Homer steals your car in this very enjoyable GTA-esque romp. A game that finally does justice to the show.
User Rating: 8.8 | The Simpsons: Hit & Run XBOX
Simpson's Hit and Run is the Simpson's game all us fan boys have been waiting for. You take Springfield by storm as Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Apu, in this GTA clone. With gameplay this good, and humor this great, it can also appeal to all you non-fans as well. The game feels much like watching one of the episodes,and while it could have used some work here and there, it turned out pretty well. While it might be a shameless GTA ripoff, it's fun, and you can't argue with results. First off, let's address the gameplay. It obviously draws a lot of it's moves from the Grand Theft Auto series. As dumb as it sounds, it plays really well. The driving is done very well, and is the best part of the game. All the cars seem reasonably realistic and aren't terribly difficult to drive. The on foot controls could have used work though. The platforming aspects seem a little clunky, and at times the camera can be a major pain. The obsessive platformer collecting is annoying too. It wont take long for you to get tired of picking up coins and cards. The missions are really fun, but the difficulty really spikes up later in the game. All in all, an excellent job, but tiresome at times. Next, is the sound. The dialogue is outstanding and feels like it belongs in the game. I laughed at the snappy lines all through the game. For example, you run over someone, and Homer yells "I have no insurance!" or when you are passed in a race,"Homer is losing! HOMER SMASH!" THe music is decent, and seems to fit pretty well. The sound is definitely a highlight of the game. The environment isn't as good, but is pretty nice. If you are a Simpson's fan, you'll instantly recognize the landmarks of Springfield. From the Jebbidiah Sprinfield statue (complete with detachable head.), to the broken down Monorail, all of it's there. Unfortunately. the rest of it is a little shoddy. It seems like every five blocks happens to be the same. Every where you look it's Jim's Pizza or Frank's Deli. So either the developers got lazy, or Jim and Frank are very successful entrepreneuers. But I digress. Other than that flaw, it works very well. I'll be blunt, the story seems a little tacked on, but as any Simpson's fan will tell you, most of the episodes of the show are like that. I'm not saying it's not entertaining, but if you're not a fan, it may leave you scratching your head. All the lines are witty, and fit with the show, but chances are. if you hate the show (you sick, sick person.), you'll hate this. So overall, my score is an 8.8. If you are a fan of the show, you'll definitely want it. If you aren't, you might want to rent it first. It's is an awesome game, but it has some rough edges. A solid buy for most.
