The Simpsons Hit & Run Review November 11, 2003 Marcus Yam

The Simpsons, meet The Simp...

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oh, wrong theme song.

The Simpsons Hit & Run follows a long line of horrifyingly bad Simpsons games that challenge the very definition of the word game. You can imagine, then, that despite the hype I was unsure about trying the new Simpsons game (out on all consoles now, and shjpping for PC today). Fortunately, Hit & Run is excellent and a must-have for Simpsons fans. The voiceovers are done by the actual cast to hilarious effect, and the story is written by people who actually have something to do with the show (I'm still unclear on whether or not they were writers, interns, janitors, or all three). The Simpsons show translates miraculously well to a 3D game world, and fans can take part in what could have been a real episode.

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The Gritty Side of Springfield

Hit & Run is essentially a parody of Grand Theft Auto 3. All of the necessary elements are there: a variety of hijackable cars, powerful weapons that are great for attacking random street-goers, prostitutes, and run-ins with the law. Except that in the Simpsons world, you can simply hop in someone's car and get a free ride (as Bart says, "we deserve it after all we've done for this town!"), the weapons include your legs (kicking) and butt (a Mario-esque double-jump and squash), the prostitutes are just skimpily dressed women near the trailer park where Cletus lives, and the police will charge you 50 coins (or whatever you have if less than 50) if they catch you after an extended binge of hitting people and, well, running.

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Radical Entertainment

Publisher

Vivendi Universal Games

Cross-platforms

Xbox, GC, PS2, and PC

The Scenic Route

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You will get to play seven levels defined by the character you use, starting and ending with Homer, and messing around with Bart, Lisa, Marge, Apu, and Bart again in between. The levels take place across three different large areas of Springfield, and each area is different as you visit it later in the game. Every level features seven shorter story
missions that advance the game. The story starts simply enough, with Homer talking to Ned Flanders and running errands for Marge, but over time a very mysterious mystery mysteriously manifests, putting the characters on the trail of a suspicious, specious cola. As the game progresses you will come across nearly every resident in Springfield, including: Professor Frink, Snake, Comic book guy, the Captain, Krusty the Clown, Principal Skinner (and mother), Dr. Nick, Dr. Hibbert, Moe, and countless others.

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The FedEx Quest

The most common missions involve driving around very rapidly to pick things up, deliver things, pick up and deliver things, bump into vehicles that have things you should pick up so that you might pick them up and deliver them, and, finally, blowing up vehicles in order to pick up their contents, usually for the purpose of delivery. You'll never feel
quite as cool as The Transporter driving around in the family sedan or Krusty's clown limo, but the variety of distinct vehicles give you some room to decide how you want to approach a particular mission. A really tough bus is good at blowing things up, but horrible at races. The Indy car is amazing at races, but is the weakest car in the game and subject to catching fire very rapidly. Certain vehicles like the police car, chase sedan, and hearse are appropriate all around cars.

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No Test Drive Here...

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You can find five vehicles per level. Some are attained via story or bonus missions, and others can be purchased, frequently from ol' Gil. You can also get a car in each level by winning three DMV sponsored races run by Milhouse, Nelson, and Ralph Wiggum (and supervised by Marge's delightful sisters). When you aren't recreating chase scenes from Ronin or The Matrix Reloaded you can adventure on foot and collect items, locate
gags, or attack the wasp cameras that have appeared all over Springfield. There are seven collector cards per level that open up racetracks in the multiplayer bonus game styled after Off Road (Bart says: "it's like a game within a game!").

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3D is fun for the whole family! The Simpsons family, at least.

Hit & Run manages a very cartoonish feel for such a thoroughly 3D game. Simpsons purists will no doubt find fault with the appearance of Springfield and co., but I think anyone with an open mind will find it to be a generally pleasing translation... even if Lisa's hair is a bit wacky in the third dimension. Each level has several outfits you can buy for your character, including the Bartman costume and "casual" Homer in underwear only. Unfortunately, the characters' mouths are not synced with their speech, and this can be very jarring initially. You hear Homer. You see Homer. But it doesn't look like the Homer you see and the Homer you hear are one and the same. After enough playing it's easy to habituate to this unseemly design issue, but it really is too bad that Radical Entertainment didn't at least fix this for the in-game cutscenes.

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Out of Sync

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A related problem involves a different sort of sync: v-sync is disabled on the console versions. Taking sharp turns in your racer of choice can inspire the screen image to tear. Nevertheless, this is a small annoyance because it's virtually unnoticeable if you are closely watching your vehicle. Of course, on the PC version you can turn v-sync on through the video drivers. Excepting speedy turns, Springfield looks great. Some of the unimportant buildings are slightly plain, but there is never a lack of funny signs to keep you entertained while on foot, or memorable landmarks that let you learn areas quickly.

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Memorable Quotes Abound

The character speech is top-notch. Each character has a rotating set of sayings to shout while driving around or kicking people. Often times these become amusing for reasons unintended. If Bart hops in his car, drives slowly for two feet and hops out, he's apt to say his usual "leaving the car" saying: "That was soo cool". Certain sayings can get annoying over time, but many cars you use come pre-equipped with drivers, so across missions you will not only hear your own character, but also those that drive you around (including Otto and his school bus, or Professor Frink and his hover vehicle).

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Surprising Fact:

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Running People Over Does Not Shut Them Up

The shouts and cries of characters you run into are repeated more frequently. You can scarcely run over a dozen Springfieldians without hearing "you want a newspaper upside youse head?" or "This is a sad day for generic characters everywhere". The sound effects that coincide with running things over are varied, but you get used to them so quickly that they're virtually unnoticeable by the third or fourth mission.


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A Lone Trumpet Sounds in the Distance

Hit & Run also happens to have an excellent soundtrack worthy of the TV series. The music spans jaunty little driving numbers to ambient horn sounds (all the better for walking) or something that might be on a "Hot Nights in the Red Light District" compilation. Er... not that I own one of those. Take a trip near Moe's and you'll hear it, though. There are no musical or sung numbers, but you really couldn't ask for nicer background noise in the Simpsons universe.

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Final Verdict

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