Virtual Springfield

Rating:
Summary: The beginning of what is known as the Simpsons Curse for me
Review: While the curse began with "Cartoon Studio" for many Simpsons fans, it began with Virtual Springfield for me. Now, I'll began by saying that this is one of the worst made game ever. The developers attempts to use the "Kids game" excuse, but they even fail at that.

Using myself as an example, I first got this game when I was seven years old. At this particular time in my life, I was EXTREMELY easy to please, but this game couldn't even achieve that.

The first and instantly noticeable problem with this game is that it is choppy and poorly programmed. I first played this game on a poor PC, but I later got a high end PC. I decided to give this game a second chance and I discovered something in the process. The game is choppy because it is poorly designed and programmed, not because my old PC was bad. If you were to look at the requirements, you could see that is is VERY low. The high end PC had specs at least 5-10x higher than the requirements, yet the game was STILL choppy.

And it's not just some parts of the game, it's EVERY part. When you turn, when you walk, when you do ANYTHING, you will notice the choppiness. This is, of course, assuming you have 20/20 vision or are wearing your glasses. Then again, you might notice it either way.

The next problem and the second most noticeable problem is that the game has no substance. There is very few things you could do and the few things you could gets boring quickly. For example, the main thing you will be doing is simply exploring Springfield. This is all nice and good, but what happens when you explore everywhere? Absolutely nothing. The game ends there. Of course, you could also collect cards, but it is so ridiculously easy that you can probably finish by the time you're done exploring. Hell, at the time I first got this, I couldn't solve ANY kind of puzzle, yet I did it anyway. In addition to this, the few minigames that are here are simply terrible. They were made to only take your attention for a minute or two. There are freeware online that are better.

Now, Virtual Springfield has already committed two of the the worst possible crimes for PC games (bad programming and no gameplay), but to make the whole package even worse, it's expensive. At the current time of this review, the lowest price offered for this game on Amazon is $10.99. Selling a game THIS bad and that you could beat in less than one day for anything higher than $3 should be a federal offense punishable by death.

Overall, it is a terrible game that has once again proven that the old saying "Don't judge a book by its cover". I had thought that since this was a free roaming Simpsons game, it would rock the casbah, but I now realize my mistake. Don't make the same mistake I did.

Rating:
Summary: Manna from Heaven for Simpsons fans
Review: With all-new scenes and never-before-heard dialogue, Virtual Springfield is a must-have for fans of The Simpsons. The writing here is every bit as sharp as any of the TV episodes - I found myself constantly laughing and delighted by all the new antics/adventures of the Springfieldians. You know it's gonna be good when Troy McClure pops up as your guide. This will provide weeks of enjoyment for fans of the Simpson clan and all that inhabit their world. Should you get this? As Ned would say, Yes indeed-alee!