Simpsons Hit And Run Update

Posted on 11-05-2021 by admin

Whether we’ll get a The Simpsons: Hit & Run remake/remaster is up in the air, but that doesn’t mean you can’t relive the game’s wacky adventures in Media Molecule’s Dreams. The impressive creation suite recently launched on the PS4, giving users the chance to play and create nearly anything imaginable. Thanks to Dreams user ReivaJKH, you can jump back into the world of the beloved Hit and Run in a faithful recreation of the original. Much like many of the excellent Dreams recreations (like this rendition of Ghost of Tsushima), this one is nearly indistinguishable from the source material and features visuals, sounds, and gameplay to match.

The video below shows the recreation in action:

The Simpsons meets Grand Theft Auto. Radical Entertainment has the answer, in the form of The Simpsons Hit & Run. This “Grand Theft Simpsons” perfectly captures everything that makes the show great: the writing, the setting, the humor, and the characters.

Simpsons Hit And Run Online

Each of its characters is identical to those in the original, with Homer, Marge, Bart, Maggie, and Lisa in playable form. Hit & Run features an open world similar to that of 2001’s Grand Theft Auto III, but done so in more of a satirical way, in typical Simpsons fashion. Though the recreation still needs some work with its open-world aspects (like more variety in buildings and other features to make the world feel more alive), the foundation of an impressive game is there. It’s unclear if its creator plans to keep fleshing things out, but nonetheless, this looks and is presented just like the game you remember.

With remakes and remasters running rampant in the video game world, the idea of seeing The Simpsons: Hit & Run again isn’t outside the realm of possibility. Towards the end of 2019, the game’s producer Vlad Ceraldi talked about wanting to bring it back in some capacity but noted that there were no solid plans to do so at the time. But if the success of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Spyro: Reignited Trilogy, and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled are any indication, bringing back Hit & Run could be lucrative for those involved. (Editor’s Note: Licensing agreements notwithstanding, particularly now that Disney owns Fox and its properties.) After all, the original game sold somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 million copies.

While we may never see the return of Hit & Run, at least you can enjoy a version of it in Dreams, complete with Bart skateboarding sections, a saxophone-playing Lisa, and a gun-slinging Maggie—all of which can explore the town of Springfield.

(Editor’s Note: This is not the complete Hit & Run game remade, but rather a technical demonstration of what’s possible in Dreams limited to the area immediately around the Simspons’ residence.)

[Source: Dreams, YouTube via USgamer]

Platforms:	PC, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox
Publisher:	Fox Interactive, Vivendi Universal
Developer:	Radical Entertainment
Genres:	Adventure / Action Adventure
Release Date:	November 11, 2003
Game Modes:	Singleplayer

The Simpsons meets Grand Theft Auto

You can find the answer to all of life’s questions by watching The Simpsons. Life, death, what happens when Homer goes to clown collage, it’s all there. But one question has remained unanswered: How do you turn the greatest animated television show in history into a decent videogame? Radical Entertainment has the answer, in the form of The Simpsons Hit & Run. This “Grand Theft Simpsons” perfectly captures everything that makes the show great: the writing, the setting, the humor, and the characters.

You get to play as each of the four primary characters (Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge), and each one starts in a different section of Springfield. You advance the game by completing simple missions – mostly involving either racing or platforming – but can also engage in typical GTA-style free roaming on the side. You discover easter eggs, gather gold coins, complete bonus races, and can eventually buy better vehicles and episode-referencing outfits. There’s a police system similar to GTA as well, but law enforcement in Springfield is noticeably more relaxed. You can run over roadside objects, people (they amusingly bounce around but never get hurt) and crash your car for quite some time before the cops come after you, as indicated by a useful wanted meter.

Everyone and everything from the show gets thrown into the game, including the original voice actors providing their original voices. Springfield is painstakingly recreated, and it will take an encyclopedic knowledge on the player’s part to get every inside joke. It’s rendered in glorious detail, with references that are obvious (the Springfield tire fire is still burning) and slightly less so (Jasper frozen in Apu’s freezer).

King-sized Homer. Also notice Abe in the background.

“It was like that when I got here”.

Bart having fun at Moe’s Tavern.

Simpsons Hit And Run 2

Old Set of Wheels

Originally designed for all platforms, the controls for the PC version are merely adequate. While it’s intended for an analog gamepad, the controls for driving with the keyboard are on-par with the PC versions of Grand Theft Auto. Running around on foot introduces some weirdness, as the camera has a tendency to go wonky and the mouselook option is half-assed, but manageable.

Any control issues fade into the background when you actually sit down and play the thing, however. There are 49 missions in total, plus a “Bonus” one on each of the seven levels. The missions are almost exclusively races, but for the most part they’re all winnable. (The quantity compensates for the lack of difficulty.) In fact, everything about the game is designed to make it easier on the player, unlike the brutally unforgiving Grand Theft Auto 3. Paths in any race are marked on the roads with arrows and you can restart missions at your whim.

Completing missions opens new areas of Springfield, and completing some of the secondary tasks unlocks new vehicles. For any fan of the series, the self-referential tone, humor and fun gameplay make this a winner. To put it mildly, if you can’t get enough Simpsons, then this game was made for you.

System Requirements: Pentium III 500 MHz, 192 MB RAM, 16 MB Video, Win98

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