Developer : Vivendi Universal Games
Release date : October 31, 2003
Synopsis :
The Simpsons: Hit & Run is a 2003 action-adventure game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi Universal Games. It is based on the American animated sitcom The Simpsons, and is the twenty-second installment in the Simpsons series of video games.
The game follows the Simpson family and their friend Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, who witness many strange incidents that occur in Springfield; security cameras, mysterious vans, crop circles, and a “new and improved” flavor of the popular soft drink Buzz Cola that causes insanity. Taking matters into their own hands, they discover numerous shocking secrets, and soon realize these incidents are part of a larger alien conspiracy, caused by Kang and Kodos. The gameplay largely focuses on exploration and missions; players often race enemies and interact with supporting characters on timed quests. The game also features many elements found in role-playing games, such as explorable worlds and side tasks.
Development of The Simpsons: Hit & Run began in late 2001 as a spiritual successor to Radical Entertainment’s previous game The Simpsons: Road Rage. Production was extensive, as the team sought to differentiate the game from Road Rage, deeming that their new entry in the franchise required a different direction. The game was heavily inspired by the Grand Theft Auto series, and the development team re-purposed the open-world design and nuanced character development for the game. This encouraged collaboration with the show’s writers and cast, who helped to craft the story and dialogue. It was released in September 2003 for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. It was then ported to Microsoft Windows two months later.
Upon release, it received positive reviews from video game critics, with praise particularly focused on the interpretation of The Simpsons television series as a video game, its parodical take on Grand Theft Auto III, and graphics, while criticism mostly surrounded some aspects of gameplay, such as bugs and glitches. It is often considered to be the best Simpsons tie-in game and has gained a cult following. The game was also a commercial success, with recorded sales of over 3 million worldwide by July 2007. It received the award for Fave Video Game at the 2004 Nickelodeon Australian Kids’ Choice Awards. On the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox, it earned Greatest Hits, Player’s Choice, and Platinum Hits respectively.
Mysterious happenings are occurring in Springfield; a horde of robot wasps descend upon the city at the beginning of the game, a new brand of Buzz Cola has been introduced to store shelves, and black vans have begun appearing around town. Homer suspects that a black van that is outside his house is spying on his family, and he takes it upon himself to investigate who it belongs to, with the van eventually stopping in front of Mr. Burns’ mansion. After helping Marge destroy numerous copies of Bonestorm 2, Homer accuses Mr. Burns of spying on Springfield, to which Mr. Burns reveals to Homer that the black vans were simply pizza vans.
The next day, Bart tries to get a copy of Bonestorm 2, only to find that the game is sold out. After doing odd chores in the hopes of finding a copy, Bart eventually finds out that Professor Frink is using many copies of Bonestorm 2 to help power the Truckasaurus, and Bart agrees to help him build it, as well as set up a safe environment for it to operate in. After escaping Truckasaurus’ wrath, a tractor beam abducts Bart outside the stadium. Lisa attempts to find her brother by exploring the town for clues. She learns that black sedans which have been appearing around town are connected to Bart’s disappearance. Lisa eventually finds Bart on a ship in Springfield harbor. He appears to have memory loss and is mumbling unintelligibly while occasionally mentioning the sedans and Buzz Cola, the “new and improved” cola drink recently launched by television personality Krusty the Clown.
Marge sets out to learn what has affected Bart with the hopes of curing him. As she investigates a crop circle that recently appeared in Cletus Spuckler’s crop field, while Abraham Simpson is describing the look of a crop circle, Marge comes to the realization that his description is reminiscent of the Buzz Cola logo. Marge shows a can of the cola to Bart, which snaps him out of his stupor. Bart reveals that the Buzz Cola is a mind-control cola produced by aliens, and that drinking large amounts of it is what caused his stupor. Marge decides to purge Springfield of the cola, but in spite of her valiant efforts, the drink still maintains its presence and popularity.[6]
Wracked with guilt upon the realization that he was selling a tainted product, Apu sets out to redeem himself and find out who owns the cola trucks that are supplying Buzz Cola around town. After helping Snake Jailbird with his community service, Apu learns that the cola trucks are registered to the Springfield Museum of Natural History. After acquiring the key from the museum curator, Apu and Bart decide to go inside the museum, where they find a meteor as the source of the cola. After destroying the meteor, they eavesdrop on a conversation between aliens Kang and Kodos, who are masterminding a scheme. Apu and Bart learn that the wasp cameras that were unleashed upon the start of the game are filming the antics of Springfield for Kang and Kodos’ struggling intergalactic reality show, Foolish Earthlings. The aliens are using the cola to make people insane, which the aliens intend to exploit by spreading the cola into the town’s water supply, by which time Kang and Kodos will distribute laser guns among the populace to drive the town to a violent massacre sure to draw many viewers.
Apu is frightened of the aliens and refuses to help any further, so Bart takes it upon himself to foil Kang and Kodos’ plan. Bart asks Krusty for help to stop his role in the aliens’ plot, but Krusty doesn’t believe Bart. Once getting proof of a functional laser gun, Bart once again asks Krusty for help, at which point Krusty informs Bart that he has already helped the Duff Brewery set up free laser gun stands around Springfield, which Bart promptly sets out and destroys. Bart then informs his father of the alien plot, and the duo quickly pursue Kang and Kodos to the brewery in Homer’s old sports car. However, the aliens escape, and before departing, they reveal that they have already released Buzz Cola throughout Springfield’s water supply. As the cola seeps into the ground, it releases the un-dead from the Springfield Cemetery, who invade Springfield on the night of Halloween.
After Homer collects supplies to protect his family and home from the marauding zombies, he decides to pursue an alien probe vehicle to the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Upon reaching the power plant, he encounters Professor Frink, who has figured out the weakness of the aliens: nuclear waste. He plans to use the space ship’s tractor beam to suck up cars that are loaded with drums of nuclear waste, which has situated itself over the Springfield Elementary School playground. After successfully loading Frink’s car into the space ship, Homer gets permission from Mr. Burns to take nuclear waste drums from the power plant to use against the aliens. After loading three more vehicles with nuclear payloads into the space ship, including sacrificing Abraham Simpson, the ship crashes down, with Kang and Kodos later dying from their injuries. The following day, Springfield is returned to normal, while the Foolish Earthlings show reaches peak popularity even on Earth. Homer is hailed as a hero and gained a large following of alien fans that have come to see him. In heaven, Kang and Kodos are happy that they do not have to watch the game’s credits, but they do anyway. The game ends with Kang screaming in horror and frustration.
Source : Wikipedia
