KRA
05-10-2007, 11:55 AM
May 9, 2007 - Tuesday night at the Fox Studios lot in Los Angeles, Electronic Arts revealed the tentatively titled The Simpsons Game, a new action effort for just about every console, from PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 to Wii and PlayStation 2. The game is developed internally by EA's studios and comes from talent that worked on preceding company hits, including Medal of Honor and Need for Speed. Running fewer than five minutes, EA spotlighted a very short demo of the project and pulled back the curtain on some of the play style and storyline details. Here's what we know so far:
The Simpsons Game has been in development for two years and features an original storyline penned by show writers Tim Long, Matt Selman and Matt Warburton. The title begins as the Simpsons discover that they have been forced to take part in another videogame, and the developer has used this premise as a setup to parody a variety of pop culture topics, including EA itself. Nobody and nothing will be safe, according to the title's producer, who readily admits that the company hired a team of lawyers solely to protect the potentially scandalous nature of the endeavor's subject matter. The Simpsons head writers conjured up a significant tale encapsulating some 53 minutes of spoken dialog -- approximately 8,000 lines -- delivered by all the major voice talent from the acclaimed television series.
EA demonstrates The Simpsons Game in motion.
EA previewed only a single stage from The Simpsons Game, but, while brief, the demonstration did offer some insight into the final product. The level spotlighted was called "Around the World in 80 Bites" and it followed Homer as he explored a portion of the famous Duff Brewery. The project aspires to duplicate the look and style of the cartoon series, but it takes place in full 3D. The jump to the third dimension has in the past proved problematic for the Springfield family, whose traditional 2D make-up has not faired well in the transition. However, The Simpsons Game largely gets it right, as Homer looks proper even as he's gained depth. In the demo, the character freely explored the large brewery, eating tacos, Chinese takeout, and more. Eventually, Homer ballooned in size, took on a ball-like formation, and rolled around the level Katarmari-style, devouring everything in his path. In another portion of the first look, Bart transformed into Bart-Man and used his cape to coast across chasms in the brewery.
EA says that all five Simpsons family members will be playable in the final version, although the majority of the missions will focus on Homer, Bart, Lisa, and Marge. Based on what we saw, control seemed straightforward -- use the analog stick to move the characters through the environments, jump up platforms, collect items, and continue onward. When asked, an EA producer said that the studio has capitalized on the abilities of each console, so clearly the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 builds will feature next-generation graphics, but the Wii iteration will make use of gesture-based movements. The version demoed to press appeared to be representative of the high-definition-ready platforms, however.
Homer has a look around.
The Simpsons Game is designed so that each mission challenges gamers to use two family members to complete goals. Evidently, it's possible to switch between the two pre-selected characters at certain points during levels. This functionality is taken to the next level with cooperative multiplayer support. Players can jump in and out of the experience at any time, according to EA. The cooperative mode will not, however, extend over a network since no online multiplayer mode is currently planned.
Most of Springfield has been modeled, the company revealed, and players will throughout the adventure be able to travel to recognizable locations, exploring the ins and outs of places like the Duff Brewery, Moe's Tavern, and, of course, the Simpsons home. Unfortunately, none of these locations were shown during the snappy presentation EA held.
Asked if EA planned to include the classic The Simpsons (the arcade game) as some kind of unlockable bonus, the game's producer smiled, but refused to comment.
IGN will have much more on the ambitious project in the months to come. In the meantime, look out for first footage in our media section.
http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/786/786764/the-simpsons-next-gen-20070509015513119.jpg
http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/786/786764/the-simpsons-next-gen-20070509015516947.jpg
source:
IGN (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/786/786770p1.html)
and there are some videos on gametrailers.com
01 series inspiration interview WMV SD (http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?type=wmv&id=19348)
02 groening and stuff interview WMV SD (http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?type=wmv&id=19348)
03 character voices interview WMV SD (http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?type=wmv&id=19347)
ohh and here are some videos deleted from gametrailers on youtube.
Gameplay Demonstration Footage 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpJEXPIIPbE)
Gameplay Demonstration Footage 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLAR0nyAEY4)
Gameplay Demonstration Footage 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlUIEiL0nR0)
well i like how it looks
homer looks like a katamari :)
The Simpsons Game has been in development for two years and features an original storyline penned by show writers Tim Long, Matt Selman and Matt Warburton. The title begins as the Simpsons discover that they have been forced to take part in another videogame, and the developer has used this premise as a setup to parody a variety of pop culture topics, including EA itself. Nobody and nothing will be safe, according to the title's producer, who readily admits that the company hired a team of lawyers solely to protect the potentially scandalous nature of the endeavor's subject matter. The Simpsons head writers conjured up a significant tale encapsulating some 53 minutes of spoken dialog -- approximately 8,000 lines -- delivered by all the major voice talent from the acclaimed television series.
EA demonstrates The Simpsons Game in motion.
EA previewed only a single stage from The Simpsons Game, but, while brief, the demonstration did offer some insight into the final product. The level spotlighted was called "Around the World in 80 Bites" and it followed Homer as he explored a portion of the famous Duff Brewery. The project aspires to duplicate the look and style of the cartoon series, but it takes place in full 3D. The jump to the third dimension has in the past proved problematic for the Springfield family, whose traditional 2D make-up has not faired well in the transition. However, The Simpsons Game largely gets it right, as Homer looks proper even as he's gained depth. In the demo, the character freely explored the large brewery, eating tacos, Chinese takeout, and more. Eventually, Homer ballooned in size, took on a ball-like formation, and rolled around the level Katarmari-style, devouring everything in his path. In another portion of the first look, Bart transformed into Bart-Man and used his cape to coast across chasms in the brewery.
EA says that all five Simpsons family members will be playable in the final version, although the majority of the missions will focus on Homer, Bart, Lisa, and Marge. Based on what we saw, control seemed straightforward -- use the analog stick to move the characters through the environments, jump up platforms, collect items, and continue onward. When asked, an EA producer said that the studio has capitalized on the abilities of each console, so clearly the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 builds will feature next-generation graphics, but the Wii iteration will make use of gesture-based movements. The version demoed to press appeared to be representative of the high-definition-ready platforms, however.
Homer has a look around.
The Simpsons Game is designed so that each mission challenges gamers to use two family members to complete goals. Evidently, it's possible to switch between the two pre-selected characters at certain points during levels. This functionality is taken to the next level with cooperative multiplayer support. Players can jump in and out of the experience at any time, according to EA. The cooperative mode will not, however, extend over a network since no online multiplayer mode is currently planned.
Most of Springfield has been modeled, the company revealed, and players will throughout the adventure be able to travel to recognizable locations, exploring the ins and outs of places like the Duff Brewery, Moe's Tavern, and, of course, the Simpsons home. Unfortunately, none of these locations were shown during the snappy presentation EA held.
Asked if EA planned to include the classic The Simpsons (the arcade game) as some kind of unlockable bonus, the game's producer smiled, but refused to comment.
IGN will have much more on the ambitious project in the months to come. In the meantime, look out for first footage in our media section.
http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/786/786764/the-simpsons-next-gen-20070509015513119.jpg
http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/786/786764/the-simpsons-next-gen-20070509015516947.jpg
source:
IGN (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/786/786770p1.html)
and there are some videos on gametrailers.com
01 series inspiration interview WMV SD (http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?type=wmv&id=19348)
02 groening and stuff interview WMV SD (http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?type=wmv&id=19348)
03 character voices interview WMV SD (http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?type=wmv&id=19347)
ohh and here are some videos deleted from gametrailers on youtube.
Gameplay Demonstration Footage 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpJEXPIIPbE)
Gameplay Demonstration Footage 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLAR0nyAEY4)
Gameplay Demonstration Footage 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlUIEiL0nR0)
well i like how it looks
homer looks like a katamari :)