Monday MAME Club [11/29/04] - The Simpsons

[Flack]

Welcome to this week's Monday Morning MAME Club Posting. Every Monday, a member of the MAME club will pick a new game for you to play in MAME! All you have to do to participate is install MAME, download the ROM of the week from this message, and then post your thoughts about the game! You can post a full review of the game or simply tell us what you liked/didn't like about the game. Have you played this game before? Have you played it in an actual arcade? Do you like the genre? How did it run on your computer? Did you beat it? If so, how long did it take? What was your high score? How far can you get? Did you have any problems emulating the game? When writing your review, post it right here in the sticky topic and include any thoughts you have about the game. Remember, YOU are the reviewer. Let us know anything and everything you think about the game! Just remember, if you want people to respond during YOUR week, you should play along on OTHER weeks!

The ROM of the week is: The Simpsons (available HERE (http://www.robohara.com/mameclub)!)

http://images.webmagic.com/klov.com/images/10/1091861559.jpg http://images.webmagic.com/klov.com/images/10/1090647299.jpg

Club Members:

digitalpress (Battle Bakraid)
Gamereviewgod (ESP Ra.De.)
Wisesalesman (Waku Waku 7)
scooterb23 (I'm Sorry)
ddockery (Penguin-Kun Wars)
AlanD (Dr. Micro)
IntvGene (Strike Force)
NE146 (Portman)
jonjandran (Bronze Adventure)
Flack (Rollergames, Yie-Ar Kung-Fu, Liquid Kids, Ninja Clowns)
IGotTheDot (N/A)
zektor (Battle Bakraid, Haunted Castle)
buttasuperb (Blazing Star)
chadtower (Berkerk)
Sotenga (Caliber 50)
Stark (Mighty! Pang)
christianscott27 (Darius Gaiden)
ECWSandmanECW (League Bowling)
TripppsK (Lady Bug)
vespertillio (Rampart!)
ghsqb (N/A)
TheSmirk (Bomb Jack)
Flukkake (Elevator Action)
BHvrd (NARC)
ManekiNeko (Battle Circuit)
MarioAllStar2600 (City Bomber)
Ze_ro (Pandora's Palace)
slip81 (Biomechanical Toy)
Qbert (Mysterious Stones)
k8track (Go! Go! Mile Smile)
Hamsnibit (N/A)
Lady Jaye (Chuka Taisen/Cloud Master)
Sofa King Gud (Crossbow)
Schenley (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom)
Kaine23 (Super Burgertime)
Arqueologia_Digital (Burgertime)
Jiscan (Withdrew)
-hellvin- (Splatterhouse)
Acidic_Pain (Armed Police Batrider)
Gamemaster_ca_2003 (Block Out)
Vigilante (Pu-Li-Ru-La)
Hovoc (D&D: Shadow Over Mystara)
Mr.FoodMonster (skipped)
sniperCCJVQ (WWF Superstars)
A Boy (Satan's Hollow)
JibbaJaba (Solomon's Key)
!!! Cauterize (The Simpsons) !!!
youruglyclone
Ed Oscuro
Gapporin
Graham Mitchell
RockyRaccoon
XxMe2NiKxX
brykasch
Xtasy
DJ_DEEM
The_EniGma
DaBargainHunta
cr0n0

Remember, you don't have to be a member of the club to download the game and write up a review, but by joining you get the honor of picking a game to share with the group during your week. If you would like to join, simply send me a PM and I will add you to the list!

MAME ON!

[Gamereviewgod]

Great pick. Wee need more beat-em-ups around here, especially Konami and Capcom ones. I've got a full review over in the arcade section so I really can't say much else, other than this is an arcade classic for a reason.

[Ed Oscuro]

Had this one set up at my work for a few months. Fun looking game, never tried it out before this though :) Did notice that unit had some problems scaling graphics, though.

[Gapporin]

Awesome game. I've played it before (in the arcades and MAME), and I can say that it's one of the best beat-em-up's I've played. Although, noticing the huge list of discrepancies between the arcade game and the real show, I'd say that the Konami team has probably never seen an episode of The Simpsons at all!

[Cauterize]

Wahey! my pick!

I absolutely love this game and to own the original cab is my dream!
I actually completed it when i was on holiday in america and got the highest score...
if the huge arcade called Funspot Arcade in lake winnipesaukee, new hampshire still has the Simpsons there, and the highscores still remain, look for ADA at the top of the list (Short for "Adam" of course")[/b]

[Jred]

This game is amazing. Out of the 4player beat em' up genre, this ate more of my quarters in it's day than any other. I have gone through it on MAME single player and it ran great. The lack of quarters was a nice bonus, but losing the arcade atmosphere of having a ton of other people in line behind you and 3 of your friends smashing buttons beside you did make it lose a bit of it's fun. It's still one of the classics, but if I feel like button smashing beat em' ups at home, I'll still go to Double Dragon or Ninja Baseball Bat Man, depending on mood, over this one. Although if I had a 4 player stand up, it'd be a whole different story.

[dethink]

not a part of the MAME club, but back in the day, i used to LOVE this game. a friend of mine and i actually beat it once on a pocketful of quarters, and after that, i never played it again until i played it on MAME.

IMO, with an unlimited supply of credits, you begin to realize how unbalanced the game (and TMNT/etc.) is, and how it's sole purpose is to merely suck money from your pocket. there really isn't any technique to it like final fight or double dragon. you try to avoid as much as possible with the clunky controls, and mash buttons.

presentation-wise, however, it really does shine, and is a hoot with 3 other people mashing away. i would have to agree however, that this creators of the game over in japan had probably never seen an episode of the simpsons. LOL

[slip81]

Excellent pick Cauterize! I love both the Simpsons and fatal fury, so this game got a lot of play time when I first got into MAMEing. Haven't played it in a while though, I'll have to correct that.

[Ed Oscuro]

not a part of the MAME club
We still want to hear what you have to say! :D I tend to agree about the money-sucking...that's really all it was. I'd rather play Aliens if I want a nearly-possible challenge :P

TNMT was the worst of all from the standpoint of sucking money. As you say, it's the presentation that made the games worthwhile.

[Cauterize]

Excellent pick Cauterize!

Cheers, was a tough one to pick between Simpsons, MvC: Clash Of Super Heroes and Mega Man The Power Battle.... But it has so many fond memories! Especialyl the one i mentioned when i was in New Hampshire on Holiday!

[Ed Oscuro]

Power Battle next time, Cauterize. Played a wee bit of that in MAME a few weeks ago and it looks alright.

[Cauterize]

Power Battle next time, Cauterize. Played a wee bit of that in MAME a few weeks ago and it looks alright.

its good, but as we all do with MAME now, we fill up our credits to 99 and complete the game.... i reckon Power Battles would be a lot better with an odd credit here and there!

[Simplynes]

I'm not part of the mame club either but I have to post. ;)

Simpsons is the first arcade game I ever played, back in '91 on my first (at least first memorable) holiday. I went to disney land and this was in the complex along with a few others but I only ever played the simpsons.

I still play it regularly as I have two dedicated cabinets and three boards in total (one cab is currently being restored). :D

Ace.

[joshnickerson]

Zounds. I'm glad I came across this thread, cause I've been looking for this ROM forEVER! I simply LOVED the arcade game! I used to vacation up at Hampton Beach, NH with my family, and I played at the huge arcades every evening. I remember spending three hours playing the Simpsons game, then spending the next day recovering my sore arm! LOL Awesome game, still pissed at Acclaim for not allowing a home console port, so glad they're dead now. :evil:

EDIT- I finally got it running on Mame (never used it before), and it is VERY close to the arcade game. The soundtrack is a bit off key, but hell, I can live with that. I'm going to have to research this "MAME"... it's a very intriguing program...

[Graham Mitchell]

I actually had a home port of this for the PC a long time ago, but it didn't play right. The animation was choppy, and of course the voices were non-existant (8-bit Sound Blaster was standard at the time). It's nice to have this one available again!

There's an arcade near my school in a hotel that still hast this game, and we play it every once in awhile.

I love the baloon-blowing bonus stage, too. LOL

[Flack]

The Simpson's arcade game is one of small handfull of games I've ever actually beat -- Double Dragon, Moon Patrol, and Yie-Ar Kung-Fu are the only other ones I can think of at the moment. Of course anyone can beat The Simpsons, it's beating it with the least amount of quarters that becomes impressive.

In the mid-to-late 80's, I remember Gauntlet (1985) and Gauntlet II (1986) dominating the four player game circuit. in the late 80's, Konami began churning out four player games like crazy. After 1989's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 1991 saw Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Turtles in Time, Vendetta, and of course The Simpsons, among a slew of other four-player beat-em-ups. As most fads go, it seemed like over night the arcades were overflowing with these types of games. And, like many other fads, some of these games were better and more memorable than others.

The one thing I really remember about the Simpsons were the cheap deaths, surprises appearing out of nowhere to kill poor Bart and his siblings. Also, at least at the time, one of the things that really stuck in my mind was the opening animation, which (at least in my mind) seemed just like the introduction to the cartoon. To this day, I'll load this game up on my MAME cabinet and leave it running in demo mode, just to see that cartoon run.

Although it was fun to play again, these type of "quarter eaters" don't translate well to MAME, especially for those of us who have no discipline and will just continue to pop in virtual credits. This is one of the major factors which forced me to buy a real Gauntlet II cabinet. :)

[kainemaxwell]

This game sucked in many of my quarters one Summer at Wildwood, NJ.

Here's a question for this week's MAME Club: Who's your favorite boss?

[DaBargainHunta]

When I first played The Simpsons in arcades, it was during the heyday of the side-scrolling beat-em-up. Even with the likes of Double Dragon and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles also heating up arcades, I still found this game to be something special.

Fast-forwarding to 2004, the humor and general wackiness of this game still holds up well, but the gameplay mechanics unfortunately haven't. Don't get me wrong, The Simpsons still a fun game that's well worth playing, but aside from the gimmick and novelty of playing as your favorite characters from Springfield, the gameplay you're going to find here isn't very deep and probably won't sustain itself for more than a few minutes at a time.

Overall, The Simpsons is still worth a try and it's a nice addition to anyone's MAME collection, but it doesn't get by on nostalgia alone.

[scooterb23]

I really enjoyed this game in the arcades. I swing a mean vaccuum (that's right I always play as Marge)...I don't know if I ever got past the second level however...

[Sotenga]

Ooh! A classic, this one. Many arcades I've been to have one of these machines, and I often give it a play, almost always choosing Homer, of course. ;)

Sure, it may not be the most faithful use of the Simpsons license (you just HAD to have a friggin' Kabuki boss in there, didn'tcha, Konami?!), but as far as beat-em-ups go, this one is very fun. The allowance of four players at a time plus the colorful and vibrant graphics add to the fun factor, and I can't help but grin when I see Bongo make a cameo. "All gone, beat it!" What a jerk. Heh...

Oh, and me favorite boss? The stage six bowling ball. Priceless. :D

[Jasoco]

i would have to agree however, that this creators of the game over in japan had probably never seen an episode of the simpsons. LOL
Au contrare, mon cherie... or whatever.

If you are referring to the way the characters act, this is very accurate to the first and second seasons. Back in the beginning, Mr. Smithers was a HUGE enemy of the family and Mr. Burns was more maniacal than senile like he is now. This is exactly like the show.. except for the whole robotic suit Mr. Burns wears. Other than that, it's very close to the original incarnation of the series.

THIS is one cabinet I would kill to have.. Even a two-player. Just to have it. I played the ROM, I played the original. It is such a cool fun game. The music and effects are so early 90's arcade. How in the hell hasn't Konami found a way to SOMEHOW port or emulate it on a modern console? I would pay $20-$30 alone for just a port of this one game! Just to have this game in my home! Since I probably will never own the cabinet.

[Mr.FoodMonster]

This game is one of my most fond arcading memories when I was a kid. I can tell you how many Simpsons machines I have played in my life (5) and where each one is/was located.

To my dismay, there is a 'Whirly Ball' arena near here (Mix bumpercars, basketball, and wickerball) and they have a 4 player machine. Most of the buttons dont work, water rings from bottoms of cups, and the side art is half there. I almost have half I mind to go in there and offfer $300 cash for it, even though I have NO place to put it.

I'll participate.

[Gamereviewgod]

but aside from the gimmick and novelty of playing as your favorite characters from Springfield, the gameplay you're going to find here isn't very deep and probably won't sustain itself for more than a few minutes at a time.

It's a beat-em-up. What exactly do you want??? This is hardly the worlds deepest genre.

[DaBargainHunta]

but aside from the gimmick and novelty of playing as your favorite characters from Springfield, the gameplay you're going to find here isn't very deep and probably won't sustain itself for more than a few minutes at a time.

It's a beat-em-up. What exactly do you want??? This is hardly the worlds deepest genre.
True, but other games in the genre - Double Dragon, for example - somehow manage to hold my attention more. The Simpsons was a classic in its day and it holds up well, but in 2004, it falls behind others in the genre like TMNT or the aforementioned DD (IMO).

[joshnickerson]

How in the hell hasn't Konami found a way to SOMEHOW port or emulate it on a modern console?

In the 90s, Acclaim acquired all rights to home console Simpsons games and blocked Konami from ever porting the arcade game. I guess Acclaim knew Konami would totally beat their shitty games.
The arcade game did eventually see release as a home PC version, but I've played it and in addition to the poor graphics and sound, the game would constantly freeze, and I could never get past the first stage because of that.

Stoopid Acclaim. Good riddance.

[Flack]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62053&item=6134502358&rd=1

[Graham Mitchell]

Wow, this'd be a great one to have in your home, especially when company comes over.

BTW Flack, I'm jealous that you have a Gauntlet II cab! Is it a 2 or 4 player?

[Flack]

Wow, this'd be a great one to have in your home, especially when company comes over.

BTW Flack, I'm jealous that you have a Gauntlet II cab! Is it a 2 or 4 player?

Four, of course!