In a canny move, the bods at Radical Entertainment steered clear of giving their first spin with The Simpsons license - 2001s Road Rage - the sequel treatment by instead overhauling their Pure3D engine and in turn creating this hugely enjoyable sandbox romp. At the heart of it, Hit & Run is a playful version of Rockstars Grand Theft Auto series, which enables players to take control of the likes of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Apu as they hit the streets of Springfield to foil an alien plot (forged by Treehouse Of Horrors regulars, Kang and Kodos) and restore normality to the town. Radical have pitched the gameplay perfectly and its a joy to buckle up in a range of vehicles, be it the familys own pink ride, Mr Burnss regal chariot or even a Duff truck, and attempt the games variety of levels, which are comprised of point to point driving missions, light platforming and flat out destruction binges. With recognisable locations available to visit on the games map, Radical wedged in a range of collectable Itchy & Scratchy cards and coins to snuff out, all smartly hidden in places that encourage players to step out of their vehicle and explore. Like the genre it is riffing on, Hit & Run remains playable after the credits roll and it's for this reason that it deserves to be regarded as one of the best Simpsons games of all time.
Shaun is a former contributor for a number of Future Publishing titles and more recently worked as a staffer at Imagine Publishing.
He can now be found banking in the daytime and writing a variety of articles for What Culture, namely around his favourite topics of film, retro gaming, music, TV and, when he's feeling clever, literature.
