While there are plenty of mobile games about Matt Groening's original cartoon family, it has been years since The Simpsons has been seen on console. Springfield's favorite family has gotten the chance to enjoy many adventures on consoles over the years, whether it be the 2007 action-adventure game from Electronic Arts or the various driving games, all of which tasks the family with saving their home. In an effort to see what a remake of one of the series' more popular driving titles looks like, a YouTuber has given players a glimpse of a modern version of The Simpsons: Hit and Run running on Unreal Engine 5.
The Simpsons: Hit and Run was originally released in 2003 on Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 2, and PC from developer Radical Entertainment and publisher Vivendi Universal Games. It served as a spiritual successor to 2001's The Simpsons: Road Rage, which was heavily inspired by the popular arcade driving game Crazy Taxi. Hit and Run saw The Simpsons clan, along with Apu, explore Springfield with a colorful array of vehicles amid strange occurrences linked to a revamp of Springfield's popular soda - Buzz Cola.
Despite the game's age, it has maintained a fairly loyal fanbase over the years thanks to the arcade-style gameplay and the show's cast lending their voices to the game. One of these fans is YouTuber Reubs, who, with some meticulous effort on Unreal Engine 5, worked on trying to remake the game, though not without modernizing the game where needed. Reubs said the idea came about after the positive reception to his previous video, where he challenged himself to remake the game in a day, and the video's success led him to put more time into it.
The most obvious advantage of being on Unreal Engine 5 is the game's graphics, which are a massive improvement from 2003 while remaining faithful to The Simpsons' cartoon style. Reub is then able to create a single open world for the game using the three separate maps featured in the original game. The next items on Reub's checklist are an improved vehicle list, more varied missions and dialogue, and an online multiplayer component, all of which he plans to work on in subsequent videos.
Reub's work on his Hit and Run remake is just another example of what dedicated fans are capable of creating with the tools now available to them. Unreal Engine, in particular, is the regular choice for fan remakes, given the engine's various design tools, graphical quality, and ease of use. Other popular titles like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Silent Hill are just two of the fan-remakes on Unreal Engine 5 players can find online, though many are not playable to general audiences.
The Simpsons: Hit and Run is available on Nintendo GameCube, PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.