The Simpsons Game is a Forgotten Gem

It’s been 15 years since The Simpsons Game was released in 2007, and to this day, it still feels underrated compared to some of its predecessors. Everyone is constantly fighting for a The Simpsons: Hit & Run remake, but what about The Simpsons Game?

Released in the same year as The Simpsons Movie, 2007 was a great year for Simpsons fans. While the show may not have had the same success as it had prior to season 9, it felt like we were seeing the series go back in the right direction.

It was not, and it would not be until another decade later, but I digress. (Note: This article is not me arguing about the state of modern Simpsons, I promise).

Even though Hit & Run had only been released four years prior to The Simpsons Game, it’s one that has been more fondly remembered.

The only faults that could be found in The Simpsons Game were the length and the camera system. There’s no doubt that it was made to tie into the publicised marketing campaign of The Simpsons Movie, but it didn’t feel like a direct film-to-game adaptation that was made for the sake of it.

As a whole, The Simpsons Game had perfect writing, and I felt like I was a part of a premiere-length episode. Each character has different skills, and you can switch between the members of the Simpsons family as you make your way through the sixteen levels.

Each of these levels is essentially a mini-episode; all levels are full of references to films, games, and previous episodes of The Simpsons. It’s a level of nostalgia that combines modern views. While Hit & Run and Road Rage focused on GTA levels of parody, The Simpsons Game delves even further down the rabbit hole. Sure, there are constant references to the Grand Theft Scratchy game, but The Simpsons Game is more than that.

However, despite the success of The Simpsons Game, there’s a sense of sadness as it also feels like the end of an era. While most people are disappointed that there isn’t a remake of Simpsons Hit & Run, The Simpsons Game is the end of an era for console Simpsons games.

Since 2007, the only games EA have released have been mobile games. Sure, I lived in a void of The Simpsons: Tapped Out for some time, but The Simpsons Game certainly felt like a farewell to a generation.

After 2007, I can’t say that The Simpsons had the same level of success that it once had. In 15 years, we haven’t had another game since then. It felt like this was the definitive Simpsons game. While writing this, I hadn’t even considered that it was the last one released on consoles. I can’t say it was unsuccessful either. The Simpsons Game was incredibly well-received, and all I can hope is that one day, we can maybe get another Simpsons game like this.