Many games on the iPad and other mobile devices get pegged as a “time waster” by the gaming community. The title would be more offensive if it were any less true for a large portion of the games available. Simulation games that used to enthrall me for 5-10 hours have been stretched out on mobiles using a system that requires you to wait for events to complete, or pay to have them speed up. The Simpsons Tapped is EA’s first entry to this genre of game. Similar to Tiny Tower, Dragonvale, Tiny Town, Smurf’s Village (it reminds me most of Smurf’s Village). Tapped has you rebuilding Springfield after it’s destroyed by the Power Plant’s Chernoble style explosion. If only Homer would have put his tablet down and pushed the green button. (See what they did there, they made a joke about you playing their game too much during the intro to make it seem like you’d be addicted really quick.)
Sarcasm aside I find myself checking on New Springfield about twice a day. The odd collect-them-all based need has me hunting for Bart, wondering when Marge will return, and dancing when I finally finish the Van Houten house. Keeping the spirit of all Simpson’s games the humor is phenomenal. You can also expect that the artwork will look identical to the cartoon series, sparing no expense.
Truthfully the game is fun, just not ridiculously enticing. I can’t decide if it’s my co-addiction to Dragonvale, or the blatant plea for cash from EA (everything in the game that could possibly speed up the process costs a minimum of $5). But I find myself worrying about the game minimally. I also have no motivation to create an Origin account and follow my friends. Why EA refused to integrate the game into Apple’s Game Center is beyond me. Stop pushing me to Origin and simply let me use what I have. It’s truthfully the only reason I have friends in Dragonvale. For a free game that lets you rebuild Springfield and harass your favorite characters Tapped Out does the trick, just don’t expect to be playing consistently in 6 months.
Sound off below, or feel free to leave your Origin ID for other tapped addicts, if you’re gonna rebuild Springfield, you should have friends doing it too.