May 04, 2012 Gameplay: 3.0 With a solid framerate, the game moves along nicely, alas this is the only good thing that can be said about the gameplay.
The Simpsons Skateboarding is a skateboarding video game based on the animated sitcom, The Simpsons that was released for the PlayStation 2 in North America on November 13, 2002. The game was developed by the The Code Monkeys and published by Fox Interactive and Electronic Arts.The story and dialogue were crafted by writers from The Simpsons, with all character voices supplied by the. Nov 12, 2002 Gameplay Along with the titular family, players can control other Springfield inhabitants including Krusty the Klown. In the Simpsons Skateboarding take control of up to 9 of the Simpson's characters as well as some unlockable characters. Each character can perform up to 40 tricks and each has their own special move.
The Simpsons Skateboarding | |
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Developer(s) | The Code Monkeys |
Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
Artist(s) | William Brand Daniel Hughes Paul Hunter |
Writer(s) | Tim Long Matt Selman |
Composer(s) | Christopher Tyng |
Series | The Simpsons |
Engine | RenderWare |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
Release |
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Genre(s) | Extreme sports |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
The Simpsons Skateboarding is an extreme sportsvideo game based on the animatedsitcomThe Simpsons. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in North America on 12 November 2002 and Europe on 6 December 2002. The game was developed by The Code Monkeys and published by Fox Interactive and Electronic Arts. The story and dialogue were written by writers from The Simpsons, with all character voices supplied by the cast.
The game was widely panned by critics and is considered one of the worst video games of all time.
![Simpsons Skateboarding Gameplay Simpsons Skateboarding Gameplay](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7zS_7Y-VQLQ/TnI_5CSpOjI/AAAAAAAAJTU/1999YHmgKBQ/s1600/Bart%2BSimpson%2BSkate-708087.jpg)
Gameplay[edit]
Springfield has been converted into a skate park for the Annual Skate Tour, full with skate-able objects and landmarks from the television series. Players are able to choose one of the nine characters available to compete for the grand prize. All of the characters' voices were recorded by the actual voice actors from The Simpsons. Each character has over forty unique moves. Players can test their skills in either a two-player head-to-head skate off, or in one of the fast and furious modes: Freeskate, Skate Fest, Trick Contest, and a game of skateboard H-O-R-S-E, unlocking additional characters, locations, and skateboards. Players can also choose to learn all the skateboard moves and tricks before they begin the actual game in the Skillz School mode.[1]
Development[edit]
The Simpsons Skateboarding was developed by The Code Monkeys and published by Electronic Arts (EA) under license from Fox Interactive. Before EA made an official announcement about The Simpsons Skateboarding, an advertisement for the game was featured on the back page of the instruction manual for The Simpsons: Road Rage, and on in-game billboards, which was released in 2001. There were no mention of a console in the advertisement and no gameplay details were revealed. In November 2001, EA representatives said they were not ready to comment on the product.[2] On 16 May 2002, a few days before the E3 Media and Business Summit, they released the first information about the game.[3] All of the characters' voices were recorded by the actual voice actors from The Simpsons.[1][4]
Reception[edit]
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The Simpsons Skateboarding received 'unfavorable' reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[5] It was criticized for its chunky graphics, poorly recorded sound and music, lack of skateboarding tricks, and poor controls whilst the in-game dialogue were mixed.
Andrew Reiner of Game Informer said: 'Never before have I seen a developer put forth such an effort to secure the Worst Game of the Year award. I'll even go as far to say that this may very well be the worst PlayStation 2 game on the market.'[9] Kevin Murphy of GameSpy said that 'The Simpsons Skateboarding should be a case study in bad game design.'[11]
![Simpsons Skateboarding Gameplay Simpsons Skateboarding Gameplay](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tSbej8sgeQg/maxresdefault.jpg)
References[edit]
- ^ abc'Shred and Grind Springfield in the Simpsons Skateboarding for the PlayStation 2 From EA and Fox Interactive'. Business Wire. 14 November 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^IGN staff (27 November 2001). 'The Simpsons Go Skateboarding'. IGN. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^Smith, David (17 May 2002). '[The] Simpsons Skateboarding (Preview)'. IGN. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^'Here's a nostalgia inducing list of skateboard games'. Magneto. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ^ ab'The Simpsons Skateboarding for PlayStation 2 Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^Marriott, Scott Alan. 'The Simpsons Skateboarding - Review'. AllGame. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^EGM staff (January 2003). 'The Simpsons Skateboarding'. Electronic Gaming Monthly (162): 176. Archived from the original on 14 May 2004. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^Taylor, Martin (1 January 2003). '[The] Simpsons Skateboarding'. Eurogamer. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ abReiner, Andrew (December 2002). 'Simpsons' [sic] Skateboarding'. Game Informer (116): 123. Archived from the original on 12 January 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^Davis, Ryan (26 November 2002). 'The Simpsons Skateboarding Review'. GameSpot. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ abMurphy, Kevin (2 December 2002). 'GameSpy: The Simpsons Skateboarding'. GameSpy. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^Valentino, Nick (24 November 2002). 'The Simpsons Skateboarding - PS2 - Review'. GameZone. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^Smith, David (19 November 2002). '[The] Simpsons Skateboarding'. IGN. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^Rybicki, Joe (January 2003). 'The Simpsons Skateboarding'. Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 132. Archived from the original on 29 March 2004. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^Rubenstein, Glenn (25 November 2002). ''[The] Simpsons Skateboarding' (PS2) Review'. X-Play. Archived from the original on 25 November 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^Boyce, Ryan (25 October 2002). '[The] Simpsons Skateboarding'. Maxim. Archived from the original on 24 November 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
External links[edit]
- The Simpsons Skateboarding on IMDb
- The Simpsons Skateboarding at MobyGames
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Simpsons_Skateboarding&oldid=947293524'
About the Author
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created 23:17, 5 May 2019 , last edited 23:27, 5 May 2019
Considering I used to play The Simpsons Hit & Run a lot when I was younger, it's taken me long enough to try this one; after hearing and reading about how bad this game is, I decided to pick it up from a second-hand shop for next-to-nothing (more on that later), and see for myself; I quit it after playing just one arena. Let that set the tone for this first impressions. Here are my initial thoughts on The Simpson Skateboarding. Also get used to the Tony Hawk comparisons, because there's gonna be a handful of them!
Note: This is not a review of any kind, rather these are my opinions of the game based off of roughly an hour of gameplay.
Gameplay
The game's formula is almost identical to a Tony Hawk game; themed arenas with their own set of objectives to complete. Simple enough, right? Well, not really. The arenas are pretty open, but you need to actually initiate the objective in order to play them; unlike THPS where you're given 2 minutes to play around with these goals. From what I have seen, it looks like each level has its own sets of six challenges in what the game calls 'Skillz School' (y'know, make it more hip), the Elementary School stage just has some arbitrary stuff like 'Do 4 Ollies', or 'Do 3 different grind tricks', all for meagre rewards. But the clumsy way this game handles its goals is amplified by two crippling issues; the level design, and the controls, both of which are absolutely horrendous.
Level Design
Simpsons Skateboarding Gameplay Pc
Springfield Elementary (the only level I endured) vaguely resembles the location in the show it is based off of, and there isn't any coherent structure to any of the set pieces; ramps and rails are just randomly scattered all over the place with no rhyme or reason to it. At least in Tony Hawk's 3 the set pieces were built into the level themes perfectly allowing for some really good combo potential; the The Simpsons Skateboarding on the other hand doesn't so much as try to construct an elaborate skating arena, with no consideration for cohesive level design. The simpsons skateboarding ps2. As a result, it really made some of the objectives extremely difficult to complete, especially the score attack objectives. The level also felt incredibly lifeless; it felt like I was roaming around a barren wasteland with nothing in it. Think Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 levels of empty, only with a few NPC's dressing the level up slightly, but then they just stand around like complete lemons until you get close to them.
Controls
This is the absolute worst part of this title: the controls are awful! First off, you use the Left Stick to push forwards instead of holding X. Having played Tony Hawk's Pro Skater so much over the years, muscle memory keeps telling me to hold X to move, but using left stick doesn't feel smooth, natural, or even comfortable since you have to steer with the same stick! Combine the horrible movement with a limited trick pool and lack of proper feedback, the aforementioned score attack objectives are a nightmare unless you are near a grind rail, which is arguably the best way to score fast points in this game.
Another thing I really hate is not being able to spin off of half-pipes; the game tells me I can use the L1/R1 buttons to spin, but I have never got it to work. This only serves to further limit the scoring potential I could get.. what little there is! There is also no reverts as well; I wasn't expecting the complete copy of Tony Hawk mind you, but something to keep combos going would help greatly. Compounding the issue of sluggish ground movement is the physics. This could be just because I picked Homer, but I swear the Ollie feels really heavy, to point were I can't even pull off a simple flatland trick without falling off my board.
Presentation
The game gives off a poor first impression with it's opening cinematic; bad music, aesthetic, and some ugly visuals, too. Yeah, the game came out a year before Hit & Run did, but that's no excuse for the graphics to look that fugly! The game tries to be cool and hip, but again, the empty levels make the game feel lifeless and boring. Sound design is an issue as well; the music is generic and stock as it gets, and sound effects aren't anything to write home about. The only good thing I could find sound-wise is the voice clips from the actual Simpson cast..except for Kent Brockman's non-stop commentary which just co-signs the last trick you performed. Fortunately, that can be turned off in the options menu.
Simpsons Skateboarding Ps2 Cheats
As for story..well, it's practically non-existent; an skateboarding contest is being held in Springfield with a cash prize of just $99. One of the first objectives in THPS2 gives you more than that! That's not even 1% of that game's career earnings per skater of $150,000. Not even a month's rent worth of prize money there! The story is summed up on the back of the game's box art, and there's no mention of the story in the game itself, solidifying how meaningless and inconsequential it is.
Final Thoughts
The Simpsons Skateboarding is a shoddily cobbled together mess of a skateboarding game that could give Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 some competition. Poorly designed, awful presentation, sluggish controls that made it almost unplayable, and ugly visuals, all a recipe for a terrible game. The controls in particular killed what little fun I was already having after just the first level. The Code Monkeys could have just copied the basic formula that the Tony Hawk game used right down to the controls, and it would've been at least somewhat tolerable. But they couldn't even do that right. Call me masochistic, but for the £2.50 I spent on it, I had to see for myself just how bad this game truly was; and now I know. Bottom line is this: if you want a good skating game, stick to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and 3, since those games play better, control better, and are above all else, loads of fun. If you want a good Simpsons game, play Hit & Run; it may be a more kid friendly GTA clone, but it is a good clone, and that's all that matters. And if you were on PC, Xbox, GameCube, or Dreamcast, but not on PS2 when this came out, be thankful you were deprived of this dreck!
ThunderKat's First Impression: Torture!
Grand Albert
Score 0
I was indeed on Xbox when this came out. By the way I still play 'Hit and Run' on Xbox 360, last time was from last autumn till february of this year. Perfect emulation. One of the few games from Xbox black that plays so well on Xbox 360.
ThunderKat
Score 0
Yeah, I think that Hit & Run is one of the best Simpsonsgames on the market. I'll probably revisit the game at some point.
Grand Albert
Score 0
I invite you to do so. Given that it has Apu as a playable character, it could sadly become an historical document.
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