The Simpsons: Hit and Run
Best. Simpsons game. Ever.
Tags: Simpsons: Hit & Run, The Categories: PS2 Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Jake McNeill on Nov 13th, 2003
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Simpsons: Hit & Run, The (title page) | |||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Action | No | ||
Up until now, there’s ony been one truly great Simpsons game, a Konami arcade game in the vein of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Double Dragon. Aside from that, every Simpsons title has ranged from decent (The console Simpsons Road Rage titles) to absolutely horrible (Remember Bart VS. the Space Mutants?). Amazing, in the decade and a half that the show has been on the air, and the dozens of titles based on the franchise to see release, that the grand total of Simpsons games truly worth playing is still just one. Well, two now.
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Simpsons Hit and Run seems the next logical step after Simpsons Road Rage. Wheras the latter was The Simpsons meets Crazy Taxi, the former is The Simpsons meets Grand Theft Auto. There are differences, of course. Aside from the obvious lack of Grand Theft Auto’s much-publicized high level of violence, Simpsons Hit and Run is a great deal more linear, puts a much greater emphasis on driving missions than on-foot missions, and as a result doesn’t have quite the same amount of variety.
Players take the role of Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge or Apu, each given a “Level” (a set of missions to accomplish) that must be completed before advancing to the next character in a new area (With Bart and Homer having two “Levels” each instead of one). The locations themselves hide a great many secrets for those looking to explore, although their design seems more akin to Crazy Taxi than Grand Theft Auto, i.e. there’s one overall path to follow that occasionally branches and ends up looping back to the beginning.
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The missions themselves are interesting enough, although they usually end up being some variant of “Chase and/or destroy vehicle X”, “Collect a certain number of objects strewn about the level”, or “Get from point A to point B in time”. Because of the way the levels are designed, and the fact that your character can’t actually take damage (Although their vehicle can be destroyed), the challenge comes from the fact that you’re always racing against a clock, and usually are given an extremely limited time to accomplish goals.
While the mission structure may have its ups and downs, the detail that has been put into creating Springfeild is nothing short of astounding. First off, the dozens, perhaps even hundreds of characters populating the town are all voiced by the series’ voice actors, and the wit of the writing and the quality of the acting are spot-on for the TV show. At one point, after causing all manner of mayhem and destruction, I giggled gleefully as Homer would have in the same situation, only to be followed shortly after by Homer giggling gleefully. I swear, it was almost creepy. This attention to the character traits flows through the entire game, from the Comic Book guy’s snooty attitude to Millhouse disgustingly pining for Lisa.
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The game’s visual presentation is spot-on as well. Rendered in a 3D style that looks a great deal like the 3D Homer episode, the game is filled with locales and in-jokes of Simpson lore, from well-known locations like The Simpsons’ house, the Kwik-E-Mart, and nuclear power plant, to locations that only appeared in one or two episodes, like Mr. Burns’ casino and Kamp Krusty. The game’s many locations house a number of in-jokes, sight gags, and other hillarious details, many of which can be found by activating in-game cutscenes by interacting with objects, such as pressing the triangle button while next to the Kwik-E-Mart dumpster to hear Otto moaning inside.
In short, this game is in many ways a love letter to Simpson fans, and is generally funny in a way that even those who are only vaguely familliar with the series can still appreciate. And while the game itself may not win any awards for originality, it is still a solid title that’s fun to play, and it does its license proud. What more could you ask?
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Incredible presentation worthy of the franchise + Lots of hidden goodies |
8.5 |
| What Doesn't | |
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- Gameplay is a bit too linear - More variety in missions would have been nice |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Simpsons Hit and Run defies all precedent by being the first great Simpsons game to hit the console systems. It works as not only a game but as a realization of the TV show in game form. A must-have for Simpsons fans. | |
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Tags: Simpsons: Hit & Run, The
Posted by Jake McNeill on Nov 13th, 2003 and is filed under PS2 Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
