The Simpsons: Hit & Run

The Good
It's been a long time since I played a Simpsons game that was actually, in some way or form, entertaining. The last one goes all the way back to the arcade game developed by Konami. Since then, nearly every game based on the series has been total rubbish, especially most recently with Simpsons Wrestling and the Crazy Taxi rip-off, Road Rage.

So, I'm glad to say that Hit & Run is a return to form for the franchise. The humor comes think and fast, thanks mainly to the addition of nearly the entire voice cast plus an original story. The game stays true to the show, with a collection of characters, places and items from some of the best episodes of the shows long run appearing at some point during gameplay.

The game itself plays fairly well. The controls are simple and easy to use, certainly not as complicated compared to any major racing game when it comes to driving your cars around. Mission objectives are also fairly basic, and for the most part they don't take much time at all, but the side quests will keep you going for much longer, such as racing against the clock and other racers, or collecting the many bonus items and wasp cameras.

The Bad
Despite the solid engine under the hood, there are plenty of bugs that spoil the experience, including the usual camera problems or strange errors where the characters get stuck in certain situations for no reason at all.

And though the game is fun to play for the most part, the objectives are the same all the time, with little originality during the later levels (the same 'find this' or 'do that'). It can get boring quickly as you work through the game, which is a real shame considering what could have been done.

The cut scenes aren't all that crash hot either, simply filling time more then moving the story along. Sure, looking at the cast in 3D is nice, but I would have liked some original 2D artwork by the cartoon animators far more.

The multiplayer element could have also been worked on a little more. It's fun for a short time, but it would have been nice to see a co-op mode or deathmatch mode ala Mario Kart, what with all the cars available.

The Bottom Line
It isn't perfect, but compared to the everything else that has come before it, Hit & Run is a much better game to build upon for the future of the Simpsons franchise. Fans will love the humor and references to previous shows, and the extras will keep you going for a little longer. I'm looking forward to see what Vivendi can do next.