The Simpsons Skateboarding is a sports video game based on the animated sitcom The Simpsons. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in North America on 12 November 2002 and Europe on 6 December 2002. The game was developed by The Code Monkeys and co-published by Fox Interactive and Electronic Arts (EA). The story and dialogue were written by writers from The Simpsons, with all character voices supplied by the cast. The game received generally negative reviews from critics.
| The Simpsons Skateboarding | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | The Code Monkeys |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts Fox Interactive |
| Artist(s) | William Brand Daniel Hughes Paul Hunter |
| Writer(s) | Tim Long Matt Selman |
| Composer(s) | Christopher Tyng |
| Series | The Simpsons |
| Engine | RenderWare |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Gameplay
editSpringfield has been converted into a skate park for the Annual Skate Tour, full of skate-able objects and landmarks from the television series. Players are able to choose one of the nine characters available and compete for the grand prize. All of the characters' voices were recorded by the actual voice actors from The Simpsons. Each character has over forty unique moves. Players can test their skills in either a two-player head-to-head skate off, or in one of the fast and furious modes: Freeskate, Skate Fest, Trick Contest, and a game of skateboard H-O-R-S-E, unlocking additional characters, locations, and skateboards. Players can also choose to learn all the skateboard moves and tricks before they begin the actual game in the Skillz School mode.[1]
Development
editThe Simpsons Skateboarding was developed by The Code Monkeys and published by Electronic Arts (EA Games) under license from Fox Interactive. Before EA made an official announcement about The Simpsons Skateboarding, an advertisement for the game was featured on the back page of the instruction manual for The Simpsons: Road Rage, and on in-game billboards, which was released in 2001. There were no mention of a console in the advertisement and no gameplay details were revealed. In November 2001, EA representatives said they were not ready to comment on the product.[2] On 16 May 2002, a few days before the E3 Media and Business Summit, they released their first piece of information about the game.[3] All of the characters' voices were recorded by the actual voice actors from The Simpsons.[1][4]
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 38/100[5] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame |   [6] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 5/10[7] |
| Eurogamer | 2/10[8] |
| Game Informer | 1/10[9] |
| GameSpot | 3.9/10[10] |
| GameSpy |  [11] |
| GameZone | 3/10[12] |
| IGN | 2.5/10[13] |
| Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | [14] |
| X-Play | [15] |
| Maxim | 5/10[16] |
The Simpsons Skateboarding received "unfavorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[5] It was criticized for its chunky graphics, poorly recorded sound and music, lack of skateboarding tricks, and poor controls whilst the in-game dialogue were mixed.
Andrew Reiner of Game Informer said: "Never before have I seen a developer put forth such an effort to secure the Worst Game of the Year award. I'll even go as far to say that this may very well be the worst PlayStation 2 game on the market."[9] Kevin Murphy of GameSpy said that "The Simpsons Skateboarding should be a case study in bad game design."[11]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Shred and Grind Springfield in the Simpsons Skateboarding for the PlayStation 2 From EA and Fox Interactive". Business Wire. 14 November 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ IGN staff (27 November 2001). "The Simpsons Go Skateboarding". IGN. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ Smith, David (17 May 2002). "[The] Simpsons Skateboarding (Preview)". IGN. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ "Here's a nostalgia inducing list of skateboard games". Magneto. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ^ a b "The Simpsons Skateboarding for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ Marriott, Scott Alan. "The Simpsons Skateboarding - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ EGM staff (January 2003). "The Simpsons Skateboarding". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 162. p. 176. Archived from the original on 14 May 2004. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ Taylor, Martin (1 January 2003). "[The] Simpsons Skateboarding". Eurogamer. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ a b Reiner, Andrew (December 2002). "Simpsons' [sic] Skateboarding". Game Informer. No. 116. p. 123. Archived from the original on 12 January 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ Davis, Ryan (26 November 2002). "The Simpsons Skateboarding Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ a b Murphy, Kevin (2 December 2002). "GameSpy: The Simpsons Skateboarding". GameSpy. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ Valentino, Nick (24 November 2002). "The Simpsons Skateboarding - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ Smith, David (19 November 2002). "[The] Simpsons Skateboarding". IGN. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ Rybicki, Joe (January 2003). "The Simpsons Skateboarding". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. p. 132. Archived from the original on 29 March 2004. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ Rubenstein, Glenn (25 November 2002). "'[The] Simpsons Skateboarding' (PS2) Review". X-Play. Archived from the original on 25 November 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ Boyce, Ryan (25 October 2002). "[The] Simpsons Skateboarding". Maxim. Archived from the original on 24 November 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2016.