The Simpsons: Bart vs. the World

The Simpsons: Bart vs. the World
"Man, I wasted all my time on this shit. I want it back! I-It ruined my life!" — The Angry Video Game Nerd
Protagonist(s): Bart Simpson Genre(s): Platform Platform(s): Amiga Atari ST Sega Game Gear Nintendo Entertainment System Sega Master System Release Date: December 1991 Developer(s): Imagineering Arc Developments Publisher(s): Acclaim Entertainment Country: United States Series: The Simpsons Predecessor: The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants Successor: The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man

The Simpsons: Bart vs. the World is a video game released in late 1991 by Acclaim for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Master System, Sega Game Gear and various home computers. It is based on the animated sitcom The Simpsons.

Development

The game was first developed by Imagineering and published by Acclaim in 1991 for the home console Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was the second The Simpsons game to be released for the NES, after Bart vs. the Space Mutants. In 1993, Bart vs. the World was released for the home console Master System (SMS), the personal computers Atari ST and Amiga, and the handheld console Game Gear (GG). The publishers for these versions were Flying Edge (SMS and GG), Virgin Games (Amiga), and Acclaim (ST). The developers were Arc Developments (GG and ST) and Virgin Games (Amiga). The NES version of the game includes the theme song from The Simpsons.

Gameplay

The Simpsons: Bart vs. the World is a 2D side-scrolling platform game. Single-player is the only mode available. There are four major areas in the game: China, the North Pole, Egypt and Hollywood, and each has several stages to play through. The final stage of each area pits Bart against a boss — all of which are members of the Burns clan: third cousin Fu Manchu Burns, second cousin's grand-nephew The Abominable Snow Burns, maternal grand-uncle Ramses Burns and unspecified relation Eric von Burns.

In each stage, Bart must navigate through the area, collecting items such as firecracker balls for self-defense and Squishees to restore health (Bart can take up to five hits before dying). By grabbing a cape, Bart can become his superheroic alter-ego, Bartman, and fly for limited periods. The most important items in each stage are Krusty-brand souvenirs. There is one in every stage, and Bart must find them all in order to get the best ending (as well as unlocking a bonus Hollywood level). The other Simpsons also appear to give hints on where the souvenirs are. There are also several mini-games in each area, with puzzles such as a matching-card game and a trivia game based on events in actual episodes (from the first two seasons only).

Plot

Bart Simpson wins a Krusty the Clown art contest and is offered a prize to go on a worldwide treasure hunt with his family. Meanwhile, Mr. Burns attempts to stop the Simpsons with help from his counterparts around the world.

Bad Qualities

1. The controls are exactly the same as in Bart vs. the Space Mutants with no improvements. This means that jumping and running are still mapped to the A button.
2. Once again, the game has poor collision detection.
3. The level design is pretty bad.
   • The second North Pole level involves jumping on an ice block constantly to get it to move across the frozen river, which is incredibly annoying, especially if Bart overshoots it as another ice block approaches and falls into the water due to the ice block moving away.
   • Hollywood has a level set in the graveyard, where various coffins can warp Bart to another location (kinda like the warp pipes in Super Mario Bros.), and since there's no map, it's really frustrating to figure out where you're supposed to go.
   • One level in Egypt involves jumping across really tiny platforms over a bottomless pit.
   • The final level has a bunch of platforms going upwards that require precise jumping. This section is long and very tedious, and if Bart misses a platform, he can either fall to the platform below him or into a bottomless pit.
4. The bosses are way too easy.
5. Once again, there are no continues and it lacks the save system. If you lose all your lives, you have to start the game from the beginning all over again.
6. Some of the unique Krusty item locations are hidden in places that will likely get you killed and are seemingly impossible to backtrack from, like Maggie in the first China level. You can climb up the pole to get back on the ship, yet it isn't clear that you can climb it.
   • Furthermore, getting the unique Krusty items is required to get the good ending, otherwise, Krusty states "It's too bad you didn't get all of the unique Krusty items".
7. The "Simpsons exploring the world" concept seems a bit lackluster, as Bart and his family only explore four locations around the world.
8. The Master System and Game Gear versions are even worse than the NES original (the complete opposite of Bart vs. the Space Mutants, where the Sega versions were improved ports), with worse controls, bland and repetitive music, and missing all the cutscenes. The graphics are better than those of the NES version, but not by a whole lot.
9. This game didn't receive a SNES nor a Sega Genesis version, despite Bart vs. the Space Mutants getting a Genesis port.

Good Qualities

1. The game's levels are more straightforward than Bart vs. the Space Mutants, as they simply involve getting Bart to the goal without doing additional objectives, like changing the colors of the purple objects or collecting hats.
2. The music is more varied, and features different renditions of the main theme of the Simpsons depending on which level Bart is in.
3. There are various minigames that allow you to rack up extra lives, which really come in handy for some of the later levels.
4. Bart in this game has twice the amount of health, with him dying after taking four hits instead of two like in Bart vs. the Space Mutants.
5. The Amiga port has improved graphics, an entirely new soundtrack (albeit missing the Simpsons theme for some reason), and has all the content of the NES version.

Reception

"What were they thinking?"The Shit Scale Games that are debatably bad High level of shit contamination The very high category The severe zone Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Major code red 👆 This product belongs to the "High Level of Shit Contamination" category of the AVGN's Shit Scale.

Reviews of Bart vs. the World have been mixed. GamePro gave the NES version an 80/100 rating, commenting that "after running him through the rigors of a zany-but-strenuous Nintendo workout, the conclusion of this review became obvious: if ya loved Bart in Bart vs. the Space Mutants, you're gonna like him in Bart vs. the World. Despite a few shortcomings here and there, Bart's new cart is a world-beater!" Tribune Media Services also gave it a positive review, writing that "the storyline is great, the graphics, as Bart would say, are 'cool, man', and the action and control are terrific. This version of The Simpsons is a lot more complex than the first — not harder, there's just more to it."

AllGame's Brett Alan Weiss was more negative, giving the NES version 2.5/5 stars. He wrote that "most of the puzzles [...] are childish and boring. Even younger kids will get tired with these silly little games after a while. [...] The Simpsons trivia is kind of cool; you'll find yourself remembering fondly several of the earlier episodes. However, the questions begin repeating themselves a little sooner than they should." He added that "once you are through toying around with the puzzles, you'll find that the meat of the game is lame as well. The level design is far from clever, the controls are sluggish, and the action is dull." A review in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica said the game was "very playable, though not particularly original."

The Dutch magazine Power Unlimited rated the Game Gear version 70/100, noting that it "consists partly of boring platform worlds" that are "not really worth the effort". They added, however, that "fortunately, there are also some simple puzzle games that are fun" and keep the game above mediocrity. A Game Players review gave the Game Gear version a 62/100 rating. The magazine wrote that "the twisted humor of other Simpsons games isn't there and the action segments could be from any game. Ignore it for home, but pack it for the beach."

In 2009, 1UP.com editor Bob Mackey reviewed the NES game in 1UP.com's official Retro Gaming Blog. He wrote that it had the same problems that Bart vs. the Space Mutants had, such as "lousy jumping physics", and that it "also manages to strip away the novelty that made the original Simpsons NES game worth checking out in the first place. The sequel is a straight-up, cookie-cutter platformer without any real Simpson-y touches to satisfy fans of the show; Bart finds himself wandering through generic side-scrolling levels, with a Simpsons character showing up every now and then to remind you that this is an actual licensed product and not just a ROM hack."

Entertainment Weekly gave the game a B and wrote that "A nice multicultural touch — at one point in this travel-action game, Bart skateboards down China's Great Wall — puts this a notch above Acclaim's other Simpsons games, if not up to the standards of the irrepressibly subversive TV show."

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