The Itchy and Scratchy Game
Encyclopedia
The Itchy & Scratchy Game is a platform video game
that was released for Mega Drive (Genesis), the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
(SNES), and Sega Game Gear
. It stars the mouse and cat Itchy and Scratchy
from the American animated television series The Simpsons
, and features the classic gory violence from the show. The main character is Itchy, who has to fight Scratchy. Reception of the game has been generally negative.
based on The Itchy & Scratchy Show
, a show within a show
in the animated television series The Simpsons
. There are seven levels in the game. The player controls Itchy, a mouse whose goal is to torture and kill the cat Scratchy. The game is played by running around the level and attacking Scratchy and various other enemies. Both Itchy and Scratchy carry mallets as their standard weapons, although various other weapons — coordinating with the theme of the level — can also be used. Every few moments, Scratchy will come onto the screen and then run away after attacking Itchy or Itchy has inflicted damage on Scratchy. Once Scratchy's health has been depleted, a boss battle will ensue.
and published by Acclaim
. It was released for Mega Drive (also known as Genesis) in 1993, and for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
(SNES) and Sega Game Gear
in 1995. The game was rated "Everyone" (suitable for children aged six and older) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board
, "despite a plethora of chainsaws, axes, and flamethrowers," as a reviewer for Entertainment Weekly
wrote.
Game Players
gave the SNES version a 35/100 rating in March 1995, commenting that the "gameplay suffers from extensive repetition and poor control and, despite the large number of weapons included in the game, there are too few opportunities to pick them up." In July 1995, the SNES version received a 2/5 rating from the GamePro
magazine, which wrote that "the control is the worst part. In a game of jumping and hitting, the lack of jumping attacks and the inaccurate weapons make you itch for a different game."
A GamePro review of the Game Gear version, also from 1995, stated that "while the comedic potential is high, the characters' stiff attacks and the seen-it before levels defuse the excitement. This game just doesn't capture Itchy & Scratch's spunky cartoon nature." Similarly, the Game Players review noted that "for true Simpsons fans, the Itchy and Scratchy level in Bart's Nightmare
[from 1992] is still the best place to look for this duo." Entertainment Weekly gave the SNES game a grade of "C" in May 1995, and commented that "there's a reason Itchy & Scratchy cartoons rarely occupy more than 30 seconds of any Simpsons episode: stretch the concept to the full half hour, and the ratings would plummet. It's the same for videogames. While Itchy and Scratchy appeared in a hilarious cameo on the Super NES cartridge Bart's Nightmare, here they duke it out in an interminable, multistage whackfest." The gaming website UGO Networks was more positive, writing that the game "had great animation and was actually (gasp!) pretty funny."
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
that was released for Mega Drive (Genesis), the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
(SNES), and Sega Game Gear
Sega Game Gear
The was Sega's first handheld game console. It was the third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the TurboExpress....
. It stars the mouse and cat Itchy and Scratchy
The Itchy & Scratchy Show
The Itchy & Scratchy Show is a show within a show in the animated television series The Simpsons. It usually appears as a part of The Krusty the Clown Show, watched regularly by Bart and Lisa Simpson...
from the American animated television series The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, and features the classic gory violence from the show. The main character is Itchy, who has to fight Scratchy. Reception of the game has been generally negative.
Gameplay
The Itchy & Scratchy Game is a side-scrolling platformerPlatform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
based on The Itchy & Scratchy Show
The Itchy & Scratchy Show
The Itchy & Scratchy Show is a show within a show in the animated television series The Simpsons. It usually appears as a part of The Krusty the Clown Show, watched regularly by Bart and Lisa Simpson...
, a show within a show
Story within a story
A story within a story, also rendered story-within-a-story, is a literary device in which one narrative is presented during the action of another narrative. Mise en abyme is the French term for a similar literary device...
in the animated television series The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. There are seven levels in the game. The player controls Itchy, a mouse whose goal is to torture and kill the cat Scratchy. The game is played by running around the level and attacking Scratchy and various other enemies. Both Itchy and Scratchy carry mallets as their standard weapons, although various other weapons — coordinating with the theme of the level — can also be used. Every few moments, Scratchy will come onto the screen and then run away after attacking Itchy or Itchy has inflicted damage on Scratchy. Once Scratchy's health has been depleted, a boss battle will ensue.
Development
The game was developed by Bits StudiosBits Studios
Bits Studios was a British video game developer. The company has had over 30 titles published over the United States, Europe and Asia on multiple platforms. Bits Studios' parent company, PlayWize sold off all assets and technologies held by the group in 2008, due to poor trading results...
and published by Acclaim
Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
. It was released for Mega Drive (also known as Genesis) in 1993, and for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
(SNES) and Sega Game Gear
Sega Game Gear
The was Sega's first handheld game console. It was the third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the TurboExpress....
in 1995. The game was rated "Everyone" (suitable for children aged six and older) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board
Entertainment Software Rating Board
The Entertainment Software Rating Board is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines, and ensures responsible online privacy principles for computer and video games as well as entertainment software in Canada, Mexico and...
, "despite a plethora of chainsaws, axes, and flamethrowers," as a reviewer for Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
wrote.
Reception
Reviews of The Itchy & Scratchy Game have been generally negative, with much criticism being directed at the gameplay.Game Players
Game Players
Game Players was a monthly video game magazine founded by Robert C. Lock and published by Signal Research, in Greensboro, North Carolina. The original publication was titled Game Players Strategy to Nintendo Games...
gave the SNES version a 35/100 rating in March 1995, commenting that the "gameplay suffers from extensive repetition and poor control and, despite the large number of weapons included in the game, there are too few opportunities to pick them up." In July 1995, the SNES version received a 2/5 rating from the GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
magazine, which wrote that "the control is the worst part. In a game of jumping and hitting, the lack of jumping attacks and the inaccurate weapons make you itch for a different game."
A GamePro review of the Game Gear version, also from 1995, stated that "while the comedic potential is high, the characters' stiff attacks and the seen-it before levels defuse the excitement. This game just doesn't capture Itchy & Scratch's spunky cartoon nature." Similarly, the Game Players review noted that "for true Simpsons fans, the Itchy and Scratchy level in Bart's Nightmare
Bart's Nightmare
Bart's Nightmare is a 1992 video game developed by American company Sculptured Software based on the television show The Simpsons. It was released to the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.-Plot:...
[from 1992] is still the best place to look for this duo." Entertainment Weekly gave the SNES game a grade of "C" in May 1995, and commented that "there's a reason Itchy & Scratchy cartoons rarely occupy more than 30 seconds of any Simpsons episode: stretch the concept to the full half hour, and the ratings would plummet. It's the same for videogames. While Itchy and Scratchy appeared in a hilarious cameo on the Super NES cartridge Bart's Nightmare, here they duke it out in an interminable, multistage whackfest." The gaming website UGO Networks was more positive, writing that the game "had great animation and was actually (gasp!) pretty funny."