Much like the major successful recent attempts of planting players in the world of South Park by Ubisoft and Obsidian with South Park: The Stick of Truth (2013) and South Park: The Fractured But Whole (2017), the Simpsons attempted this years ago, and proved to be a smash hit, despite its 3D art direction.
The Simpsons: Hit and Run is an adventure game designed for the PS2, XBOX, and Gamecube in 2003. Right now, it’s around $50+ on the used game market, and way more if you manage to find one to buy new. This is mainly because it was never transferred or ported onto newer systems like the Xbox 360 or the PS3, and since the developer’s studio has since been shut down and due to the license required to redistribute the game being expired, it has since been in the dead zone of games that have yet to reach newer audiences. The reason that this game is so sought after goes far beyond its difficult obtainability.
The game broke ground as being a competent game licensed under a popular franchise, and its main appeal of allowing the player to drive around and explore the iconic cartoon city Springfield as any one of the iconic characters.
To me this game is special. I didn’t grow up with the Simpsons, but what I did grow up with were video games, and this introduced me to the Simpsons in a way I bet only shared by a minority. It let me use my rising skills and passion for gaming to enjoy and experience this world in a way I was becoming familiar with. It taught me the flexibility that games have as an experience over other forms of entertainment and how with effort, any existing franchise can contribute to this rising medium. It shows how different cultures can be represented, especially after learning that what this game was based on has a 20-year history of being a part of people’s lives.
It’s a simple and sometimes frustrating game that many want to experience after learning about it, and thankfully the fact that it’s hard for some to find a way to play hasn’t stopped some major streamers like XQC and Jerma to shine a light on this gem.
It can be downloaded for PC through some loopholes, but I hope one day the game can be officially ported to modern platforms or maybe even retouched and revised in certain aspects to make the game even more enjoyable for today’s audience.
