The Simpsons Game -- Springfield.

I have played through roughly fifty percent of The Simpsons game and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. The Simpsons Game employs a sandbox version of Springfield as a hub level. You're able to freely explore a rather cool version of Springfield that's been rearranged to suit the game. You're able to visit most of the regular locations of the series like the Kwik-e-Mart, Comic Book Guy's shop, Springfield Elementary School, First Church of Springfield and others. It's great just walking around the town itself as it is filled with a rather impressive amount of characters from the show. Each one voiced by the voice actors from the television show. Within the hub level large waypoint beams extend to the sky to point you in the direction of your next mission. The missions take place in more restricted and more traditionally linear platforming levels. Around the hub of Springfield there are icons to be collected for each of the four playable Simpsons characters. Duff bottle caps for Homer, twenty-five percent off sales tags for Marge, Malibu Stacy Doll logos for Lisa, and Krusty icons for Bart. There are seventy-five of each to be collected. Very much like the hidden packages in Grand Theft Auto. Only this time each character's moves come into play in collecting them. In The Simpsons Game you're playing as paired characters and you can switch between them on the fly. You can go to a bus stop to switch out characters, and also warp to any other bus stop around Springfield. Bart is able to don his Bartman costume and is able to glide with his cape as well as ride updrafts for lift. He later gets a grappling hook. Homer is able to morph into a giant ball version of himself and bounce and rocket around. He later gets the ability to float for a limited time in ball form from helium tanks scattered around town. Marge is able to influence people and gather a mob following that will clean up or build at specific points around town. She's also able to send Maggie into crawl spaces. Lisa is able to use the hand of Buddha to manipulate certain items strewn around town. She later gets the ability to flick enemies away with said hand. There is more of a puzzle element to collecting the icons for each of the characters around Springfield. You have to figure out how to get wherever the icon may be by using not only their abilities but the right combination of characters and their abilities to get you there. I'm really enjoying the collection aspect because of the more puzzle and figuring it all out approach to Springfield.