It's been over 14 years now since The Simpsons were born onto our TV screens, and over that period of time, more than a dozen video games have carried The Simpsons name. I remember that one years ago where you played Bart and you had to skateboard around spray everything purple to expose aliens that had invaded Springfield. It was a quite fun 'eat my shorts!'....The multiplayer beat-um-up in the arcade was not bad too, however none of these games have ever managed to really capture the sharp humor and unique personalities of the Springfield universe.
The latest title to use the Simpsons name is The Simpsons: Hit & Run, and praise the lord, it is really good! An action adventure game that borrows heavily from the gameplay style and design of the recent entries in the Grand Theft Auto series and, in so doing, finally manages to bring the world of the Simpsons to life with proper justice.
Springfield is being overrun by mechanized bees, mysterious black vans and cars, and an insidious cola that is controlling the minds of the city's residents. You tour Springfield in fun-to-control Simpsons-related vehicles (such as Homer's station wagon, Barney's Plow King, and Bart's Honor Roller), meet your fave characters (who all sport their real voices from the show), and experience a variety of wacky vehicular misadventures.
Although it's a linear affair--you take on a specific number of missions --you can also go exploring the cartoony back streets at your leisure. Each level in the game is assigned to one specific character. There's one for Lisa, Marge, and Apu, while Bart and Homer get two apiece. Missions are assigned by interactions with the city's various characters. They generally involve collecting and delivering items to other people or locations, racing other characters, and even getting into full-on car combat situations. In actuality, practically every mission in the game is a direct clone of one of the GTA driving missions. However, the lack of originality in the game's mission structuring is more than made up for by the decisively original style of Simpsons humor. The end result is very fun.
Driving isn't the only way to get around Springfield, as you can opt to just run and jump around town, sans vehicle, any time you please. Each character has basic jump, attack, and jump-attack functions. Each can be used to destroy enemies and objects or to explore hidden areas. You can even kick a passerby. Every character can also double-jump, and each also has a unique jumping slam attack. Homer, for instance, can land a pretty hefty butt-stomp when the occasion calls for it.
My one real gripe about Hit & Run is that the town should've been opened up a bit more--each of the characters scout specific parts of the city. But if you're a fan of the Simpsons (and who isn't), then you will really enjoy this and it will provide many hours of fun.
Barney
