Smuggler’s Run: Warzones follows the story of a secret smuggling organization hired to do work smuggling guns and various other weapons for illegal groups. Angel Studios has done an excellent job porting this title over to the GameCube, and they’ve included some new features to beef up the game (which is Smuggler’s Run 2 on the PS2). The basic gameplay of Warzones involves picking up illegal contraband from point A and delivering it to point B. There are a few other mission types thrown in, like destroying enemy vehicles and smuggling competitions with other groups.

Graphically, Smuggler’s Run Warzones fits in nicely with the rest of the crowd. It has nothing special running for it. At the same time, there are very few graphical flaws that ever pop up (except for some literal pop-up). The textures are nice and smooth and the vehicle models are very detailed. The game runs at a smooth frame-rate, and in the time I’ve been playing, I haven’t seen even a hint of slowdown.

Following along with the graphics, the sound is also in the average range. Nothing special, but nothing awful either. The sound effects are pretty basic engine noises and explosions. They’re nice, but they could have been a bit more detailed and less generic. The background music is very nice. While driving around delivering illegal contraband and running from the cops your ears are treated to thumping techno soundtrack. Some people who don’t like techno might groan at the music selection. Though it seems repetitive at times, the soundtrack fits the mood of the game very well.

The levels in Smuggler’s Run: Warzones deserve a special mention. There aren’t a lot of them, but they are so big you only use, at the most, half of each level per mission. You’ve got a huge amount of space to work with in this game. You’ll need it all to help you evade the cops too.

As stated before, most of the gameplay involves picking up and delivering illegal contraband. In this way, Smuggler’s Run is quite similar to Hitmaker’s Crazy Taxi. But that’s where the similarities end. In Crazy Taxi, picking up and dropping off is all you do. Smuggler’s Run adds more into the gameplay to spice it up. While delivering your goods, you will almost always be chased by the local police force. The cops are relentless. They will do anything to stop you from getting to your destination. Some of the time, your cargo will be explosive and you will have to make sure you don’t hit anything (otherwise you’ll be splattered all over the place). In some missions you will be asked to track, and usually destroy, an enemy vehicle. Destroying it is accomplished by hitting it with your own (usually bigger) vehicle. A third mission type involves competing against another team of smugglers in a “capture the flag” like game. Contraband is scattered all over the field and whichever team grabs and returns the required amount first wins. You can also steal the goods from your opponents by running into them.

You do a lot of running into stuff in Smuggler’s Run. The physics are a bit floaty, but they fit the playing style of the game. While most of the time the collision detection is good, there can be some problems. Hitting things damages your car, and if you reach zero health your engine stalls and you have to wait for your car to restart. This isn’t a problem most of the time as your health gradually replenishes itself while you drive around. But there are some problems I’ve noticed while running into things. For example, I found myself driving along and hitting trees (usually while running from the police) and taking an amount of damage. That’s all fine and good. But sometimes, even while at near full or full heath, I would hit something and my health would completely drop to nothing. I wasn’t even going very fast, and may have only slightly hit the tree. I simply don’t understand this phenomenon at all.

Smuggler’s Run controls pretty well, if slightly loose. This is not really a problem because they match the physics of the world you are diving in. The A button is your gas while B is your break. If you need to go backwards, the Z button can do that for you. L shows you a map (or a rear view if you click it down all the way) and R lets you drift and corrects your balance in mid-air. X and Y serve to activate your counter-measures in case you need to lose the cops. The controls are all spot-on and there are no issues to deal with at all.

Warzones has lastabality for two reasons. One of them is good, while the other can be good or bad depending on the player. The game is massive. The levels are huge, and there are 36 missions in total. The game also features a multitude of 4-player action to keep you happy. But there is a downside to the lastabality. One reason you’ll be playing this game so much is because it is hard. I’m talking really hard too. The AI is completely relentless and will stop at nothing (even moving traffic in its way) to stop you. The time limits are, at times, so short it is damn near unfair. Of course, some people are going to find this to be a blessing, as difficult games are becoming less and less every day. Others might be turned off by the high challenge level. Remember, just because it’s hard, doesn’t mean it’s bad.

Smuggler’s Run: Warzones takes a concept pioneered in games such as Crazy Taxi and adds in just enough to keep itself fresh and interesting. The game’s plot is passable, though it basically serves as a way to set up the missions, and the live-action cut scenes are a very nice touch to the story. The game’s not going anywhere special in the graphics or sound department, but it makes up for this with huge levels, red-hot action, and good controls. You won’t be wasting your money on a short game either, as Warzones can keep you entertained for a long while with its missions, and even longer if you’ve got friends to play multiplayer with. It is an excellent title and there is a good chance that you’ll like it.