{{short description|1992 video game}} {{more citations needed|date=March 2020}} {{Infobox video game |title = The Simpsons:<br>Bartman Meets Radioactive Man |image = Bartman Meets Radioactive Man Cover.jpg |caption = NES cover art |developer = [[Imagineering (company)|Imagineering]]{{efn|Game Gear version developed by [[Teeny Weeny Games]].}} |publisher = [[Acclaim Entertainment]]{{efn|Released under the [[Flying Edge]] brand name on the Game Gear.}} |producer = Dan Kitchen |designer = Barry Marx<br />Dan Kitchen<br />Roger Booth<br />W. Marshall Rogers |programmer = Chung S. Lau<br />Shen Jian Long<br />Roger Booth<br />Bill Jannott |artist = [[Glen Schofield|Glen A. Schofield]]<br />Gregory A. Faccone |composer= Mark Van Hecke |series = ''[[List of The Simpsons video games|The Simpsons]]'' |platforms = [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]], [[Game Gear]] |released = '''NES'''{{vgrelease|NA|December 1992<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/nes_games.pdf |publisher=Nintendo of America |access-date=August 9, 2015 |title=NES Games |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611225644/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/nes_games.pdf |archive-date=June 11, 2014 }}</ref>}} '''Game Gear'''{{vgrelease|NA|February 1994<ref>{{cite magazine |last=LaMancha |first=Manny |date=March 1994 |title=The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man |url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_056_March_1994/page/n141/mode/2up |magazine=[[GamePro]] |publisher=[[International Data Group]] |issue=56 |page=148}}</ref>}} |genre = [[Platform game|Platform]] |modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]] }}
'''''The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man''''' is a 1992 [[platform game]] based on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] [[animated television series]] ''[[The Simpsons]]''. Released by [[Acclaim Entertainment]] for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] and [[Game Gear]], it follows [[Bart Simpson]] as he embarks on a comic book quest to rescue his kidnapped idol, superhero [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Radioactive Man|Radioactive Man]].<ref name="IGN"/> The game received mixed reviews from critics, with criticism being directed at the gameplay control.
==Gameplay== ''Bartman Meets Radioactive Man'' is a [[side-scrolling]] [[platform game]]. Throughout the four chapters, Bartman is faced with enemies he has to defeat. He only has five life points, but if he loses one or more of them they can be restored. This is done by collecting radioactive signs. The player is able to collect lightning icons that give Bartman the ability to shoot lightning bolts at enemies from his eyes. His other weapons are kicking and punching. In addition, Bartman must avoid the deadly traps that are scattered at various places in the levels.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/nforce-magazine-V201 |title=The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man |magazine=N-Force |volume=2 |issue=1 |date=July 1993 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/nforce-magazine-V201/page/n15/mode/2up 16]–18}}</ref> At the end of each chapter, Bartman must face one of the super villains that stole Radioactive Man's powers.
==Plot== [[Bart Simpson]] is at home reading a ''[[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Radioactive Man|Radioactive Man]]'' comic book only to be shocked as Radioactive Man's sidekick, [[Fallout Boy (The Simpsons)|Fallout Boy]], jumps out of it. Fallout Boy tells Bart that he must venture into the comic book universe in order to save Radioactive Man, who is being held captive at the [[black hole]]-orbiting prison Limbo Zone. Once inside the comic book world, Bart transforms into his superhero alter ego Bartman and has to defeat three super villains that have stolen Radioactive Man's powers: Swamp Hag, Dr. Crab, and Lava Man.<ref name="IGN"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Kapalka|first=Jeff|title=Bart Simpson Becomes Moving Target In New Games For Portable Systems|newspaper=Syracuse Herald-American|date=1994-04-17|page=25}}</ref> After collecting these powers, Bartman must find Radioactive Man and team up with him to defeat Brain-O the Magnificent, the mastermind behind the evil plot.
==Development== The game was developed by [[Imagineering]] and published by [[Acclaim Entertainment|Acclaim]]. It was released in 1992 for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES) and the handheld [[Game Gear]].<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|title=The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man|url=http://cheats.ign.com/objects/612/612872.html|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=2010-08-04}}</ref><ref name="TGT">{{cite news|author1=Carter, Chip |author2=Carter, Jonathan |title=''Superheros <!-- sic! --> arrive on the tube''|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=W74fAAAAIBAJ&pg=4072,1306773&dq=bartman-meets-radioactive-man&hl=en|access-date=2010-08-04|newspaper=[[The Gadsden Times]]|date=1993-02-11}}</ref> At the time when the game was released, the "Bartman" alter ego was popular in merchandise relating to ''The Simpsons'', although the character rarely appeared in the television series. Radioactive Man had not been featured much either at that point.<ref name="Mackey">{{cite web|last=Mackey|first=Bob|title=Retro Revival Retrospective: The Simpsons Part 6|url=http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8991894|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205235437/http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8991894|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 5, 2012|work=Retro Gaming Blog|publisher=[[1UP.com]]|access-date=2010-08-03|date=2009-05-31}}</ref> In regard to this, an [[1UP.com]] editor commented that "when it comes to mining the show for content, ''Bartman Meets Radioactive Man'' is ''really'' reaching."<ref name="Mackey"/> ''The Simpsons'' creator [[Matt Groening]] was involved with the development of earlier video games based on the series, having final approval on all storylines and character designs. For ''Bartman Meets Radioactive Man'', Groening changed a character named Queen Ant DeLuvian to Queen Grouchina, though no character with either name exists in the released version of the game.<ref>{{cite magazine | author=Ascher-Walsh, Rebecca | date=August 7, 1992 | title=Matt Groening of {{'}}''The Simpsons''{{'}} | url=https://ew.com/article/1992/08/07/matt-groening-simpsons/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220814205651/https://ew.com/article/1992/08/07/matt-groening-simpsons/ | archive-date=August 14, 2022 | magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] | publisher=[[Dotdash Meredith]] | accessdate=May 4, 2024}}</ref>
== Reception == {{Video game reviews |na=yes |NES=yes |SGG=yes |GamePro_NES = 13/20<ref name = "GamePro">{{cite magazine|last=Larry|first=Scary|date=January 1993|url=https://archive.org/details/game-pro-issue-42-january-1993/page/36/mode/2up|title=The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man|work=[[GamePro]]|issue=42|via=[[Internet Archive]]|p=36|access-date=August 12, 2025}}</ref> |GamePro_SGG = 13/20<ref name = "GameProSGG">{{cite magazine|last=LaMancha|first=Manny|date=March 1994|url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_056_March_1994/page/n141/mode/2up|title=The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man|work=[[GamePro]]|issue=56|p=148|via=[[Internet Archive]]|access-date=August 12, 2025}}</ref> |GameZone_NES=71/100<ref name = "GameZone">{{cite magazine|last=Pemberton|first=Daniel|date=April 1993|url=https://archive.org/details/nintendo-game-zone-06/mode/2up|title=bartman meets radioactive man|work=Nintendo Game Zone|issue=5|pp=24–25|via=[[Internet Archive]]|access-date=August 13, 2025}}</ref> |JP_NES=56%<ref name = "Joypadrev">{{Cite magazine|author=T.S.R.|date=October 1993|url=https://archive.org/details/joypad-magazine-024/page/n105/mode/2up|title=The Simpsons: Bartman Meet Radioactive Man|work=[[:fr:Joypad (magazine)|Joypad]]|language=fr|p=107|via=[[Internet Archive]]|access-date=August 13, 2025}}</ref> |ONM_NES=73/100<ref name="NMS"/> |TOT_NES=67%<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Steve|date=June 1993|url=https://archive.org/details/total-18-june-1993/mode/2up|title=Bartman Meets Radioactive Man|work=[[Total!]]|issue=18|p=64|via=[[Internet Archive]]|access-date=August 13, 2025}}</ref> |VGS_NES=68%<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_1993-04_Markt_Technik_DE/page/n93/mode/2u|title=Bartman meets Radioactive Man|language=de|work=[[:de:Video Games|Video Games]]|p=98|date=April 1993|via=[[Internet Archive]]|access-date=August 13, 2025}}</ref> |VGCE_NES=6/10<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Walnum|first=Clayton|date=January 1993|url=https://archive.org/details/video-games-computer-entertainment-january-1993/page/n61/mode/2up|title=Bartman Meets Radioactive Man|work=[[VideoGames & Computer Entertainment]]|volume=5|number=1|p=62|via=[[Internet Archive]]|access-date=August 12, 2025}}</ref> |VGCE_SGG=6/10<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/video-games-march-1994/mode/2up|title=Bartman Meets Radioactive Man|work=[[VideoGames & Computer Entertainment]]|date=March 1994|p=79|volume=6|number=3|via=[[Internet Archive]]|access-date=August 12, 2025}}</ref> |rev1=''[[Electronic Games]]'' |rev1_SGG=B+<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hardin|first=John Wexley|date=May 1994|url=https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1994-05/page/n91/mode/2up|title=Bartman Meets Radioactive Man|work=[[Electronic Games]]|p=93|via=[[Internet Archive]]|access-date=August 12, 2025}}</ref> |rev2=''[[N-Force]]'' |rev2_NES=77/100<ref>{{cite magazine|author1=Tim|author2=Nick|date=July 1993|url=https://archive.org/details/nforce-magazine-V201/page/n15/mode/2up|title=The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man|work=[[N-Force]]|pp=16–18|volume=2|number=1|via=[[Internet Archive]]|access-date=August 12, 2025}}</ref> }} ''Bartman Meets Radioactive Man'' received generally mixed reviews from critics. In February 1994, the ''[[GamePro]]'' magazine commented, "Though it's not a toxic waste of time, ''Bartman meets Radioactive Man'' is an average game with handicaps that affect its playability and your enjoyment. Only you can determine if it's a meltdown or not."<ref name="MG-reviews">{{cite web|title=The Press Says|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/game-gear/simpsons-bartman-meets-radioactive-man/mobyrank|publisher=[[MobyGames]]|access-date=2010-08-04}}</ref> ''[[Game Players]]'' gave the game a 44/100 rating with the rationale that "it's full of frustrating jumps, and there are no [[Password (video games)|passwords]] [for saving]."<ref name="MG-reviews"/>
In the fifth issue of ''[[Nintendo Magazine System (Australia)|Nintendo Magazine System]]'', reviewer Andrew called ''Bartman Meets Radioactive Man'' inferior to ''[[Krusty's Fun House]]'' and gave it a score of 73 out of 100.<ref name="NMS">{{cite magazine |language=en |title=Bartman Meets Radioactive Man with Fallout Boy |magazine=Nintendo Magazine System |issue=5 |pages=22–23 |url=https://archive.org/stream/Nintendo_Magazine_System_05_1993-08_Trielle_AU#page/n21/mode/2up}}</ref> He wrote that the game starts in a "promising manner," but quickly "degenerates" into a generic platforming game, concluding with "It would be easy to ignore ''Bart Meets Radioactive Man'', and, if you did, you wouldn't miss out on much. But if you can cope with boring graphics and monotone tunes, you have a tough game that should take a while to complete."<ref name="NMS" />
In 2009, ''1UP.com'' editor Bob Mackey reviewed the game in ''1UP''{{'}}s official Retro Gaming Blog. He wrote that Bart "still has the same awful, inconsistent jumping from his first NES game. [...] Really, this game could have been somewhat interesting if the developers used the Radioactive Man character to parody existing comics and comic eras—as they did in the show and the [[List of The Simpsons comics#Radioactive Man|''Radioactive Man'' comic book]]—but that's asking way too much of a licensed [[8-bit]] game."<ref name="Mackey"/>
Writing for [[Tribune Media Services]] in 1993, columnists Chip and Jonathan Carter gave ''Bartman Meets Radioactive Man'' a more positive review. They wrote that "we haven't seen a bad ''Simpsons'' game yet, and ''Bartman''{{'}}s actions and graphics are as good as the others. This one-player cart's not quite as much fun as the first two NES ''Simpsons'' games — probably because it's harder — but it still stands mask and cape above most other 8-bit games."<ref name="TGT"/> The game received a 70/100 rating from the Dutch magazine ''[[Power Unlimited]]'' in 1994.<ref name="MG-reviews"/>
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{moby game|id=/simpsons-bartman-meets-radioactive-man}}
{{Simpsons games}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man, The}} [[Category:1992 video games]] [[Category:Acclaim Entertainment games]] [[Category:Game Gear games]] [[Category:Imagineering (company) games]] [[Category:Video games based on The Simpsons|Bartman Meets Radioactive Man]] [[Category:Nintendo Entertainment System games]] [[Category:North America-exclusive video games]] [[Category:Platformers]] [[Category:Superhero video games]] [[Category:Video games about children]] [[Category:Video games scored by Mark Van Hecke]] [[Category:Video games developed in the United States]] [[Category:Single-player video games]] [[Category:Perfect Entertainment games]]