Well are currently in TDV mode and it's summer, and nothing brings out the nostalgic memories in me LIKE A COIN-OP GAME! WELCOME TO MY SUMMER GAMING MAME-ORIES the day of the week where I reminisce and review coin-op games that I played in hotels, that's right once upon a time in the gaming industry hotels had arcades, and the Simpsons Arcade game was among them, and just by hearing the sounds of this game takes me back to the old Holiday Inn in Grand Forks, North Dakota, they had other games too and there was another one but I'll talk about TMNT next week, but here we are talking about the Simpsons.


Ah the Simpsons, back in the 90s I would watch it once in awhile however when it aired on Teletoon I watched it all the time. Heck the Simpsons was where I first heard of most celebrities like Michael Jackson or Bette Midler or Conan O'Brien (who ironically used to work for the Simpsons) and well...the Beatles (yeah true fact this was where I first learned who Ringo Starr was even though I was at the right viewing age for Shining Time Station) but man little did we know that it would go on forever, I'm at least two months older than the show itself (if you don't count the Ullman short days, three months older if you don't count Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire) and I will be shocked if I end up outliving it, I mean I've already outlived 5 cast members (if you count Moe and Monty Burns's original voice actor) and I have a bad feeling it will be 6 soon Julie Kavner is sounding worse and worse with each season (and it started being noticeable in season 26) but I've blathered on long enough let's get to the review of the game.


Gameplay and Story: So The Simpsons are out shopping when Homer accidentally runs into Burns's lackey Smithers and a couple of other lackeys who just robbed a jewelry store (really dude? the things you do for Mr.Burns?) and the diamond they stole ends up in Maggie's mouth and starts sucking on it like a pacifier, and we all know that Maggie won't give up pacifiers without a fight, so as a result of that Smithers kidnaps Maggie. What does Burnsie even want with those Jewels, I mean get that this was back in the day when he was a legit threat but geez, you sure this is the same guy that blocked out the sun? so of course the Simpsons are going to get her back, and so starts Streets of Rage Springfield edition. The family has their weapons except Homer who uses his fists.

Graphics: Well I don't have alot to say about the graphics considering this was done in the early 90s, but it leaves alot to the imagination, I mean I get that it takes place in most of Springfield that was accessible in the first couple of seasons, but I bet they would have snuck in the tire fire.

Sounds: Despite not being done by Alf Clausen the soundtrack actually does fit quite well with the game.

Addictive: Forget that the arcade at the Holiday Inn itself had an addictive atmosphere, I can still see the pool, I can still see the pool tables and the hockey table that was basically featured as the miracle on ice game (I'm sure of it!) I can still see the pinball games (hey you can't forget a game that had a police light on top) heck they even had a Simpsons Pinball game there (do you hear me phantom amusements? find a way to find one), I can still see that strange game with the knob and the football player where you could win rubber balls.

Depth: I lost count at how many rounds there are but there are two bonus rounds. But this is the order of the levels, Downtown Springfield, Krustyland, Discount Cemetery/Moe's Tavern, Springfield Butte, Dreamland, Channel 6, and then the Nuclear Plant. We see locations that would be frequented in the first couple of seasons of the show, we get cameos from characters we normally saw on the show around this time (which means, No Fat Tony, No Snake, No Professor Frink, No Rainier Wolfcastle No Van Houten parents, no Ralph Wiggum, No Cletus the Slack-jawed Yokel and his huge family, No Gil Gunderson, No Duffman, No Lindsay Naegle, no Cookie Kwan, and hey just to basically REALLY date the game, we don't even see Troy McClure or Lionel Hutz) including the tattoo artist from the first episode (who eventually morphed into Comic Book Guy) even Sideshow Bob makes a cameo in this game, and he isn't even the antagonist in this one.

Difficulty: Well I definitely remember the first time I EVER finished the game.....June 13th 2005, and that's an easy day to remember because it was the same day that Michael Jackson was acquitted.

Post review follow up: You know, I'm really sorry that this game didn't get a home release because it would be nice to play as someone other than Marge, the RetroArch player won't allow that. And I just wish the actual Simpsons video game releases actually, I mean they still make arcade games (I think...I know they still make Pinball machines) this could use a remake, Konami still exists (I think) Matt, Silverman, Jean make it happen, bring in Conan if you have to. But who could the antagonist be? well to be fair Smithers is more of a threat than Burns is nowadays.....either that or well, remember when Junior Grimey said his dad just "Happened to like hookers" maybe it's time they finished this unfinished business because god knows how many itty bitty vengeful demon spawns of Frank Grimes there are...that would make a good series finale I'm sick of waiting for a second movie.


Man I actually want to play this right now, but I should really be playing one of the TMNT games (not turtles in time) I have quite a day of gaming ahead of me today I should really do those first

This concludes my review, join me tomorrow when I will review Nancy Drew The Secret of Shadow Ranch (which will be posted after 7:30 classgame time because for some reason Maintenance happens sometime after 7...right when I'm writing a review).