Hammer Creative Takes Home - Best Video Game Trailer - Award

Hammer Creative has been honored with the award for the year’s “Best Video Game Trailer” at the 9th Annual Golden Trailer Awards for their THE SIMPSONS GAME - MEDAL OF HOMER (Electronic Arts) trailer.

This win marks the third year in a row that Hammer Creative has garnered this prestigious recognition, and is preceded by Best Video Game Trailer awards for THE GODFATHER - THE GAME (2006) and TOM CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL - DOUBLE AGENT (2007).

"It's a real tribute to our video game team, led by Scott Hayman and Jim Botko, that we have had such consistent, long term creative success in the video game arena,”

commented Hammer Creative founder Mark Pierce.

“EA has been a terrific partner and we look forward to our continued relationship with them.”

The Simpsons Game - Review

Genuine humour is a notoriously difficult thing to carry off in a video game. The fact that the player is in control of the pace means the all-important element of comic timing is utterly compromised. As a result there has been only a handful of games blessed with the ability to make you laugh out loud. Thankfully, it's now possible to add another to that elite group.

The Simpsons Game is funny, then. As you might expect, much of the humour relies on the player having some familiarity with the TV show, but the vast majority of the gags will amuse even if you've been locked in a time capsule for the past two decades and have bypassed The Simpsons craze altogether.

Rather than take the easy option or creating a game that sticks slavishly to the plot of the recent cinematic outing, EA has wisely decided to create a unique experience and has packed the product with a quite frankly insane amount of fan service. If you're a passionate gamer, you'll lap up the sharp observations and satirical comments featured within The Simpsons. Fun is poked at high-ranking mascots, game designers and general video gaming clichés (predictable 'weak spots' on end-of-level bosses, for instance), all in the typically cutting Simpsons style.

Although other companies have taken similar steps and produced knowingly 'post modern' hits (such as Nintendo with its WarioWare franchise), the acerbic humour seen in The Simpsons is head and shoulders above anything that has been before. EA is arguably the last company you'd expect to encourage this kind of wonderfully anarchic mickey-taking, but it should be commended for not pulling any punches.

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The publisher also deserves praise for acquiring the services of not only the original voice actors, but also the scriptwriters who make the TV show such a riot. Couple this with several minutes of animated cut-scenes and you have an experience that is faithful to the source material in a way few other licensed games have ever managed.

It's a bit of a shame, then, that underneath these wonderfully polished trimmings the actual core game itself isn't tremendously arresting. Unlike the DS version – which was rather hampered by the modest hardware – the PSP edition takes direct inspiration from the home console versions of the game. It's best described as a 3D platformer, although there are brawling elements included as well.

Each member of the Simpsons family possesses two standard attacks and a variety of different abilities, each ideally suited to overcoming the particular problems and obstacles that litter the levels within the game. Sadly, you can't tackle the stages with a character of your choosing but some missions do involve another family member, which adds a much-needed touch of diversity to proceedings.

Presentation is somewhat inconsistent. The graphics are obviously scaled down from the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, resulting in some rather angular-looking character models, but everything moves along at a fair old pace. Level designs, meanwhile, range from decent to downright ugly, but much of their appeal lies in the fact that they reference familiar locations in the TV show. Lastly, the 3D camera is prone to causing some serious headaches during play and cannot be relied upon to always give you the best view of the action.

The sound fares better. As previously mentioned, several members of the original cast have been drafted in to provide their vocal talents exclusively for the video game and the sheer amount of spoken dialogue contained within the game means you don't get annoyed with any constantly repeating phrases. The music is also extremely faithful to that heard in the show.

When we reviewed the DS edition a while back we were a little disappointed by the rather slim play time. Alas, the same criticism applies to this version, too. With a few days' solid play you'll breeze through the game quite easily, and there's precious little here in terms of replay value.

One can imagine that when EA decided to snap up The Simpsons video game licence, it set itself the task of making the best piece of software ever based on the animated family. Thanks to the humour, above-average gameplay and incredible authenticity, it's undeniably succeeded. But, of course, you have to put things in perspective and consider the generally awful standard of past Simpsons games. Nevertheless, EA's effort comes with a cautious recommendation.

Source: Pocket Gamer

Simpsons Game Producer Takes Shots at Rockstar

Rockstar was pretty ticked to discover that The Simpsons Game parodies Grand Theft Auto; as EA's Matt Selman puts it, when Rockstar saw the Grand Theft Scratchy poster, they "spazzed out like little babies."

In an episode of Game Head, Selman explains that the idea that it was pretty absurd for Rockstar to worry that anyone would actually confuse the fake game of Grand Theft Scratchy with the real Grand Theft Auto:

We couldn't get our game out in time, so we're afraid that the gamers — who are not morons — are going to get confused by an Itchy and Scratchy poster of Grand Theft Scratchy - they're going to think that's the same thing as Grand Theft Auto.

Selman is actually a big fan of the GTA series, saying "I'll be the first person in line to play Grand Theft Auto 4...in five years when it comes out." Oh, burn.

Source: WIRED Blog

The Simpsons games review

The Simpsons Game: Strategy/ action game (Electronic Arts for Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and PS2. $39.99 to $59.99. ESRB Rating: Teen.)

Are you ready for the Super Happy Fun Fun?
We're referring, of course, to the 22nd episode of the eighth season of "The Simpsons," where Homer discovers that he looks exactly like the mascot for the Japanese-made dishwasher detergent Mr. Sparkle. That and dozens of other obscure references to the television show are buried in the Simpsons Game, which features an unusual amount of cooperation between the creative heads of "The Simpsons" and the publishers of the video game at Electronic Arts.

If only the game play matched the wittiness of the writing, this might be a classic. Yet, even with its simple action sequences and a few frustrating game play mechanics, the latest game based on "The Simpsons" is an unexpected treat for fans of the show, filled with inside jokes from the "Simpsons" universe and some entertaining satire of the video game industry.

Previous "Simpsons" titles, like most video games based on licensed characters from television and movies, were stunningly unimaginative. The Simpsons Hit & Run on PlayStation 2, for example, was just a simplified version of the arcade classic Crazy Taxi, with maybe a couple hours of work from each of the show's voice actors. It was the type of consumer rip-off (usually orchestrated by Krusty) that the writers from "The Simpsons" might make fun of in an episode of the show.

Somewhere in the past few years, the creative force behind the franchise got tired of simply cashing royalty checks for their video games and tried to make a good one. The Simpsons Game gets quality contributions from several of the show's better writers. And while many TV and movie actors deliver vocal performances like someone has a gun to their head, Harry Shearer, Hank Azaria and the other "Simpsons" regulars clearly worked hard to make the game sound like the TV show.

The plot combines familiar "Simpsons" situations, including clips directly from the show, with new material - much of it skewering video games. The Comic Book Guy, for example, points out each of the game's cliches. ("The double jump. How original.") References to the Grand Theft Auto spoof Grand Theft Scratchy are also still in the game, even though Rockstar reportedly influenced Electronic Arts to change the name in a promotional video to Mob Rules.

The satirical elements are the best part of the Simpsons Game, which succeeds on the strength of its parody skills. On the Xbox 360, at least, the graphics in the game are just as good as the TV show's animation, creating a seamless experience. Just walking around Springfield and bumping into other characters will yield a few lines ("Mmmm. Calories," Homer says, as he enters the Land of Chocolate) that are bound to make you smile.
The action in the game is incredibly simple, with each character having the ability to run, jump and execute a couple of special moves. Bart has a slingshot and Marge operates a megaphone that has offensive capabilities. Homer has burping power, the ability to turn into a Metroid Prime-style ball weapon and a couple of other skills that reveal themselves later in the game.
It's a strange format, because the simple puzzles and repetitive tasks seem designed for the 8-year-old Sonic the Hedgehog crowd, and yet the Simpsons Game more than earns its Teen rating with some off-color jokes and penchant for funny, over-the-top violence.

The game is also restricted by nausea-inducing camera controls, which constantly change but are rarely very effective. For such a simple game - the instruction booklet for the Simpsons Game is six pages - making the characters move the way you want them to is much too complicated.

Still, that's a relatively tiny problem in a game that more than makes up for its shortcomings with "Simpsons"-style mob violence, Homer-related gluttony, Krusty the Clown-themed product safety violations and other assorted tasteless brilliance. Let the Super Happy Fun Fun begin.

Source: SFGate

'Simpsons' game delivers big laughs for devoted fans

Fans of The Simpsons, the longest-running animated television series in history, have played through related video games worthy of yelling Woo hoo! (such as 2003's The Simpsons: Hit & Run ) and some deserving of a "D'oh!" (2002's The Simpsons Skateboarding ).

Now America's favorite yellow, four-fingered and dysfunctional family has gone interactive again with EA Games' The Simpsons Game, and the good news is that it's the best The Simpsons game to date — but you do need to be a fan to appreciate all the inside jokes.

With a zany story line crafted by the Emmy award-winning writers from the TV show, the Simpsons family — Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie — are aware they're trapped inside a video game, and so they use their newfound special powers to live out their fantasies and help save their town of Springfield. For example, the overweight father Homer can unleash a serious belch or change into a giant ball of fat to roll over enemies, while bad boy Bart, armed with a slingshot, can peg off baddies with ease or glide through the air with his Bartman cape.

Most missions let you play as one of two characters, and in some cases you'll need to use one in particular to take advantage of their abilities. When playing alone, the game's artificial intelligence controls the other family member, but at any time a second player can pick up a controller to start playing.

Not only have the TV show's cast members provided voice talent to the characters in the game — including all the Springfieldeans you will come across in your adventures, such as Lenny and Carl, Chief Wiggum, Krusty the Crown and more than 100 others — but this video game also enjoys smooth "cel-shaded" animation that resembles the TV cartoon, even with the move to 3-D.The game offers 16 distinct "episodes" and more than 8,000 lines of dialogue.

The hilarious missions include running through Homer's dream in "Chocolate Land" at the beginning of the game; Marge and Lisa trying to get the violent video game "Grand Theft Scratchy" banned (The Simpsons Game parodies many other video games, including the World War II shooter Medal of Honor ); stopping the Lard Lad statue, which has come alive, from wreaking havoc on Springfield; and a personal favorite where Homer and Bart must run through an eating contest divided into different countries.

The game is also loaded with collectible items such as Duff beer bottle caps, "video game cliches" as discovered by Comic Book Guy, unlockable costumes and an optional time challenge mode to add to the game's replayability.

While a fan of the TV show will get a lot more out of The Simpsons Game than someone who is not, it's evident a tremendous amount of effort and detail went into this ambitious game. The end result is an adventure more fun than crank-calling Moe's Tavern.

Source: USA Today

The Simpsons Game Fact Sheet

The Simpsons Game features a hilarious, sprawling, and mind-busting storyline crafted by the TV show’s Emmy Award-winning writers. For this action-comedy, the full cast of voice actors from the TV show and movie reprise their roles to lend the ultimate in authenticity and realism to the game.

In The Simpsons Game, Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa use exciting, all-new powers to save Springfield from rising chaos. To help the Simpsons, gamers must journey through their home town (as well as vast worlds beyond!), vanquish an amazing array of villains, and fight their way through parodies of multiple popular games.
• Play Your Favorite Characters – Battle enemies and save Springfield while playing as your favorite dysfunctional TV family; Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge and even Maggie Simpson.
• The Real Simpsons – With the actual voice actors from the TV show and movie reprising their roles; characters from The Simpsons Game sound exactly as they should.
• Unique Character Abilities – While The Simpsons family have general abilities that can be used to fight opponents, interact with environments, and finish puzzles; each one has been imbued with special abilities that are unique to their personalities. These abilities grow and change as they progress through the story to battle tougher and tougher enemies in their quest to save Springfield!
• Looks Like The Simpsons – Using innovative 3D into 2D technology, the developers have been able to recreate Springfield and the entire cast of The Simpsons as the most visually authentic Simpsons game to date.
• Featuring Favorite and Original Springfieldeans! – The Simpsons Game features over 100 of your favorite Simpsons
characters from the show along with 50+ new characters that were inspired by the fiction.
• An Original Episodic Adventure – The Simpsons Game features a 100% original script from the writers of the show with 4 distinct acts divided into 16 episodes and over 8,000 lines of dialogue.
• Springfield Hub – The open-world Springfield was designed as a central locale to jump into episodes with iconic locations to visit, characters to be visited and interact with, and hundreds of collectibles to be found.
• Parodies and Satire – With parodies of the video game industry, pop culture and current events, the game has the same gut wrenching hilarity as the show.
• Co-op Play – With two members of The Simpsons family involved in each episode, all episodes can be played cooperatively in addition to being played in single-player mode. Play by yourself and switch between characters to solve the various puzzles or have a friend come over, pick up a controller and drop-in drop-out of any episode they choose.
• Collectibles – Roam throughout the episodes and Springfield itself to discover custom video game clichés, and unique collectibles for each member of The Simpsons family. Collectibles lead to trophies that increase your family’s powers, and can be viewed in your trophy rooms back at home on Evergreen Terrace.
• Time Challenges – Every episode can be replayed, and each unlocks a unique Time Challenge. Use the skills you’ve learned throughout the game to beat target times over 16 individual Time Challenges.

Platform Features

• Nintendo Wii™ / PlayStation® 2 / PSP™ – Enjoy more than 6,000 lines of dialogue and 16 chapters of hilarity in these popular platforms. Jump directly from The Simpsons House from one episode to the next, or into your saved game. On Nintendo Wii, use gestures with the Wii Remote to unleash the Simpsons video game powers or play addictive mini-games such as Bite Night and Bart Wings.
• Nintendo DS™ – One of the most ambitious side scrolling action adventure games containing a Springfield based hub with 12 episodes and over 2,000 lines of dialogue. Be an action hero with Bart, a wreaking ball of destruction with Homer, and use the stylus to solve puzzles and defeat enemies with Marge and Lisa. The Simpsons DS is packed with features including lush environments sprawling across both screens, mini-games to unlock and conquer, 4 single card multiplayer games to play, and even a stylus controlled Pet Homer to love for your own.