Post by: NWR_pap64 on November 09, 2009, 10:07:15 PM
Would you believe that The Simpsons have been on the air for 20 years? Yes, what started as a series of crudely animated shorts on the Tracey Ullman show went on to become a pop culture phenomenon that everyone has fond memories of. Even if you agree that the show hasn't been as relevant and creative in the last few years, there's no denying that the world would feel a bit different without this weird, dysfunctional family on TV. So with this in mind, I ask you
Wheres my remake/port of the Simpsons Arcade Game?
Many big things have happened in the last few years. In 2007, The Simpsons starred in their first movie ever, the show hit 400 episodes, various 7/11 stores turned into real life Kwik-E-Marts, and in the fall of that same year EA released The Simpsons Game across many platforms. In 2008, Universal Studios opened The Simpsons Ride. In 2009, the show received a brand new opening in High Definition. And if that wasn't enough, Marge Simpson posed semi nude in Playboy! So with the show being on what seems to be a pop culture high, why hasn't anyone ported or remade the Simpsons Arcade game?
Now, now, I realize that I am basically making a Monkey's Paw wish (Treehouse of Horror 2). But since the world seems to be celebrating The Simpsons in many different ways, why hasn't anyone thought of re-releasing the Simpsons Arcade game, especially since it's considered to be one of the best Simpsons games ever? With all three major consoles featuring services dedicated to downloadable games, now would be the perfect time to re-release the arcade version.
A port would do just fine. But if the creators are smart, they will remake it so the game is more relevant to the Simpsons today. I mean, the arcade game was released when the show was still young. With the show going on for 20 years they have a lot of new material to work with. Maybe change the storyline a bit. Instead of Mr. Burns being the one kidnapping Maggie, have Snake be the villain. Or, even better, use the established evil antagonist, Sideshow Bob. Of course, Mr. Burns could still appear as a boss, but having him as a kidnapper and a diamond thief would be weird.
The series now has many established villains, such as Snake and Sideshow Bob
As for the graphics, they should definitely be remade. But instead of 3D models, the game should have 2D, high-resolution sprites. It's a proven fact that the Simpsons were never meant to be in 3D. They look weird. Even one of the trailers for The Simpsons Movie celebrated the fact that the movie was completely in 2D. So the game should stay true to its roots and be in 2D. The sprites could be re-drawn by the original animators and presented in high definition, and you would have a game that looks and feels like playing the show. The locales could even be updated to show some the series' famous locales, like the Comic Book Guy's shop, the School, and the Kwik-E-Mart.
It's also a proven fact that the Simpsons cast is very loyal to the show, and would voice anything Simpsons-related. The remake should have new lines voiced by the characters, and and without hardware limitations the cast could REALLY strut their stuff. We could all enjoy hilarious lines as we plow through hordes of generic enemies. Hell, have the Simpsons writers create all of the game's dialogue!
These characters have a lot to say
The gameplay should be left intact. The original arcade game was a beat 'em-up that allowed up to four players on one cabinet. It's hard to screw that up. The only change to be made is the addition of modern gaming conventions such as online play for up to four players, achievements, unlockables, and additional modes that go well beyond the original game. And speaking of unlockables, the developers shouldn't go light on the fan service. Once again, the series has over 20 years of material, and fans would eat it up if they had a game that celebrated and even lampooned its history. The recently released South Park: Let's Go Tower Defense Play features tons of clips from the show, character bios, artwork, and other goodies that fans love. So, if a Simpsons Arcade Game remake is made they should include these types of little bonuses.
The beauty of South Park: Let's Go Tower Defense Play lies in its fan service
I realize that the original game was made by Konami, and the current holder of the Simpsons videogame license is EA. This, however, shouldn't be a major issue. Konami also made TMNT: Turtles in Time. That didn't stop Ubisoft, the current holders of the franchise, from remaking the game as TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. And The Simpsons Game proved to be pretty solid, so EA shouldn't have much of an issue creating a remake of the arcade game.
The Simpsons Game was a pretty decent effort by EA
While I wait for this to happen, I'll just keep enjoying the show. I know it's not as good as it used to be, but I still have a soft spot for it. I grew up with the Simpsons (and turned out surprisingly fine
), so it's hard for me to ignore them, and will remain loyal to the show till it finally decides to take a bow.
What do YOU think? Would you want a Simpsons Arcade port? Does the idea of a remake sound exciting?
"Hmm, a remake of the Simpsons Arcade Game? WORST. IDEA. EVER!"
Post by: BranDonk Kong on November 09, 2009, 10:10:47 PM
Post by: NWR_pap64 on November 09, 2009, 10:13:50 PM
Download MAME. Download Simpsons ROMset. Play Simpsons Arcade all you want. If you wanna play it on a TV screen, get a modded Xbox and run MAMEoX, it works perfectly on there. TMNT as well.
Already done that. And note that I am not talking about a straight port, I am talking about an update to the game.
Though to be honest, I'll take any form of the Simpsons Arcade Game. I just want an official acknowledgement that the game exists.
Post by: TJ Spyke on November 09, 2009, 11:48:23 PM
The reason we have seen a re-make of the TMNT game is because Ubisoft and Konami were able to reach a deal. I am not sure Electronic Arts and Konami could reach a deal, I don't think EA has shown any interest in supporting any of the console download services and they would probably want more of the money than Konami would be willing to allow. That is the problem with licensed games. Any deal regarding this game would need an agreement between EA, Konami, and Fox (it's like how any deal with The Beatles needs the approval of Apple Corp, EMI, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and the estates of John Lennon and George Harrison).
I never played the game, but I would like to play it. I doubt it's held up thought to the test of time, playing the original TMNT arcade games shows that "beloved" arcade brawlers don't age well. A remake would improve that, but is even more unlikely.
Post by: BwrJim! on November 09, 2009, 11:55:27 PM
Post by: NWR_pap64 on November 10, 2009, 12:55:38 AM
Brandogg, i'm sure most people would like to LEGALLY play the game (not play an illegal ROM).
The reason we have seen a re-make of the TMNT game is because Ubisoft and Konami were able to reach a deal. I am not sure Electronic Arts and Konami could reach a deal, I don't think EA has shown any interest in supporting any of the console download services and they would probably want more of the money than Konami would be willing to allow. That is the problem with licensed games. Any deal regarding this game would need an agreement between EA, Konami, and Fox (it's like how any deal with The Beatles needs the approval of Apple Corp, EMI, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and the estates of John Lennon and George Harrison).
I never played the game, but I would like to play it. I doubt it's held up thought to the test of time, playing the original TMNT arcade games shows that "beloved" arcade brawlers don't age well. A remake would improve that, but is even more unlikely.
That's true, and I agree it's one of the biggest issues the game is facing. The reason, however, I have a little faith on it is because I think Fox, Matt Groening and co. would have the final word. So if they wanted to remake or re-release the game they would likely have the higher word in the negotiations.
But I don't know how corporate deals work so I may be wrong.
As for the game, it's worth trying out. Just be prepared to deal with a lot of outdated references. I believe the game was released near the end of season 1, the beginning of season 2. It has Smithers in his tanned and blue hair colors, and its weird that Burns is robbing a Jewelry store and kidnapping Maggie. That's why I suggested that if they somehow reach a deal and a remake is announced to update the story a bit so it's more relevant to the show.
Post by: Jonnyboy117 on November 10, 2009, 01:23:41 AM
Post by: TJ Spyke on November 10, 2009, 10:51:15 AM
While I can't speak for this specific deal, these types of licensing agreements generally need the approval of all sides. While Matt Groening might be able to convince Konami and EA to reach a deal, I don't think he or Fox could get the game out if Konami and EA don't both agree.
Post by: Ian Sane on November 10, 2009, 01:47:20 PM
The Simpsons has been on the air so long that I realistically couldn't call myself a fan. The show lost me years ago and for a while I felt I was fan of The Simpsons' hey-day and just didn't like the last few seasons. That's not even irregular with a TV show. A lot of shows lose it towards the end and so many people are only fans of the "good" seasons. But with the Simpsons a couple seasons turned into 10 and now I realize that I haven't even seen at least 50% of the episodes aired. The show didn't jump the shark and get canned after a few dud seasons, it kept going and attracted a whole completely different group of fans including people that weren't even born yet when the first episode aired. I'm really just a fan of a small pocket of The Simpsons history. I own Seasons 1-7 on DVD as that covers the era when I loved the show. There are Simpsons fans that were born after that era was already over. It's just unreal. When is this show going to end? It's like one of those old comic strips that was already around when your parents were born and you can't imagine a world without it.
Post by: vudu on November 10, 2009, 02:09:15 PM
Post by: JLowther on November 10, 2009, 02:29:17 PM
I would prefer a straight port to a remake. Nobody knows how to make a good brawler anymore. It was a genre that had its golden age and then just fell flat on its face. If they remade it they would **** it up. Beat-em-ups come from a different time period when different game design philosophies were in place. The ulitmate problem with present day beat-em-ups is that developers cannot resist inserting modern game design conventions into them but that ultimately ruins them. A good brawler should be short, hard, replayable, and should offer co-op play, The simplicity of the formula is key and most modern developers completely miss the boat on that. Genres that got their start in the arcade are often mishandled today.
The problem is that people expect those modern design conventions in any game they play and reviewers would tear an old beat 'em up to shreds for lacking them.
Aside from the older fans that remember the genre, any new players wouldn't get it. Don't get me wrong: I LOVED beat 'em ups ever since the first TMNT in the arcade, but it's a genre that relied primarily upon either munching quarters or (in the case of console BEUs like "Streets of Rage"), making the game hard enough that it was an extreme challenge to beat on the hardest setting, something that most players wouldn't put the time in to do in this day and age. You'd have everyone whining about the game being way too short because replaying content is not something a lot of people would want to do.
Post by: Peachylala on November 10, 2009, 02:50:22 PM
If fact, they made pretty good Tiny Toon Adventure games as well.
Post by: NWR_Neal on November 10, 2009, 05:38:16 PM
If fact, they made pretty good Tiny Toon Adventure games as well.
Hell yea they did! Acme All-Stars FTW!
Post by: EasyCure on November 10, 2009, 09:32:50 PM
what a horrible experience. It's not that the game didn't hold up well, it's just that the the cabinet wasn't really well maintained.. You'd think having this iconic game in a somewhat iconic chain resteraunt after all these years, they'd put some money into hiring someone to come by and maybe fix the joy stick.. but no. So my girlfriends playing just fine but me, the one with the experience and the fond memories, spend my time being annoyed that i just put a ton of quarters into playing as Bart and having the controls stick on me constantly. It's never been so hard to move my character to the left.. *sigh*
The thought had crossed my mind to one day come back and ask how much they'd want for me to buy that cabinet off them and fixing it up myself... i doubt i'd be able to afford i though (not easily anyway) and even if i could, i wouldn't have the space in my apartment for it. One day though....
oh and once i buy that, i'll go back and buy their Super Mario Bros pinball machine off them ;)
Post by: BwrJim! on November 11, 2009, 01:53:38 PM
Post by: EasyCure on November 12, 2009, 10:27:41 PM
Post by: NWR_insanolord on December 22, 2009, 02:59:52 AM
Post by: KDR_11k on December 25, 2009, 05:05:21 AM
EA is making a remake of/tribute to this game, the catch is that it's for the iPhone/iPod Touch.Yeah, I saw that on the App Store and was wondering if it's the same game.
Post by: vudu on December 25, 2009, 04:42:36 PM
Post by: TheYoungerPlumber on January 03, 2010, 09:04:05 PM
Post by: ThePerm on January 04, 2010, 04:33:07 AM
I actually own a copy of the original game on PC! Unfortunately, it's on a 4.25" floppy so I have no means to play it. :(
same here
the arcade business is weird, its something i used to love, but it seems theres no support from developers. And when new games do get released they pale in comparison to what they could be. You would think they would have some ridiculous arcade boards. 4th pillar somebody? If I was like a billionaire i would efinately make like an awesome arcade company.
