o say that The Simpsons has penetrated the psyche of America is an understatement. Hardly a day goes by that we don’t hear someone—friend, family member or stranger—use a line from the show. If something’s not very good, it’s the “Worst. Thing. Ever.” When you’re caught in a fib, it pays to remember “It takes two to lie. One to lie and one to listen.” Even people who don’t watch the show have probably used Homer’s famous “D’oh” at one time or another.

While it’s easy to be cynical about licensed games, it is odd that so many developers have tried—and failed—to make a decent game based on the show. EA has most recently taken up the challenge with The Simpsons Game, and it seems as though the company has tried to avoid the pitfalls of other games. The game includes long sections of animated sequences, with a storyline created by the show’s writers. The graphics are cell-shaded, coming close to accurately mimicking the world we all know from the show. Unfortunately, for all the attention to detail that obviously went into creating the best virtual Springfield possible, it plays as though gameplay was a secondary consideration.

It starts off decently enough, with a sleeping Homer revisiting the Land of Chocolate. After a quick animated sequence, players get to test out their platforming skills and also get introduced to the combat system. In addition to punching and kicking, Homer can use his noxious burps to stun enemies and even destroy objects. After punching out legions of chocolate rabbits and ascending a gigantic tiered cake, Homer breaks through its sweet, sweet surface. There, players learn about his Homer Ball attack, which has the already rotund character ballooning up to completely ridiculous proportions. In that state, he can roll around, crashing through any enemies and obstacles he comes across with the press of a button.

Each member of the family has their own little gimmick. Bart can use his slingshot and also turn into Bartman, enabling him to glide on air currents. Lisa’s Buddhism comes in quite handy, letting her move objects around with the power of her mind. Our favorite was probably Marge’s, though, giving the notorious busy-body the ability to rouse up a mob with her megaphone, commanding them to fight for her, destroy things or build pathways. Even Maggie makes a cameo, under Marge’s tutelage, crawling through tight spaces and flipping switches with her pacifier.

Between each of the “episodes,” players can tool around an oddly traffic-free Springfield on foot. Players pick a main character and an ally, which affects how they can navigate through town. Bartman’s ability to hop onto exhaust vents and get blown skyward is helpful when trying to access roofs, while Lisa’s Hand of Buddha is a great way to build bridges to new areas. And why would you want to go on a roof or access new areas? Why, to collect things. In addition to having their own powers, each member of the Simpsons clan has their own individual collectables to find scattered throughout town. Bart can snag Krusty Kollectible Koupons, and Homer goes nuts for Duff Beer bottle caps, to name a few. Find enough, and you’ll earn trophies and build your character’s power meter. While hidden items are one of those game-design conventions that just won’t go away, The Simpsons Game’s collectathon is particularly bad, in that characters can only get their corresponding items. If you’re playing as Bart and you have Homer as your ally, you’ll have to take control of him (by pressing a direction on the D-pad) to get his bottle cap. If you come across a Try-n-Save Coupon, you’d better have Marge on your team or remember where it was as you slog your way home to switch her out.

Once you’ve grown tired of jumping on every rooftop, smashing every barrel and walking through every backyard for items, you can start episodes by heading toward the beam of light. After an animated introduction, the action begins. Each of the episodes is part of a larger story arc, with the game comprising four main acts. While the brilliant trailers showed off a variety of game parodies, the actual gameplay remains the same from level to level, with variations in costumes and backdrops.