Fun for the Simpson fan, probably not for others.

Well, it's certainly not an original idea for a game (take a television cartoon, and make a game out of it), but it is an interesting shot at it.

The whole idea behind Simpsons Road Rage is to pickup passengers and transport them through Springfield (And other Simpsons cities as the game progresses) to their destinations. The quicker you do it, the more you earn, and the more you earn, the more new levels, cars, and drivers you can earn.

Initially, the game is hillarious! Any fan of the Simpsons will be able to relate with the characters in the game immediately, and all of the original TV voices are used to voice the characters in the game itself, using both tried n' true phrases, but alot of new ones as well.

Often, picking up a new character was more fun then actually playing the game, as there was allways something funny that would be said when picking them up, or during the 'drive'. However, when playing the actual game (and not the free-run mode) time is everything, as there are always counters keeping track of your pace, and limiting how much time you have to accomplish pick ups and drop offs.

The unique factor of this game is that it provides a realistic view of Springfield that one can drive through and see - something that many Simpson's fans will appreciate!

Virtually every routine Simpson's character is represented in the game, with matching vehicles. For example, Apu drives his Firebird, while caretaker Willy drivers his big-red tractor. Hillarity ensues.

Be warned, however, that this game may not be suitable for younger children, as some "creative" phrases and subtle suggestiveness is used by the characters. Although this game is much more suitable then alot of other titles to play in front of your kids, it's certainly not a "kids" game, although some may mistake it for such.

Pro's:

1/ Fun! The characters have lots to say, and the phrases all change in correlation with passenger/driver.

2/ A unique opportunity to see Springfield.

3/ Within reason and in a cartoonish type of way, this is a "drive anywhere" type game, adding extra fun. Knock things over, push things around, and smash others - Giggle!

4/ A variety of characters and cars (All earned as the game goes on) makes for decent replayability.

Con's:

1/ Once you've heard all the phrases from a specific character, it gets tiring hearing them over and over.

2/ Car physics are bare-bones. Then of course, this isn't meant to be a simulator or true driving game like Gotham Racing, so that's to be expected.

3/ Going to the same destinations over and over again begins to get tiring.

Overall?

I would consider buying this title when compared to many of the other offerings out there right now. I've always been a Simpson's fan, and this added a creative new side of the show that I enjoyed.

Although the game probably wouldn't be a "daily-player" like Halo or others, it would be a nice "fun" option to pop into the X-Box for an occasional dose of non-reality. :-)