By Elias Dounis on September 28th, 2003

Genre: Action Adventure/Racing
Developer: Radical Entertainment
Publisher: Vivendi Universal Games
# of Players: 1 - 4
Memory: 8 blocks
ERSB: Teen
Released On: September 16, 2003
Supports: N/A
MSRP: $49.99
Also On: PC, PlayStation 2, XBOX
Website: www.hitandrungame.com

Matt Groenig’s The Simpsons has been a comedy favorite of mine since early childhood. Whether it’s a new episode, daily repeats, or the annual Treehouse of Horror specials, for years I’ve been tuning my television to FOX in order to watch America’s favorite yellow skinned, four fingered, mischief bound family. As a gamer, you would assume that I’ve played my fair share of Simpsons branded video games, and I have. However, unlike most, I’m not going to say that there never were any fun Simpsons games. Sure, I enjoyed the classic early 90’s arcade game, but I also enjoyed Bart’s Nightmare on the Super Nintendo, and also the recent Crazy Taxi knock-off we know as The Simpsons: Road Rage.

Radical Entertainment’s previous Simpsons game, Road Rage, was an attempt at taking a popular game (which was SEGA’s Crazy Taxi) and slapping the Simpsons franchise on it with hopes of creating an enjoyable gaming experience; which Road Rage is. Now, with The Simpsons: Hit & Run, Radical Entertainment’s latest Simpsons endeavor, the formula of possibly the most popular game on this earth today has been ripped. That is Rock Star’s Grand Theft Auto. However, Hit & Run’s biggest attraction isn’t its gameplay. It’s the Simpsons’ atmosphere…

Presentation:

The town of Springfield has never been recreated so well in any other Simpsons game before Hit & Run. Many familiar locales from the TV show such as the “Tomacco” fields are found in the game, and other references to classic episodes that one would think would be left forgotten in a Simpsons video game are included as well. For instance, a couple of years ago Springfield was split into two different Area Codes. With the rich part of town getting the original “636” area code, while the Joe Schmos such as Homer, Lenny, and Carl got the “939” area code. Oddly, this caused a mini Civil War, where newly dubbed mayor of “New Springfield” Homer J. Simpson built a wall (out of 90% recycled materials) separating the two districts and then tricking the British rock band “The Who” to ditch their originally scheduled concert at “Olde Springfield” to play exclusively at “New Springfield”… Now, what does this have to do with Hit & Run? Well, in the game you’ll notice signs which distinguish the area code changes made in that particular episode… While details such as these would prove to be a trivial aspect to most, fans of the show will definitely take notice. And that’s just the tip of the ice berg… The voice-overs done by Dan Castalleneta, Hank Azaria, Julie Cavner and the rest of the show’s cast for virtual Springfield are AMAZING! All of your classic favorites like Homer, Apu, Cletus, Professor Frink, Captain McCallister, Mayor Quimby, etc... are done justice, causing Hit & Run to be as funny as any episode you’ve seen on TV, and seeing how creator Matt Groenig, Sam Simon, and the rest of the Simpsons’ crew were on board for the development of the game’s story and scripting, this is something to be expected.

Gameplay:

The gameplay found in Hit & Run is very much like RockStar North’s most recent Grand Theft Auto games, except toned down a few notches (okay, maybe more than just a few). There aren’t any guns being fired or whores being beaten. So, GameCube owners may have to wait a bit longer for their “mature” themed GTA-like experience. Hit & Run just holds onto the basic gameplay ideas of GTA, ditching its popular gimmick.

Hit & Run allows you to play as five different characters, each with their own specific chapters…Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge, and Apu. With each character, you’re given a certain amount of missions (usually seven) to complete before moving onto the next. More or less every mission is the same. Often, requiring for the player to collect a certain amount of objects within a given time; whether is packets of ketchup to feed Cletus’ family, or a few dozen monkeys which escaped Dr. Nick’s torturing, err… I mean MEDICAL facilities. Other missions which you’ll come across in the game will require for you to chase down a particular vehicle, or even to destroy one. Later on you’ll come across missions that combine the best of the bunch all into one. However, these missions are the ones that are not required to complete each chapter. While the game is a bit linear in terms of game progression, you can explore the streets of Springfield for some side quests. And just like the main missions, these side quests are just about the same in each chapter... You’ll be asked to destroy mysterious bee-like looking spy-cams located around town. Perform in races sponsored by Patty and Selma’s DMV. Collect novelty cards which highlight classic moments from the TV show. Perform “gags” which basically means to break something (often highlighted, so you’ll know what to do when you see it). And to completely finish one hundred percent of each chapter, you’ll have to buy each character’s alternate attire and vehicles… If you want to walk the streets of Springfield as Homer in his Stone Cutter’s outfit you can, and if you want to change vehicles from the Family Sedan, to “The Car Designed by Homer” you can do that too.

It’s not often in Hit & Run that you’ll run into any “on-foot” missions. Nearly every mission requires the use of a vehicle. The only time it becomes necessary to get out of your vehicle is when you need to collect Buzz Cola coins, the game’s currency (often used to buy another vehicle – something that is forced upon you at some point in each chapter), and of course when your vehicle is on the verge of exploding after taking too much damage. But, perhaps it’s best that most missions are vehicle based. I’m mentioning this, because of the game’s terrible controls. While collision detection and handling is a bit questionable while driving your vehicle of choice, it’s still bearable. Controlling your character on foot is a whole different story. Characters can perform double-jumps in a similar fashion to LucasArt’s Super Nintendo classic Super Empire Strikes Back, which requires a double tap of the A button, pressing A in mid-air for the extra boost. In air you can perform a Super Mario 64-like “butt stomp” by pressing the attack button, B. Often, used to break crates carrying Buzz Cola coins. When on foot, B is used to kick and nothing else; just kick. So if you see a pedestrian in the street you can kick ‘em right in the arse, and that’s interesting for about a second or two. Running is what will really break your balls. In order to run you must press and hold the X button. Why the analog control function wasn’t utilized is beyond me. On top of it, it feels as if there is a force pushing your character in the opposite direction when attempting to make a quick turn. And no, I didn’t have any calibration problems with my GameCube controller. The game’s camera isn’t too useful either. It works well while driving, but on foot it becomes is a problem. Personally, I’ve seen characters disappear in narrow allies on numerous occasions, moving the control stick in all sorts of directions blindly until I could finally locate them. Sounds great doesn’t it?

Springfield is fully recreated inHit & Run. Although you many not be able to explore the entire town with a single character. Since different locales are only accessible in different chapters. This is unlike Rock Star’s GTA games which allows more and more parts of the city to be unlocked over the course of game progression. Springfield is only divided into two parts, so you’ll be returning to the same locales in different chapters.

Appeal:

Hit & Run is a fun game, and it’s a shame that it’s done with real quick. The main game is easily completed in less than ten hours and there’s nothing too interesting to do after that point to keep the player coming back. Those on a small budget may want to consider a rental first but not only because of the game’s length, but also because of its gameplay, which isn’t anything but mediocre.

Graphics:

It’s a shame that not all games feature the visual splendor of titles such as Metroid Prime or Splinter Cell. The Simpsons: Hit & Run easily falls short of any precedent a game like the two mentioned above may have set. My biggest argument would have to be the inconsistency in frame rate, which often drops below the wishful 30 fps… It’s an eyesore, but so is the rest of the game as a whole.

While everything seems to do justice to the animated TV show, you can’t help but want more in terms of texturing, character models, geometry, and all kinds of stuff we reviewers like to bitch and moan about. Perhaps, if Radical Entertainment took a Cel-Shaded route and closer mimicked the Simpsons TV show for that overall presentation, I’d sound less monotone when describing Hit & Run’s graphics, but that’s not the case. So, tough luck chummmmmmmmmp!

Sound:

Everyone knows the unmistakable theme to The Simpsons and many of us all too well. Surprisingly however, it’s not as abundant in Hit & Run as one might imagine. Other than during the game’s opening credits and game menus, you won’t come across the theme far too often. Most of the time, while exploring virtual Springfield, a character specific tune will be playing throughout. If your character is Lisa you’ll hear a jazz-influenced beat, or as Apu you’ll be treated to some Hindu chimes, but best of all is when you hop into a vehicle with Cletus “The Slack Jawed Yokel”, because I know that we all love “hillbillah” ruckus.

As I mentioned earlier, thanks to the talented voice acting team behind the actual Simpsons TV show, Hit & Run features one of the most comedic and well done voice acting you’ll come across in any game. So, there’s not much of a need to restate facts that have already been mentioned. But what hasn’t been mentioned yet is the fact that some of the one-liners in the game have been reused from Radical Entertainment’s previous Simpsons game, Road Rage. Although, it won’t make much of a difference to newcomers, it’s something that may possibly annoy gamers who’ve spent some time with Road Rage.

As for the other audible effects, for the most part, they’re decent. Crashes and impacts are impressive enough. However, all pales into comparison to the game’s voice acting.

Final Thoughts:

As a Simpsons fan, I can’t help but love Radical Entertainment’s The Simpsons: Hit & Run. Though, the reason behind that isn’t because of the title’s gameplay. No, it’s the humorous personality of the show that’s flawlessly recreated that I love. Any fan of the show will eat this game up as I did. However, those who are looking for some amazingly deep, innovative, refreshing, and polished gameplay may want to look somewhere else.