#4 The Simpsons: Bart vs The World
You’d have been forgiven for thinking that having programmed one terrible game you wouldn’t be let back for another go? Well not Acclaim, they got the green light to not 2 but 3 swings at The Simpsons, each game basically as bad as the last. The middle seems as good a place as any to start this terrible trilogy, so here goes!
The biggest problem with all three of the Acclaim Simpsons games is the control. Everyone who grew up playing the NES was introduced to platforming by Super Mario, a perfect example of how it should be done! It set the staple for how to play, with ‘B’ to run and ‘A’ to jump. why change this? Here holding ‘A’ will cause Bart to run, and guess whats jump? B? No its A again! so to clarify, run and jump are on the same button? You can execute a super jump, by holding A and B from a standstill. Its a strange feeling and definitely effects the precision of jumps. It also means you’ll have to stop your run before you can jump, further dislodging your momentum.
As the title suggests the game takes place across the world, well China, the Antarctic, Egypt and Hollywood a reasonable cross-section? Each place has two playable action levels and a host of bonus stages. Games consist of things like Simpsons trivia, wack-a-mole, one armed bandits and insanely annoying slide puzzles. You win Krust heads, along with those scattered around the playable levels equates to extra lives at the end of each world. There’s also a hidden Krusty item to find in each level needed for the best ending!
The biggest danger is not enemies nor the time limit nor any of the traps, it’s simply the jumping. You’ll really feel the handicap in the Ice Cave level. Its littered with tight jumping that has Bart constantly slipping off or falling through platforms, but nothing compares to the end section where anything bar perfect precision equals death. The final level Hollywood, has possibly the longest jumping sequence I’ve ever seen. It’s pure hell, you best stock up on Krusty heads is all I can say!
Completing this having found all the Krusty items means I’m rewarded with throwing pies at Mr Burns. Hooray all my suffering was worth it!