The Simpsons Road Rage

• Release Date: July 02, 2003
• Genre: Racing
• Style: Mission-Based Racing
• Similar Games: Crazy Taxi: Catch a Ride (Game Boy Advance), Smuggler's Run (Game Boy Advance)

Game Description

Homer's boss, Mr. Burns, lives up to his greedy reputation when he buys the local transit system and raises all the fares to outrageous rates. The resourceful citizens of Springfield vow to drive themselves around instead of paying the ridiculous mass transit fees. Now the streets are crowded with frustrated motorists. Only by running errands and making deliveries can the downtrodden masses of Springfield earn enough money to buy back the transit system and return the roadways to their former state of relative efficiency. Road Rage merges the lighthearted mission-based driving of Crazy Taxi with the characters and settings featured in the popular animated television series, The Simpsons.

Review: Overall

The Simpsons Road Rage solves the biggest problem associated with 3D racing games on Game Boy Advance: delivering a credible sense of speed at a solid frame rate. The action moves briskly without a hint of slowdown, but it comes at a cost most players won't be able to accept. In order to keep the game moving at a fast-paced clip, the developers decided to flatten the courses to a single plane reminiscent of Mode-7 titles on Super NES or Super Mario Kart and F-Zero on the handheld. While this system works fine for "pure" racing titles on clearly defined tracks, it's horrible in a mission-based game that is supposed to give players complete freedom of movement.

It's a shame that the engine is so inadequate, because the game otherwise looks nice and is extremely close to the console versions in terms of menu screens, options, and play modes. There are 15 vehicles to choose from, six different courses, and ten side missions to complete. While the game could have benefited from sound clips from the characters, there are small boxes in the corner of the screen that show a close-up of the driver's face, which helps convey emotion. The visual presentation is clean and generally uncluttered, to its credit and ultimately its detriment.

The gameplay generally involves picking up passengers -- that is, pixilated Simpsons characters -- and delivering them to a specific destination. The problem is each course offers drivable areas and restricted areas, but it's not easy to discern which are which. This is because the courses are completely flat, save for a few 2D buildings. You'll see where the passenger needs to be dropped off thanks to a helpful arrow at the top of the screen, but you won't be able to figure out the most direct route amidst the arbitrary dos and don'ts of the environment. The car may stop inches from the drop-off point when there's nothing directly in its path, so players have to figure out which patch of green, gray, black, or other color will allow them to reach what's already in plain view.

Because the carefree, madcap driving from the original has been severely hobbled, there's not much to recommend in this handheld port. The built-in appeal of the Simpsons is diminished thanks to the lack of voice clips and the sparse environments, which are typically filled with a few odd hot dog stands or buildings just to let you know you aren't driving on a road map. The side missions are irritating collection runs made more difficult by the environment's lack of detail, and the two-player mode is a confusing bore. In the end, Road Rage is a weak conversion of what was arguably a middling title to begin with. Though it starts off fast and smooth, the action quickly becomes touch and "d'oh."

Review: Enjoyment

Courses are confusing and objectives are boring. The engine would have worked better as a straightforward racing title.

Review: Graphics

Sparse but colorful environments make up the backgrounds, and the action moves quickly without a hitch. Characters and buildings are pixilated.

Review: Sound

A few sound clips would have gone a long way in making this feel more like a Simpsons title. The music is highly repetitive and grating.

Review: Replay Value

There are a lot of things to unlock in the game, but the lack of battery backup means players can't save high scores or top performances.

Review: Documentation

The full-color manual has just about everything you need to know about the game -- including the requirements needed to unlock the hidden characters and courses. The only thing missing is a bio page on each character/vehicle.

Production Credits

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