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1.1 Game Details
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Ah, The Simpsons. This game was released in the same year as Bart
vs. the Space Mutants and Bart Simpson's Escape from Camp Deadly,
making it one of the first Simpsons games on a home system.
It is actually quite faithful to the original arcade game, with only
a few changes as a result of the hardware limitations at the time.
Released in 1991 by Konami.
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1.2 Story
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The Simpsons are simple folk. They don't drive fancy cars, own
property, or partake of social activities. But, there's nothing
wrong with a walk downtown, right?
If only that were true. It was a sunny day in Springfield, and the
Simpsons were out and about on the busy streets. As they neared the
Springfield Jewelers store, a loud commotion arose from within.
It was Mr. Smithers, the ambiguous lackey of the infamous C.
Montgomery Burns! He stole a valuable diamond and bumped into the
Simpsons as he ran out. The diamond flew up in the air and landed...
in Maggie's mouth? Now Mr. Smithers has kidnapped Maggie to get the
diamond back!
Can the Simpsons save their youngest family member?
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2.1 Game Start
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Character Select
All you have to do is choose your character when you start.
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2.2 Status Screen
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From left to right:
Character
The small box will show your character.
Health
The long bar is your health bar. It starts off yellow, but
goes to red if you get hurt. If your health bar is depleted,
you will lose one life.
Lives
The large number is your remaining lives. If you lose five
lives you will get a Game Over.
Points
The small number is the points you have. You get points for
hitting enemies.
The general rule for items is that if it is a food item, it will
restore health (with the exception of the sodas in stage 2 and the
bottles in stage 4). Any other kind of item will be a weapon.
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3.1 Downtown Springfield
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Enemies: Suit goons, fat goons, fire fighters, wrestler
Items: Street signs, apples, bowling ball, burger
This stage is very simple and short. It's more like an introductory
stage for the player to get used to the game.
You start off in front of the Springfield Jewelers, the place that
Smithers stole the diamond from. A couple of suit goons will appear,
so take them out easily by jumping and pressing the attack button to
do an air attack. The air attack will be the easiest way to kill
most enemies.
As you go to the right, avoid standing in front of the Rusty Barnacle.
If you stand by the door the hostess inside will smack you hard. So
go ahead, killing the suit goons and fat goons by using the jump
attack method. You can use the sign in front of the Pet Shop as a
weapon, but don't stand in front of the door or you'll be hit.
When you come across the wooden fence you'll have to kill a few more
goons. Use the street sign if you want. Next up is the Springfield
Fire Dept.
Two fire fighters will appear from the fire station, and they'll be
packing cool. Avoid their extinguishers and use the jump attack
method to kill them off easily.
Kill off the last couple of goons, then hit the tree at the top to
get two apples and go down to get the burger from Sherri (or Terri).
When the wrestler appears get the bowling ball and throw it at him
to cause some damage, then just attack repeatedly to beat him up.
There will be a bonus stage after this where you have to blow up a
balloon of your character's head. All you have to do is continually
press attack and jump to pump the balloon up. You can get up to 40
extra points and an extra life if you get first place.
Happy happy, joy joy! Whoops, wrong animated show...
Krustyland, hoorah! It's the Krustiest place on Earth, and that
dastardly Smithers has cut through the theme park.
When you start you'll see Krusty balancing on a ball. Use the jump
attack to knock him out, and you'll see that it's actually just a
fat goon. Fight forward until you reach the two booths with Otto and
Marvin Monroe. Oh, also remember you can use the dogs as weapons.
Otto will release an endless amount of sodas that you can use as
weapons, and Marvin Monroe will give out a box of donuts. But why
would Dr. Monroe be selling donuts at a theme park?
Anyway, kill off all the goons and move on. Next up are the tea cups.
First pick up the mallet from that anonymous blue-haired young boy,
then start killing off the suit goons. The fat goons in the tea cups
will then fly out and attack you.
For some reason they made these guys real tough to beat, but here's
my strategy. First stay to the left and you'll find out that they
can't reach you. They only jump out when you're under them on the
screen. Now go down to the bottom and bring them out one at a time.
Then just use the mallet to kill them off one at a time. Simply time
your mallet swings to strike at the right moment.
On to the zoo exhibition. Beat up the tree near the gorilla cage to
get some apples, but don't go near the gorilla or he'll punch you.
Also be careful around the fat goons who carry trash cans. If you
still have the mallet I implore you to guard it with your life. The
mallet is probably the best weapon in the game, so keep it as long
as you can!
So go along, fighting as you will. Don't worry about the bear either.
When you reach the Binky Show Hall you'll be attacked by a gang of
the strange bunnys, so beat 'em up too. Jump attack if you don't have
the mallet, then beat up the fat goons with mallets. You'll also run
into some suit goons who toss their hat, Michael Jackson-style.
The next boss will be the Krusty balloon that Smithers escaped in.
Grab the burger that Sherri (or Terri) gives you, then get to work.
This boss is real simple. Just stand to the right, somewhere in the
middle. Face left and start swinging like mad. He'll get hit and run
away, then come back for another.
If you keep the mallet it is VERY easy, so I hope you were able to.
Hopefully you still have five lives because now the stages get
tougher.
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3.3 Springfield Discount Cemetery
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It's a ce...ce...ce... cemetery! Make your way forward, beating up
all the suit goons you see. Some of them will have weapons such as
bombs, hats, molotov cocktails, and umbrellas. When you see a ghost
in a tree, jump attack to knock the ghost down to the ground. Along
the way you'll also see skulls on the ground, so pick them up and
use them as weapons.
When you reach the end of the forest you'll be in the graveyard.
Grab the slingshot on the grass and kill that first pink zombie,
then move on. Stand at the left or right side and just start
swinging. The pink zombies will always move around underground for a
while then pop up right into your attacks. There will also be another
skull, so, you know.
When you see the gray zombies, jump attack them. These guys use jump
attacks, so the best way to deal with them is to jump attack them as
well. In fact if the zombies are in a large group it's very easy to
beat them. Walk to the right or left so that the whole group comes
together and chases you, then just attack. They won't hit you back
as long as you keep swinging.
A little further on you'll run into more pink zombies, so kill 'em
off. You'll fall into an open grave at the end of the graveyard.
As soon as you get here you'll find two bouncers outside the tavern.
Stand in the corner of the wall and just start swinging. They will
die easily, and you'll be able to get the keg of beer right there.
Go forward and fight your way through more waves of goons, then grab
the bottle and burrito on the bar. The bottle is a weapon, and the
burrito is a health boost. A bit ahead you'll also be able to throw
the green bar stools.
As always keep going and you'll find a slingshot on the pool table.
Use it until it runs out and keep going. After a whole bunch of goons
you'll get to another bar, and a rather large drunk. Why are the
drunks always big...
The best thing to do is to stay on the ground and always in the
center of his body. From that position you can attack him, but his
flame and cough attacks can't reach you. After only a few hits the
drunk will go down, and you'll move on.
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3.5 Springfield Butte
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Like every stage so far, you'll immediately run into suit goons and
fat goons. It's the same thing, except some of the fat goons now also
carry boulders. It should be no problem for you at this point. You
can also use the yellow rocks and boulders on the ground as weapons.
Fight your way through until you see a tree and some caves. Wait, is
that Homer?! My bad, it's just bigfoot. These guys are no different
from the goons, so give 'em hell. If you hit the tree you'll get
two apples.
Go ahead and beat up some more goons, then grab the slingshot from
Nelson. You'll then cross a bridge. Use the pink fish as a weapon
and take care of these guys, then move on.
Next is a pair of loggers, but they're incredibly easy to beat up.
Also remember to get the roast chicken from Sideshow Bob. After this
you'll come across a pile of pink logs.
A bear will burst out of a cave behind the logs. The best thing to
do is stand on the left side, in either the top or bottom corner and
start swinging. If you've knocked him down, move up or down,
depending on where you were. The bear will almost always do a roll
attack, so that's the best way to avoid it.
Don't get startled when the bear foams at the mouth and runs off, it
just means you beat him.
Enemies: Donuts, Marge clouds, saxophones, demon Barts, SNPP workers,
giant bowling ball
Items: M, A, G, G, I, E, !
This one is pretty straight forward, with nothing but enemies. First
you'll face off against some donuts, but they are just like most of
the other enemies. Gather them together and start swinging to beat
them up easily. Be careful when they roll or shoot donuts at you.
Next are the Marge clouds. They are a bit more aggressive, so use
jump attacks to pop them.
Now the saxophones. They are extremely easy too, just use jump
attacks as high up as possible. This will cause you to fly across
the screen and get as many hits as possible.
Following the saxophones will be the SNPP workers. You can use the
letters M, A, G, G, I, E, and ! as weapons against the workers. When
you run out of letters just stand on the ground and beat them up
like most of the enemies.
For the demon Barts use the same exact strategy as the one you used
for the saxophones. Jumping high to go nearly across the whole
screen.
The boss is a real aggressive bowling ball with three attack patterns.
For all three attack patterns all you have to do is stand and swing
constantly. I guess a giant bowling ball isn't too smart, because he
will run into your attacks every time. You'll get hurt, but after a
whole bunch of hits you'll win.
You'll play through another bonus stage after this. You have to
continuously tap the attack and jump buttons to slap your character
and wake him/her up. You'll get up to 50 points and an extra life if
you win.
Channel 6! Home of Channel 6 Action News, The Krusty the Clown Show,
and the Bumblebee Man! You can use the cameras and monitors to beat
up the suit goons and fat goons that always appear.
So fight your way through and... hey, is that Maggie? And where is
Kent Brockman? Anyway, beat up the goons and get the best weapon in
the game... the mallet! It's ass-kickin' time!
Fight your way to the right until you reach the Mars set. A robot
will appear, and he's a pretty tough fight. Try and stay in the
center of his body so his beams won't hit you, and use the mallet as
much as possible. Once you beat it you can use the head as a weapon.
Grab the burrito from the upper floor and keep beating goons. Now,
you see that broom? Get it! It has the same attack strength as a
mallet, so try and keep it as long as possible.
Now you'll be on a Japanese ninja set. The ninjas are sneaky, but not
tough. Just go up and face them with whatever weapon you have
(hopefully the broom), while avoiding the ninja stars and nunchuks.
Don't forget that apple blossom tree! It has two apples in it.
Don't get the slingshot! You will lose the broom, which is a much
better weapon. Kill the ninjas that appear on the stage, then move
on.
Now you must face the kabuki master! Remember the strategy for
beating the bear? Well this guy is the same thing. Hit him, move
down, hit him again and move up, and so on.
On to the final stage!
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3.8 Springfield Nuclear Power Plant
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Enemies: Smithers, Mr. Burns
Items: Bombs
There's no stage here, just two bosses. The first boss will be
Smithers.
Smithers runs around throwing bombs at you, and the best way to
attack him normally would be to jump attack. But, you can also use
the blue bombs that Smithers drops. It's fairly easy, and I suggest
using nothing but blue bombs, After quite a number of hits Smithers
will blow himself up. Now for the big boss.
Burns will burst out inside of a giant robot! He has several versions
of the robot, and the more you beat up the robot the more messed up
it gets. Jump attack is once again the best thing to use. Avoid his
arms, missiles, and any nuclear weapons he uses, because they cause
quite a bit of damage.
After you completely destroy the robot Burns will faint and you'll
get Maggie back. Enjoy the lovely family ending, and thanks for
playing another great Simpsons game!
===== 4.0 WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? ===================================
Though it says Arcade Game in the title, this game was released for
the PC and Commodore 64 with quite a number of changes.
Here I've listed some of the noticeable changes. Stuff like graphics
and the appearance of normal stage enemies is very obvious, so they
won't be listed.
-In General-
1. This version only has two players, which is more like the rare
two player arcade version.
2. The health and life meters are at the bottom instead of the top.
3. The special combo attacks where two players can get together for
an attack are gone.
4. The HURRY UP sign does not hurt the player.
5. The goons don't have the hold attack where they grab the player.
6. Demon Barts don't appear when dead.
-Stage 1-
1. The arcade kid doesn't pop out from the Noiseland Arcade.
2. The police car next to the pet shop is not there.
3. Two firefighters appear from the fire station no matter what.
4. The wrestler boss doesn't have the spotlights.
5. The wrestler boss doesn't use a body slam attack.
-Stage 2-
1. The player doesn't use the balloon from the bonus stage to get to
Krustyland.
2. The bald baby no longer appears in the background. It's too bad
because it was one of the running gags in several of the stages.
3. Dr. Marvin Monroe gives a pie instead of donuts.
4. I guess this is graphics, but the kid who gives you the mallet at
the tea cups looks NOTHING like Milhouse.
5. The bouncers from stage 4 don't appear at the tea cups.
6. The gorilla in the cage is tricky. He looks all innocent in this
version.
7. The bear doesn't break out of his cage and escape. This was also
linked to more stages.
8. The Binkys have two ears instead of one.
9. Snowball II doesn't appear.
10. Smithers doesn't appear after you destroy the balloon.
-Stage 3-
1. The female zombie doesn't appear.
2. The zombies are pink instead of brown.
3. The zombies don't dance like Michael Jackson's zombies in Thriller.
I found that to be one of the funniest parts in the arcade version.
4. Ghosts don't appear to frighten the goons at the end.
5. There is no elevator ride to Moe's Tavern.
-Stage 4-
1. You fight the bouncers inside the bar instead of outside.
2. This is like the Milhouse thing above. Moe looks NOTHING like Moe.
3. Barney doesn't appear.
4. Bleeding Gums Murphy does not appear with the girls near the
arcade area.
5. The fat chicks don't appear.
6. The bar at the end does not move down when the drunk appears.
-Stage 5-
1. Only one Blinky fish appears on the bridge, and it's pink instead
of orange.
2. The bear at the end runs away. In the arcade version this was the
bear that escaped from the zoo, and when you beat it up you find
out it was a fat goon is a bear suit.
-Stage 6-
1. The bowling ball doesn't have a fuse when it blows up at the end.
-Stage 7-
1. It seems to me the Mars and Japan sets are a lot shorter.
2. The green space mutant doesn't appear to throw at the robot.
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5.1 Version History
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July 7: Version 1.0
- - - - - - - - - -
Oy, yet ANOTHER rewrite. Enjoy!
1. Matt Groening. The man created 'The Simpsons', which has been on
the air for 14 years and is still going strong. Shine on you crazy
bearded bastard!
2. If I thank Matt Groening, then I also have to praise the hundreds
of individuals who are involved with the show. To the writers, voice
actors, animators, producers, gofers, and every other person
involved... thank you!
3. Wilson Lau gets mad props for his kick ass 'Bart vs. the Space
Mutants' guide. It inspired me to write guides for Simpsons video
games.
4. Konami for making this game.
5. Thank YOU for reading. After all, I didn't write this for my own
health...
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5.3 Contact Information
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The address is: darksub01@yahoo.com
The issue of too many e-mails isn't a problem, so I'll most likely
respond to any questions (for now). But, I do delete e-mails without
a subject. Put 'Simpsons Arcade FAQ' or something similar in the
subject line.
If I discover that this guide has been altered in any way and is
being displayed publicly, I reserve the right to have the guide
removed from that location.
3. The following sites will always have the latest version:
