The Simpsons: Hit & Run

THE BAD:
The Game

SUMMARY:
I was looking forward to playing this, because I saw it briefly being demoed in a shop.

Yea it is like GTA for kids, it's a shame the PC version is so crappy. I have played for a total of 3 hours and can't be bothered with it anymore. Let me tell you why:

1- My system well exceeds the minimum specs. It plays games like GTA3 and NFSU pretty damn well. It plays H&R damn poor. The only time I get a decent frame rate (ie over 5 fps) is when I'm in an environment where there is little else near me, Im looking straight at the ground, and there is nothing happening. Apparently this is a common problem, which the game makers say "make sure you have the latest drivers for your video card...". Pretty generic response. Fact is, a patch has been announced in Jan 04 (iirc) but is has yet to surface... (now being 31st May!) I can only get a fair frame rate in 640x480x16 mode. Sad.

2- It seems like the game was made for consoles, as controlling everything is nerve wracking. Using your mouse as a controller is not fun, as the camera is unresponsive, then overresponsive. You'll find yourself steering like a drunk on speed.. in fact the characters only really seem to want to walk in 8 directions (corresponding to the directional buttons on a gamepad) rather than a full 360 degrees. Car handling is pretty much the same - except worse.

3- The missions themselves get boring and repetetive, and the overall gameplay leaves you thinking, I've already played this game a dozen times before.. yes cops, following people, racing, finding shortcuts, jumps, it's all so .. blah!

I could go on, but I'm going to rent the PS2 version sometime to see if it looks any better on my telly.. In the meantime, I've got other games to play.

THE BAD:
There is nothing bad I have found so far, exept for one mission that is a little tricky but it is fine once you have done it!

SUMMARY:
The Simpsons : Hit And Run is a fantastic game out on the PC. It is almost like Grand Theft Auto : Vice City, only it is based on the wonderful family called The Simpsons.

As you should know, there is a TV programme on the TV called The Simpsons, whcih millions of people tune in to watch. Now we finally have a Simpsons game where you can freely walk around springfield and explore it yourself, and find out where everything is.

There are plenty of missions to do in the game. There are 7 main missions to do with each character, then there are loads of sub-missions to do. There are 5 characters to use in the game :- Homer,Bart,Marge,Lisa and Apu. Each character has their own special car :-

Homer - His Pink Work Car
Bart - Martin's Space Shuttle
Lisa - Malibu Stacey's Car real life size
Marge - Canunero
Apu - Road Dragster

Each car is very good, and especially when you get up to Apu, his car is really cool. There are different parts of Springfield to explore with each character.

The Simpsons hit and run is so open ended and you can do with it what you like and when you like it. It is a must get for any game enthusiast out there and is a definite buy for whatever console you get it for. GET IT NOW!