In another reality, 2003's The Simpsons: Hit & Run — an action-adventure game that was by then the show's 22nd video game adaptation — might have slid quietly into obscurity. So why is it, then, that we can't seem to let it go? On YouTube, the game frequently resurfaces via longplays, speedruns, and retrospective essays that garner respectable amounts of views year after year. A few months ago, the game's lead designer told GamesRadar that he would support an official remake, mentioning that Hit & Run continues to be The Simpsons' most popular video game adaptation on Metacritic.

Yet Hit & Run's sustained relevance is, on its surface, a bit of an enigma. You'd be hard-pressed to find the game included in any critical canons or best-of lists, and there's hardly been a shortage of T-rated open-world games since its release. But for many, the game isn't just a source of nostalgia today; it was an introduction to a wholly new form of in-game self-expression. I looked into the still-growing community keeping it alive today.

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