The Simpsons: Hit & Run
Hit and Run is a video game based on The Simpsons. It was released in 2003 by Vivendi Universal and was created by Radical Entertainment. The game is available for PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, and Windows personal computers.
Contents
Playable characters
- Homer Simpson: levels 1 and 7, both in the suburban level of the game.
- Bart Simpson: Levels 2 and 6, in the downtown and squid-port levels.
- Lisa Simpson: level 3, squidport.
- Marge Simpson: level 4, nightime suburban level.
- Apu Nahasapeemapetilon: level 5, downtown level.
Gameplay
Hit & Run focuses primarily on driving missions. It employs the "sandbox" format, featuring a third-person view, an explorable environment, and drivable vehicles similar to the GTA series. While most cars can be hijacked or stolen, the non-playable characters' vehicles cannot be compromised in this way. Instead, the player's character can be seen riding in the passenger's seat of another vehicle while the owner drives. The game 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, (s)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 in pursuit.
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".
Plot
Part 1
Homer has to do several missions before work and ends up missing work. When he gets home he notices a van is spying on the house and he follows it to Mr. Burns' house. The van is revealed to be part of a pizza delivery service and Homer is fired.
missions:
- Training mission: S-M-R-T
- 1: Petty Theft homer
- 2: Office Spaced
- 3: Blind Big Brother
- 4: Flowers By Irene
- 5: Bonestorm Storm
- 6: The Fat And The Furious
- 7: This Old Shanty
Part 2
Bart wants a new Bonestorm game but it turns out they were sold out or destroyed (by Marge). Bart goes to Professor Frink who has all the games to power his truckasaurus which Bart helps him build since it is better than video games. After Bart uses truckasaurus he dissapears into a bright light.
missions:
Part 3
Lisa searches for Bart who is nowhere to be found and asks many people who don't know. Captain McCalister knows where he is and when Lisa finds him he doesn't talk any sense.
Missions:
Part 4
Marge believes that this has something to do with a mysterious crop circle by Cletus' house. Marge asks Grampa who explains that it looks like a planet with an antenna which is the same symbol as on the new buzz cola which Marge uses to bring back Barts memory who explains it is evil.
Missions:
Part 5
Apu looks for where the cola is coming from and finds out from Snake that it is in the Springfield Museum and with the help of Bart they find out it is from a crashed meteor being cotrolled by Kang and Kodos who have a tv show called foolish earthlings and the cola makes their ratings higher.
Missions:
Part 6
Kang and Kodos are selling laser guns so the people who are drinking the cola will go mad and shoot people. Bart tries to tell Krusty to stop selling them but he doesn't believe him. Bart finds proof and destroys the gun stands. He and Homer go to the duff brewery and find out that the cola will raise the dead.
missions:
Part 7
After Homer protects the house from zombies, he finds the alien spaceship at the school and professor Frink reveals that the way to destroy the aliens is to use nuclear waste and Burns gives Homer the location to all the barrels. The spaceship is destroyed and Homer gets many Rigellian fans.
List of Vehicles
- Honor Roller
- Canyonero
- Plow King
- Family Sedan
- Mr.Plow
- Limo
- Mr.Burn's Limo
- Krusty's Limo
- Clown Car
- WWII Vehicle
- School Bus
- Skinners's Sedan
- Moe's Sedan
- Chase Sedan
- Ferrini-Red
- Electaurus
- Longhorn
- Malibu Stacey Car
- Book Burning Van
- Globex SuperVillain Car
- Dr.Frink's Hover Car
- Car Built for Homer
- Hearse
- Police Car
- Duff Truck
- El Carro Loco
- Snake's li'l bandit
- armored van
- Homer's 70's sports car
- Zombie car
- Open wheeled vehicle
Costumes
During the game, it's possible to the characters buy different clothes.
Level One
- Homer Casual (Homer just wearing underpants)
- Homem Muumuu (Homer is obese, wearing a collorful dress and a white hat in reference to King-Size Homer)
- Homer Chosen-One (Homer wears his stonecutter's outfit)
Level Two
- Bart Tall (Bart is wearing suit with red and blue stripes in reference to Radioactive Man)
- Bart Ninja (Bart is wearing a ninja outfit)
- Bart Football (Bart is wearing a football outfit in reference to Bart Star)
Level Three
- Lisa Cool (Lisa is wearing a hat, glasses and a colorfull shirt on reference to Summer of 4 Ft. 2)
- Lisa Floreda (Lisa is wearing the Florida's outfit made by Homer)
- Lisa Hockey (Lisa wears a hockey outfit in reference to Lisa on Ice)
Level Four
- Marge Inmate (Marge is wearing a orange prisoner uniform on reference to Marge in Chains)
- Marge Classy (Marge is wearing the pink chanel dress on reference to Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield)
- Marge Police (Marge is wearing the police uniform on reference to The Springfield Connection)
Level Five
- Apu Army (Apu wearing an Indian Army suit)
- Apu American (Apu is wearing a cowboy hat and a baseball shirt on reference to Much Apu About Nothing)
- Apu Be-Sharps (Apu is wearing the Be-Sharps suit on reference to The Be Sharps)
Level Six
- Bart Hugo (Bart is in the shape of Hugo Simpson)
- Bart Cadet (Bart is wearing a cadet uniform on reference to The Secret War of Lisa Simpson)
- Bart Bartman (Bart is wearing the Bartman outfit)
Collector Cards
At each level you can find hidden cards. When you collect all the cards, you get bonus.
Level 1
- Home Made Football (Homer at Bat)
- Crab Juice (The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson)
- Insanity Pepper (El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer))
- Spinemelter 2000 (Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?)
- Parchment (Homer the Great)
- Carbon Rod (Deep Space Homer)
- Mr. Sparkle Box (In Marge We Trust)
Level 2
- Head of Jebediah (The Telltale Head)
- AM Radio Toy (Radio Bart)
- Bonestorm Game (Marge Be Not Proud)
- Big Butt Skinner (Bart's Comet)
- Mr. Honeybunny (Lisa on Ice)
- Driver's License (Bart on the Road)
- Pregnancy Test (I Love Lisa)
Level 3
- Angel Skeleton (Lisa the Skeptic)
- Bart's Soul (Bart Sells His Soul)
- Lisa Lionheart (Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy)
- Lisa's Valentine (I Love Lisa)
- Lisa's Machine (The PTA Disbands)
- Evil Braces (Last Exit to Springfield)
- Soy Pop (Lisa's Wedding)
Level 4
- Mr. Plow Jacket (Mr. Plow)
- Burns Portrait (Brush With Greatness)
- Love Letter (Bart the Lover)
- "Homer" Bowling Ball (Life on the Fast Lane)
- Red Blazer (Realty Bites)
- Boudoir Album (They Saved Lisa's Brain)
- Pepper Spray (The Springfield Connection)
Level 5
- Apu's T-Shirt (Lisa the Vegetarian)
- Pin Pals Shirt (Team Homer)
- Prop 24 Sign (Much Apu About Nothing)
- Baby Feeder (Eight Misbehavin')
- Ganesh Costume (The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons)
- Chutney Squishee (The Otto Show)
- Hot Dog (Homer and Apu)
Level 6
- Radioactive Man #1 (Three Men and a Comic Book)
- "Bort" License Plate (Itchy and Scratchy Land)
- Bart T-Shirt (Bart Gets Famous)
- Australia Boot (Bart vs. Australia)
- Itchy and Scratchy Cel (Lady Bouvier's Lover)
- Gabbo Doll (Krusty Gets Kancelled)
- Bart's Flying Hamster Science Project (Duffless)
Mistakes in the game
Suburban level
- It was Bart that had the digestive system model not Lisa.
- There is a very big lack of road junctions.
- In the game the trailer park is in Springfields run down area but it is really over 100 miles away according to Homer.
- Another distance error: you can see the worlds largest toilet on top of a hill yet it is really on a flat plain many miles from Springfield.
- The stonecutters hidden tunnel is hardly hidden and is not next to the highway but links with the power plant instead.
Downtown level
- Moe's Tavern is in front of a mafia building in the game but there is no evidence of this in the show.
- Once again there is a lack of road junctions there are more than in the previous level but for a downtown area it still doesn't have many.
Squidport level
- The androids dungeon comic book store is on a corner but as show many times in the show it is no where near a corner.
- The only bridge out of town is no where near the Springfield dam.
- Kamp Krusty is far out of town.
- The observatory and Springfield sign are close in the game yet the series shows they are on opposite sides of town to each other.
- The suicycle track was at Vegas not at Mr. Burn's casino.
- The Bowl-A-Rama is not by a slope of any kind nor is Wall-E Weasel's.
- Yet another time there is a lack of road junctions.
External links
- The Simpsons Hit & Run Official Site