The Simpsons: Hit & Run

The Simpsons Hit & Run
The Simpsons Hit & Run for GameCube U.S. box cover The Simpsons Hit & Run for GameCube U.S. box cover
Developer(s)	Radical Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Vivendi Universal
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Microsoft Windows
Release	September 16, 2003
Genre(s)	Action/Adventure
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer

The Simpsons Hit & Run is a video game based on The Simpsons franchise. It was created by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi Universal in 2003. The game is available for Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 2, and Windows-based personal computers.

Plot

Template:Spoiler The initial missions of the game involve relatively mundane events, such as getting Homer to work at the nuclear plant on time or retrieving items from various locations. Soon, however, the story mode focuses on strange happenings throughout Springfield. Mysterious black vans prowl the streets while robotic wasp-like video cameras spy on the town's inhabitants. Homer initially attempts to blame Mr. Burns for these strange occurrences, but Burns denies responsibility and fires him. Bart disappears briefly, resurfacing with no memory and mumbling unintelligibly; when he recovers, he reveals that a popular soft drink called Buzz Cola is turning people into zombies. The culprits behind all this sinister behavior are Kang and Kodos, who are desperate to increase ratings for their galactic reality show. Positioning cameras all around Springfield, they hope to erase the citizen's minds with the cola before distributing laser pistols; the ensuing destruction should, they reason, thrill interplanetary audiences. The game's final level, which takes place on Halloween, is intentionally reminiscent of a Treehouse of Horror episode; Homer finds that the only way he can stop the alien plot is by loading vehicles with radioactive waste and driving them into the ship's tractor beam. Template:Endspoiler

Gameplay

The game employs the "sandbox" format seen in the later Grand Theft Auto games, featuring a third-person view, an explorable environment, and drivable vehicles. Hit & Run, however, eschews the graphic violence and mature content of the GTA games, focusing primarily on driving missions. Also, while some cars can be stolen while not on a mission, the NPC's drive during many missions. The game also features a "mayhem meter" that brings the police after the player if it gets too high; if the player is captured by the police, he is fined 50 coins.

Progressing though the various story levels allows the player to control Lisa, Homer, Marge, Bart, and Apu; many other Simpsons characters such as Chief Wiggum and Professor Frink appear in non-playable roles, but will also drive you in some missions.

In addition to the story missions, players can optionally participate in "bonus" missions or races which typically award unlockable cars for successful completion. Coins, the currency in the game, are acquired by hitting objects such as trees or mailboxes, destroying wasp cameras or Buzz Cola machines, or simple collection (many coins are simply scattered throughout each level). Players can use coins to purchase new vehicles or outfits for the current character; many of these can be traced directly to specific episodes of The Simpsons (e.g., Bart's Space Shuttle-shaped "Honor Roller" soapbox racer or Marge's police uniform). Many of the cars come from The Simpsons Road Rage.

A number of "collector cards" depicting objects, characters, or scenes from the series are placed in each level, usually in hard-to-access areas. Collecting all of these cards in a level unlocks a track that can be played in a slot car-like racing game, and collecting all of the cards in the game unlocks an original Itchy & Scratchy short, "500-Yard Gash".

Playable characters

Character	Age	Gender	Playable Levels	Vehicle
Homer Simpson	36	Male	Level 1, Level 7	Family Sedan, 70's Sports Car
Bart Simpson	10	Male	Level 2, Level 6	Honor Roller, Red Ferrini
Lisa Simpson	8	Female	Level 3	Malibu Stacy car
Marge Simpson	34	Female	Level 4	Canyonero
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon	28	Male	Level 5	Longhorn

List of vehicles

Unlockable vehicles

Level	Starting Vehicle	Purchased From Gil	Purchased From Other	Completing 3 Races	Bonus Mission
1	Family Sedan	Surveillance Van, Duff Truck	Barney's Plow King	Electaurus	Cletus' Pickup Truck
2	Honor Roller	Limo, Fire Truck	Homer's Mr. Plow	Moe'sSedan	Grandpa's WWII Vehicle
3	Malibu Stacy Car	Donut Truck, Nerd Car	Otto's School Bus	Book-Burning Mobile	Skinner's Sedan
4	Canyonero	Curator, Krusty's Limo	Willie's Tractor	Clown Car	Comic Book Guy's Kremlin
5	Longhorn	Cola Truck, Police Car	Car Built For Homer	El Carro Loco	Professor Frink's Hover Car
6	Red Ferrini	Armored Truck, Chase Sedan	Kearney's Globex Super Villain Car	36' Stutz Bearcat	Snake's Li'l Bandit
7	70's Sports Car	Hearse, Hover Bike	Zombie's Zombie Car	Open Wheel Race Car	Mr. Burns'Limo

Hidden vehicles

• Level 1: blue flame - found in front of Chester Lampwick's solid gold mansion
• Level 2: Front Car of the Monorail - found on the Monorail track
• Level 3: night boat - found in a box on the C-Spanker
• Level 4: ATV- found in the Royal King Trailer Park
• Level 5: Monster Truck - found next to Springfield Stadium
• Level 6: Cadillac - found driven into the wall at Planet Hype
• Level 7: Remote Controlled Car - found on top of the Krusty Burger near the Kwik-E-Mart. Homer is, strangely, able to shrink and fit into this car.

Reception

Hit & Run was well received by critics [1], and it was regarded as a vast improvement to other Simpsons video game titles, sometimes considered to be the best Simpsons game ever made[2], along with the arcade game.

The game sold over 4 million copies [3], entering the "best-sellers" of each console: Greatest Hits (PS2), Player's Choice (GameCube) and Platinum Hits (Xbox).

Trivia

• Fanfiction.net, a real website, was mentioned by Comic Book Guy in the second level.

this game is based on 'grand theft auto'

External links

• The Simpsons Hit & Run Official Site
• The Simpsons Hit & Run at MobyGames
• The Simpsons: Hit & Run at IMDb