Version Differences

This is a sub-page of The Simpsons (Arcade).

To do: Add screenshots and documentation for more food drops: Stage 2: Jump attack the eyes of the giant Binky face at the end of the stage. This appears to be the first actual instance of hidden food drops via jump attacking in the right spot. Stage 5: Jump attack on the ledge that's to the upper right of the large boulder for a hidden hot dog. Stage 7: Jump attack the first mountain in the background of the ninja set for a hidden pie.

The later-released Japanese set is markedly different from the ones for other regions, with most of the changes aimed at addressing balance issues. The PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade re-release for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 offers the option to play the Japanese version, which features all these differences.

Credits#

International	Japan

The credits bubble on the 2-Player sets had its palette changed from blue to an almost-black shade of purple.

Player Select#

International	Japan

In the International version of the game, players are automatically assigned a specific member of the Simpson family based on their player number, and the game does not begin until the player presses the Start button. In contrast, the Japanese version allows players to freely choose any member of the Simpson family within a 10-second timer.

The backgrounds for Bart and Lisa are swapped in the Japanese version.

The Japanese version is based on the 2-Player sets of the game, using "1P" and "2P" in text bubbles. In contrast, the international version accommodates 4 players, displaying "1UP" to "4UP" along with the corresponding Simpson family member's name when a player respawns or transitions stages.

Scoring#

On international versions, every enemy defeated is worth just 1 point. The Japanese version has a more dynamic scoring system: two trailing zeroes are added to the score and certain enemies are worth more, as are bosses.

International
Japan

To accommodate for the new scoring system, the ranking screen was adjusted by moving the character heads from the score to the rank number and the red background surrounding the heads was taken out.

Gameplay#

• The Japanese version gives players a vitality bonus at the end of each level.
• The players regain their health back when completing a stage in the Japanese version, which is not the case in the international versions.

• The two bonus games have time bonuses in the Japanese version. They aren't present in the international versions.
• Despite showing a "Player Bonus" number afterward, the bonus games don't actually give points in the international sets, only 50% of health if the player wins. In the Japanese version, they give points, as expected.

• It's possible to extend health past 100% in the Japanese version by picking up food while at full health, it's possible to extend it even further (200%+), in which case the bonus health will be in green.
• In the international versions, the hammer and mop are not very reliable mid-air weapons as the jump cycle continues as normal and airborne enemies can only be hit when in extremely close proximity, making it hard to hit when jumping. In the Japanese they work differently: using them mid-air makes the player diagonally dive into the ground just like when being unarmed, making them much more useful for mid-air use.
• The behavior of the hats thrown by the purple suit hat-wearing goon was changed: in the international sets, they fly straight a bit and then come back to the enemy like a boomerang. In the Japanese set, they fly straight until they go off-screen and they don't go back, making them less dangerous.
• The bosses are less dangerous in the Japanese version, having fewer invincibility frames, less health, and doing one-frame surprise attacks less frequently.
• In international versions, the players automatically pick up food items when walking to them. In the Japanese version, the player must press the attack button in front of a food item to collect it, just like the weapon items.
• The slingshot was buffed significantly. In the international sets, it's about as strong as a normal attack. In the Japanese set, it will kill anything in one hit!

Level Changes#

Stage 1#

An atomic bomb was added in front of the Noiseland Video Arcade. These nukes are items that only appear in the Japanese version: when thrown, they'll kill any nearby enemy and possibly damage the player if they're within range. The sprite for this item is used in all versions of the game though: they're thrown by Mr. Burns' robot suit in Stage 8.

International	Japan

The hamburger at the end of the stage was changed to a hot dog.

Stage 2#

International	Japan

The hot dog at the end of the stage was changed to a hamburger, the opposite of what happened with Stage 1.

Stage 3#

A hamburger was added behind this tree.

Another nuke, this one in front of the moon.

A bomb was added at the end of the cemetery.

Two bombs were added to the boss area.

Stage 4#

A bomb was added to the start of the level.

A mop was added in front of the counter.

A nuke was placed near the arcade cabinets.

Two hotdogs were added just before the boss area. They're dropped from the barrels held by the fat women if they're hit before they throw them.

Stage 5#

An extra rock was added at the start.

Another boulder was added to the area before the waterfalls. This larger boulder is unique to the Japanese set, and lifting it up reveals a pile of fruit!

Stage 6#

A bomb was added at the start. Also, this is the first instance of the Japanese-exclusive feature of doing jump attacks on certain areas to make items fall from the background: two apples are dropped from the eyes of the Krusty-like moon.

Two apples were added in front of Springfield Elementary School. They're dropped from the American flag.

A bowling ball was added to the boss area, dropped from the Simpson mailbox.

Stage 7#

A nuke and two food items were added here.

International	Japan

This corn pickup was changed to a hamburger. The corn does not appear at all in the Japanese version.

Stage 8#

A hot dog and turkey are hidden in the fixtures by Mr. Burns' portrait.

When Smithers is defeated in the Japanese set, an assortment of fruit flies out of his body. Make of that what you will.

Ending#

International	Japan

More characters were added to the post-Mr. Burns sequence: Principal Skinner, Milhouse, Nelson, Sherri, Terri, Santa's Little Helper, and Snowball II.