The Simpsons: Hit and Run Preview
Vivendi Universal and Radical Entertainment's upcoming Simpsons game is shaping up to be one of the best outings for the animated family in quite some time.
Over the past 14 years, The Simpsons has grown to become one of the most popular animated TV shows of all time. During the course of that time, video game developers have tried to capture the series' appeal in game form, with mixed results. In fact, since many recent games based on the show haven't turned out all that well, it almost seemed like the best Simpsons game was, and always would be Konami's classic 1991 arcade game. Fortunately, Vivendi Universal's upcoming multiplatform third-person action game, The Simpsons: Hit and Run, is poised to reverse the years of mediocre games in a big way. The promising game, developed by Radical Entertainment, marries the open-ended gameplay of Grand Theft Auto III with a liberal dose of the series' trademark humor. We tried out the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game and are tremendously pleased with how it's shaping up.
At the beginning of the game, we check in with our favorite family as the town of Springfield is invaded by a horde of mysterious mechanical bees. Where the bees came from and what they're doing are mysteries you'll solve over the course of the game. While we don't want to spoil the plot, suffice it to say that the story would make for an amusing "Treehouse of Horror" episode, and it features a pair of otherworldly villains that fans of the series should have no trouble recognizing as they go through the game.
As mentioned, the game's structure borrows liberally from Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto III and presents you with a variety of missions to perform all over Springfield, which has been faithfully re-created. You'll be able to play as every member of the Simpson clan as well as a few other familiar faces from the show. Each of the playable characters will have a unique set of missions and will be able to get behind the wheel of a variety of vehicles in the game. Though every character will have his or her own unique vehicle, you'll be able to hop out of your car at any time and "borrow" any car you see in the game. While the feature is a nice touch, the cars you'll be borrowing from Springfield's residents will be mostly generic vehicles, though you will find a few recognizable ones like Barney's Plow King truck. You'll be able to swap back to your character's vehicle by simply visiting one of the many phone booths in the game and selecting from the available cars.
Like in Grand Theft Auto III, you'll undertake missions, but they'll definitely be things you'd expect from an episode of the show. Sometimes you'll be asked to make deliveries, such as taking Lisa's science project to her at school, and other times you'll have to take your character to a specific location, such as getting Homer to the power plant for work. In other missions, you'll need to fetch items for certain characters; for instance, you may have to recover all of Ned Flander's valuables, which Homer has left about town, or you'll have to take Principal Skinner around town to help him run errands for his mother. You'll also race against other characters to specific locations in town--for instance, you'll race nerds to a comic shop--and there are basic destruction missions, where you'll have to destroy objects or other vehicles, such as Waylon Smithers' car so that Homer can get to work first and hide his precious scorpion farm. In addition to engaging in the main missions, you'll find a host of extra things to do around town by interacting with an impressive array of familiar characters, who will offer you side quests that let you earn money or other vehicles. For example, talking to Fat Tony the mobster will let you enter in a race for cash, while talking to Cletus will present you with the task of harvesting tobacco or collecting cardboard tubes for his dream of indoor plumbing. If you manage to complete the tasks, Cletus will gratefully offer to chauffeur you about town in his truck.
The Simpsons: Hit & Run Quick Links
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- VU Games
- Radical Ent.
- Mission-based Driving
- Release: Sep 16, 2003 »
- ESRB: Teen
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