The Simpsons - 'Tapped Out' Review

A hoi-hoi

Now, as my girlfriend will testify, I'm not one to let a game take over my life. But this game is life-sappingly worth it. And even better - It's FREE!

In 'Tapped Out' you are given the chance to rebuild Springfield after Homer goes and blows it up, the tubby fool! This is the game that every Simpsons fan has been waiting for. Sure, there have been Simpsons games before but they always been... how can I put it..? Pretty terrible.

But now players have the opportunity to build Springfield complete with the Kwik-E-Mart, Krusty Burger and Springfield Elementary and plop them just about wherever you feel. If you've had enough of Flanders' annoyingly chirpy 'Hi-diddly-hi neighborino' greeting, then instead of moving him next door to our favourite yellow family, you can put his house over by the nuclear plant or by Cletus' farm. Not me though. If you've ever wanted to build Springfield from the ground up, this is your game. It's almost a combination between Sim City and Farmville. Aside from characters and stores, there are plenty of references to the show that loyal fans will love.

Ah, the waiting game sucks, let's play Hungry Hungry Hipppos!

I compare it to Farmville due to the time-based nature of the game. Simply drop a house down, wait for it to build and levy some taxes. This results in levelling up and getting more money. I never really caught onto the whole Farmville thing. Sure, I had a go, but I quickly lost interest building a barn or finding a cow. Tapped Out is infinitely more satisfying as you know the characters and locations which makes you want to succeed. Levelling up results in unlocking more characters and buildings. Like games like Farmville and Cafe World, this is one addictive game. I know people who used to set alarms in the middle of the night to make sure their cakes hadn't burned or their chickens hadn't run away. While I'm not at that point yet, I can see a real possibility that I'm going wake up at four o'clock one morning to ensure Cletus can 'help Brandine give birth to another Spuckler' after he's been 'brewing moonshine.'

If you don't like your job you don't strike... You just go in everyday and do it really half-assed.

The reason this game while appeal to the masses is that casual players can play as much or as little as they choose with no effect on the game, while hardcore Simpsons fans can build Springfield they way they want it. However, I'll bet there aren't too many 'casual fans' who stay casual for too long, such is the addictive nature of this game.

Donut's; is there anything they can't do?

If you aren't one for waiting, then there is a way to speed building and working up. Donuts are a hard to come by but incredibly useful commodity. The game is monetized as players can choose to purchase more Donuts with real life money, something that I will never do, however tempted. Some items can only be unlocked with Donuts such as Hans Moleman, The Springfield Tire Fire or my favourite character, Hank Scorpio. £70 will buy you 2,400 donuts. That's a lot of money for a lot of virtual Donuts but that will probably see you complete the game in a day.

Oh, so they have the internet on computers these days...

There are a few cons with the game too... due to the large amount of graphics and data, they game is hosted on EA Servers so trying to operate the game without an internet connection is difficult and you're often confronted by a smug looking Bart Simpson unplugging a router. This is annoying but an inevitable prerequisite of a game this size.

The fingers you have used to dial are too fat...

One annoyance I've found is that when you're in a rush and trying to cash in on your properties, the game becomes a little unresponsive. This has resulted in me using all my donuts, accidentally. Moving things like benches and trees etc is cumbersome and imprecise and I often find myself moving a whole house when I'm just trying to move a section of fence.

You don't win friends with salad!

The game boasts 'it's a social game for crying out loud,' and so it is. Adding friends via the Origin database allows you to visit friends towns to collect some money or to just be a nosy parker. I'm surprised the game hasn't got a gifting option where certain commodities can be given to friends. This was one of the more popular points of games like Mafia Wars and Farmville and aside from the small amount of XP you can gain, having a large collection of friends adds little.

I regret nothing!

Ultimately, this is a brilliant app, that is hugely playable with fantastic graphics and great soundtrack. With the depth of characters, buildings and scenarios we've seen in The Simpsons over the last 23 years means this game has a lot of room for updates which will keep fans and players happy for months to come.

Hey, maybe we could be Neighborino's! Find me on Origin at Tomrconwy

iPhone App Review - Hungry Shark 2

This is a really fun app. The story? You're a shark fighting his way up the food chain, who eats anything and everything to get bigger and bigger. And bigger. You can choose to play either by the tilting the screen or by dragging the shark along but I find the tilt option (which can be recalibrated in-game, if desired) much easier. Hungry Shark 2 also comes with Hungry Shark 1 included.

The graphics are really good so if you fancy swimming in tropical seas, Atlantic abysses or the frozen Antarctic but don't like the idea of getting wet, this is a game for you. The satisfying screams when you eat a human or chomp your way through shoals of fish add to the already stunning visuals of the game. Just watch out for the sea-mines, they don't taste too good.



I got this App free in the build up to Hungry Shark 3 and I'd say that its only downfall is the differences between Hungry Shark 1,2 and 3 aren't glaringly obvious. The games get bigger and stocked full of more enemies but that's about it. Despite the hours of entertainment I've had on Hungry Shark 2 I don't think I'd buy HS3 unless it came up as a free download. My only wonder is where they will take the Hungry Shark franchise next?

Overall, I'd say this game is a winner and is definitely worth the £0.59 asking price, although Hungry Shark 3 would probably be a better purchase now it's out. While it can get a little repetitive it's also incredibly addictive and you won't be able to stop yourself chowing down on scuba-divers and fisherman from now on.

Rating - 4.5 out of 5