Smuggler's Run

• Release Date: September 20, 2002
• Genre: Racing
• Style: Mission-Based Racing
• Similar Games: Crazy Taxi: Catch a Ride (Game Boy Advance), Driver 2 Advance (Game Boy Advance), The Simpsons Road Rage (Game Boy Advance)

Game Description

Originally released on PlayStation 2 as a launch title, Smuggler's Run has been exported onto Game Boy Advance as a mission-based racing game played from behind the main vehicle. As in its console predecessor, the object is clear: find and retrieve contraband and deliver it to its destination or drop-off point within the time limit. Making things difficult is the watchful eye of the United States Border Patrol, CIA, and even fellow smugglers who will all engage players in high-speed pursuits. Players will traverse across wide-open environments set in three distinct regions: forest, desert, and tundra.

Two modes of play include Smuggler's Missions and Turf War. The former involves progressing through a series of jobs for large sums of cash. After completing an objective within the time limit, players will receive a password allowing them to resume progress at a later time. The latter mode focuses on team play with two opposing factions. Players and their computer-controlled teammate attempt to retrieve and deliver as much cargo as possible before their rivals. Since only one vehicle can haul the cargo at any given time, the teammate must fend off the opposing team who will try to steal the contraband by ramming its carrier.

Review: Overall

Unless you happen to share a dog's love of running long distances for the sole purpose of fetching a stick, Smuggler's Run for Game Boy Advance should be avoided. The objective is quite simple: retrieve illicit cargo on wide-open terrain and deliver it to a destination or drop-off point as quickly as possible. Some levels have police chasing you, some involve playing a game of tag with two teams, but most are boring variants of fetch in uneventful environments.

Though at first Smuggler's Run seems like Crazy Taxi, especially since an arrow is used to point players in the direction of their cargo, it's missing the high-speed thrills associated with weaving through oncoming traffic, performing hairpin turns, and avoiding collisions with buildings or other vehicles. In Smuggler's Run, players are dropped into laughably enormous environments -- forest, snow, or desert -- without any sense of where to go based on sight alone. The entire time is spent staring at the top of the screen at an arrow until players see the "cargo," represented by a smoke canister.

While the terrain features peaks, valleys, water, sand, and ice, it doesn't affect the vehicle in any noticeable way, taking the fun out of traditional off-road racing or rally games. The collision detection is also sloppy: players can pass through trees at high speeds one moment but stop dead in their tracks from a small rock the next. The handling is extremely loose, which is initially tolerable since the terrain is so wide, but it can be a problem when trying to run over the pickups. Of course, it doesn't matter if you spend a few extra seconds trying to snag the cargo since the police are almost never a threat.

In fact, if it weren't for the sound of the sirens, players would be hard pressed to know that they were being followed. Police lag far behind and are so inept that they often run into each other. The AI during team matches is also pathetic -- vehicles will aimlessly circle around the drop-off point as if they can't find where to dump the cargo. Yet the biggest complaint is the sheer boredom one has from doing the same thing over and over again throughout 29 levels; the distances between pickup and drop-off points are so long you begin to count pixels or how many times objects "pop" into view. Thankfully you don't have to wait for the police to put an end to your smuggling career, as the power switch is far more efficient.

Review: Enjoyment

Poor AI, handling, and repetitive mission objectives make for a dull experience.

Review: Graphics

While the game is played from a view behind the vehicle, the terrain is filled with noticeable pixels and unsightly pop-up.

Review: Sound

Clear voice samples offer praise at the end of the mission or a "hurry up" if time is winding down.

Review: Replay Value

The lack of two-player support and battery backup kill any replay value left in the game, though players can unlock additional vehicles or engage in separate "Turf War" battles.

Review: Documentation

Not surprisingly, the manual is short, which is the first sign of a game with little depth.

Production Credits