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Arcade1up has been around for a while now, making home arcade machines for those with the enthusiasm and floor space to give ’em a shot. In recent years, though, it seems like its reach has grown to allow it access to hard-to-license properties you can’t play anywhere else. Among them? Konami’s The Simpsons, a well-regarded 1991 beat-’em-up. The game made a brief appearance on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but otherwise? It hasn’t been available for people to play. So die-hard fans? Yeah, they may be ready for something like this. We put the machine through its paces.
Assembling an Arcade1up cabinet is certainly an undertaking, but it’s not so bad. You generally need to set aside an evening for construction, but it’s doable for normal folk like us. Arcade1up sent over the bundle with riser and stool, and all of it comes together fairly simply. There are a few elements we’d love to see improved, but they’re relatively minor. Like the plastic screen covering getting stuck in the screws! But for the most part, the company’s worked out most of the kinks in the process.
Arcade1up has been iterating on its cabinet designs in some smart ways. For one? It dropped the “let’s put big logos on the front” thing in favor of decorative fake coin doors. That looks nicer in peoples’ houses! Good on ya, Arcade1up. It also feels like trial and error has led to more comfortable button spacing. When we played earlier machines, things felt a lot more cramped.
The Simpsons Arcade Game, like other Konami brawlers of the era, is built for flashy multiplayer fun. You can play as Marge, Homer, Bart, and Lisa, with each receiving a dedicated set of controls. The Arcade1up version replicates this setup, and it feels like an important part of the experience. The second player controls are generally considered the most comfortable in terms of viewing angle. Homer, with his easy-to-use set of attacks, makes sense there. We have more fun with characters like Marge and Lisa, though!
Playing with all four players is ideal for the game, but you’ll need at least two to check out all the moves. Combo attacks with each duo break up the monotony with which most games in the genre regularly struggle. Online play, a recent innovation in Arcade1up cabinets, is here too, in case you happen to have a friend who owns it too or want to find a match with a random teammate. Ultimately, though? The game’s short. It’s enough for a fun afternoon at the arcade, but as a permanent presence in your home, it may wear out before too long.
The second game included in the Arcade1up Simpsons cabinet may be less famous, but it’s definitely here for good reason. The Simpsons Bowling is the other Konami-developed Simpsons game. It does what it says on the tin — bowling with Simpsons characters — and that’s probably enough for some people. The early polygonal approach of Simpsons Bowling certainly ages less gracefully than pixels, though there’s something endearing about it. The value here lies in this: it’s a trackball game! Games with buttons and joysticks can be easily replicated on other platforms, but the arcade form factor is a particularly nice way to play a game with specialized control devices.
It feels like, after releasing the beat-’em-up, Konami got the feedback that there weren’t enough show references and overcompensated in Simpsons Bowling. Which is fair, honestly? Without the constant voice clips and special animations, it plays like a traditional bowling title. There’s some value in that, as non-fans can just play bowling with you with no problem and have a good time, but those wanting more of the IP can enjoy the window dressing.
We understand that Arcade1up’s market size and affordable approach may not be able to support the full Digital Eclipse treatment. Still, we’d like to see the software become a more fully-featured, robust celebration of its games! A home arcade machine is a huge presence and a conversation piece, and it should show the same love for the IP in its code that an owner has shown for purchasing it. As it is, it’s definitely playable, but there aren’t a lot of bells and whistles. We’d love filters! We’d love more gameplay options! And most of all, anyone who loves the arcade form factor this much would probably like to see the marketing materials and ephemera from the titles’ original release.
An arcade cabinet is a big investment! Even an affordable one is more of a commitment than most want to make. But the Arcade1up Simpsons Arcade Machine does a lot to make for a fun addition to a Simpsons fan’s household. And hey, if you have the means and space? You could check out a lot of them.
The Arcade1up The Simpsons Arcade Machine contains The Simpsons and Simpsons Bowling arcade games, both originally developed and published by Konami. The Arcade1up re-release is available now for $699.99 through the company’s official site, as well as in various configurations at other retailers.
