Day 192, Game 192 - The Simpsons Arcade Game

July 11th, what a significant day on the calender for our country. Now normally, I haven't played many games for this blog to coincide with specific dates or holidays, mainly because I haven't wanted to, but also because there haven't been that many specific dates that would make for good video game blog posts. 

But July 11th? Oh yeah, this one had to be written about. 

July 11th, or 7/11 as it is more commonly written/typed, is celebrated across this great country by everyone of all genders, ages, races, sexes, religious beliefs and ethical values. It is recognized and celebrated for being Free Slurpee Day, at any and all (participating) 7-11 convenience stores. In other words, it's pretty much the best day of the year. 

I love 7-11 stores. Well, I used to as a kid, as I don't seem to have the same affinity for them now as an adult that I did when I was just a young noyse-maker. Back then, going to 7-11 was an awesome experience, for some odd reason. There was one a couple blocks from my house, and my friends and I would always head over there whenever the mood seemed to fit. One friend in particular would always meet me Sunday mornings at the end of our paper routes, and we would ride over together to grab some donuts and whatever else we felt necessary to celebrate the fact we were up and done with "work" before most adults were even thinking about getting out of bed.

And then you have the Slurpees. 7-11 Slurpees are unlike anything else ever. They are often imitated, never duplicated. Sure, some people prefer Slushies or Icees, but clearly those people haven't truly lived. Slurpees are iconic staple of summer time, right up there with lazy days by the river and Sublime on the radio. 

Slurpees, 7-11 stores and my childhood always remind me of one thing, however. The Simpsons, and more specifically, the Kwik-E-Mart pretty much are the perfect examples of Slurpees/7-11/my childhood in cartoon form. And because of this long, drawn out analogy, I decided to play The Simpsons Arcade Game, which just so happens to be another awesome part of my childhood. 

I can remember one pizza place in town specifically that had The Simpsons Arcade Game, I can't even begin to fathom how many quarters I may have dropped into that machine over the years. I loved, loved, loved that game, and honestly, still do. So playing this on my PS3 is more fun than I could possibly imagine. Fortunately, I don't need to keep pumping quarters in to keep playing on, because as much as I have played the game, it's still ridiculously hard when playing solo. It's a 4-player co-op, and to truly be good at it, you should strive to fill in all four player slots. 

But hey, despite my lack of friends, I still enjoyed playing it, in all its old-school Simpsons cheesiness. And I have my free Slurpee earlier in the day to thank for the inspiration. And of course the best holiday of the year. 

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