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Review : The Simpsons Hit & Run for Playstation 2
While I was coloring comic number six Photoshop crashed on me when I was saving it. So I lost about an hours worth of coloring and I don't feel like coloring it again. So I am going to review this game and publish that comic on Monday.
For the past week I have been playing The Simpsons Hit & Run for Playstation 2. It is truly a damn fine game. Normally when a game is made on the strength of a licensed media property like a movie or comic book corners are cut and the game tends to suck. Also when a game is made that is sort of a blatant rip off of the gameplay of a popular successful game the new game tends to suck. This is not the case with Hit & Run, thank God.
If one were to summarize this game into one sentence it would be a Grand Theft Auto clone with the Simpsons and no guns and violence but lot of fast driving and tons of humor.
I must commend the folks behind this game in developing this game for the PS2, Gamecube, Xbox and PC but the resisted the urge to make a half-assed Gameboy Advance version. The game is rated T for Teen but there all the slightly subversive Simpsons humor. In the game you do get to hit people with your car but they fly away in a cartoon effect and complain about it. There are none of the guns and blood of GTA 3 but it is still a blast to play. That is not a complaint but I don't think that it would be appropriate to see the Simpsons running around shooting one another. Well there was the Simpsons Doom MOD back in the early 90s but that was the only time.
This game showcases all of the support that the creators of the TV show could offer the game designers. The locations, jokes, voices, sound effects and characters are all directly from the same team that is making the show. The music and the voices are the real icing on the cake.
The game play consists of you playing one of the Simpsons family and friends as you drive around the town racing and collecting items to advance the storyline. Rather than having one huge environment for the entire game there are different chunks of Springfield that each character gets to explore per their part in the storyline. The down side is that some of the time based missions are pretty damn strict and they take multiple times to do correctly. When you have a race against the clock and it is only possible for you to have three seconds left under the best circumstances it does not allow you to explore the environments in a non-linear way when you are on your missions. So get your site seeing in before you try to advance the storyline.
This is a hell of a game and I think it is a must play for those who love the show and those who love Grand Theft Auto. Luckily for the game developers sake that sentence describes most Americans under 40. I mean you get to drive around as Homer and Apu crashing through stuff and running people down. That is distilled liquid fun in you ask me.
P.S. Hey BBQ I am still waiting for that SNK VS Capcom SVC Chaos PS2 review.
Jake at July 17, 2004 
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Comments
A game without violence, guns or blood and
still enjoyed. What a novel idea ! Who ever though this up should get a Nobel Peace Prize !
Posted by: Mike at July 16, 2004 5:46 AM
I'm not much of a Simpsons fan, but I bought the Xbox version on a whim, and haven't been sorry that I did. Great game.
Posted by: Kevin at July 16, 2004 9:40 AM
I can name hundreds of E-rated games that do not have violence, guns or blood.
That being said sometimes it is just fun to play with the sniper rifle in GTA3.
Posted by: Jake of 8bitjoystick.com at July 16, 2004 11:20 AM
It absolutely sucked.
Most games based on the Simpsons sucked. Heck, Sega filed a lawsuit saying they stole the idea for Simpsons Road Rage from Crazy Taxi...
Posted by: Matt at July 16, 2004 11:20 AM
I like Road Rage better than Crazy Taxi 3 and the Konami Simpson's arcade action game was the bomb!
Posted by: Jake of 8bitjoystick.com at July 16, 2004 11:30 AM
I got this game for PC in December and I'm still not tired of it. There's tons of cool stuff to find and it's a load of fun.
Posted by: brendoman at July 16, 2004 3:14 PM
I agree, the Simpsons Hit & Run is a terrific game. If you're a fan of the show (and who isn't?) you can't help but love the voice acting and attention to detail. And the gameplay is great. I expect it may be overlooked due to the fact that, let's face it--most games based on TV shows and movies suck big time. It's one of those games I put on whenever I get burnt out on first-person shooters. I've been playing it on an on-again, off-again basis for a year now, and It never gets old.
BTW, great blog. I've added a link to your site on my own blog at http://_render_.blogspot.com. My site covers similar topics--mostly games and game culture. Stop by if you have a chance--i've only been up and running for about two weeks, and any imput is appreciated.
Posted by: 4tomsm4sher at July 19, 2004 4:40 PM
The Simpsons Hit And Run is freakin' awsome. But I think instead of Apu, they should have put Snake. Other then that.... AWSOME GAME!!!!!
Posted by: Lil Bandit at March 31, 2008 7:27 PM
