Smuggler's Run

Graphics: 9 Sound: 6 Gameplay: 9 Replay Value: 9 Reviewer's Tilt: 9 Overall: 8.2

Reviewed by Chris

Before Grand Theft Auto III...even before Gran Turismo 3, there was Smuggler's Run. Hours upon hours were spent playing its two-player mode here at Independent Gamers. People either love this game or hate it, but you cannot deny its brilliance. A challenging, meaty single player session may cause some people to lose interest due to the extreme difficulty, but I say you should get it for the free mode alone. Don't want to do those missions? Take some time to explore the game's huge, realistic worlds. And when I say huge, I mean HUGE. Areas span for miles and miles, and almost every single section of the terrain is navigable. There's also lots of strange areas to discover in Smuggler's Run, most of which are only accessible through a 4x4 pickup. If you find ramps, you can use them to drive off a huge cliff and do flips in midair, all the way to the bottom of the canyon. Grab a friend and explore each area of the level and you will have a great time. If you've played Smuggler's Run 2, and if you didn't like it (we sure didn't!), come try the original. It's better in every aspect, especially fun factor. Plus, the missions aren't nearly as aggrivating. We were stuck on so many missions in the game that we just couldn't stand it. It's definately an uninspired sequel. Are there any complaints about Smuggler's Run? Naturally. The game's biggest fault are the sounds. They...to put it plainly, suck. Whining police sirens never cease, your girlfriend is always babbling the same repetitve crap over and over again during your driving, and the sound effects of hitting other cars really blows. When you crash into a wall, it sounds like a toy car. Hell, for some crashes they even took sound effects from Crash Bandicoot series (yes, that's odd) and used them for it. Yuck, yuck. The music is equally as crappy, although not as bad as Smuggler's Run 2's music. Ignore the sounds. Hey, you could mute the game as you play it. Or better yet, put on some of your own tunes and you'll soon discover one of the craziest games ever.

Virtually every place you can see in this game is navigable. If you see it, you can go there.