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No more 'Grand Theft Scratchy' in Simpsons Game
It seems that Rockstar was pretty serious about having EA remove references to their IP from The Simpsons Game. 1UP reports that the previously titled "Grand Theft Scratchy" trailer has been replaced with an entirely identical vignette, now titled "Mob Rules." All other content in the trailer remains the same, meaning that either Rockstar only really had a guff with the name, or that EA hasn't heard the last from the Liberty City attorneys.
Today's universe-imploding video: Will Wright in The Simpsons Game
Is it any wonder that Spore keeps getting pushed back further and further when creator Will Wright is doing things like taking his sweet time to make a cameo appearance in The Simpsons Game? Good lord, man. Every waking minute you have should be spent poring over Spore. In fact, now that we think about it, do you really even need to sleep? At this point it is probably assured that Will has rigged up some machine that eliminates his need for sleep cycles altogether. Probably whipped it up during downtime while developing The Sims. Check out Game Head's latest video above, which includes the fabled Will Wright appearance. He's sandwiched between Call of Duty 4 tidbits, but it's a small price to pay for his lines alone. Plus they make his little mustache look evil as well. Now, get back to work.
Simpsons Game parodies those crazy Japanese and their wacky games
Hoping that the Japanese have a better sense of humor than their American counterparts, EA has released a trailer featuring the previously-discussed "Big Super Happy Fun Fun Land" section of The Simpsons Game, which parodies Japanese culture as well as (apparently) Japanese video games. Pardon the parentheticals, but the only game we see spoofed in this trailer is Katamari Damacy. Yes, we see Mr. Sparkle; We see the anime-inspired cutscene; We (unfortunately) hear the high-pitched "engrish"; But where are the games? Are we missing something obvious? Take a look for yourselves after the break, and please enlighten us.
Simpsons, Conan on Xbox Live Monday, Monday, Monday
Monday, Monday, Monday! At home right on your 360, Microsoft dishes out two demos -- a double dose of pain that'll rip out your guts, blow your mind, and leave you burned beyond recognition. The Simpsons Game, fresh off its appearance on the PlayStation Network and getting publishers' panties in a bunch, drops all 442.71 MBs right on your hard drive, with complete disregard to public safety. (Oh, hey, the achievements list still mentions Grand Theft Scratchy?) Then its time to get barbaric with Conan. Rated M for Mature, the ESRB says this game contains "BLOOD AND GORE, INTENSE VIOLENCE, AND NUDITY." You can't take this game home to your mom, because it'd tread all over her face! Demo Monday, Monday, Monday! You'll pay for the whole controller, but you'll only need the edge!
Rockstar, others upset with Simpsons game
It's rare that a good video game parody comes along that isn't featured on YouTube, so you'd think that developers would relish the chance to get mocked by some of the minds behind The Simpsons Game, which includes goofs on popular games like Neverquest and Medal of Homer. Unfortunately, it seems that not everyone is in on the joke. CVG reports that some of the game's content had to be pulled because the companies were unhappy with the way their licenses were being tweaked. The only company called out by name is Rockstar, which reportedly asked during Leipzig that a poster featuring Grand Theft Scratchy be removed. The article does mention that the Harmonix staff got a kick out of posters for Sitar Hero, though why they'd be OK with others making fun of Guitar Hero at this point in their careers is beyond us.
Simpsons, Bladestorm demos come to PSN tomorrow
The Official PlayStation blog has been updated to show tomorrow's updates to the PlayStation Network. We've got an arcade Ski game Go! Sports Ski for $2.99 and tutorial videos for Eye of Judgment and NBA 08. Most exciting, however, are the demos being served: Bladestorm: The Hundred Year War and The Simpsons. Bladestorm is a Koei-developed action title best described as "Kessen in Europe," but The Simpsons is a game we've been dying to play since E3. Tomorrow can't come soon enough. %Gallery-3045% [Via PS3 Fanboy]
Today's hottest MMO trailer: The Simpsons in Neverquest
It looks almost as enjoyable as World of Colbercraft. Almost. The latest trailer for The Simpsons game shows off the Neverquest level, where Homer and Marge take on a strikingly familiar two-headed dragon. The quality of the trailer tells us that, just like how we felt with our hands-on at E3, the developers are really using the license well. Video embedded after the break.
New Simpsons parody section includes Mr. Sparkle
EA introduced a new parody section of The Simpsons Game called "Big Super Happy Fun Fun Land," if we're transcribing our notes correctly. In a brief video presented to journalists, the game-and-culture send-up mocked Pokemon, Engrish, and other intersections of East-meets-West. While just a small piece of the game, the inclusion of Mr. Sparkle meant we had to post the otherwise light news. Check out the updated gallery for more images. There's your answer, fish-bulb. %Gallery-3045%
Today's repressed memories video: The Simpsons (NES)
The Angry Video Game Nerd does his best to undo years of therapy as he takes on two monsters of the NES era: Bart vs the Space Mutants and Bart vs the World. Being a man of truth and profanity, believe the words of the Nerd as he illustrates the sheer awfulness of these two games. We can faintly recall a 1991 Summer. There was a birthday party and someone was opening their presents. Layers of colorful paper and cake later and two NES games had been uncovered. The first of which resonates warmth and pleasantness ... it was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game. The other ... You know what? This blog is over. Get out of here and take your filthy, not safe for work video with you!
E3 07: Hot diggity! The Simpsons DS videos!
Though the Nintendo DS version of The Simpsons Game won't have the 3D frills that its console counterparts will feature, that's perfectly fine with us! We didn't need 3D to enjoy The Simpsons' license when it was an arcade game in the 90s, and we don't need it now!Judging by these first two video previews, the family's first foray onto our dual-screened system looks fantastic! As expected, the 2D platformer is teeming with references and characters from the show, even including a a level where you get to eat your way through the Land of Chocolate. According to Game|Life, Electronic Arts will be packing the handheld title with 2000 lines of spoken dialogue.We weren't impressed with most of the minigames we saw unlocked in Noiseland Arcade, but the "Pet Homer" Nintendogs spoof definitely made us smile. We've always wanted a donut-chomping lout of our own to poke, feed, and care for. Do the Bartman and dance past the post break for GameTrailers' developer walkthroughs.
Joystiq hands-on: The Simpsons
We had a chance to play 5 of the 16 levels for Electronic Arts' upcoming title The Simpsons. A lot of work is being put in to keep the game satirical of the video games, and so far they're on the right track. The first level we tried was "Shadow of the Colossal Donut," and unsurprisingly it had us facing off against a giant, robotic beast. (We are disappointed, however, that said beast was not large enough that we climb on top of him like in Shadow of the Colossus.). Each of the characters' special moves are fairly unique and integral to solving the levels. Bart, for a rather lame example, is the only one that can climb ropes, while Marge has a loudspeaker used to attract people for her Pikmin-esque mob. Much like LEGO Star Wars, the game features drop-in / drop-out co-op. Because of the unique abilities of each character, you will have to switch between each to solve puzzles. The town of Springfield acts a central hub where you can access all the levels. %Gallery-3045%
Seen@E3: all in the (animated) family
Lounging outside the Electronic Arts suite at Loews is the beloved animated family the Simpsons, obviously waiting for their appointment to try out The Simpsons game. That's not a remote control in Homer's hand; that's pure bribery. Mmm, come heeere bloggers, I've got caaaandy ...
Fight Matt Groening to beat The Simpsons
It seems the upcoming The Simpsons video game from Electronic Arts is positively full of surprises. First and foremost, obviously, is that it actually looks pretty good (visually at least). Add to that the news that Matt Groening, creator of television series, will star as the game's final boss (or one of them at least). Groening has stated, according to gamesindustry.biz, "They did a send-up of videogames. It's a videogame about videogames; and I'm in the videogame. I'm a boss that you have to fight at the end of the game." Groening added that he has enjoyed recording his voice for the game. Eager Simpsons fans can get their hands on the game this fall.[Via Joystiq]
Matt Groening to be final boss in Simpsons game
The first family of cartoon comedy will finally meet their maker after 18 years. Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, and whose life is certainly not hell, will appear in the upcoming The Simpsons Game. Groening tells Eurogamer, "They did a send-up of video games. It's a video game about video games; and I'm in the video game. I'm a boss that you have to fight at the end of the game." So according to Groening he'll be the final boss in the Simpson video game. Sounds like the perfect final boss. If this were 19th century literature we'd have been forced to read it in high school due to the subtext of one man fighting his creation, to which he'll inevitably succumb. Groening says he had a good time recording for the game, "It was really fun recording a million ways of dying, going 'UGGH, ARGGH, EUURGH!'" The Simpsons Game will be out this fall, now can we finally get The Simpsons arcade game on XBLA or PSN?.
Another way to win a Simpsons 360
Previously, we mentioned that you could win a yellow Simpsons themed Xbox 360 by participating in the Cloning Clyde Play and Win contest. Fine and dandy except for those of us who don't have or want to purchase Cloning Clyde to enter. Well, Microsoft has those of you covered by giving away another Simpsons 360 AND a trip to the movie premiere in LA to one lucky entrant who sends them an email. That's right, all you have to do is send shoot an email off to xlmail@microsoft.com with the subject "Simpsons Movie Premiere" by July 14th and you are entered. Very simple. Again, one lucky winner will receive the coveted yellow Simpsons Xbox 360 and a trip to LA for The Simpsons Movie premiere. Good luck everyone!
Former Ubisoft VP helping develop Fox gaming brand
Adam Kline, former VP of business development at Ubisoft, is now the VP of new-media enterprises at 20th Century Fox. His new title is just a fancy way of saying he'll oversee video game projects and develop ways to make cash through e-commerce. He will oversee things like The Simpsons Game over at EA along with the Alien games over at Sega -- and probably a bunch of other Fox related titles we'll see in the near future.So, with Kline's existence having previously been in the gaming space over at Ubisoft, we can hope he won't be the typical suit who'll keep the chain of bad video games based on movies going. We hope Kline just keeps a tight leash on the Alien games being developed by Sega. We need more quality Alien games like Alien vs. Predator and less ... well, almost everything else.
Homer says burgers are good for Play and Win
The Simpsons + yellow Xbox 360 = greatest Play and Win prize ever! Over on Xbox.com they've posted details about two new Play and Win events going down in July involving The Simpsons Movie and McDonalds' Burgercon. First up is the Burgercon Play and Win event which supposedly kicks off today through July 5th although we don't see any way to sign up. What we do know is that you'll have to play Forza 2 and they'll be giving away Microsoft points and 360 HD DVD players. Not too shabby, but not nearly as exciting as The Simpsons Movie Play and Win. This promotion runs from July 2nd through July 17th where you can win the sexy yellow Simpsons Xbox 360 featured to the right. They are giving away five of these yellow wonders and all you have to do to enter is play Cloning Clyde during the promo period for an entry each day. What's also nice about The Simpsons Play and Win is that you can actually sign up right now. How convenient.Two Play and Win promotions, one involving a yellow 360 and one we can't sign up for yet. No matter, it's fun and it's free, so go play already and win!Read - McDonalds Burgercon Play and WinRead - The Simpsons Movie Play and Win
Joystiq impressions: The Simpsons Game
This week, EA has been strutting The Simpsons Game (working title) with good reason; I sat in on a demo and was impressed with the style and visuals of the game. EA -- in collaborating with Gracie Films and Fox -- seems to respect the franchise and wants to deliver an authentic Simpsons game, citing 8,000 lines of original dialogue created by show writers and recorded by the original cast. The Simpsons Game looked as good as I could imagine, with great graphics and a sense that EA understands the franchise, but there's always a caveat; EA only showed the style and basics, so I have little idea of if the "Game" part of the working title will be realized. Due Fall, 2007 for all current platforms besides PC, if it's fun to play -- and yes, that's a critical "if" -- The Simpsons Game could rate high compared to any title, not just franchise tie-ins. At the very least, it should be the best-looking Simpsons game yet. %Gallery-3045%
Wii version of Simpsons contains exclusive gluttony
Surprisingly, the new Simpsons game, called The Simpsons Game, doesn't follow the storyline of the Simpsons movie (The Simpsons Movie). Instead, it puts the player in the roles of the Simpson family as they become aware that they are inside a video game, which enables them to use ingame abilities (Remember Bartman? No? Ask your parents.) The game draws from video game culture, poking fun at games like Grand Theft Auto and Zelda.The Simpsons Game is a platformer with two-player cooperative gameplay and a cast of 200 characters. Troublingly, the developers say that of those 200, 100 come from the show. Is EA creating 100 new Simpsons characters? Jiminy jillikers!Wii owners will get a special treat: an exclusive minigame in the form of an eating contest. Using the Wiimote like a fork, players will cram as much imaginary food into their avatar's gaping maw as possible in a limited time.
Limited edition Simpsons Xbox 360
We hope you like yellow. In celebration of the upcoming Simpsons movie, Microsoft has created 100 limited edition Simpsons Xbox 360s. Yup, there are only 100 of these babies in the entire universe. How do you get your hands on one? Well, we don't really know. According to the press release, they will be given away "through a series of special events and promotions." May we make a suggestion? Donut eating contest for the win. The special editions should be given away prior to the movie this july, but right now that's all we know.By the way, if you haven't heard, the game (which is unrelated to the film) is actually looking pretty good. Anyone interested in scoring one of the limited edition 360s to play it on?[Via Joystiq]
