Konami dusts off classic ‘Simpsons’ arcade game

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If there’s a company that has proved that old-school games do big business, it’s Konami. A few years back, it brought back the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” arcade game to Xbox Live, attracting a whole new crowd to the game’s beat-’em-up antics, complete with online play. And last year, it continued to capitalize on such success with the enjoyable “X-Men: The Arcade Game.” Next week, it’ll be back once more with the long-overdue - and highly requested - “The Simpsons Arcade.” And yes, it’s officially coming, at least from what Sony says.

Long rumored with various ratings through various boards, “The Simpsons Arcade” marks the first time that the game has been faithfully translated for a home release. The original coin-op made its debut in 1991, enchanting crowds with the likes of Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa Simpson as they fought their way through thugs in an effort to save Maggie, who’s taken during a jewel heist when a diamond ends up in her mouth.

The original arcade game featured eight stages, starting off on the streets of Springfield and making its way through Krustyland, a dream world filled with bowling pins and other dangers, and, eventually, to the offices of Montgomery Burns, the game’s awesome final boss. (Smithers makes an appearance as well as a mid-boss.) In-between stages, players can take part in mini-games, tapping buttons like crazy to inflate a balloon or complete an activity, earning bonus points in the process.

What amazes us about “The Simpsons Arcade” is that, outside of a cheap PC release, it’s never seen a home translation. That’s probably because the rights to Simpsons games have been passed around like crazy, starting at Acclaim (with some really crappy home games like “Bart vs. the Space Mutants” and “Bart’s Nightmare”) and eventually ending up at Electronic Arts. But it looks like Konami finally struck a deal to bring the game home and, honestly, the timing couldn’t be better.

While the graphics won’t be entirely remastered like, say, “Super Street Fighter II Turbo,” they will be HD enhanced, so every bit of the coin-op’s glory will be restored, from objects that fall out of a tree (with a one-eared rabbit telling you to “Beat it!” when it’s stone dry) to the little animations that come from each move. We still can’t get enough of Homer’s scrambling jump kick. Expect the audio to be along the same lines, complete with Bart’s “C’mon, let’s go for it, man!” and Homer’s trademark laugh “Heh-heh-heh!”

As for gameplay, it’s vintage beat-’em-up action. Players can choose from one of the four Simpsons characters and let loose with a series of attacks, knocking thugs out and trying to stay in one piece when taking on one of the massive bosses. What’s more, players can team up together for special attacks, such as the kids joining hands and screaming to knock over enemies, or Homer and Marge teaming up to form a temporary human bowling ball. (“Up and at ‘em!”)

Best of all, “The Simpsons Arcade” will come with online co-op, with up to four players being able to jump into a match. You can also play locally, if you’ve got friends stopping by to take a seat on the couch. And plenty of unlockable Achievements and Trophies will be available, so you get some reward for your money.

“The Simpsons Arcade” is officially hitting PlayStation Network on Feb. 7, and, as a bonus to PlayStation Plus subscribers, it’ll be free for the entire month - an ample reward if we’ve ever heard one. As for Xbox Live, it won’t be far behind. In fact, we’re guessing it’ll drop just one day later. As for pricing, it’d be ideal for the game to be around $5 (400 Microsoft points), but don’t feel too bad if it’s $10 (800 Microsoft points) - that’s what “X-Men Arcade” sold for when it came out, and look how great it was.

It’s been a long, bumpy road for “The Simpsons Arcade” to get a proper home release, but that trek finally comes to an end next week - and we can’t wait.

Now, where’s the controller? D’OH!

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