Virtual Bart

n/a

Virtual Bart
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Acclaim Entertainment Acclaim Japan (JP)
Developer: Sculptured Software, The Black Team
Licensor: Twentieth Century Fox, Gracie Films
Sound driver: GEMS
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code JP 1995-12-31 ¥8,8008,800 T-81103 US 1994-10 T-81206 EU 1994 T-81206-50 UK 1994 T-81206-50 AU 199x FVIR01SMC
Non-Sega versions Super NES

Virtual Bart (バーチャルバート) is a video game released for the Sega Mega Drive in 1994. It was the last Simpsons game to see a release on a home Sega console and stars Bart Simpson. It was the last Simpsons game to be published by Acclaim (whose handling of the franchise was seen as iffy) and the only on the Mega Drive to be published under the Acclaim name rather than Flying Edge.

Story

At a science fair, Martin Prince presents a virtual reality device that displays six educational exhibitions. However, Bart causes the device to malfunction and gets trapped in it. Bart must complete the six programs to escape the machine.

Gameplay

Roulette wheel

Virtual Bart has Bart complete a series of "virtual reality programs," which are mini-games with unique play styles. It is similar to the preceding Bart's Nightmare, but unlike that game, mini-games are selected randomly using a spinning roulette wheel rather than from a hub world. There is also a practice mode that lets the player select an individual mini-game to play.

The player can stop the roulette wheel with , , or . Once a mini-game is completed, it cannot be repeated; if the wheel lands on an already-completed mini-game, it continues spinning slowly to the nearest remaining mini-game panel. If the wheel lands on the skull or corn dog panel (which alternates quickly between both items), the player loses or gains a life, respectively.

All mini-games feature a time limit. If the time runs out, the player loses a life. Additionally, all mini-games (except for Class Picture) feature a health bar, which decreases every time Bart gets hit. Several mini-games feature corn dogs that restore Bart's health, as well as extra lives. Some mini-games give the player three tries before losing a life, but some only give the player one chance. Losing a mini-game costs one life and returns Bart to the roulette wheel. The game ends in failure if the player runs out of lives or in success if the player completes all of the mini-games.

Programs

	Dino Bart
	Bart is a dinosaur and runs across a primitive Springfield. He rampages throughout mountains while defeating several primitive humans that resemble Simpsons characters. If the mini-game is completed, a prehistoric Homer is seen frozen in a present-day museum. Bart moves with and and jumps with . He attacks by snapping his tail with . If he collects a growl item, he can roar with , defeating all enemies on screen.
	Doomsday Bart
	An explosion at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant causes Springfield to become an apocalyptic wasteland. Bart must make his way ten miles to the Springfield entrance on his motorcycle while avoiding Jimbo and Kearney. The level plays in a 3D view, where Bart drives along a road while avoiding animals, rocks and other objects, oncoming traffic, and attacks from the two bullies. Checkpoints every mile extend time. Driving over a nitro tank gives Bart a speed boost that lasts until he hits an object. If the mini-game is completed, Bart makes it to his house in time to watch The Krusty the Clown Show. Bart steers his motorcycle with and . He accelerates with and brakes with . He can kick toward the side with or throw a water balloon ahead with .
	Baby Bart
	A baby Bart escapes his home to follow an ice cream truck, ending up in the street and eventually a circus. If the mini-game is completed, Bart enters the ice cream truck, with a younger Homer chasing him. Bart moves with and and jumps with . He can use his pacifier as a projectile with (which can be aimed using the D-Pad). He can use his diaper as a parachute to slow his fall while airborne by holding . He grabs branches and poles and swings from them automatically. Bart loses a life if he falls to the ground. When walking on the clothes lines, he drops down to the line below (or hangs from the bottom line) with +. He falls off the line when he touches a garment. In the carriage section, the carriage moves with and . It slows down with and speeds up with . Bart loses a life if the carriage hits a fire hydrant and knocks over. Oils slicks cause the player to temporarily lose control.
	Mount Splashmore
	Bart enters the Mount Splashmore water slide and must make it down safely. The mini-game is played from a forward-facing view, centered behind Bart. Bart must avoid obstacles and make it down to the end of the slide before time runs out. A meter at the top shows his progress in the slide. There are several forks in the slide's path. Before each junction, a person in a green swimsuit appears, with lines on the back of his shirt that indicate the correct path to choose. Choosing the wrong path either leads to a stuck Homer, which wastes time and sends Bart back up to the fork or to an early exit that instantly kills Bart. If Bart manages to reach the end, he exits the slide, splashing Sherri and Terri. Bart moves with and and ducks under the water with . He can grab and throw beach balls with . Other items he can grab are clocks (add extra time) and boogie boards (grant temporary invulnerability). Blinky the mutant fish reduces his time.
	Pork Factory Pig Bart
	Bart is a pig who has been captured and taken to Krusty's Pork Factory, but he manages to escape and sets off to free the captured pigs. Bart must flip switches to free pigs and then find the exit to each section. At the end, he fights the corporate executives of the company. If the mini-game is completed, the pigs escape and Bart is hailed as a hero by the pigs. Bart moves with and and jumps with . He attacks enemies by jumping on them. He bounces on his tail with +, which gives his jump more vertical but less horizontal distance. He enters doors with .
	Virtual Class Picture
	Bart intends to ruin his school's Picture Day by throwing tomatoes at all of his classmates. There are two rounds. After Bart succeeds, the school schedules a reshoot, which Bart intends to ruin by throwing eggs at his classmates. Bart must throw tomatoes and eggs at his classmates as they walk around a 3D field. Classmates are removed from the field when they are hit. Bart has a limited number of projectiles, and if he runs out of tomatoes or eggs or if any adult characters are hit, the player fails the mini-game. If Bart succeeds, Bart is the only student not to have been splatted in the photo shoot. Bart aims his throw by pressing , which causes a line to move toward the horizon, and then throws by pressing again when the line is at the desired distance. The line disappears when it travels the full depth of the field, requiring the player to start the the throw again. The throw can be aimed diagonally left or right by holding or during the second button press. The player must lead targets to hit them since they are all moving and since it takes time for the projectile to travel.

Production credits

• Programmed by: James Henn, Rob Nelson, Hung Nguyen, John Tomlinson
• Directed by: Hal Rushton
• Designed by: Hal Rushton, Rich Reagan, Dave Ross
• Lead Artist: Dallin Haws
• Art and Animation by: Rich Reagan, Joel Izatt, Mike Peery, Ray Cornia, Mike Ulrich, Virginia Sargent, Rob Kemp
• Music and Sound-Effects Arranged and Performed by: Sam Powell, Mark Ganus, Kingsley Thurber, Eric Nunamaker, James Hebdon
• Camp Bracken Staff: Vince Bracken, Gary Rowberry, John Howa, Scott Hanks, Brian Miller, Bryan Wong, Steve Jolly, Jeff Hanson, Matt Grate
• Acclaim Development by: The Black Team
• Producer: Mark Flitman
• Associate Producers: Doug Yellin, Tyrone Miller, Ken Kajikawa
• Analysts: Joe Cool Allocco, Michael Archer, J.J. Mazziotto
• Special Thanks to: Linda Spelman, Scott Marcus, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Eric Samulski, John Guymon

Source:

In-game credits

Magazine articles

Main article: Virtual Bart/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #62: "September 1994" (1994-xx-xx)

Print advert in Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1994-09: "September 1994" (1994-08-08)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 50 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 53 Game Players (US) NTSC-U 51 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 80 Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL 76 MAN!AC (DE) PAL 67 Mega (UK) PAL 60 Magazina Igrushek (RU) 80 Player One (FR) 65 Play Time (DE) 35 Sega Megazone (AU) 35 Top Secret (PL) 50 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 78

	60
Based on 13 reviews

Virtual Bart

Mega Drive, JP
Cover
Cart Reg Card

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, SE (rental)
Cover

Mega Drive, AU
Cover

Mega Drive, ZA
Cart

Technical information

Main article: Virtual Bart/Technical information.