A History of “The Simpsons” in Video Games
A tapped out look at all 27 video games inspired by The Simpsons
It was recently announced that producers and writers of The Simpsons will be in attendance at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles on June 11. Expectations are that the record-breaking sitcom will be announcing a brand new video game. Why else would these creators be a part of the annual celebration?
It has been over seven years since the release of a brand new video game based on everyone’s favourite animated family. It has been even longer since The Simpsons have appeared on any console with a complete absence from the current generation of PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. While mobile games may be the cash cow of the times, we still can’t help but hope that Springfield may once again appear in a fully developed console game.
The Simpsons are no virgins to the video game scene. The series was at the height of its popularity in the early nineties, the same time when video games were becoming a staple in every household. For the show to crossover to the virtual world was money just waiting to be made. It did not take long, and throughout the years, a whole collection of Simpsons games has amassed. Here is a look at every game based on the hit Fox TV show that has ever been made. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Simpsons: Bart vs the Space Mutants
Developer: Imagineering, Arc Developments
Publisher: Acclaim Entertainment, Ocean Software
Platforms: NES, Sega Genesis, Commodore 64, Game Gear, Atari ST, Amiga, PC
Release: February 1991
Considering everything from Rambo to Gremlins 2 was gaining their own video games at this time, the new hit animated television show was a shoo-in for going virtual. In 1991, Bart vs the Space Mutants was released. The single player side-scrolling adventure features Bart as the only one aware of Springfield being invaded by Space Mutants. Using “x-ray specs”, cherry bombs, spray paint, and rockets, he must stop the aliens from collecting the equipment they need to take over the world. The game was widely popular at the time and praised for the utilization of the show’s theme, characters, and humour. Of course, it received mixed reviews with the biggest complaint being that the 5 levels were much too difficult. But, that sounds like every side-scrolling game from the early 90s.
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