The Simpsons: Hit & Run

"A great game for the fans and an homage to the creators"

In almost every review you'll read concerning this game, the same statement appears in almost every opening paragraph: ''Finally, a Simpsons game that doesn't suck.'' And while I won't bore you with details of the Simpsons' past forays into the world of video gaming and how they've amounted to nothing more than colossal failures, I will say that there are a few key reasons this game is a success, which may or may not tempt you to play the game. Those will be addressed at the end of this review. But first, the essentials:

GRAPHICS: 8/10 The graphics of the game are very much reminiscent of the ''Homer cubed'' episode, in which Homer and Bart entered a 3-dimensional world and were thus represented as what was then incredibly sophisticated CG work. That said, the character models are fairly well-done, though somewhat expressionless; it seems that the characters don't actually ''look'' upset, thoughtful, afraid, etc., in a given moment. Most of the time, they simply look calm, even when their speech indicates they feel otherwise. Some more facial animations would have been nice. Another strange feature is that characters tend not to look at one another when talking in cut-scenes; for instance (details omitted to prevent spoilers), the first level has Homer and Marge discussing something--Marge hardly looks at Homer while she talks to him. Instead, she stares off into space as she speaks.

The town of Springfield is colorfully modeled and laden with textures that complement the cartoon. Locales such as Springfield Elementary school and the Kwik-E Mart are almost identical to their cartoon counterparts (though I'm certain some things were changed for the sake of incorporating the gameplay into the town). There is great variety to the apperances of the various locations in the game; it hardly feels repetitive when moving through the town. Watch for signs that refer to jokes and quotes from the cartoon itself, which are littered throughout the game.

The PC version tends to look muddy and jagged at lower resolutions; I've found that 1024x768x32 looks very crisp and vibrant, but anything lower than that looks fairly poor. On my AMD Ahtlon 2200 and budget Geforce 4 MX440, the game runs at a decent pace; however, Max Payne 2, which is much more detailed and better-looking than The Simpsons: Hit & Run, runs at a smoother framerate.

SOUND/MUSIC: 10/10 This is the game's greatest feature and probably one of the reasons this game is so successful. The Simpsons' voices are authentic, as they are done by the actual Simpsons cast, and are done just as well as they are in the series. Extremely convincing voicework (which, unfortunately, is coupled with unconvincing acting on the part of the characters' bodies) is the crowning glory of this game and adds greatly to the humor factor. Believe it or not, I've played the spanish version of the game, and while the jokes are, word-for-word, identical, it's just not the same without Nancy Cartwright voicing Bart.

Sound effects are very well-done, as the town comes alive with the various sounds coming from cars and pedestrians on the street and from landmarks around Springfield. One technical issue I've noted is a buzzing noise when accelerating in a player-driven vehicle; according to some technical documents accompanying the game, it is an issue with my sound card's drivers (Creative Labs SB Live 5.1). I've updated to the latest version and have not been able to fix the problem. It's annoying, but forgivable.

The music is almost as good as the voice acting--the best way to describe it is to say that it is music appropriate for a Simpsons movie. The soundtrack is composed of very high-quality Simpsons-theme remixes and original compositions. The creators of the game did not cut corners on the production of the music, and it pays off.

GAMEPLAY: 8/10 The majority of the game is concerned with driving around town in various vehicles, each of which control slightly differently. Thus, a good physics engine is required to accurately model the driving sequences, and fortunately TSH&R does a very good job with this. The driving, though not a Gran Turismo-style simulation, is perfectly suited for an ''arcadey'' game. As soon as I picked up my gamepad and got into the game, I felt right at home with the driving--there was no learning curve.

That said, a gamepad is an absolute MUST--I could not imagine playing this game with a keyboard and mouse. Analog joysticks and trigger buttons are compatible with this game, though not necessary; I found my old Sidewinder to perform very well with the game. However, I do have a Gravis XTerminator Digital, which has an analog stick and two analog trigger buttons; these are perfect for the steering and accelerator/braking functions of the game. So, the crux of this is that the game requires a gamepad to get the most out of it.

A fair portion of the game is a platformer, and in this the game does well, but not perfect. One major complaint not unique to the genre concerns the position of the camera, particularly in tight spots. There are certain areas that make it impossible to see your own character, and while there really isn't much danger of ''dying'' (since you cannot die at all in the game), it is annoying.

Having mentioned the driving and platforming aspects of the game, it is both a blessing and a curse that this game is, in almost every conceivable way, a complete rip-off of the Grand Theft Auto games on the PS2 (the way the cars drive, the kind of damage they take, how the vehicles interact with the environment). The driving sequences are ''missions'' formulated in much the same manner as the GTA missions, and the platforming is virtually the same. And while this is unoriginal and somewhat shameless, it is still very fun to play.

The game is fairly difficult, more so towards the end of the game. One slightly irritating aspect of the game's computer-controlled opponents is that they can often run into other vehicles and not be impacted by basic laws of momentum; in other words, they can plow through you without slowing down or being thrown off course. Your car, however, is greatly affected by running into objects or other cars, which seems a bit unfair.

STORY: 7/10 There is a plot to the game, and while I won't get into any details, I will say it is only mildly interesting. I don't think they got the very best Simpsons writers to author the overall story, but it is reminiscent of what a typical Simpsons episode might consist of.

OVERALL: 9/10 The first aspect that will attract fans of the show is the inclusion of the cartoon's voice actors. The second and most important aspect is that the game is absolutely chock-full of self-referential humor; inside jokes about the Simpsons and the show are not only littered throughout the game, they are slathered on thick like butter on bread. You cannot turn the camera around without seeing something interesting from the show. The game includes such regulars as The Comic Book Guy, Dr. Nick Riviera, and Patty and Selma, along with more obscure references (Homer's brick at his workstation, The Squidport, the Off-Ramp Inn, Tomacco, hot pants in a crate, Mr. Burns' human chessboard, Stonecutters' secret entrance... I could go on forever...). Any Simpsons fan worth his weight in gold will appreciate such references (actually, any Simpsons fan worth his weight in gold will probably remember a time he noted the reference in conversation himself!). It is this authenticity, coupled with the very well-done gameplay, that makes the game wildly successful.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/23/03