The Simpsons passed the 30-year mark back in December and many fans out there still hold the cartoon close to their hearts. But there is more to the franchise than just the TV show. The creators of the show have released a few video games based off Springfield, which included a Crazy Taxi-inspired driving game in The Simpsons: Road Rage and a skateboarding game fittingly called The Simpsons Skateboarding.
But no two games were as beloved by Simpsons fans and video game fans alike quite like The Simpsons Hit & Run and The Simpsons Game. They are the best of the bunch, and here are five reasons why for each.
10 Hit & Run: Exploring Springfield
What makes Hit & Run special is the pace, being able to sit back and enjoy the views of Springfield in-between missions. It serves as an open-world game where the player can run or drive to any location they want (if it's available in the specific level, of course).
They can even go inside some of the classic buildings they find, such as the Kwik-E-Mart, Moe's, and The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop. While they are exploring, the player can also find collectible cards, wasp cameras, and gags. all of which contribute to the game's progress.
9 The Simpsons Game: Co-op Mode
The player can beat The Simpsons Game on their own, but they might find it more fun to team up with a friend and play together. On levels that involve two characters, they can hand their friend a controller and the friend can play as the other character in a level, letting them take a break from switching back and forth in a single-player mode.
This also allows them to get through a level a lot quicker, with each person being able to handle a task at once. The only downside is that this is only for local players, so players have to play with a split-screen.
8 Hit & Run:Â The Vehicles
In a vehicle-centric game, the player needs to have a big selection to choose from. While each character has their unique starter car, there are up to seven vehicles that can be unlocked per level, with most being able to be used in every level after its acquired.
If the player uses a phone booth in the game, they can see all the vehicles they've unlocked, as well as the statistics for each car, which includes speed and handling. Some of the unique vehicles include the Plow King, the Book Burning Mobile, Krusty's Limo, and a hearse.
7 The Simpsons Game:Â Unique Abilities
Unlike most other Simpsons games where all the playable characters have similar skill sets, this game took advantage of each character's personality traits and gave them perfect abilities that fit. Homer can attack enemies by burping on them or by turning into a massive ball and rolling over them. Bart can fling rocks using his slingshot and also turn into "Bartman" so he can fly and climb walls.
Lisa can stun enemies with her saxophone and using the "Hand of Buddha" to rearrange huge objects. Marge can recruit people to open paths and fix structures. She also has Maggie, who can crawl into tight spaces to activate buttons or find objects.
6 Hit & Run: The Side Missions
What's a game inspired by the Grand Theft Auto series without its side missions. While the player isn't busy progressing the main story-line, they might spot some Springfield residents who are on the street corners looking for their help. The player can also participate in street races that are run by Patty and Selma of the DMV. These races include a time trial, a lap race against four vehicles, and a one-lap, long-distance race against four opponents as well. If a player wants to put their money where their mouth is, they can wager some cash with some mobsters to see how fast they can drive throughout the whole level.
5 The Simpsons Game: Video Game Parodies
Every Simpsons game is littered with references to the TV show. However, The Simpsons Game makes clear that it wants to poke fun at almost every video game it can. In the level "Enter The Cheatrix," Bart and Lisa use warped pipes to travel from room to room, an ode to the Mario series. They also fight Donkey Kong at the end of the level.
There's also plenty of levels that reference popular games such as "NeverQuest" (EverQuest), "Grand Theft Scratchy" (Grand Theft Auto), "Medal Of Homer" (Medal Of Honor) and "Shadow of the Colossal Donut" (Shadow of the Colossus).
4 Hit & Run: Character Interaction
Interacting with different Springfieldians is a crucial aspect of the game, and any fan can imagine the dialogue is just as hilarious as it is on the show. But besides chatting it up with Barney and Chief Wiggum, the missions themselves involves racing other characters, destroying their vehicles or avoiding them at all cost.
Some missions also involve teaming up with a character, hitching a ride in their car and helping them complete their chore to receive a service or information from them that can help the player figure out all the crazy things that are happening in town.
3 The Simpsons Game: Experiencing Treehouse Of Horror
One of the more iconic recurring specials of The Simpsons is their annual Treehouse Of Horror special and what better way to pay homage to these episodes than have the player fight enemies the characters' themselves had to deal with on TV. The "Shadow of the Colossal Donut" level involves defeating a sentient Lard Lad who is defeating Springfield, which is a reference to Treehouse of Horror VI.
"The Day Of The Dolphin" level involves Dolphins fighting back against humans, a direct reference to the "Night of the Dolphin" segment of Treehouse of Horror XI.
2 Hit & Run: The Halloween Level
In the last level, everything has gone wrong as the aliens have successfully poisoned the water supply with Buzz Cola and the dead are now rising from their graves. So fittingly, the final level takes place during Halloween.
Decorations are up, the church has been burnt down and the rich district has put up barricades so that no zombies can enter. Its the perfect setting for a showdown with Kang and Kodos, who must be defeated by delivering nuclear waste into their mothership. The spooky music during the level adds to the ambiance of the level, while also increasing the stress.
1 The Simpsons Game: Fighting God
Yes, the player gets to fight The Sims creator Will Wright and The Simpsons creator Matt Groening in The Simpsons Game. But what about fighting the creator of all mankind? In the final level, "Game Over," The Simpsons family must fight God himself in a one-on-one battle of Dance Dance Revolution.
While listening to Rock You Like A Hurricane by The Scorpions, the player must time their moves as NPCs from previous levels serve as the arrows coming towards the player. There's also some hilarious dialogue, like God saying how Earth received a 96 on "Meta-Metacritic."