If you remember Truckzilla, Apu's Secret Garden, or The Sandwich, then it's time for you to move to Virtual Springfield.
Fox Interactive'sVirtual Springfield doesn't just put you into The Simpsons cartoon, it puts you smack-dab in the middle of their world. You start in the heart of Town Square under the shadow of the great Jebediah Springfield. There you meet Troy McClure (you might remember him from such driver's ed films as Alice's Adventures Through the Windshield Glass and The Decapitation of Larry Leadfoot) who tells you a little bit
about the "pea-sized town with lima bean-sized dreams." After
that, you are on your own to explore Springfield, USA.
Out on the Town
Using the mouse, you can walk through
the streets of Springfield, admiring the sights and meeting all your favorite
characters from The Simpsons. Featuring tons of original animation
and all the original voices from the show, you truly feel like you are
there.
Using the map to get around, you can visit 17 different spots in Springfield.
Stop by Moe's for a beer with Barney, visit the Old Simpson Place for a
visit with Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Grandpa, or just wander the streets
of Springfield looking over all the sites you've come to know from the
television show. The 3D rendered version of Springfield looks fantastic
as you move real time from location to location.
Fun for the Whole Family
If you aren't the Simpsons freak I am, there are other things
to do in town. Scattered around at different locations are small arcade
style games to play. My two favorites are found at the Noiseland Arcade
near the Kwik-E-Mart.
In "Larry the Looter," you are Larry, running through town, hurling
trash cans through windows and collecting points for everything you can
get your hands on. But watch out for the store owner. He's got a 12-gauge
and a bad attitude.
Of course, Larry doesn't hold a candle to "Smite
of the Bumblebee." Starring my personal favorite Simpsons character,
the Bumblebee Man, "Smite of the Bumblebee" is a recreation of
the worst day of his life. His wife has left him, he's been pelted by an
arsenal of oranges, and it's your job to build on his misery by knocking
him unconscious with tomatoes in the face. Okay, so it probably isn't the
nicest game in the world, but, hey, it is supposed to be the worst day
in the Bumblebee Man's life, right?
While the games provide a brief diversion from wandering around, they won't
hold your attention for long. The gameplay is pretty limited to a minute
or two.
If games aren't your cup of tea, Virtual Springfield features a
complete set of Springfield Community Collector's Cards. Each digital card
features a different citizen of Springfield, USA, and the 74 cards are
scattered all over town. The cards aren't only fun to collect, but if you
aren't familiar with all the characters in town, it's a great way to learn
their names and faces.
D'oh!
Once you've been around town a few times, traveling in real time between locations starts to get a bit long. If we could quickly jump from spot to spot without having to walk the streets every time, gameplay would be enhanced as there wouldn't be as much down time between locations. Plus, even though there are 17 great locations to visit, once you've been to them several times, the novelty starts to wear off. The 17 locations become familiar, and you feel as though you have seen everything.
No town is perfect, though, and Virtual Springfield is no exception. While the software has game-like elements, it is lacking the depth of a true game. The individual objectives to get into each location are very easy to achieve.
Virtual Springfield would have benefited from having a better gaming
element incorporated into it, slowly revealing more locations around town
and introducing the characters one by one to extend playing time and add
an extra layer of depth.
A Final Thought
All in all, if you are a die-hard Simpsons fanatic, Virtual Springfield is a must. You'll enjoy every frame of new animation and finding props from all of your favorite episodes. For the occasional Simpsons viewer or younger fans looking for an interactive Simpsons experience, Virtual Springfield may not be what they are looking for. I recommend they try Fox Interactive's title The Simpson's Cartoon Studio where they can direct the Simpsons in a custom cartoon. The action is a little more fast-paced, and it doesn't
require as much knowledge of the show to understand the humor.
The Simpsons: Virtual Springfield is available now on CD-ROM for
Windows 95 and Power Macintosh at a retail price of $29.98.
Joe Toledo is executive producer at North Communications, an Internet
kiosk developer based in Marina del Rey, California.
Also in this issue: A virtual
tour of the life size replica of the Simpsons' home in Nevada which includes
Quicktime movies of the house!
[5]
Links:
[1] http://www.awn.com/imagepicker/image/2267
[2] http://www.awn.com/imagepicker/image/2268
[3] http://www.awn.com/imagepicker/image/2269
[4] http://www.awn.com/imagepicker/image/2270
[5] http://www.awn.com/2.7jacksonsimpsons.html
