Wow, the tearing thing is really prevelant. I'm surprised I haven't seen this problem addressed in any of the reviews. Maybe it's just for the Xbox version (as someone mentioned he didn't see it with his Gamecube version... it's very noticeable).

I've never gotten a headache from playing a game before, but this one definitely does it. And it doesn't seem like I'm alone. Has this been addressed by the publishers? Is it the tearing effect, or the poor camera that's doing this?

I rented the game this past weekend and thought it was horribly monotonous after just a few minutes. As stated before, the 3 mission types are:
Race so and so from point A to point B
Destroy target car(s) before time runs out
Collect a certain number of items before time runs out

That's it...at least that's all I was getting until I just couldn't take it anymore.
I also want to add that the cars I drove were all horrible as well.

Best Simpsons game maybe, but that's not saying much.

rented the game...was pretty fun...but same 3 missions repeated to death. tearing was horrid (GC version here) definitely a fun rental for simpsons fans, other wise its poopoo.

I don't know what you guys are talking about. I know exactly what tearing is, and I've seen it before many, many times. I don't see it on my Gamecube version at all. It's synched up just fine. Looks to me like it's waiting for the vertical retrace without any problems at all. Are you using progressive scan tv's or something?

BTW, for complaints of it being monotonous, you do realize that there's more than the first level, right?

Tearing, for those not in the know, is where you get two frames on one screen, like the frame changed before the screen finished drawing the first one, and finished drawing the second one instead. It looks like a split occured in the middle of the screen. It occurs when the frame rate increases beyond the refresh speed of the screen and the system isn't using double buffering or waiting for vertical retrace. Is this what you're seeing? I would have though it not possible on a console, because the console itself has the buffering and refresh mechanisms.

Well, I may not know exactly what tearing is. No one who would know what tearing was has ever shown an example and said, "that's tearing." That's just the term I heard used here on this board, and it sounded like it described the problem.

In my Gamecube version, sometimes this problem appears when the camera pans quickly. Let's say there's a vertical line, like a border between the corner of a building and the sky. Sometimes it appears that this border does not move at the same rate along the entire lenght of the border. I'll try to draw it here:

1.

..|
..|
..|
..|
..|

2.

.....|
.....|
.....|
......|
......|

3.

........|
........|
........|
........|
........|

That could be tearing, except that it would have to happen across the entire screen.

If it's only happening around the edge, then I'd say it's more likely distortion due to camera perspective when you're moving the camera at varying speeds. I've noticed that the view angle isn't perfectly constant all the time. But then I've seen worse in other games. Mario's collect the Stars thingy (I forget the name) on the Cube is much, much worse about camera view angles.

Sounds more like perspective distortion, to me. They might be using too close of a point at which to change the mipmapping too. This is the point at which the texture changes from far away to close up and it switches to a higher resolution. If it's too close, then it's noticable and somewhat annoying. Not headache inducing though.

I still have yet to see tearing on the Xbox version.

I have a Sony Wega, 27", non progressive scan. It's supposed to be a top of the line non HDTV, so I doubt it's the television set.

Basically, when you rotate the camera a lot, it's exactly as you described... it seems like there's a split horizontally in the middle of the screen. Where the bottom half lags behind, not just in the edges, but across the whole screen. It doesn't happen all the time, I think mostly if I'm running somewhere and rotating the camera.

So are there other people who have this game on Xbox but don't see the problem?

Otto, the game has bad tearing. After too many years of pc gaming, I know what tearing is The gamecube version most definitely has it....from the opening blue sky menu things all the way through the game. It does not occur all the time, and after a bit it becomes slightly un-noticable...but it is there. Its not our TV's, it is the game.

Secondly, yes the game gets very monotonous. I got to the end of level 6 before returning the game and didnt care to play it ever again....and I'm a HUGE Simpsons fan. Theres basically 3-4 types of the same mission over and over again...sometimes against the clock, other times not. And theres only 3 parts of the city repeated over and over as well....would have been nice to see 7 parts...give ya a reason to keep playing at least. Like I said, it was a great rental game for Simpsons fans...but nothing more...I'd give it a 6/10 for fans....2/10 for non-fan gamers.

Or your gamecube. Mine definitely does not display tearing.

Agreed, I wish they'd put in more levels. Level 7, however, is a lot of fun. It's the same level as the first one, but changed all around. It's the halloween episodes. Mr. Burns mansion opens up, all the cars and people are zombies and ghosts and such. I quite enjoy it.

Anyway, I don't think it's monotonous. Yes, I think the missions are similar, however the details are different and the missions are much harder as you progress through the game. The last mission on level 6 is extremely difficult, for example. However, the missions are no more monotonous than GTA III was. And GTA III only had three cities too, albeit quite a bit larger ones.

The only problem with that level is that the last three missions, which means for both the level and the game, are exactly the same. The only difference is the vehicle you use. I thought that was quite lame.

I have the xbox, version and have rented the ps2 version, and the GC version, I have a sony 40" 4x3 HDTV(in my living room), there was tearing on all three, I also have the pt50lc13 Panasonic 50"lcd()in my bedroom) tearing all three,

and my uncle has a runco projector($20k) and there is tearing on all three( and we used his systems at his house)

Now I still think the game is great, although I still am on the lisa level, which is level 3, and I did not know that 4,5,6 were the same levels just different characters, that is lame.


Who are you on level4? 5? 6? 7?


I would give the game a 8/10 for diehard simpsons fans(for being able to play in a 3d springfield. but overall I would give the game a 6 to 6.5/10

Yeah, I found that damned annoying too. Of course, they were new types of missions, in that you have to race across town in a timed manner but without smacking anything and thus blowing up the nuclear waste. Pretty tough, I thought.

Oh, and there's five types of missions, not three:
Chase - Where you chase someone
Evade - Where you run away from someone
Race - Obvious
Destroy - Blow up some other car
Collect - Collect a bunch of whatever
Some are timed, some aren't.

Corky:
Level 1 - Homer in the suburbs
Level 2 - Bart downtown
Level 3 - Lisa by the docks
Level 4 - Marge in the suburbs
Level 5 - Apu downtown
Level 6 - Bart by the docks
Level 7 - Homer in the suburbs at night (Halloween level)

Nobody's mentioned it yet, but it's available at Best Buy this week for 39.99, plus you get a 10 dollar gift card on top of that. the ad shows the PS2 version, but mentions all three. Of course, last week when I went to get it (before the sale) they had exactly 0 Xbox versions...

thanks otto, wow that sucks that you are bart again on level 6, and homer in level 7, it is bad enough that they reuse the same level, at least give us another character.

Where;s my groundskeeper Willie

I picked up the GameCube version, and was intrigued to see that it was labeled as 1-4 Players Simultaneous. I was expecting the kind of multiplayer that Road Rage had, but alas, all that is multiplayer is a crappy RC-car racing mode that has poor graphics.

Is that all of the multiplayer that it offers? If so, bummer.

I'd like to pick this one up, but haven't been able to find a reasonably-priced used copy. Anyone have any idea if/when it will be available as a PS2 Greatest Hit?

Not sure....but this was a great Simpson game!! I loved playing this game over and over again!

I'm liking it but I'm surprised how HARD it is!

I just finished it off last night. For me, this is the first video game in history I've completed 100%.

It does get a little repetetive, but overall it was a lot of fun for me. I think it was well worth the $50 I paid for it at christmas.

Now I might go back and play it again this summer.

Its a fun game to go back too! I'm also thinking about turning it on again this summer. Plus it's good for some laughs.

It does get repetitive, and while I definitely love the voice acting and dialog, the random quotes get repetitive as well.
I think the cars handle reasonably well, depending on the type of car [that is, they handle somewhat like I might expect them to].
I love the inside gags and episode references.

gorgo99: Me too... I think I'm on chapter 2 or 3, and I haven't gotten 100% on any chapter yet [although I don't pore over every inch of a level to find the secrets]. After I get closer to 'beating' it, I'll probably check a faq to pick up the ones I've missed.
However, I think I noticed, last time I played, that it allows you to 'skip' a mission if you've tried it and failed a few times. You can then go back to it later on, even if you're in another chapter. I have made use of that feature once or twice, I hate getting 'stuck' on a game, especially those frustrating 'missed it by .5 seconds' timed fetch quests. Let me pass it, move on, then I'll come back to it after I've gotten a little more experience.

Given that this game is now being sold for $20 at Amazon and the ebay prices are under that, I'm assuming this has now hit "Greatest Hits" status.

Definitely going to have to get this game soon. Wonder if I can find a used copy for cheap at my local game store now...

Well, if you've got a $5 coupon from the gamer's gift card at Best Buy (assuming there is one in your area), you can get the game for $15. Hard to beat that.

Well, my patience paid off. Target's having a sale on all of their PS2 Greatest Hits this week - $14.77. Picked it up this afternoon. Can't wait to pop this baby in.