In 2021, a YouTuber who goes by the channel name, reubs made an unofficial remaster of the 2003 video game The Simpsons: Hit and Run using Unreal Engine 5. In his most recent update, he made it into an open-world sandbox, and by all accounts, this is perhaps what fans have been waiting for all these years.
The Simpsons: Hit and Run – History and Product Description
To give a bit of a background, The Simpsons Hit and Run is a video game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi Universal Games. The game is based on the long-running animated television series and features a 3D version of Springfield and has the gamers fulfilling quest objectives with a UI and playstyle not too different from a Grand Theft Auto game. It was released for the PlayStation 2 (PS2), Xbox, and GameCube consoles in September 2003 and was then ported to Microsoft Windows for PCs two months later. Check out the official product description of the video game below:
“The Simpsons: Hit and Run is a mission-based driving game featuring out-of-the-car platform action, the interactive world of Springfield, and the signature humor of the Simpsons. To create the most authentic Simpsons game yet, dialogue and story were crafted by writers from The Simpsons television show, and all character voices are supplied by the actual cast. In the roles of Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge, and Apu, players explore seven large levels by car or on foot and compete in more than 56 missions. In addition to the GTA-style driving action, Simpsons fans will also find tons of hidden pick-ups containing trivia material from the show’s 300-plus episodes.”
The Simpsons: Hit and Run – Gameplay
At its core, The Simpsons: Hit and Run is a mission-based driving game. Players step into the shoes of various beloved Simpsons characters, each with their unique abilities, and embark on a series of missions that are both challenging and comically entertaining.
Designed to keep players engaged and invested in the game’s narrative, the missions in the game are diverse, ranging from delivering items, chasing down suspects, and solving puzzles to performing stunts and more. Completing missions rewards players with money, new vehicles, and other items.
You can step into the shoes of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and even Apu, each with their unique abilities and vehicles. These characters come with their special vehicles, which add an extra layer of fun and variety to the gameplay. For instance, Homer drives the pink family sedan, Marge cruises around in her Canyonero, and Bart speeds through the streets on his trusty skateboard. These vehicles not only serve as a means of transportation but also affect how players approach the various missions. The character-switching mechanic keeps the gameplay fresh and exciting.
The signature humor of The Simpsons television show is one of the key elements that makes The Simpsons: Hit and Run such a joy to play. The game is filled with witty references, hilarious dialogues, and comical situations that will have players laughing out loud. It effectively captures the essence of the show’s humor and transfers it into a gaming format.
The humor is seamlessly integrated into the gameplay. For example, during missions, you’ll encounter memorable characters from the show who provide humorous commentary and quirky objectives. These moments make the game not just about completing missions but also about enjoying the humor that the Simpsons universe is known for.
The Simpsons: Hit and Run – Customer Reviews
Upon release, The Simpsons: Hit and Run received positive reviews from players who praised the game’s open-world gameplay, its faithful recreation of Springfield, and its humorous story and dialogue. For some, it is the best Simpsons video game to date.
Of course, no game is perfect, and The Simpsons: Hit and Run is no exception. Some reviewers have complained about technical issues, such as glitches and frame rate drops. Also a result of hardware limitations, Springfield wasn’t as expansive as the developers would have wanted it to be.
Nonetheless, it won the hearts of many gamers in the 2000s and has since been an “underdog classic” so to speak. Luckily for gamers though, we live in a decade where revitalizing franchises, is taken very seriously, not to mention the growing demand for a remake of the title.
The Simpsons: Hit and Run remastered
In August 2021, YouTuber reubs uploaded a sort of demo video demonstrating what he was able to do in a week of tweaking the graphical assets of The Simpsons: Hit and Run.
While it was quite an impressive feat to achieve at the time, the remaster wasn’t exactly practical for a full-game setup. The remake was mostly a way of unearthing the potential of a revamped The Simpsons: Hit and Run using the vastly updated (and user-optimized) graphical capabilities of Unreal Engine 5.
But since the release of his first demo video, reubs have dropped more videos of his remastered version. In his version of the game, instead of the objective-focused, zone-based gameplay of the original The Simpsons: Hit and Run, the unofficial remake allows players to travel the entire town unhindered. The remaster has essentially embraced The Simpsons: Hit and Run‘s open-world GTA roots that the game was always closely referenced for.
Will the remastered The Simpsons: Hit and Run be available for purchase?
Now for the big question, can you get this unofficial remake? The answer is a flat no, unfortunately.
For obvious reasons, the YouTuber does not want to be dragged into potential legal troubles with Fox/Disney, so he has decided against making the project available to the public.
This is a good move on his part since we’ve seen corporate entities delete entire independent projects to oblivion using vicious cease and desist orders even if the project was intended for free and non-profitable uses.
That being said, if corporate entities are watching the developments of this project, (which they presumably are) they’d soon realize the demand for a remaster of The Simpsons: Hit and Run. Maybe we’ll even see a Fox/Disney remake of the video game in the near future.
The original The Simpsons: Hit and Run is still available for purchase on Amazon.com.
How many discs does The Simpsons: Hit and Run have?
The Simpsons: Hit and Run has three discs on the PC version.
This is because the game is very large and complex, and it would not fit on a single disc. The three discs are each required to play the game, and they must be installed in the correct order.
The first disc contains the game’s main installation files, while the second and third discs contain additional data, such as textures, models, and sound effects.
The game’s console versions (PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube) only have one disc, as they are able to store more data than a PC disc.