Mar 22, 2001 The Simpsons Wrestling is a professional wrestling video game based on the animated television series The Simpsons, made for the PlayStation console. The game was developed by Big Ape Productions, and published by Fox Interactive and Activision. It was released in the PAL region on March 22, 2001, and in North America on April 12, 2001.

Simpsons Wrestling Game

The Simpsons Wrestling is a fighting video game based on the animated television seriesThe Simpsons. Developed by Big Ape Productions and published by Activision (Electronic Arts in Europe) for the PlayStation, it was first released in Europe in March 2001, followed by North America a month later. It is also the only Simpsons video game released for the PlayStation

There are 20 characters in the game, all of whom are voiced by the same actors that provide their voices in the show, and each character executes his or her own exclusive moves and gestures and power moves in the wrestling ring. The matches take place in detailed 3D locations from Springfield. A round in the game ends when one wrestler pins his opponent for a three count. Two victorious rounds wins a match. Unlike in traditional wrestling rules, the opponent may be pinned belly-down.

The game was widely panned by critics, and is considered to be one of the worst video games of all time.

Gameplay[edit]

The game is loosely based on professional wrestling games, but more closely resembles a beat-'em up. The game can be played in two modes: a tournament style single-player game or a grudge match where two players can interact. The matches take place in ten different detailed 3D locations from Springfield, such as the Simpsons' house, the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, the Kwik-E-Mart, and Moe's Tavern.^[1] Letters float around in the wrestling ring, and if a wrestler collects enough of them, they can taunt and temporarily become invincible.^[2] A round ends when one wrestler pins their opponent for a three count. Two rounds are needed to win a match.^[3]

Each time a successful attack is performed on a player, their health meter depletes. Players with low health stay stunned for longer when knocked down. A player can increase their health by picking up food items that randomly appear in the ring. Running and attacks drain stamina. If a player does not have enough stamina to perform a certain move, it becomes unavailable until they recover. Stamina is regained through not pressing the actions buttons or picking up certain items. Attacks which require more stamina are generally more effective. The stun meter only appears when the opponent is knocked down. It depletes gradually, but the stunned player cannot move until the Stun meter is completely drained. A player can reduce the stun meter faster by pressing the action buttons, or by receiving certain attacks. If a player is low on health, the stun meter will normally be higher, making pin attempts harder to resist. Once a player's health is completely depleted, it will only take one hit to stun them. Certain attacks to a stunned opponent will actually reset the stun meter.

During matches, wrestlers have a health meter that drains as they perform special moves, and gradually refills when they are not attacking. Different moves use up different amounts of energy, and certain characters can win any match by repeatedly using a particularly damaging move that does not require much energy.^[2] Several different power-ups are also available in the game, including a donut that increases speed, bowling pins that can be used as clubs, and bubble gum that slows players down.^[4]

In addition to health items, the letters A, N, U and T appear randomly in the ring. If either player collects enough to spell the word 'TAUNT', they can then perform a taunt. The taunt will completely drain the opponent's stamina, making them unable to attack for a limited time.

Characters[edit]

The game features 20 characters from the show, all of whom are voiced by the same actors that provide their voices in The Simpsons. The player begins with only 8 of the 12 main characters to begin with. Others can be made playable by unlocking them, or unlocking a certain game mode.

• Homer - Homer is the most balanced character in the game, but relies particularly on brawling.
• Bart - Bart is a faster character who uses toys (skateboard, catapult) to make up for his lack of strength.
• Lisa - Lisa is another smaller character who uses her speed to make quick strikes on opponents. Her saxophone attack can hit an opponent anywhere within the ring.
• Marge - Marge has good reach but lacks strength. She uses household items as weapons. She can even use Maggie to limit an opponent's movement.
• Barney - Barney is one of the stronger characters, but lacks speed and stamina. His attacks are based on beer (including throwing beer glasses).
• Krusty - Krusty is a balanced character who uses a combination of brawling and typical clown paraphernalia.
• Apu - Apu is a brawler with moderate strength, but has good speed and stamina.
• Groundskeeper Willie - Willie uses gardening equipment to either keep opponents at a distance or to limit their movement.
• Bumblebee Man - (Unlockable) Bumblebee Man is a balanced brawler.
• Moe - (Unlockable) Moe is one of the faster characters who relies on fighting dirty. To that end, he carries a lot of makeshift weapons.
• Ned Flanders - (Unlockable) Ned Flanders is a weak character with very strong special attacks. His prayer attack is the most damaging in the game as it causes high damage, stuns instantly and hits repeatedly anywhere in the ring. He also fully recovers when pinned, so opponents must beat him twice just to win one singular round.
• Professor Frink - (Unlockable) Frink is a hard to control character who relies on gadgets to wear down opponents.
• Mr. Burns - (Boss Character) Waylon Smithers fights on Mr. Burn's behalf while Burns stands outside of the ring. Their strongest attack involves Mr. Burns throwing explosives into the ring that do not affect Smithers. They are only playable in the Mr. Burn's Office level.
• Kang and Kodos - (Boss Character) Kang battles on behalf of this team while Kodos supports by throwing random items into the ring. They are only available in the Spaceship level.
• Itchy - Itchy is a cartoon mouse with a lot of dangerous booby traps and weapons. He is only available in his own stage and can only battle Scratchy.
• Scratchy - Scratchy is the long-suffering victim of Itchy. However, his moves and attributes are comparable to Itchy's. He is only available in his own stage, meaning that he can only battle Itchy.

The voice of Kent Brockman can be heard occasionally during matches as a commentator. Various characters make cameos as background images. Each character executes their own exclusive moves and gestures.^[1]

Development[edit]

Big Ape Productions developed The Simpsons Wrestling.^[4] At the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2000, Fox Interactive announced its plans to produce and publish the game for the PlayStation console. Karly Young, director of Fox Interactive, said that the company had received an 'overwhelming' response to their previous Simpsons games, so they wanted to give the fans 'another dose of Bart and Homer—this time for PlayStation gamers'.^[5]

The following months, Fox Interactive looked to partner with somebody who could help publish the game. Activision, who knew the possible casual gamer interest in The Simpsons, announced on March 12, 2001 that it had signed a deal with Fox Interactive that would allow it to publish The Simpsons Wrestling in North America.^[6] Kathy Vrabeck, executive vice president of Activision, commented that 'The Simpsons is a property that enjoys phenomenal success across several entertainment mediums, including interactive entertainment. The acquisition of this game reinforces our strategy of delivering products based on powerful, recognizable brands.'^[7]

Reception[edit]

The Simpsons Wrestling received negative reviews from critics. It received an aggregated score of 41.21% on GameRankings^[8] and 32/100 on Metacritic.^[9] They criticized the game for having simplistic, unbalanced gameplay and bad graphics, but praised the game's audio track.

Doug Perry of IGN described The Simpsons Wrestling as one of the 'ugliest' games he had ever seen. He thought the graphics were 'choppy' looking, and the character outlines looked 'broken up'.^[11]Game Informer's Andrew Reiner criticized the game's design by saying that he did not think it held any wrestling qualities at all, and that the characters looked 'awful'. He said that instead of 'grappling' or performing 'devastating slams', you have to 'slap your opponent silly' by mashing the buttons redundantly.^[3] GameZone, however, called the graphics 'quite good, though a little clipped at times by the pace of the combat'.^[10] Perry also thought there was little wrestling in the game, instead it is 'all about smashing buttons and not having any skill whatsoever'.^[11] Reiner said that the game was a major disappointment and is 'one of the worst PS games to date'.^[3]

In contrast to the game's negative response, GameZone said that even though the game does not feature continuous play, 'the action flows well once into an event'. GameZone's review praised the game's audio track, and thought it was 'fun' because the comedy is straight from the television show, and the characters will 'bring a smile to your face'.^[10] Reiner also commented positively on the soundtrack^[3] and that the game may not be the best wrestling game available, 'but it delivers what the cover advertises'.^[10]GameSpot's Frank Provo said that 'wit' and 'charm' are the two most redeeming features of The Simpsons Wrestling, and in spite of the game's weak gameplay, it has 'plenty of laughs in store' that devoted fans of The Simpsons will enjoy.^[2] The BBC's David Gibbon wrote that the end result of the track is one that will not 'fail to impress fans'.^[1]

The Simpsons Wrestling received a 'Gold' sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),^[12] indicating sales of at least 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom.^[13] In 2018, Watchmojo.com ranked the game #1 'Worst' on their 'Top 10 Best and Worst Simpsons Video Games' List.^[14]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcGibbon, David (March 23, 2001). 'The Simpsons go Wrestling'. BBC. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
2. ^ ^abcdProvo, Frank (March 12, 2001). 'The Simpsons Wrestling for PlayStation Review'. GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
3. ^ ^abcdeReiner, Andrew. 'Simpsons Wrestling'. Game Informer. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
4. ^ ^ab'Activision ships The Simpsons Wrestling'. GameSpot. April 13, 2001. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
5. ^''Let's Get Ready to … D'Oh!'. Business Wire. May 11, 2000. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
6. ^Mar, Posted (March 12, 2001). 'Activision to publish The Simpsons Wrestling'. GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
7. ^'Activision Scoops up The Simpsons'. IGN. March 12, 2001. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
8. ^ ^ab'The Simpsons Wrestling for PlayStation'. GameRankings. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
9. ^ ^ab'The Simpsons Wrestling for PlayStation Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
10. ^ ^abcd'The Simpsons Wrestling Review - PlayStation'. GameZone. April 4, 2001. Archived from the original on March 10, 2005. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
11. ^ ^abcPerry, Doug (April 6, 2001). 'The Simpsons Wrestling Review'. IGN. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
12. ^'ELSPA Sales Awards: Gold'. Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the original on March 19, 2009.
13. ^Caoili, Eric (November 26, 2008). 'ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK'. Gamasutra. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017.
14. ^'Top 10 Best and Worst Simpsons Video Games'. WatchMojo. May 28, 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-17.

External links[edit]

• The Simpsons Wrestling at IGN
• The Simpsons Wrestling at MobyGames
• The Simpsons Wrestling on IMDb

'The Old Man and the Lisa' is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons' eighth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 20, 1997.^[2] In the episode, Mr. Burns goes bankrupt and asks Lisa to help him get rich again. She agrees on the condition that he change his evil ways. They earn money by recycling cans and soon Burns has enough money to start his own recycling plant. Lisa is aghast when she learns the plant makes a slurry from liquefied sea creatures. When Burns sells the plant to a company which makes fish sticks, he offers Lisa 10 percent of his profits, but she declines for ethical reasons.

The episode was directed by Mark Kirkland and written by John Swartzwelder. The writing staff had thought about an episode in which Mr. Burns would lose his money and would have to interact with the outside world. In DVD commentary, the writers explained that while Mr. Burns tried to change, he 'couldn't help being himself'.^[3] Professional wrestler Bret Hart made a cameo as himself, animated in his pink wrestling outfit. 'The Old Man and the Lisa' contains cultural references to the television series That Girl and the film Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It was positively received by critics and won the Environmental Media Award for 'TV Episodic Comedy'.

Plot[edit]

Lisa collects recyclables to earn money for the Junior Achievers Club school trip to Albany. Mr. Burns speaks to the club at Springfield Elementary School, scoffing when Lisa suggests his nuclear power plant start a recycling program. When Burns boasts that he would not be filthy rich if he listened to nature lovers like her, Lisa counters that his net worth is only half what he claims. When pressed, Smithers reluctantly tells Burns he has even considerably less money than that.

Burns soon realizes he is nearly broke because his sycophantic advisers tell him only what he wants to hear. He is oblivious to the 1929 stock market crash, neglecting to check his stock ticker since September 1929. He aggressively invests in blue chip stocks, but makes bad investments and goes bankrupt. The bank forecloses on the plant — putting Lenny in charge — and sells his mansion to pro wrestler Bret Hart.^[1]

Burns moves in with Smithers and insists on doing his grocery shopping. At the supermarket he is confused by the difference between ketchup and catsup, so the grocer commits him to the Springfield Retirement Castle. He sees Lisa again at the nursing home and begs her to help rebuild his empire. She agrees to help him earn money by recycling after he promises to change his evil ways.

Randy Simpson Wrestling

Burns grabs every can he finds, eventually earning enough money to open his own recycling plant. He gives Lisa a tour of the plant, showing her the Burns Omni-Net — millions of six-pack holders fastened together to catch fish and sea creatures to make Li'l Lisa's Patented Animal Slurry. Lisa, a vegetarian and animal rights supporter, realizes he has not changed; when he tries to be good, he is even more evil. Lisa runs through the streets, trying to stop seemingly brainwashed citizens from recycling.

Later Burns tells Lisa that he has sold the recycling plant to a fish stick company for US$120 million, 10 percent of which is hers. Lisa refuses the money and rips up the check. This causes Homer to have four simultaneous heart attacks. At the hospital, Lisa apologizes to her dad for forfeiting the money. When he tells her that $12,000 would have been a godsend, Lisa tells him 10 percent of $120 million is actually $12 million. The hospital's public address system announces a code blue, indicating Homer has suffered cardiac arrest.^[4][5][6]

Production[edit]

The episode was based on a story idea pitched by David X. Cohen,^[7] although it was written by John Swartzwelder, who had written many of the Simpsons episodes that have environmental themes.^[3] This habit led to him being called the 'conscience of the staff'^[8] despite being a 'self declared anti-environmentalist.'^[9] It was because of this that he was given such episodes, because the staff felt that he would give them just the right amount of sarcasm.^[7] In the original script for the episode, he described the recycling center as 'a couple of hippies surrounded by garbage'.^[8] Two alternate original titles for the episode were Cohen's 'Lisa and Burns' and Swartzwelder's 'Burns Goes Broke'.^[7]

The writers had wanted an episode where Burns becomes bankrupt and shows what Burns would be like as a person in the real world.^[3] The idea with the recycling plant was that Burns did not have any sort of evil plan, he just could not help being himself.^[3] Burns really was trying to change and this was reflected in the end when he tried to give Lisa her share of the profits, with Lisa refusing.^[10] Burns was drawn without his trademark scowl for this episode.^[10] The staff joked about this being a suitable series finale, due to the episode ending with Homer suffering from another heart attack after Lisa tells Homer what 10% of Burns' $120,000,000 ('��')check really is.^[9]

Professional wrestlerBret Hart guest starred in the episode as himself, and he was very insistent that he be shown wearing his pink wrestling outfit.^[10] He explained that 'It's so cool to be part of a show that makes people laugh really, really hard.'^[11] The media, aware that the animated Hart would want to purchase Mr. Burns' home, mistakenly anticipated that 'Bret offers to wrestle him [Mr. Burns] for the place.'^[12] In a 2009 interview with the A.V. Club's Dave Hofer, Hart explained that the reason why his animated counterpart sounds nothing like him was that initially, he was brought in to voice a generic wrestler. When Mark Kirkland realised how famous Hart actually was, he told Hart that if the artwork had not been started yet, he would be drawn in as himself.^[13] Later, Hart moved on to do voice work on the animated television series Jacob Two-Two. The press noted that at that time Hart was 'no stranger to cartoon-land,' having been 'immortalized' by 'The Old Man and the Lisa'.^[14]

Cultural references[edit]

Mr. Burns's walk through the supermarket was based on a false rumor that George H. W. Bush visited a store and was confused by the scanner and, in the original draft for the episode, Burns met Bush while shopping there.^[3] When bidding farewell to the hippie, Mr. Burns says 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', a reference to the Pink Floyd song of the same name. The hippie responds by saying that Burns needs to stop living in the past. The voice of the hippie is based on the character played by Dennis Hopper in Apocalypse Now.^[15] 'Achy Breaky Heart', a song by Billy Ray Cyrus, is played at the old folks' home.^[1] The scene where Mr. Burns chases Lisa through the town is a spoof of the opening to the television series That Girl.^[3] The scene where Lisa runs through the streets proclaiming recycling as evil, spoofs the finales of Soylent Green and the original version of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers.^[6]

Reception[edit]

In its original broadcast, 'The Old Man and the Lisa' finished 38th in ratings for the week of April 14–20, 1997, with a Nielsen rating of 8.3, equivalent to approximately 8.1 million viewing households. It was tied along with King of the Hill as the third highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-files and Melrose Place.^[16]

Simpsons Wrestling Download

'The Old Man and the Lisa' received the 1997 Environmental Media Award in the 'TV Episodic Comedy' category.^[17][18]

Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, called it 'An odd episode with a not-too-unexpected outcome. The best bits are undoubtedly Burns learning his way around a supermarket and Lisa's realisation of what Burns has been up to.'^[1]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcdef'The Old Man and the Lisa'. BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-04-13.
2. ^ ^abc'The Old Man and the Lisa'. The Simpsons.com. Retrieved 2011-09-21.
3. ^ ^abcdefWeinstein, Josh (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode 'The Old Man and the Lisa' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
4. ^Haig, Scott (2006-06-08). 'The Mystery of the Double Cardiac Arrest'. Time. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
5. ^Martyn, Warren; Adrian Wood (2000). I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide. Virgin Books. ISBN0-7535-0495-2.
6. ^ ^abGroening, Matt (1997). Richmond, Ray; Coffman, Antonia (eds.). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family (1st ed.). New York: HarperPerennial. p. 236. ISBN978-0-06-095252-5. LCCN98141857. OCLC37796735. OL433519M..
7. ^ ^abcCohen, David X. (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode 'The Old Man and the Lisa' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
8. ^ ^abMeyer, George (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode 'The Old Man and the Lisa' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
9. ^ ^abGroening, Matt (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode 'The Old Man and the Lisa' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
10. ^ ^abcKirkland, Mark (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode 'The Old Man and the Lisa' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
11. ^Cam Hutchinson, 'Doran Johnson given brushoff again,' Star-Phoenix, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: April 19, 1997, p. B.4.
12. ^James Muretich, 'Worth Watching,' Calgary Herald, August 31, 1998, p. B.8.
13. ^Hofer, Dave (September 19, 2009). 'Bret 'The Hitman' Hart sounds off on wrestling's bad rap'. The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
14. ^Heath McCoy, 'Former wrestler Bret Hart to play the Hooded Fang,' National Post, August 28, 2003, p. AL.5.
15. ^Castellaneta, Dan (2006). The Simpsons season 8 DVD commentary for the episode 'The Old Man and the Lisa' (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
16. ^Associated Press (April 24, 1997). 'NBC lands on top of a hill of reruns'. Sun-Sentinel. p. 4E.
17. ^Harris, Dana (1997-11-04). 'EMA honors for Home, Travolta'. The Hollywood Reporter.
18. ^Martinez, Judy (1997-09-30). 'Environmental Media Award Nominations In; Home Improvement Singled Out'. City News Service.

External links[edit]

Simpsons Wrestling Lisa Vs

• 'The Old Man and the Lisa' at The Simpsons.com
• 'The Old Man and the Lisa episode capsule'. The Simpsons Archive.
• 'The Old Man and the Lisa' on IMDb
• 'The Old Man and the Lisa' at TV.com