Smugglers Run
Review of Smugglers Run
In Smugglers Run there are five different games you can choose from. In Turf War you get to jump right in to the action as youre pitted against rival gangs in a battle to get all the loot you can without getting it snagged away from you.
Crooks N Smugglers is similar to Turf War, with a twist of there being only five pieces of gold to grab to complete the task and come home victorious.
Loot Grab is a two-team debacle, in which you have to be the first to grab eighteen bundles of goodies back to your hide out. Checkpoint Race is the simple race from point to point, although its easier said than done. And then there is Joy Ride, where its just you and the innocent bystanders. You can explore to your hearts content and get familiar with the maps as you do.
The big game though is called Mission. Here you are a rookie smuggler who is being scoped out by the big boys. It would be in your best (financial) interest to do well and prove yourself worthy to be in their gang.
As youre given missions there are several things working against you... rival gangs, time, and of course the cops.
Handling of the vehicles is very nice. The use of the fully analog D-pad is pure heaven, how did I ever drive without it..? The terrain is usually forgiving, and if you take a swan dive off of a high cliff, fear not, you can control the pitch of your falling track so you land flat.
The missions all seem to be well balanced and not overly complex. I liked this, it keeps things moving at a nice rate and you dont find yourself playing the same level fifty times. Its no pushover though, some levels are down right hairy, and if you dont get your act together, youre toast.
Visually Smugglers Run is nice, but not drop dead gorgeous. The game holds a rock solid frame rate and you can see forever... In fact this game has the best draw distance that I have seen on a console game. Colors are a little drab, but then again look at where you are driving… mostly desert.
What I really did like was the attention to detail... road-kill was plentifull, stationary objects could be smashed to peices and even the vehicles themselves would lose body panels after a particularly heavy impact. All these things tied together make for a nice looking drive, smash, and drive some more, game.
The background music is very nice. Nothing over bearing but a good bunch of tunes to keep you crusin in style. The music seems to be of a techno type, and at first seemed a little out of place, but really started to fit in once you get going.
There are plenty of nice sound effects to be found here too. My personal favorite is the pedestrians that shout at you and yell as you go zooming by, sometimes tossing them way into the sky. Also the cops and gang members will give you a piece of their mind as well.
OUR PLEDGE: We promise that we have fully played 'Smugglers Run' before writing this review. The scores given above are our honest opinion and were not influenced in any way by the manufacturer or distributor of the game.
This review was written by Robert Gibson © Absolute PlayStation
Click here to view our 15 Smugglers Run in-game screenshot slideshow
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