Omgerotic

Dec 05, 2003 Sega sues over Simpsons Road Rage It's a Crazy Taxi rip-off. Radical went on to work for VU Games as developer of The Simpsons Hit & Run, another game which critics felt 'borrowed heavily. The Simpsons: Hit & Run is a 2003 action-adventure game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi Universal Games.It is based on the American animated sitcom The Simpsons, and is the twenty-second installment in the Simpsons series of video games. Simpson’s Hit and Run or Road Rage. I haven’t played either game before but want to pick one up. Which one would you recommend? Save hide report.

This page details one or more prototype versions of The Simpsons: Hit & Run.

A late PS2 prototype of the Simpsons Hit and Run was leaked on Jan 23, 2019. Almost all of the game's content is finalized, with most of the differences being relatively minor. This version contains an odd bug if emulated where the characters appear upside down when driving vehicles.

This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes.

To do: Everything.

• 2Level 1
• 3Level 2
• 4Level 3
• 5Level 6
• 6Level 7
• 8Audio differences
• 9Oddities

Map file

To do: List some interesting findings from the map file.

In the root of the game disc is SRR2.MAP, a file that maps out all of the game's backend functions. According to this file, this specific prototype of the game was a nightly build.

Level 1

To do: Mission item pick ups are placed differently.

Level 1 cutscene

• The level 1 cutscene still uses the earlier models. The animation is also more slapstick and comical than the final's.

Prototype

Final

S-M-R-T

• Lisa's science project is placed in front of the Family Sedan, meaning you can simply drive into it to pick it up.

Prototype

Final

Petty Theft Homer

• Barney's cooler pickup is placed further away from him in the prototype.

Prototype

Final

Flowers by Irene

• The cutscene's audio mastering is unfinished and very inconsistent. This is especially noticeable with Homer's line 'Marge, that black van is spying on us' being 9 dB louder than the rest and clearly clipping.

The Fat And The Furious

• Due to a programming mistake, Homer's initial line when talking to Mr Burns is overridden by him saying 'There he is!' (a line that goes unused in the final game) This line is likely supposed to play in the stage beforehand, when you first see Mr Burns, however one of the programmers made a mistake and put it in the wrong stage. In the final game this was never fixed, but due to some other changes to game's code, it is instead overridden by the correct line.

Stonecutters' Tunnel

• A music track (stone_cutter_spoof) unused in the final game plays around the area of the Stonecutters' Hall. It is unknown why this was changed.

Power Plant

• Unlike the final game, the power plant has a reverb effect when you are inside. Interestingly, the reverb also affects the menu sounds in the phonebooth, and this could be part of the reason it was removed.

Level 2

Better than Beef

• The location of the satellite is moved further away from the player.

Prototype

Final

Level 3

General

• The texture used on the platform near the red ramp that leads to the C-Spanker shortcut is different.

Prototype

Final

Level 6

Going To The Lu'

The Simpsons Road Rage Vs Hit And Run 2

The circle HUD icon was changed from a kid to a bus in the final game. Interestingly, the image was the only part of the file that was replaced, and as such the bus is still named 'kids.p3d', is still located in the Objects folder (instead of the Vehicles folder) and uses a blue-purple background colour, unlike the yellow colour of any other vehicle icons.

Prototype

Final

Set To Kill

A timer was added in the final version of the mission. This was likely done to increase the difficulty of a late-game mission, as without it the mission is very easy. Maybe they overdid it a bit...

Level 7

Rigor Motors

The final objective to enter the Simpsons' house is still present. This was commented out in the final.

Text differences

Some of the text is a tad different.

Prototype

Final
Memory card (8MB) (for PlayStation 2) is unformatted	Memory card (PS2) is unformatted

Any mention of the PS2 memory card was made less verbose.

Prototype

Final
Talk to the teen at Aztec theater	Talk to the Squeaky Voiced Teen at Aztec theater

Text was made more specific.

The text that appears upon collecting all the collector cards in the game is different.

Audio differences

banjo_main

The audio mastering on this track is slightly different.

Prototype

Final

Oddities

minigamecam

A misplaced version of minigamecam.p3d is loose inside the main art folder. This model seems to use an earlier format that provides export data. With it, the following details can be found:

• Models were made in Maya.
• The game's project folder was referenced as 'Simpsons 2', the first game is likely The Simpsons:Road Rage which was Radical's previous entry.

Vehicle scripts

TT.con is missing from the prototype, despite the model assets being present.

Misc

To do: Compare scripts

The Simpsons Road Rage Vs Hit And Run Video

• Handling is still called 'stability' in the Phone Booth UI as seen in some earlier screenshots.

• The sun flare effect is incomplete and can still be seen through walls.
• You do not perform a victory dance animation upon finishing a bonus race.
• Wasp AI is more aggressive to dodging attacks than in the final game.
• If your memory card is unformatted, the prototype has the option to format it for you, while the final game just displays an error.
• There are a number of differences in the startup screen videos:
  • The Fox Interactive music is different.
  • The Gracie Films video appears to be taken directly from the TV series, while in the final game it has a higher quality.
  • The Radical Entertainment video uses the same sound effects as The Simpsons: Road Rage, with the added recording of Snake's voice which is present in the final game.
• The bonus cutscene, 500 Yard Gash, has some extended sequences and certain parts were reanimated.

Prototype

Final

• Level 7 actually contains some road nodes for the area past the blocked bridge, although they are extremely limited.
• The Phone Booth Menu accessible with the Unlock All Vehicles cheat code contains entries for a set of vehicles listed as 'N/A XX' (the X's being replaced with numbers), as well another vehicle listed as 'Charred Husk'. Selecting the former will have no effect, and selecting the latter will spawn the wreck vehicle that can be driven after certain vehicles are destroyed. Driving this vehicle over a Wrench pickup does not do anything.
• If a player exits their vehicle during a stage where a 10 second time limit to re-enter the vehicle is given, and then triggers the next objective on foot, said timer disappears and the player can be out of the vehicle from then on. In the final game, the timer continues regardless of the fact the player triggers the next objective or not.

The Simpsons series
Arcade	The Simpsons • The Simpsons Bowling
DOS	The Simpsons • Bart's House of Weirdness
NES	Bart vs. the Space Mutants • Bart vs. the World • Krusty's Fun House • Bartman Meets Radioactive Man (Prototype)
Sega Master System	Krusty's Fun House
Game Boy (Color)	Bart Simpson's Escape from Camp Deadly • Bart & the Beanstalk • Itchy & Scratchy in Miniature Golf Madness • Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror
Genesis	Bart vs. the Space Mutants • Virtual Bart • The Itchy and Scratchy Game
SNES	Krusty's Super Fun House • Bart's Nightmare • Virtual Bart (Prototype) • The Itchy & Scratchy Game
Game Gear	Bartman Meets Radioactive Man
PlayStation	Wrestling
Windows	Cartoon Studio • Hit & Run
Game Boy Advance	Road Rage
GameCube	Road Rage (Prototypes) • Hit & Run
PlayStation 2	Road Rage (Prototypes) • Skateboarding • Hit & Run (Prototype)
Xbox	Road Rage (Prototypes) • Hit & Run
PlayStation Portable	The Simpsons Game
Nintendo DS	The Simpsons Game
Android	Tapped Out
iOS	Tapped Out

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/TheSimpsonsRoadRage

Go To

The Simpsons: Road Rage is a 2001 video game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. It is one of a series of games based on the animated television series The Simpsons.

The game has many similarities to Sega's Crazy Taxi, to the extent that Sega sued the developer and publisher in 2003 for patent infringement.

Mr. Burns has bought all transit systems in Springfield and has begun to overcharge everyone for the transportation services. Even worse, the buses are nuclear powered, thus irradiating whoever rides it.

The citizens of the city (managed by the game player) must earn money by driving cars around town in order to regain control of the transit systems. The game contains 17 different drivable/collectible vehicles, six starting locations (five of which are unlockable), and 10 different missions. In order to collect the vehicles and unlock starting locations, players must earn progressively more money for each vehicle or starting location they want to get. In order to complete missions, players must do certain things (such as knocking down 12 baseball team mascots in 45 seconds or running into Gils within a time limit).

To earn money, players must drive around a vehicle for a given amount of time, picking up passengers and taking them to their destinations. Any of the vehicles that the player has collected can be used as taxis. Players have to avoid certain hurdles, such as other vehicles that spin out of control, rocks, flying street objects, Smithers's car, Mr. Burns' nuclear transit buses, and houses on difficult curves.

The game features six locations familiar to Simpsons fans, which have varying levels of difficulty for completing tasks.

• Evergreen Terrace: Is the location of the Simpsons' house, the Flanders' house, Gerald Ford's (formerly George H. W. Bush's) house, the Maison Derriere, Milhouse's house, the Kwik-E-Mart, Smithers's apartment, Principal Skinner's house, Chief Wiggum's house, Springfield Elementary School, Willie's shack, the First Church of Springfield, Reverend Lovejoy's house, Edna Krabappel's house, Apu's apartment, Hans Moleman's house, the grocery store, the Springfield Retirement Castle, Barney's apartment, a Krusty Burger restaurant, Spinser City Apartments and a gas station.

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• Entertainment District: Is the location of Moe's Tavern, the King Toot's Music Store, the She-She Lounge, the Duff Brewery, the Rusty Barnacle, the Guilded Truffle, Planet Hype, a milkshake shop, Sir Putt-A-Lot's, the Aztec Theatre, the Gogolplex, the Frying Dutchman, the Noiseland Arcade, the Girlesque, the Springfield Mini Mall, Barney's Bowl-O-Rama, Circus of Values, the Try-N-Save, Moe's house, Fiesta Terrace, Candy Most Dandy, the Box Factory, a dating building, a pet shop, the Duff Center, the office of an insurance company, three Krusty Burger restaurants, five gas stations, a 24-Seven, a Pineas Q. Butterfat's Ice Cream Parlor and a Lard Lad Donuts restaurant.
• Springfield Dam: Is the location of the Springfield Dam, Mayor Quimby's Mansion, Kamp Krusty, the Stonecutters Lodge, Jittery Joe's Coffee Shop, the office of K Radio, Rancho Relaxo, an interesting home, a builder's shack and a trailer park.
• Nuclear Power Plant: Is the location of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, the Springfield Mall, the Springfield War Memorial Stadium, the Springfield Community Center, a run-off stream, a Lard Lad Donuts restaurant and two gas stations.
• Downtown: Is the location of Herman's Military Antiques, Helter Shelter, the Springfield Plasma Center, the Veterans of Popular Wars, the office of Burns Transit, the Springfield Observatory, the Android's Dungeon, the Springfield Stadium, a cathedral, Saint Sebastian's School for Wicked Girls, the Springfield Airport, Area 51A, the Little Black Box, the Legitimate Businessman's Social Club, the DMV, Professor Frink's apartment, Snake's hideout, Krusty's house, the Springfield Drive-in, Springfield Park, Whacking Day Park, the Happy Sumo, the Singing Sirloin, Chez Pierre, Clown College, the Springfield General Hospital, Channel 6 Studios, the Popsicle Stick Skyscraper, the 50-Foot Magnifying Glass, the Escalator to Nowhere, the Springfield Revolving Restaurant, the Monty Burns Casino, two car parks, a convention center, the Springfield Natural History Museum, Springfield City Hall, the Springfield Court House, the Springfield Public Library, the Springfield Police Station, Copy Jalopy, the Springfield post office, a savings and loan, three Krusty Burger restaurants, two Lard Lad Donuts restaurants, two 24-Sevens, two Big T's, a Phineas Q. Butterfat's Ice Cream Parlor and four gas stations.
• Springfield Mountains: Is the location of Mr. Burns' Mansion, the Springfield Pet Cemetery, the Gold House, the Tire Fire, the office of KBBL, the Springfield Gorge, a gas station, the world's largest toilet and an inspiration point

The Simpsons: Road Rage contains the following tropes:

• Artificial Stupidity: The buses in the game crash into things themselves, and crash into you all the time. The introduction in the game's manual attempts to justify this by claiming Mr. Burns gave the drivers 'free reign to wreak havoc' all over Springfield.
• Big Bad: Mr. Burns. He usually appears in his limo (driven by his partner Smithers) to stop you from progressing.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Near the end of the introductory cutscene, Bart says to just start the game already.
• Continuity Nod: Arguably the strongest source of praise for this game is the various winks and nudges to the Simpsons universe, such as various sight gags and the vehicles the playable characters drive (including the unlockable Mr. Plow truck).
  • A lot of the characters have specific interactions with each other that you would expect based on their relationship in the show and everyone says 'hi' back to Dr. Nick after his Catchphrase. Try to find all of the special interactions!
• Drives Like Crazy: The point of the game, just like Crazy Taxi, is to drive your charge to their destination quickly. Some passengers will specifically ask for a destructive ride and give you a huge bonus if you destroy a certain number of objects before you arrive at the destination. Other passengers, however, will offer a bonus if you arrive before hitting less than three vehicles.
• Holiday Mode: If you play the game on Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day or New Year's Day (Or just set the system clock to those dates), you'll get access seasonal variants of Bart, Marge, Apu and Krusty respectively:
  • For Halloween, Bart is wearing a Frankenstein's Monster costume and his Honor Roller is painted like a jack o’lantern.
  • For Thanksgiving, Marge is dressed like a pilgrim and her Canyonero is painted in autumnal colors.
  • For Christmas, Apu is dressed as Santa Claus and his car is painted a festive green and red.
  • For New Years, Krusty is wearing a tuxedo and conical party hat, and his car is decorated with confetti and champagne bottle decals.
• Kids Driving Cars: Bart and Lisa are able to drive vehicles despite only being ten and eight years old, respectively, though they're limited to just driving the Honor Roller and the Electaurus.
• Loads and Loads of Loading: Another major criticism among critics, other than its clone-status mentioned above. We're talking 50 seconds of loading for a task that only lasts for 20 seconds.
• Self-Deprecation: In Simpsons tradition. The game opens with a cutscene of Bart playing a game in the living room, to which Homer tells him that the game is just a waste of time. The music from the game is also music from Road Rage, and the tiny parts of the screen visible seem to indicate it is, indeed, Road Rage.
• Shout-Out:
  • If you do a good job bringing Krusty the Clown to a destination, he'll remark 'Boy, that was over faster than Chevy Chase's Talk Show.' Krusty will also criticize a bad ride by negatively comparing your driving skills to Mickey Rooney's.
  • In the Entertainment District, one of Bart's reasons for heading to the Ice Cream Parlor is to look for Betty and Veronica.