Introduction

The Simpsons have been running on TV since 1989, with games based on the show running nearly as long. Things were kicked off with the surprisingly fun arcade game from Konami in 1991. Since then, there have been a number of console games based on The Simpsons, most of them starring Bart.

Then, in late 2001, the entire family made the jump to next-generation consoles in The Simpsons Road Rage. That game took the proven pick-up-and-play concept from Sega’s Crazy Taxi and implanted Simpsons characters and personality into it.

Earlier this year, Vivendi Universal announced that Radical Entertainment is working on the next Simpsons game titled Hit & Run. Described as a “hilarious mission-based driving game featuring all-new out-of-the-car gameplay.” Sound familiar?

Thoughts of Milhouse

Where's the cel-shading?

Best of pals

Vivendi was also proud to boast that “Hit & Run combines a brand new story written by award-winning The Simpsons writers and voiceovers by the original show cast for full brand authenticity.”

The game isn’t expected to ship until September, but we were fortunate enough to play through some pre-release code for preview purposes.

First of all, Hit & Run doesn’t stray from the underlying concept found in Road Rage – take proven gameplay and insert Simpsons DNA. Hit & Run is unmistakably recognizable as being heavily influenced by Grand Theft Auto.