History YMMV / TheSimpsonsHitAndRun

* OlderThanTheyThink: Players will be surprised to learn that Buzz Cola did not originate from this game, it first appeared in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E22KrustyGetsKancelled Krusty Gets Kancelled]]", which first aired in 1993, a full '''decade''' before ''Hit and Run'' released. This can of cola did pop up on occasion prior to the game's release, even using the word style the game would eventually use, but it was wildly inconsistent in terms of typeface, sometimes it was thin, other times it was bold. Post-game release, the show ''has'' used the games' bold "Buzz Cola" typeface style on cans as a MythologyGag of sorts, which is near-identical to the one seen in the game, just without the game-specific crop-circle logo.

** [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E7MargeGetsAJob It's rather fitting]] that ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu96dB7iq3A Ketchup Logic]]'' takes lots of musical cues from Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual" (with the main chorus sounding so similar to said song, it's a wonder the lawyers didn't get involved.)

** Buzz Cola boxes and vending machines are permanently gone for that savefile once they are destroyed, meaning that their high coin payout is meant to only be grabbed once. This can be worked around by kicking them only twice and then reloading the mission, since the game does not save whether boxes and machines are simply ''damaged,'' and they still release coins if they are hit but not destroyed. One mission in Level 6 is located close to four boxes and two machines, so it's possible to use it to grind on money to get all the vehicles and costumes faster. Combine it with another Good Bad Bug that makes characters lose collision, and that gives the quickest[[note]]as of January 2020[[/note]] {{speedrun}} strategy for getting enough coins to get everything in a completionist run of the game, which is helpful thanks to how expensive some of the collectables can get in later levels.

** Remember the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' gag "Simpsons did it!" By the time you get to the game's final levels it turns out the plot is remarkably similar to an episode of ''South Park'', namely that [[spoiler:Earth is being recorded by aliens to sell as a reality show to the galaxy]]. The really funny part is that the ''South Park'' episode came in March 2003; ''Hit & Run'' came out in September. And for extra irony, the "Simpsons did it!" episode came out just the previous year; one must wonder if the producers of the two shows planned this out for the timing to be so perfect.

** The constant {{Cash Gate}}s that require the player to buy a vehicle or costume to progress with a mission. Not only do buyable items [[AdamSmithHatesYourGuts get more expensive as the game progresses]] (thus stopping you dead in your tracks if you can't afford them), but they deter the player from buying and using anything that isn't required for a mission, like the optional vehicles or costumes.

** Who could forget "Hit & Run!", the theme that plays when the WantedMeter fills up and the cops start chasing you?

* CatharsisFactor: Being able to [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential kick the pedestrians as much as you want to]], or even characters like [[EvilOldFolks Mr. Burns]], [[DirtyCop Chief Wiggum]], or [[ObnoxiousInLaws Patty and Selma]], for laughs can be this, especially given some of their quotes. You can even make the Simpsons family members ''kick each other'', so go and knock yourself out if you want to see Bart kicking Homer, or Marge kicking Lisa. Homer being able to kick Marge was something the developers were worried would piss off Creator/MattGroening -- according to the devs, the first thing the big guy did when trying the game was to kick the crap out of Marge and laugh.

* LowTierLetdown: The Duff Truck is seen as one of the worst vehicles in the game, having low speed, acceleration, and handling all at once. Its toughness is its only real strength, but even then, it is outclassed by other vehicles (including the Plow King, which can be found in the same level and is a required purchase anyway) and most of the missions of the game prioritize getting somewhere quicker over having high damage or defence.

* ScrappyMechanic: The constant {{Cash Gate}}s that require the player to buy a vehicle or costume to progress with a mission. Not only do buyable items [[AdamSmithHatesYourGuts get more expensive as the game progresses]] (thus stopping you dead in your tracks if you can't afford them), but they deter the player from buying and using anything that isn't required for a mission, like the optional vehicles or costumes.

* SurpriseDifficulty: The game has a lot of [[ThatOneLevel insanely hard levels]], about one in each of the 7 levels. Cars that have low handling or too high acceleration can be hard to use, and sometimes the timers can be too short and the checkpoints too far away.

* TierInducedScrappy: The Duff Truck is seen as one of the worst vehicles in the game, having low speed, acceleration, and handling all at once. Its toughness is its only real strength, but even then, it is outclassed by other vehicles (including the Plow King, which can be found in the same level and is a required purchase anyway) and most of the missions of the game prioritize getting somewhere quicker over having high damage or defence.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAfdppdlLk0 Not Leaf Blower Aliens, Tentacle Aliens!]], the theme music for the missions ''Long Black Probes'' and ''Alien "Auto"topsy Part I'' is actually a remix of the opening theme of {{Series/UFO}}.

** Any of the [[AutobotsRockOut rock tracks]] that start up. With Bart, that's expected. But with unexpected characters like Marge, Lisa and Apu, you know they're getting serious.
*** Special mention goes to "Weapons of Mass Delinquency", which makes up for the missions "Never Trust a Snake" and "Set To Kill" being [[NintendoHard really difficult.]]

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: To Radical's earlier ''Videogame/TheSimpsonsRoadRage''. It helped that it was changed from a ''VideoGame/CrazyTaxi'' ripoff into a WideOpenSandbox with its own identity.

** The UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} version is considered to have the best control possible due to the driving speed being completely controllable on the level of how hard or light you pull on the right trigger, making for a very smooth driving experience.

** The epic 70's/80's cop show-esque "Wolves Stole My Pills!", which plays during the mission of the same name.

* DisappointingLastLevel: Level 7. While [[spoiler:the Halloween theme]] looks cool, the level suffers from repetitive missions (barring the first) that involve repeatedly going back and forth between the school and power plant to deliver nuclear waste with little variation. Part of the map is also blocked off, resulting in a smaller game world than what was in Levels 1 and 4. The game acknowledges this when Homer realizes that the black sedan he's following is heading to the power plant. He says "The power plant?" in disbelief, then complains that he's bored of that level.

** How can Homer easily walk around the zombie infested town in level 7? [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E5TreehouseOfHorrorIII He has no brains worth eating.]]

** It's also possible for the wasp cameras to accidentally shoot at any NPC's; akin to them getting run over by cars, they'll get sent flying in the usual "flailing around" state just like when you attack them yourself. Unlike getting them run over by cars of any sort though, it's possible to have the said wasp cameras instead, shoot at any notable character (player or NPC) who happens to be driving a car for you, making them fly out of the car, but still having their supposed person inside driving it (thus their voice clips when driving and/or entering the car from their side will still play like normal).
** Buzz Cola boxes and vending machines are permanently gone for that save file once they are destroyed, meaning that their high coin payout is meant to only be grabbed once. This can be worked around by kicking them only twice and then reloading the mission, since the game does not save whether boxes and machines are simply ''damaged,'' and they still release coins if they are hit but not destroyed. One mission in Level 6 is located close to four boxes and two machines, so it's possible to use it to grind on money to get all the vehicles and costumes faster. Combine it with another Good Bad Bug that makes characters lose collision, and that gives the quickest[[note]]as of January 2020[[/note]] {{speedrun}} strategy for getting enough coins to get everything in a completionist run of the game, which is helpful thanks to how expensive some of the collectables can get in later levels.

* OlderThanTheyThink: Players will be surprised to learn that Buzz Cola did not originate from this game, it first appeared in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E22KrustyGetsKancelled Krusty Gets Kancelled]]", which first aired in 1993, a full '''decade''' before ''Hit and Run'' released. This can of cola did pop up on occasion prior to the game releasing, even using the word style the game would eventually use, but it was wildly inconsistent in terms of typeface, sometimes it was thin, other times it was bold. Post-game release, the show ''has'' used the games' bold "Buzz Cola" typeface style on cans as a MythologyGag of sorts, which is near-identical to the one seen in the game, just without the game-specific crop-circle logo.

** Level 2 can be this as a whole. The only thing that carries on from that level to the following ones is Bart's disappearance [[AlienAbduction surronded by a green light]], which kickstarts the whole premise of level 3, with the other events that took place in this level (mainly Frink building the Truckasaurus) having no relevance in following levels whatsoever.

** The PC port of the game is also a case of this. It has the best graphics, supports high resolutions and controller support, has tons of gameplay improvement mods and easy-to-use controls as well.

* SelfImposedChallenge: Beating as many missions as possible using mediocre or terrible cars, such as the low-tier traffic vehicles. Speedrunner [=LiquidWIFI=] has done full-game playthroughs with several such vehicles, including the garbage truck and the "Vote Quimby" [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4mOPvhs6DA truck.]]

** The final three missions, "Alien "Auto"topsy Parts I", "II" and "III", force you to drive perfectly and avoid so much as lightly hitting anything if you don't want to knock off the extremely sensitive barrel of nuclear waste strapped to your fender. Worse still is that since the timers become progressively more restrictive with each level, major crashes from either the traffic, the chase sequences or other obstacles will absolutely cause you to fail if you can't outrun/avoid them on the first pass. Each level ups the ante in regards to difficulty:

** Also of notable mention is "Set To Kill", the penultimate mission of the sixth level. It takes some very skilful driving and knowledge of the map to hit all of the awkwardly-placed laser gun stands with even a few seconds left on the clock, and also a fair amount of luck when you factor in traffic (if you're not careful, the cops will be onto you and will delay you even further). The trip back to Krustylu is even worse, giving you only ''fifty seconds'' to get there from the opposite side of the map. You need to go ''flat-out'' and pray to God you don't suffer any major hold-ups, otherwise, you're guaranteed to not make it. Even with the [[CoolCar Globex Super Villain Car]], which you have to use for the mission, it's damned tough (and things are not helped by the fact that the car is slightly faster than it is stable, and an awkward shape which can cause problems in tight spaces). At least it's backed by the same [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic very awesome]] rock track noted above, arguably one of the best in the game. So if you keep failing, it also means getting plenty of time to listen to music! In a prototype that was compiled very close to the game's release, the 50-second time limit isn't present. This indicates that the time constraint was a last-minute addition, which certainly explains why it is only just doable.

** "Kwik Cash", the level that comes after "Never Trust a Snake". Your mission is to destroy an [[MightyGlacier Armoured Car]]... with Snake's ''[[FragileSpeedster Li'l Bandit]]''. Fortunately, the only time limits you're given are to go to the Googolplex and escape Chief Wiggum twice (first at the end of the freeway and the last at the Snake's Hideout). There's no time limit to destroy the armored car because it takes forever to destroy the toughest vehicle in the game with a sports car[[note]]Hilariously enough, in Level 2, during one part of Bart 'n' Frink mission, Snake himself will be driving around the whole level when you're prompted to talk to Chief Wiggum; that version of the AI-controlled Lil' Bandit car is by far, one of ''the tankiest'' vehicles in the game; but you don't have to try and destroy it.[[/note]] (though one could, though it may take a while, [[WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing simply sit around and let the armored car destroy itself]]). There was going to be a 3-minute time limit, but it was scrapped.

* TierInducedScrappy: The Duff Truck is seen as one of the worst vehicles in the game, having low speed, acceleration, and handling all at once. Its toughness is its only real strength, but even then, it is outclassed by other vehicles (including the Plow King, which can be found in the same level and is a required purchase anyway) and most of the missions of the game prioritize getting somewhere quicker over having high damage or defense.

* OlderThanTheyThink: Players will be surprised to learn that Buzz Cola did not originate from this game, it first appeared in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E22KrustyGetsKancelled Krusty Gets Cancelled]]", which first aired in 1993, a full '''decade''' before ''Hit and Run'' released. This can of cola did pop up on occasion prior to the game releasing, even using the word style the game would eventually use, but it was wildly inconsistent in terms of typeface, sometimes it was thin, other times it was bold. Post-game release, the show ''has'' used the games' bold "Buzz Cola" typeface style on cans as a MythologyGag of sorts, which is near-identical to the one seen in the game, just without the game-specific crop-circle logo.

** "Kwik Cash", the level that comes after "Never Trust a Snake". Your mission is to destroy an [[MightyGlacier Armoured Car]]... with Snake's ''[[FragileSpeedster Li'l Bandit]]''. Fortunately, the only time limits you're given are to go to the Googolplex and escape Chief Wiggum twice (first at the end of the freeway and the last at the Snake's Hideout). There's no time limit to destroy the armoured car because it takes forever to destroy the toughest vehicle in the game with a sports car[[note]]Hilariously enough, in Level 2, during one part of Bart 'n' Frink mission, Snake himself will be driving around the whole level when you're prompted to talk to Chief Wiggum; that version of the AI-controlled Lil' Bandit car is by far, one of ''the tankiest'' vehicles in the game; but you don't have to try and destroy it.[[/note]]. There was going to be a 3-minute time limit, but it was scrapped.

* FridgeBrilliance: How can Homer easily walk around the zombie infested town in level 7? [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E5TreehouseOfHorrorIII He has no brains worth eating.]]

* DisappointingLastLevel: Level 7. While [[spoiler:the Halloween theme]] looks cool, the level suffers from repetitive missions (barring the first) that involve repeatedly going back and forth between the school and power plant to deliver nuclear waste with little variation. Part of the map is also blocked off, resulting in a smaller game world than what was in Levels 1 and 4.

* FanNickname: The Nonuplets Minivan seen in Level 5's "Eight is Too Much" is frequently referred to as the Baby Van.

** Also of notable mention is "Set To Kill", the penultimate mission of the sixth level. It takes some very skilful driving and knowledge of the map to hit all of the awkwardly-placed laser gun stands with even a few seconds left on the clock, and also a fair amount of luck when you factor in traffic (if you're not careful, the cops will be onto you and will delay you even further). The trip back to Krustylu is even worse, giving you only ''fifty seconds'' to get there from the opposite side of the map. You need to go ''flat-out'' and pray to God you don't suffer any major hold-ups, otherwise, you're guaranteed to not make it. Even with the [[CoolCar Globex Super Villain Car]], which you have to use for the mission, it's damned tough (and things are not helped by the fact that the car is slightly faster than it is stable, and an awkward shape which can cause problems in tight spaces). At least it's backed by the same [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic very awesome]] rock track noted above, arguably one of the best in the game. So if you keep failing, it also means getting plenty of time to listen to music!
*** In a prototype that was compiled very close to the game's release, the 50-second time limit isn't present. This indicates that the time constraint was a last-minute addition, which certainly explains why it is only just doable.

** "Kwik Cash", the level that comes after "Never Trust a Snake". Your mission is to destroy an [[MightyGlacier Armoured Car]]... with Snake's ''[[FragileSpeedster Li'l Bandit]]''. Fortunately, the only time limits you're given are to go to the Googolplex and escape Chief Wiggum twice (first at the end of the freeway and the last at the Snake's Hideout). There's no time limit to destroy the armoured car because it takes forever to destroy the toughest vehicle in the game with a sports car[[note]]Hilariously enough, in Level 2, during one part of Bart 'n' Frink mission, Snake himself will be driving around the whole level when you're prompted to talk to Chief Wiggum; that version of the AI-controlled Lil' Bandit car is by far, one of ''the tankiest'' vehicles in the game; but you don't have to try and destroy it.[[/note]].
*** The mission was originally going to be a ''lot'' worse. By editing the main file for the mission, a 3-minute timer to destroy the armoured car can be re-enabled.

* ThatOneSidequest: Every race in the game (see TheComputerIsACheatingBastard on the main page), but the early levels, alongside levels 4 and 6, are the worst.
** Level 3's Circuit Race is especially bad, as it genuinely makes you want to believe that the racers [[SpitefulAI are less interested in winning and more in making sure that you DON'T win]]. Not only is the AI Marge's Canyonero [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard abnormally faster than the one you officially obtain]], the race track features many corners to turn and crossroad where a racer ''will'' [[GangUpOnTheHuman actively ram into you and knock you off course at every opportunity they get]].

* SurpriseDifficulty: The game has a lot of [[ThatOneLevel insanely hard levels]], about one per-mission. Cars that have low handling or too high acceleration can be hard to use, and sometimes the timers can be too short and the checkpoints too far away.

** The One-Hit Wreck cheat, once activated, makes any car that touches your car, instantly blow up. Remember all those annoying traffic cars that kept screwing up your mission? Or the police cars that always appear in front of you? Well, now it's payback time.