E3 2002
–First
Look
The Simpsons are clearly one of the most marketable franchises in
marketing history. Even with that boast, Simpsons titles on home consoles
haven’t enjoyed as much success as Bart Simpson “Eat my shorts!” T-Shirts.
Vivendi Universal and Fox Interactive are teaming together to change all that
with The Simpsons Hit & Run, the most complete video game with the Simpsons tag
for any console.
Hit & Run is a mission based driving game (think Grand Theft Auto
without the crime) that features tons of characters from the much loved animated
television series. Springfield supporters will be able to control Homer, Marge,
Bart, Lisa, and Apu as they tour around the expansive environments on foot and
in cars. The four-fingered characters will also encounter nearly 40 other
characters from the game, such as Snake the oft-incarcerated criminal and Cletis
the slack-jawed yokel, each with their own vehicles that the Simpsons will use
to complete various missions.
The game is based on a revamped version of the Simpsons Road Rage
game engine, but the gameplay is much smoother and advanced. Each level is
completely mapped out with familiar Simpsons landmarks such as King Toot’s music
shop and Moe’s Tavern, and the developers encourage gamers to explore the entire
landscape with complete freedom. Each of the seven levels has seven missions,
and three large environments from Springfield.
Hit & Run, voiced by the same talent from the show and written by
Simpsons writers, features tons of unlockables and Easter Eggs that should keep
even the most knowledgeable Simpsons fanatic content. Each character has
several outfits to unlock, seven collector cards per level feature familiar
trivia from Simpsons episodes, and multiplayer modes can be unlocked.
The Simpsons Hit & Run comes to consoles in September of 2003.
