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.

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.

External links

• The Simpsons Hit & Run Official Site