'Smuggler's Run' is mission-based motor mayhem

By John Robinson
CNN.com Nature Editor

(CNN) -- As the name would indicate, "Smuggler's Run" from Rockstar Games is a game about smuggling. Players take charge of a vehicle like a dune buggy or pickup and deliver goods from point A to point B. Throw in a two-player mode and that's pretty much all there is to it.

Because of its smuggling theme, "Smuggler's Run" has received a Teen rating. It probably would have received a Mature rating if the developers had been more explicit about what exactly you were delivering. Most items that you will pick up and deliver are simply referred to as "contraband" or "items."

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One of the strong points of "Smuggler's Run" is the fact that you can go anywhere and do anything in your attempt to beat your opponents to the pick up or delivery point. For example, if you want to jump a ravine instead of taking the bridge, that's perfectly acceptable.

The available vehicles offer good control and some pretty fun driving physics. It is possible to jump, drive over or smash into nearly everything. You can even roll over if you get hit or land the wrong way. The damage model is nice, with parts progressively falling off your car as you run into things. You might call it good or bad, but running into stuff doesn't affect the performance too much until you are completely disabled.

While the graphics in "Smuggler's Run" are not the best you've ever seen, they are not simplistic by any stretch. Even though the expansive environments you will explore are dotted with buildings and natural effects such as trees, lakes and rocks, the overall feel is somewhat sparse.

The missions you will undertake vary from the solo "go get this and take it there" variety to jobs that require you to work as part of a team. The opponents are aggressive and will take the offensive and quickly try to run you off the road if you don't watch out. Police are not much more than a hindrance unless you smash their vehicle to the point of its being unusable. Only then will you get arrested.

One of the only major drawbacks in "Smuggler's Run" is the load times. While it's not the only PlayStation 2 title that suffers from this problem, it does affect gameplay in this case. Because of the mission-based gameplay, you have to wait every time a new mission is accepted, which can be quite often. Replaying a mission, however, does not require you to wait.

With so many games to choose from for the PlayStation 2, lesser-known games like "Smuggler's Run" might get lost in the shuffle. It's too bad if it does, because despite some minor annoyances, this is not a bad game.

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Rockstar Software
PlayStation

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