a must play, especially for diehard Simpsons fans.

The gameplay might not be anything special, but The Simpsons Game delivers more than enough laughs to make it worth a look.

Ultimately, it’s all pretty basic stuff. There’s nothing particularly fancy about the actual game mechanics and it’s somewhat odd that The Simpsons Game makes fun of various videogame clichés (such as not being able to swim, using levers or pads on the ground to open doors) and then turns around and uses them about a dozen or so times.

Sure, there are a few problems, but it's worth, say, dealing with the busted camera to see which videogame the writers are going to parody next.

Flimsy platforming and lame combat, but so funny it's hard to care. Fans will go nuts. [Christmas 2007, p.70]

The humour is as sharp as a good episode of the TV show. [Christmas 2007, p.104]

It's a brave way to use a trusted franchise, but EA have pulled it off and we can't recommend this more for hardcore Simpsons fans as they'll obviously get the most from the game. Everyone else can rest assured that this is well worth the cash.

While the action can be uneven -- though never bad -- creativity and charm carry the game to a higher level. The humor will get you through the slow levels, the authentic voices and writing will satisfy your fanatcism, and the cameos... will keep you entertained.

Despite enjoying the continuity of an episode (or twelve) and the throwaway self-referential comedy that made the TV show famous, The Simpsons gets stuck with mediocre, generic gameplay, and confusion over who exactly the game is making fun of. One for fans.

If you’re just a casual viewer or not a fan at all, then there’s nothing in the game to warrant your cash. On the other hand, if you are a Simpsons devotee, then the pitch-perfect humor, writing, and look of this game will more than make it worth putting up with the standard gameplay mechanics.

The camera is a nightmare, often getting stuck behind some invisible barrier or randomly switching to new and more disorienting angles. The collision detection's had a nervous breakdown, the puzzles are as laborious as a two-hour queue in the freezing cold and the combat has about as much depth as the shallow end at your local swimming pool.