The Simpsons Hit & Run
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| The Simpsons Hit & Run | |
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| Developer(s) | Radical Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Vivendi Universal |
| Release date(s) | September 16, 2003 |
| Genre(s) | Action/Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen PEGI: 7+ OFLC: G |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Microsoft Windows |
| System requirements | PS2 requires 1 or 4 players with Memory Cards, Anolog Control,Vibaration Funtcin and Multiap for 4 players. |
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.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
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. Later, Bart disappears briefly, resurfacing with no memory and mumbling unintelligibly; when he recovers, he reveals that a popular soft drink called New and Improved Buzz Cola is brainwashing the people.
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.
[edit] Gameplay
The game employs the "sandbox" format seen in the earlier and 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 "Hit & Run 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. In the first 3 levels, only one police car is deployed to chase the player, but starting from level 4, two police cars are dispatched to pursue the player.
Progressing though the various story levels allows the player to control Homer, Lisa, 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".
[edit] Playable characters
| Character | Playable Levels | Vehicle |
| Homer Simpson | Level 1, Level 7 | Family Sedan, 70's Sports Car |
| Bart Simpson | Level 2, Level 6 | Honor Roller, Ferrini - Red |
| Lisa Simpson | Level 3 | Malibu Stacy Car |
| Marge Simpson | Level 4 | Canyonero |
| Apu Nahasapeemapetilon | Level 5 | Longhorn |
[edit] Collector Cards
Throughout the levels are collector cards, that portray objects from some episodes.
[edit] List of missions
| Level | Mission 1 | Mission 2 | Mission 3 | Mission 4 | Mission 5 | Mission 6 | Mission 7 | Bonus mission |
| 1 | S-M-R-T | Petty Theft Homer | Office Spaced | Blind Big Brother | Flowers By Irene | Bonestorm Storm | The Fat and Furious | This Old Shanty |
| 2 | Detention Deficit Disorder | Weapons of Mass Delinquency | Vox Nerduli | Bart 'n' Frink | Better Than Beef | Monkey See Monkey D'oh | Cell-Outs | Dial B for Blood |
| 3 | Nerd Race Queen | Clueless | Bonfire of the Manatees | Operation Hellfish | Slithery Sluething | Fishy Deals | The Old Pirate and the Sea | Princi-pal |
| 4 | For A Few Donuts More | Redneck Roundup | Ketchup Logic | Return of the Nearly-Dead | Wolves Stole My Pills | The Cola Wars | From Outer Space | Beached Love |
| 5 | Incriminating Caffeine | ...and Baby Makes 8 | Eight is Too Much | This Little Piggy | Never Trust a Snake | Kwik Cash | Curious Curator | Kinky Frinky |
| 6 | Going to the Lu' | Getting Down with the Clown | Lab Coat Caper | Duff for Me, Duff for You | Full Metal Jackass | Set to Kill | Kang and Kodos Strike Back | Milking the Pigs |
| 7 | Rigor Motors | Long Black Probes | Pocket Protector | There's Something About Monty | Alien "Auto"topsy Part I | Alien "Auto"topsy Part II | Alien "Auto"topsy Part III | Flaming Tires |
[edit] List of vehicles
[edit] 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's Sedan | Grandpa's WWII Vehicle | |
| 3 | Malibu Stacy Car | Donut Truck, Nerd Car | Otto's School Bus | Book Burning Van | Principal 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 (resembles El Camino | Professor Frink's Hover Car | |
| 6 | Ferrini - Red | 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 |
[edit] Hidden vehicles
| Level | Vehicle | Found |
| 1 | Speed Rocket Car | Found in front of Chester J. Lampwick's solid gold mansion. |
| 2 | Monorail Car | Found on the Monorail track. |
| 3 | Knight Boat | Found in a box on the C-Spanker. |
| 4 | ATV | Found in the Royal King Trailer Park in between two trailers at the far end. |
| 5 | Obliteratatron Big Wheel Truck | Found next to a fountain at the Springfield Stadium. |
| 6 | Planet Hype 50's Car | Found driven into the wall at Planet Hype. |
| 7 | Remote-Controlled Car | Found on top of the building behind the Kwik-E-Mart. |
[edit] Reception
Hit & Run was well received by critics [1] (for a Simpsons game), 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 6 million copies [3], entering the "best-sellers" of each console: Greatest Hits (PS2), Player's Choice (GameCube) and Platinum Hits (Xbox).
[edit] External links
- The Simpsons Hit & Run Official Site
- The Simpsons Hit & Run at MobyGames
- The Simpsons: Hit & Run at the Internet Movie Database
- [4]
