The Simpsons: Hit & Run

"Simpsons meet GTA, not in a very good way"

First off I'd like to say it's not easy for me to trash this game as much as I'm going to later on since I really appreciate the Simpsons show and was amazed at how much hard work and care for small details went into this game. This game is so crammed up with Simpsons goodness it's incredible - the bigger fan you are, the more will you enjoy this game and it's tons and tons of references, quotes, gags etc. Add the facts that the original creators participated in creating the story and the scripts, and that the original cast is doing the voice-work and what you get is simply perfection. Right?

Well, not quite. It seems that because so much work has gone into creating the complete and colourful rendition of Simpsons' world the gameplay got the short end of the stick. In other words, when you strip off the Simpsons content what you get is a pretty dull, repetitive and uninspired game.

The original idea was to copy (read:rip off) the GTA game concept. You get a city-like game area and a series of missions which rely on driving and occasional footwork. The game has seven levels, but unfortunately only three maps (with slight differences) which basically means that after you finish level 3 prepare for some serious deja vu. On each level you control one member of the Simpsons clan (Homer, Bart, Marge, Lisa) except for level 5 when you get to control Mr. Nahasapeemapetilon himself (figure this one out for yourself). Bart and Homer get two levels each, the rest of the gang gets one.

You have basically two ways of getting through the game - walking and driving. The driving part could be summed up as adequate. There are six new cars per mission to chose from (one initial and five unlockables) and you may always opt to "hitch a ride" with any of the cars seen driving around Springfield. You don't have to worry too much where you park your cars since they are instantly accesible by numerous phone-booths distributed throughout the game (a very nice feature, by the way). The character's cars are innovative and fun (and more often that not specifically based on particular episode), yet the citizen ones are pretty generic with some amusing exceptions (vote Quimby!). Anyway, driving part is pretty fun and smooth, with loads of shortcuts, jumping ramps etc. Expect some occasional glitches though, but nothing too bad.

The walking parts on the other hand are not so good. Since the GTA weapons don't translate naturally in the Simpsons universe the shooting is basically replaced with platforming. Unfortunately, the characters' walking controls are pretty crude and unresponsive. PC owners who don't own a gamepad should particularly beware since there is something seriously wrong with the mouselook - it is laggy and for some reason you cannot turn smoothily but only in sudden jerks. Anyway, the default setting for mouselook is "off" and it is very apparent why. The camera also has some serious issues since more often that not it will get stuck in the wall or the angle will be very wrong for you to make the jump you were going for.

The game designers were obviously very aware of their sloppy work with walking controls, so they based the vast majority of the missions on driving. This is arguably a good choice since too much atrociously implemented platforming could have very well killed the game, but the unfortunate end-result was that the missions now seriously lack in variety - they could almost all be summed up in "go there in this much time". Occasionally you are asked to destroy or follow some vehicle but mostly it's a run against the clock. Also the difficulty of the missions is very erratic - most of them are a breeze yet from time to time they can get insanely difficult. Thankfully, a "restart mission" option is available, and there is even an option to skip a mission if you fail it about ten times in a row.

There are seven missions per level, plus one bonus mission, plus three race-missions (which give you a bonus car when you finish them). If that's not enough every level is filled with collectables and secrets - playing cards, coins, destroyable wasp-cameras (don't ask) and gags. These goodies basically save the gameplay from being extremely dull and repetitive, but the bad news is that they inherently include walking and jumping, something which is simply not very fun to do in "Simpsons: Hit and Run".

To sum up this review, the fans of the Simpsons will probably have a blast playing this game, finding all the secrets and recognizing the show references. Since everybody who is anybody in the Simpsons' world makes at least a cameo appearance there certainly won't be a dull moment for a true fan. Also, the last level straight out of "Treehouse of Horror" really saves the day. But if you are in it for some fun driving or platforming just don't get too enthusiastic. Driving is at best average and platforming is simply uninspired and lousily implemented. This game would REALLY benefit from some better controls, inventive platforming design and even some adventure elements, so there is much to hope for if "Hit and Run 2" should some day be released.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/05/05