Itchy and Scratchy in Miniature Golf Madness
Encyclopedia
Itchy & Scratchy in Miniature Golf Madness is a miniature golf
game released on the Game Boy
in 1994, featuring the cat and mouse pair Itchy & Scratchy
from the television series The Simpsons
. Developed by Beam Software, it was the first game to feature these characters. In the game, the player controls Scratchy as he plays through a miniature golf course of nine holes while at the same time avoiding Itchy's attacks. It received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics.
s, bazooka
s, chainsaw
s, meat cleavers, and dynamite
. Scratchy can acquire items, such as a baseball bat or throwing knives, and power-up
s to defend himself against Itchy. He can also use his putter as a weapon. There are a total of nine levels, or holes, in the game.
game to feature the characters Itchy & Scratchy
, the mouse and cat regularly seen on the show. It was developed by Beam Software and published by Acclaim
. The game was released exclusively for the hand-held Game Boy
console in November 1994. Despite the violence, it was rated E (Everyone) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board
.
gave it a 2.825/5 rating in their August 1994 issue. In February 1995, VideoGames & Computer Entertainment wrote that "You'll never know just how fun miniature golf can be until you play this Itchy and Scratchy game. The unique gameplay sets it apart from other platform games, You play as Scratchy, who's trapped in a miniature golf park, Itchy's after Scratchy, equipped with chainsaws, electric cattle prods and flame throwers. You've got to maneuver your golf ball through each level. And watch out for all those little golf ball traps. You'll see plenty of innovative miniature golf contraptions. You get a golf game and an action game all in one." The magazine gave Miniature Golf Madness a 9 out of 10 rating. GamePro
rated the game 3/5, commenting that "It's funny, but this routine game's not much fun."
On The Simpsons, Itchy and Scratchy are featured in over-the-top violent cartoons in which Itchy repeatedly kills Scratchy. UGO Networks said they "assume that whoever thought of this [game] never actually saw the show. That's really the only excuse. Instead of maiming each other, Itchy and Scratchy decide to settle their beef on the miniature golf course." They added, however, that "Despite the fact that it didn't make sense, the game's not too bad. You play as Scratchy and you have to drive your golf ball across a sidescrolling level and avoid being beat on by Itchy. It's certainly better than Bart and the Beanstalk, but that's not saying much."
In a 1995 review of Miniature Golf Madness and the second Itchy & Scratchy game, The Itchy & Scratchy Game (1995, Game Gear), Jeff Kapalka of the Syracuse Herald-American writes that Miniature Golf Madness has "all the pointless violence and mayhem that's in [The Itchy & Scratchy Game], but there's also the actual golf game that you have to survive. (The golf game is pretty neat, in and of itself. Throw in the aspect of sudden death - literally - and you've got an exciting, funny cart.)" He also commented on the look of the game: "Playing on a regular Game Boy, the graphics are, of course, not as spiffy as on the Game Gear. But then again, there's nowhere near the amount of flicker, either. Scratchy's 'deaths' are pretty spectacular, nonetheless. I was able to get through a few rounds on the Super Game Boy
, and the default colors were quite nice. (No custom border on the screen, though. Sigh.) Still, I'm hoping that Acclaim eventually manages to port this game over to the Game Gear." Kapalka gave the game 2.5/4 stars.
Miniature golf
Miniature golf, or minigolf, is a miniature version of the sport of golf. While the international sports organization World Minigolf Sport Federation prefers to use the name "minigolf", the general public in different countries has also many other names for the game: miniature golf, mini-golf,...
game released on the Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
in 1994, featuring the cat and mouse pair Itchy & 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 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...
. Developed by Beam Software, it was the first game to feature these characters. In the game, the player controls Scratchy as he plays through a miniature golf course of nine holes while at the same time avoiding Itchy's attacks. It received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics.
Gameplay
Itchy & Scratchy in Miniature Golf Madness is a side-scrolling action game. The player takes control of Scratchy as he plays through various mini golf courses, trying to achieve a good score, while at the same time avoiding Itchy's attacks. Itchy uses weapons such as grenadeGrenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
s, bazooka
Bazooka
Bazooka is the common name for a man-portable recoilless rocket antitank weapon, widely fielded by the U.S. Army. Also referred to as the "Stovepipe", the innovative bazooka was amongst the first-generation of rocket propelled anti-tank weapons used in infantry combat...
s, chainsaw
Chainsaw
A chainsaw is a portable mechanical saw, powered by electricity, compressed air, hydraulic power, or most commonly a two-stroke engine...
s, meat cleavers, and dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
. Scratchy can acquire items, such as a baseball bat or throwing knives, and power-up
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
s to defend himself against Itchy. He can also use his putter as a weapon. There are a total of nine levels, or holes, in the game.
Development and release
Itchy & Scratchy in Miniature Golf Madness was the first SimpsonsThe 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...
game to feature the characters Itchy & 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...
, the mouse and cat regularly seen on the show. It was developed by Beam Software 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...
. The game was released exclusively for the hand-held Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
console in November 1994. Despite the violence, it was rated E (Everyone) 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...
.
Reception
Critics gave Itchy & Scratchy in Miniature Golf Madness generally mixed to positive reviews. Nintendo PowerNintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
gave it a 2.825/5 rating in their August 1994 issue. In February 1995, VideoGames & Computer Entertainment wrote that "You'll never know just how fun miniature golf can be until you play this Itchy and Scratchy game. The unique gameplay sets it apart from other platform games, You play as Scratchy, who's trapped in a miniature golf park, Itchy's after Scratchy, equipped with chainsaws, electric cattle prods and flame throwers. You've got to maneuver your golf ball through each level. And watch out for all those little golf ball traps. You'll see plenty of innovative miniature golf contraptions. You get a golf game and an action game all in one." The magazine gave Miniature Golf Madness a 9 out of 10 rating. 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...
rated the game 3/5, commenting that "It's funny, but this routine game's not much fun."
On The Simpsons, Itchy and Scratchy are featured in over-the-top violent cartoons in which Itchy repeatedly kills Scratchy. UGO Networks said they "assume that whoever thought of this [game] never actually saw the show. That's really the only excuse. Instead of maiming each other, Itchy and Scratchy decide to settle their beef on the miniature golf course." They added, however, that "Despite the fact that it didn't make sense, the game's not too bad. You play as Scratchy and you have to drive your golf ball across a sidescrolling level and avoid being beat on by Itchy. It's certainly better than Bart and the Beanstalk, but that's not saying much."
In a 1995 review of Miniature Golf Madness and the second Itchy & Scratchy game, The Itchy & Scratchy Game (1995, Game Gear), Jeff Kapalka of the Syracuse Herald-American writes that Miniature Golf Madness has "all the pointless violence and mayhem that's in [The Itchy & Scratchy Game], but there's also the actual golf game that you have to survive. (The golf game is pretty neat, in and of itself. Throw in the aspect of sudden death - literally - and you've got an exciting, funny cart.)" He also commented on the look of the game: "Playing on a regular Game Boy, the graphics are, of course, not as spiffy as on the Game Gear. But then again, there's nowhere near the amount of flicker, either. Scratchy's 'deaths' are pretty spectacular, nonetheless. I was able to get through a few rounds on the Super Game Boy
Super Game Boy
The is a 16-bit adapter cartridge for Nintendo's Super Nintendo Entertainment System, as well as the Super Famicom in Japan. The Super Game Boy allows game cartridges designed for use on the Game Boy to be played on a TV display using the SNES/Super Famicom controllers. When it was released in...
, and the default colors were quite nice. (No custom border on the screen, though. Sigh.) Still, I'm hoping that Acclaim eventually manages to port this game over to the Game Gear." Kapalka gave the game 2.5/4 stars.