The Simpsons: Hit & Run (GCN, XBOX, PS2)
Publisher: Vivendi Universal Developer: Radical Entertainment
Over the years, The Simpsons franchise has churned out tons of bad video games based on America's beloved cartoon family. When the idea of Simpsons: Hit & Run came out, it sounded good, but people expected it to fail. It was described by some as Grand Theft Auto: Springfield. It was close. It's a great game!
After a somewhat successful Crazy Taxi-style game with Simpsons: Road Rage, H&R took it one step further. Instead of just driving around Springfield, you can now get out and interact with your environment. You can collect cards, beat people up, switch cars, and wreak all kinds of havoc. This game was wonderful, and they've finally got a winner for the franchise.
Gameplay: 9
First of all, the game is lots of fun to play. It plays quite similar to Grand Theft Auto games, with the notable exception of missing guns. There aren't weapons of any kind in the game, although you're welcome to run people down with your car, or simply get out to punch and kick them. Hurting people isn't a necessary part of the game though.
The game is set up with missions to accomplish in a certain order, but you can wander around freely as well. If you don't want to work on a mission right now, you can just drive around town doing anything you wish. When you decided it's mission time, just follow the arrows on the road and go where you need to. The mission will start, and the timer will begin counting. Some of the timers are short, so you might require extensive knowledge of the areas, shortcuts, and destinations. You'll likely repeat some of the missions several times. On the plus side, if you simply can't get through a mission, just fail it a lot. You'll be given the option to skip it and move on.
Besides the missions, you can wander all over town collecting cards and most importantly, coins. These coins can be used to buy new clothing or cars for the characters. (You're playing as Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge, or Apu, depending on the level you're at.) You'll need lots of coins to buy vehicles or clothes in the later levels, so start saving early.
If you cause enough trouble in Springfield, you'll cause a Hit & Run, which will get the cops after you. When the cops stop you, or simply run you over, you'll be fined $50. This isn't a big deal early on, but those little $50 stops add up. Try not to cause too much damage while on a mission.
I could go on all day, but the game is very fun. Just pick it up and play. I played through the entire GameCube version, and still bought the PC version to play through again.
Graphics: 8
Hit & Run looks good visually, but the camera leaves you stuck from time to time. This isn't a big deal, but there aren't many controls that will reset a player who is stuck with camera issues. My only other gripe is that all of the cut scenes are almost 3D animated. It doesn't look quite right. The Simpsons is a 2D animated show. There's no reason that the cuts couldn't have been the same. Other than minor details, the game looked good, and was very playable.
Sound & Music: 9.5
The sound makes this game great. Each character has a wide variety of little phrases they yell out while driving, and while you will get tired of a few of them, it's not enough to make you stop playing. There's a big variety of phrases from every character, and they're all done by the original voices. The voice work is great, and it's quite fun.
The music wasn't noticeable, which is a good thing. There are several quiet remakes of the Simpsons theme, and other Simpson-like music playing in the background of every level, and it didn't get annoying even once. Good job!
Story: 8.5
The story was a typical Simpsons plotline, split over 7 levels, each of which have a bunch of missions. Aliens are monitoring Springfield with bee cameras, and controlling people through Buzz Cola. It was a good story, although nothing was really surprising.
Replay Value: 7
You might replay the game a few times just to get things you might have missed, but that's about it. It's not something to play with a group, but it is fun to pick up from time to time. It's a ton of fun, but I'm not going to be playing it every weekend or something.
To buy or to rent?If you're a major fan of The Simpsons, this is the best game they've ever made. If you're unsure, then go ahead and rent it first. If you play a LOT, you might be able to beat it in a rental, but I like owning it.
Overall: 9
Overall, the game has a nice look and feel. It's fun to play all the way through, and I did manage to go back to try and get every little thing. If you've got a worthy PC with a controller, pick up the PC version. It's a little cheaper the console versions, and looks a little better. In either case though, it's a game worth having.
Additional Information:
Genre: Action/Adventure
Players: 1 (4 if you're playing the bonus games)
Memory Required: (?)
Rating: T (for Teen)
Extras: Game-Exclusive Itchy & Scratchy Cartoon
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