After a lot of rumours and rumblings, PlayStation's competitor to Xbox's Game Pass has been announced. PS Plus Premium will launch next month and we now have a better idea of which games will be made available with it.
The first racing games on PS+ Premium have been revealed. We've already had our say over on Racinggames for which retro racing titles we'd like to see. One classic we haven't talked about yet though, is Simpson's Hit & Run.
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So, what makes this game so special? And how likely are we to see it on PS+ Premium now or in the future? We've got everything you need to know right here!
Simpsons meets GTA
The Simpsons is one of the longest-running and popular animated TV shows ever. More than 30 years after being debuted, The Simpsons is still churning out new seasons every year.
The Simpsons has been adapted into every form of media, including video games. There has been dozens of these released over the past three decades, but one stands head and shoulders above the rest.
The Simpsons Hit & Run was released in 2003 to rave reviews from critics and the eternal adoration of players. Despite being nearly 20 years old, this title still fetches good prices in the second-hand market.
To say this is a Simpsons Grand Theft Auto is doing the game a slight disservice, but it's also quite accurate. Hit & Run takes place in various locations around Springfield and it's all open world.
Hit & Run's gameplay is similar to GTA III in that its mechanics and animations were slick for the time. Something to keep in mind as well is that the voice actors from the show are in the game and their dialogue is classic.
There is a entertainingly goofy story to enjoy and all of the missions feel unique. What's arguably best about Hit & Run though, is the world itself. For consoles like the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox, the map was huge.
Furthermore, Springfield is massive in this guise. It really shows off the scale and scope of the TV show, as it showed off Springfield's Downtown, Suburban and Coastal areas.
Hit & Run also had excellent replayability, thanks to collectables such as special vehicles and cards.
Shelved sequel and remaster
When a game sells over three million copies and is part of one of the most successful franchises ever, talks of a sequel are inevitable.
Developers Radical had previously worked on Simpsons Road Rage, a Crazy Taxi rip-off with Simpsons characters. Radical started working on Hit & Run 2, due for release
Yep, it just had to be EA. Electronic Arts won the rights to Simpsons video games, and game work on The Simpsons Game began instead of Hit & Run 2. Hit & Run 2 never saw the light of day, but what about a remaster?
Well, aside from fan-made creations, we've never got close to that happening. There are always rumours flying around of this being in the works, but nothing substantial has been seen or heard in this time.
However, a ground-up remaster is always a possibility. This is especially the case when you consider how good games like Crash and Spyro have been.
Will Hit & Run be on PS+?
Now, this is the big question. As of the time of writing, Simpsons Hit & Run hasn't been confirmed for PlayStation Plus Premium. That doesn't mean it won't be though, as there are over 300 PS3, PS2, PS1 and PSP games in this category.
Just a small percentage of these have been confirmed, so there's plenty of scope for this to change. Also, it's not just PlayStation exclusives that have been revealed, there's also titles that haven't been developed by Sony-affiliated studios.
The fact remains though, that because of the tricky legal situation Disney and Fox are in with EA when it comes to The Simpsons, it's unlikely we'll see a new or remastered Hit & Run for some time.
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