The Simpsons arcade game finally made the jump to Xbox Live (also on the PS3) and there’s a reason why it’s on the arcade and not on an actual disc. I’ll get to that later but suffice to say, it doesn’t hold the same memories for me as it once did.

Playing the Simpsons Arcade game when I was younger was a frustratingly fun thing to do. Quarter after quarter would get popped into the machine and you would struggle to get through the various levels and beat the bosses. The graphics seemed great at the time and the taglines that each character fit well.

That was 1991…this is 2012, how many years is that? Enough that we’ve all been spoiled by out of this world graphics, outstanding audio, and great gameplay. What once appealed to us then, doesn’t seem right now.

What I did enjoy was showing my 5 and a half year old son what graphics used to look like compared to what he’s used to now. That graphics in the Simpsons Arcade hasn’t changed; it’s the same way as you remember. So if you LOVED it then, you’ll love it now. Me? I’m just not in the same boat. But there may be other reasons for that though.

I’ve never been a huge fan. I found them mildly amusing but I never fell on the floor at Bart’s antics, never aligned myself with the super intelligent Lisa, never really felt sorry for Marge or Maggie, or thought the idiot workings of Homer’s mind funny. Don’t get me wrong…there are moments that were great, one-liners that I still remember but I don’t understand why they have lasted through all these years.

This game, for me, is just a testament to it.

If you don’t remember the game, it’s a side scrolling game that you move forward in order to progress in the game. There is no going back, so make sure to grab what you want before you move forward. In the beginning you’ll choose which of the 4 main characters you want to play as. You don’t get to pick Maggie because she’s been kidnapped and you need to rescue her.

The game is repetitive, the enemies are all pretty cookie cutter in appearance, but there are times when other characters are sprinkled in and you get to see some of the unique people in the Simpson’s world. That was one of the best things about the game. The graphics are similar but just spruced up a little bit, the audio is the same as well and gets repetitive since each character has limited lines to say.

What didn’t I like? It was repetitive in the motions and actions, there’s little to no replay value unless you like gaining achievements, and it was short. It was REALLY short. I mean…finish it in about a half hour short. That is too short in my book when you’re paying for a game and the reason why I think it made its way to the arcade versus being in stores on a disc. That’s what disappointed me the most about this game. Replaying the same levels over and over again for achievements just doesn’t seem worth it to me.

My son and I have played through it three times now in a course of 3 weeks and he hasn’t asked to play it again. That’s saying something. My son is a gamer through and through and he knows what he likes and what he doesn’t like. This is just one of those games, like me, that he could just leave to the wayside.

That’s sad, in a way, because I have a fond memory of arcade games such as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Simpsons Arcade. As an adult, they just seem to fall flat. I’m sure that there will be and are a lot of SUPER fans of the Simpsons who will love this game and are glad that it came out on XBLA. I’m just not one of them. For me, it was a waste of points that I could have spent on another game.

Such is life. You can’t win them all.