The Simpsons, meet The Simp...

oh, wrong theme song.

The Simpsons Hit & Run follows a long line of horrifyingly bad Simpsons games that challenge the very definition of the word game. You can imagine, then, that despite the hype I was unsure about trying the new Simpsons game (out on all consoles now, and shjpping for PC today). Fortunately, Hit & Run is excellent and a must-have for Simpsons fans. The voiceovers are done by the actual cast to hilarious effect, and the story is written by people who actually have something to do with the show (I'm still unclear on whether or not they were writers, interns, janitors, or all three). The Simpsons show translates miraculously well to a 3D game world, and fans can take part in what could have been a real episode.

Zooming around

Apu getting serious air

Best of friends

The Gritty Side of Springfield

Hit & Run is essentially a parody of Grand Theft Auto 3. All of the necessary elements are there: a variety of hijackable cars, powerful weapons that are great for attacking random street-goers, prostitutes, and run-ins with the law. Except that in the Simpsons world, you can simply hop in someone's car and get a free ride (as Bart says, "we deserve it after all we've done for this town!"), the weapons include your legs (kicking) and butt (a Mario-esque double-jump and squash), the prostitutes are just skimpily dressed women near the trailer park where Cletus lives, and the police will charge you 50 coins (or whatever you have if less than 50) if they catch you after an extended binge of hitting people and, well, running.

Bowlng for biohazard-suit-men

Otto, comic book guy and Lisa

Marge's orange suit makes her hair look taller