The Simpsons: Hit & Run

"If you liked Road Rage, then you'll love this"

I had been waiting for this game for some time with anticipation. It looked like a cross between GTA and a platformer, which I guess it is. This time the game dosen't revolve around driving, but a lot of the game's missions require it. Every character has a least 1 level (Bart and Homer have 2) and there are 7 missions in each one.
Let's get on with the review.

Graphics:9/10
This game looks much better than its predecessor, Road Rage. Cinemas in the game look good, and except for the horrendous lip-sync, I can't really complain. Car and character models look good with a high polygon count, and there is a lot of deatil in the fully interactive levels. Each level is about the size of of one of SRR's levels, but they just look better. The gamecube is capable of more, but there is nothing to scoff at. The framerate(don't know what it is)stays steady even with a lot of action on the screen. This department obviously had a lot of time and effort put in to it.

Sound: 10/10
This is great. Sound effects sound great nad the background music is catchy a really does a good job of setting and following the mood of the game.(Ex: When Homer has been running for a long time, a goofy tuba will play the William Tell overture(it's that weird song used at races a lot)).
The original voice actors recorded thousands of lines of dialogue, so voices are top-notch and souns exactly like off TV. There are fresh one-liners, as well as a few recycled from the SRR. Great job in this area, too

Gameplay:9/10
The game is pretty complicated with all the things to do, so let me break it into bite-size pieces. There are 7 levels in the game. Homer has 2, Bart has 2, and Lisa, Marge, and Apu each have one. In Each level there are 7 ''story missions''. You are required to complete all of these to go to the next level. However, you can do much more than that in each level. You can buy or win 5 cars in each level, buy 3 new outfits for your character, destroy all 20 of the wasp cameras that are spying on town, and find 15 ''gags'' (ex: pressing the silent alarm button in the Kwik-E-Mart will make a loud voice say:Silent alarm activated!) There is also a bonus mission in each level that is usually pretty difficult. There are 3 street races, complete them all and win a new car. There are also 7 ''collector cards'' that are usually well-hidden and they describe a certian item from an episode of the show. Get all in any level and unlock a bonus mini-game. Get all in every level and get a better surprise. The driving aspect of the game is what I have a few gripes with. The cars just don't drive well. They get stuck behind cars and turn ver slowly. All the cars just seem pretty sluggish.

Value: 10/10
This game has something for everyone. Whether you like platformer action, driving or racing, this game is for you. Everyone who has a Gamecube should play it, and most should buy it. There is so much to do and so much to unlock, this won't be one of those all-too-common games you rent, beat in the weekend, and return. Sadly, the only multiplayer is in the bonus game.(can't tell you what it is)

Buy/Rent/Stay Away
This is worth a buy to everyone. If you liked SRR even a little, then this is a definite buy. If you didn't like SRR or haven't played it, give it the justice of a rent. You won't be sorry. This is by far the best Simpsons game to date.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/22/03