THE SIMPSONS HIT & RUN (PS2)
Going as far back as the early nineties, The Simpsons has had a mixed track record in the video game market. Ranging from arcade classics to spin-offs involving bowling, skateboarding and even wrestling, they’ve jumped through a variety of genres, all the while attempting to capture the humour of the show. Some succeeded, while others have failed spectacularly. The Simpsons: Hit & Run doesn’t hide its gaming influences at all, but it is arguably the best adaptation of the long-running series to date.
Written by the same folks behind the show, Hit & Run sees many strange events running through it. Surveillance wasps descend upon Springfield, ominous black vans are spying around the town and crop circles are forming. After smashing one of said wasps, Homer discovers a new flavour of cola, Buzz Cola and after buying some for the family, proceeds with his daily tasks. But little does he know, this is at the centre of a huge conspiracy which drags the whole family into the mix, putting the fate of Springfield in their hands. Though some have argued that The Simpsons was already past its best by 2003, the story is well written and enjoyably goofy, with plenty of humorous gags to boot. It’s a faithful, feature-length story of the show, which will please fans.
Hit & Run is filled with familiar faces and locations from the TV series, making Springfield a lot of fun to explore
Taking place over several chapters, while swapping between four members of the Simpsons family and Apu, Hit & Run sees the player partaking in story missions that regularly involve driving, leading many to label it a GTA clone at time of release. Many of these are timed challenges, some force you to destroy vehicles and others task the player with keeping speed with a vehicle you’re tailing. It’s hardly original, but surprisingly, it brings improvements over the game it imitates. You can restart missions instantly, removing much of the tedium of failure that came with Rockstar’s open world sandboxes. The guidance system is also far superior, leading you to objectives with greater clarity. Even smaller touches, like accessing your vehicles, are more straightforward.
Hit & Run focuses considerably on the driving aspect, with a majority of missions revolving around getting into a vehicle. This is fortunate, in a way, because driving is the strongest aspect here. You can travel on foot, utilise a weak punch and jump around the environment, but the chaotic camera often makes this a chore. Driving, meanwhile, feels smooth and well thought out, with vehicles feeling weighty and handling carefully. The mix of vehicles is also fantastic, from the classic family Sedan to other series vehicles like Bart’s Honor Roller and Mr. Plow. There’s dozens of unlockable cars too, giving incentive to seek out coins to buy them. The only downer is when story missions halt due to the requirement of a locked vehicle, forcing you to collect the coins necessary to activate them.
Hit & Run focuses considerably on the driving aspect, with a majority of missions revolving around getting into a vehicle. This is fortunate, in a way, because driving is the strongest aspect here. You can travel on foot, utilise a weak punch and jump around the environment, but the chaotic camera often makes this a chore. Driving, meanwhile, feels smooth and well thought out, with vehicles feeling weighty and handling carefully. The mix of vehicles is also fantastic, from the classic family Sedan to other series vehicles like Bart’s Honor Roller and Mr. Plow. There’s dozens of unlockable cars too, giving incentive to seek out coins to buy them. The only downer is when story missions halt due to the requirement of a locked vehicle, forcing you to collect the coins necessary to activate them.
The game isn’t flawless. Some of the timed challenges feel brutal and although the instant restarts alleviate this to an extent, missing out on a completion because of one slight error can feel crushing. The police, who track you down after a certain amount of property damage, are especially dogged and there are times where you’ll be tearing your hair out. There are some technical woes too, such as buggy crashes, problems with the NPC AI and some missions that cause the frame rate to break down – particularly those involving a certain cloaking vehicle. The latter part of the game can also descend into repetition, forcing you to seemingly replay the same mission repeatedly. But these don’t spoil what is generally a fun, lively and engaging sandbox romp.
Visually, though far from technically spotless, Radical captures the feel of the show, particularly resembling the “Treehouse of Horror” episode where Homer ventures into the world of 3D. Nothing looks especially detailed and the frame rate struggles with particle effects and lots of objects on screen, but the vibrant colours, careful recreation of Springfield and interactive locations (including the Kwik-E Mart and Moe’s Tavern) are great. The sound is even better, with the cast of the show returning to voice their roles and doing an excellent job. The music fits nicely, with low-key tracks mixing it with fast-paced instrumentation.
Visually, though far from technically spotless, Radical captures the feel of the show, particularly resembling the “Treehouse of Horror” episode where Homer ventures into the world of 3D. Nothing looks especially detailed and the frame rate struggles with particle effects and lots of objects on screen, but the vibrant colours, careful recreation of Springfield and interactive locations (including the Kwik-E Mart and Moe’s Tavern) are great. The sound is even better, with the cast of the show returning to voice their roles and doing an excellent job. The music fits nicely, with low-key tracks mixing it with fast-paced instrumentation.
There’s a decent amount of content here too. The game lasts a little over 10 hours, with more than 50 missions including several bonus challenges which unlock special vehicles. There’s also dozens of races to partake in, collectible cards, unlockable outfits and hidden gags to find throughout each map. You can jump between chapters at any time, allowing you to explore at your own leisure and avoid missing anything. It’s got depth to spare.
The Simpsons: Hit & Run is easily among the most faithful games to come from the long-running animation, but it’s also a remarkably well-crafted sandbox game. It isn’t innovative, but it does brings smart improvements to the sandbox table, as well as a bevvy of fan service for the show’s faithful and plenty of missions to wade through. It has some issues here and there, mainly technical deficiencies, but it’s not enough to spoil the enjoyment. For both fans of The Simpsons and open-world driving games, this one is well worth a look.
The Simpsons: Hit & Run is easily among the most faithful games to come from the long-running animation, but it’s also a remarkably well-crafted sandbox game. It isn’t innovative, but it does brings smart improvements to the sandbox table, as well as a bevvy of fan service for the show’s faithful and plenty of missions to wade through. It has some issues here and there, mainly technical deficiencies, but it’s not enough to spoil the enjoyment. For both fans of The Simpsons and open-world driving games, this one is well worth a look.
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VERDICT
"The Simpsons: Hit & Run is among the most faithful games to derive from the long-running animation, but it’s also a remarkably well-crafted sandbox game with a bevvy of fan service." OVERALL: 8/10 |
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