Licensed video games might hold a special place in one’s childhood due to the natural appeal of interacting with fictional universes from movies and television. However,licensed games have rightfully gained a reputationfor being rushed, mediocre messes capitalizing on the popularity of outside properties. That being said, there are exceptions. Some licensed games involve experienced developers who are fans of the series being adapted, or members of the original creative team itself. One of the best examples of a licensed game subverting audience expectations isThe Simpsons: Hit & Run.
A parody ofGrand Theft Autogames,The Simpsons: Hit & Runwas lauded for being a tribute to the entireSimpsonsfranchise at the time of its development. Every well-known landmark in Springfield, important character, and event that could serve as a reference appears in some capacity. Despite being made asThe Simpsonswas losing its steam, the writing was similarly praised for its faithfulness to the show, making the game look like an interactive episode. Due to its legacy,The Simpsons: Hit & Runshould get an official remake, especially in an era that prioritizes bringing back old works.
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Licensed Games like The Simpsons: Hit & Run in Modern Times
The Simpsons: Hit & Runis almost 20 years old.The Simpsonsgot a few licensed games of dubious quality at the height of its popularity in the 90s, so cashing into theGrand Theft Autophenomenonamid the show’s oncoming dark age did not seem like a great idea in hindsight. Part of what shocked people aboutThe Simpsons: Hit & RunisThe Simpsonscreative team’s willingness to involve itself with a genre associated with the then-biggest target of “moral” figures.The Simpsonslooked daring again, rather than appearing like a show trying to keep up with the times.
After over a decade’s worth of exploring what sandbox games can do,The Simpsons: Hit & Runlooks like a work worth revisiting.Springfield could be bigger, more detailed, and main locales such as the Simpson household, Moe’s Tavern, the Kwik-E-Mart, and Springfield Elementary could be fully explorable. The graphics could look more like traditionalSimpsonsepisodes through techniques like cel shading. A remake could be an even better tribute toThe Simpsonsand its history, fix technical issues, and add more content that pokes fun atGrand Theft Autowhen the series and Rockstar are faced with controversy.
A remake ofThe Simpsons: Hit & Runwould also have an opportunity to study what the other “best licensed games” did with their source material. Both theBatman: Arkhamseries and theSouth ParkRPGduology both showed how to be faithful to a source material without sacrificing the integrity of gameplay.South Parkin particular won people over due to the way the art style seamlessly adapted from the cartoon to a video game.
The Simpsons: Hit & Runeven has a direct example to follow withSpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom. Originally made for the same generation of consoles asHit & Run,Battle for Bikini Bottomalso successfully turned an iconic cartoon into open areas to explore. ConsideringtheSpongeBobandSimpsonscartoonshave similar cultural impacts, this could be an opportunity forHit & Runto followBattle for Bikini Bottom.
IfThe Simpsons: Hit & Runwere to be remade, it will need to learn from the successes and past mistakes of both sandbox and licensed games. Theopen-world genre is in a constant competitionwith itself, and licensed games are capable of being good while also serving as fanservice for the source material. Nowadays,The Simpsonsmight be considered a zombie franchise by some, but that hasn’t prevented other mediums from having fun with the series.
The Simpsons: Hit & Runis available now on GameCube, PC, PS2, and Xbox.
