Run, Rabbit, Run!
Written: Nov 27 '01 (Updated Nov 27 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fantastic offroad fun, engaging multiplayer modes, challenging missions.
Cons: Minor control issues, some missions require repitition.
The Bottom Line: Not the same old driving game. Intense mission based fun mixed with excellent multiplayer modes make it a must play.
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| billservo's Full Review: |
Ever since the console market fully bought into 3D we've seen almost as many bad racing titles as bad movie licenses. Not that we haven't had some stand-outs, Gran Turismo 3 pretty much defines the ultimate video racing experience across all platforms.
But how many times can we go around in circles without getting bored? Games like 4x4 EVO, ATV Offroad Fury, and Motocross Madness address the frustration most have with driving games- racing fans want something more to do than simply make first place.
Smuggler's Run 2 is the latest PS2 entry to try and fill this void. Developer Angel Studios combines the off-road insanity of ATV Offroad Fury with the demanding skills needed in a GT3 to make a fast-paced, mission-based driving game. And while game's like this tend to lose any grounding in reality the result is terrific fun.
At first glance you could say that this game has virtually no story to it. You're a part of a group of smugglers for hire. Originally taking place in Afghanistan, the game's setting has been moved to Georgia, Russia. A Russian colonel has hired you to smuggle contraband and weapons across the border to help out a liberation effort. All in all it's pretty lame. But when faced with such a story, the developers decided to do the only thing possible: embrace it. The result is hilarious. The game unfolds through super campy DVD video clips explaining the more major plot points.
Your boss is the typical older tough guy- All-American ex-CIA type. The colonel's contacts are even better: a paranoid Russian general with his typical heavy accent and giant Mustafa mustache and his Asian contact a Hong Kong FOB constantly spurting out lines like "Ah...yes, yes! You are correct!" The characters aren't meant to offend, and are just too ludicrous to do so. The combination of bad acting, dull lines, and stereotypes look like they just came from the cutting room floor of an old Chuck Norris movie.
As corny as the movies are the game gets serious. You start out as a new recruit to the company and have to prove your driving skills. This translates to a couple of tutorial missions that help you orient yourself with the terrain, car handling and general mission structure.
Missions come in several types, but they all depend on smart, evasive driving and careful time management. Most missions revolve around carrying some kind of payload to different points. At the mission start you'll have to head out to a pick-up point to retrieve the cargo, then find the drop-off point and make your way there. It is never as simple as that, though. Because the game is situated in undeveloped parts of the world terrain is one of your biggest enemies. Granted, you aren't driving the family sedan around, but even with fully tweaked out ATVs you have to watch where you drive and even manage your speed accordingly. For example, taking a jump fast will get you in the air, but may land you in a trap making gameplay a little more than just jamming on the gas.
Not all missions let you be conservative on the throttle, though. Some missions require you to follow another vehicle through a map. Follow missions don't always have a meaningful object outside of just keeping up with your target, but some do weave into the storyline, for example trying to find a base. These missions can be extremely challenging, but emphasize a key point of the game: there is no single way to complete your objective. There are definitely smarter ways than others to do it, but players can use different approaches. Since vehicles in the game ride very differently your strategy can change drastically. For example, some vehicles aren't very fast, but can take a lot of damage or are very stable on rough terrain while others are fast but hard to control. The game makes no recommendation on what vehicle should be used in a mission- any of the vehicles you unlocked can be used. The balance of the vehicles is well done, too. Unlocking six vehicles doesn't mean you'll never go back to the first one again.
Just picking whatever vehicle you want isn't always the smartest move, though. Some missions require you to seek out and destroy other vehicles or even buildings. This is primarily done by repeatedly ramming your target, which usually calls for tougher vehicles. Sometimes a stable vehicle is required especially when law enforcement and rival smugglers start getting in your way. Enemy AI is no slouch, either. While some attacks on you are definitely scripted at specific waypoints, prolonged entanglements are impressive. Enemy vehicles don't always follow you directly and even team up on you to force you down. In missions where you have allies carrying contraband your focus should be on protecting them- enemy vehicles focus on the ally with the goods but will try and take you out if you're keeping them from getting at the target.
The dynamic nature of the AI-controlled players means that no two runs through a mission will be the same. This can call for repeated attempts on a mission or even a particular part of a mission, which can get frustrating, but it keeps the game well paced. The first nine missions have some easy terrain and little opposition making them easily beatable within an hour. Subsequent missions require a bit of strategy and planning in order to find the easiest and least populated route through a map. In this aspect, the game is definitely on your side. Although completely unrealistic, each vehicle has a rearview mirror, even ATVs allowing you to track your pursuers. A small radar also clues you into enemies and a larger, overlay map provides even more info, though at the cost of an unobscured view of the "road".
All these tools are necessary to complete the game, and most missions will be beat with no time to spare. Your vehicles are not aggressive by nature- you don't have any offensive weapons at your disposal and the odds are overwhelming. While all vehicles are equipped with defensive measures, they need to be unlocked and even when they are don't count on them to get you out of every mess. What this boils down to is ultimately near perfect driving throughout every mission. Not only does success require fast reflexes, but careful route planning through the map down to whether or not to take a left or right around a rock. For some, the challenge motivates, others may find the fine level of planning tedious.
Those that enjoy surveying and planning will appreciate the additional play modes Smuggler's Run 2 offers, especially Joyriding. In Joyriding players can select any unlocked vehicle and map and drive it, objective-free at any time. This is especially helpful in twilight or nighttime missions where you'd have to have some knowledge of the terrain in order to complete your objectives. Joyriding is a nice addition, but other modes are much more exciting, especially the multiplayer modes. While support is limited to two players, multiplayer modes are damn fun. Most, at a basic level, are capture the flag variants, but made more interesting due to the fact that there are no long range weapons. One mode has you teamed up with other players trying to steal and retrieve the most loot first. It's made interesting with Teammates must stick together to protect the carrying vehicle. If you don't have any loot you can ram a carrying car and steal theirs. Another version of the same game is an every man for himself mode on maps littered with packages for pick up- just not enough for everyone. The most twisted version, though, replaces one of the packages with a timed bomb. It's hilarious watching every car run for the pickup only to see one of the vehicles drive away with a bomb instead. The doomed vehicle must seek out an opponent and ram them in order to lose the bomb.
Twitch players will find themselves excelling at these modes since there are less scripted events. Even moderately skilled drivers will have a blast since car control is top notch. Players can either go analog or digital, but analog seems to offer up finer control. Gas and brake can be applied at any extreme you want with the right stick- a necessity when trying to navigate rough hills or busting a wall down. In the air, your vehicle's pitch can be controlled by depressing the right stick and moving it. Think "Excitebike"- the more level you can land a jump the quicker you'll take off once back on the ground. Control does have a serious problem, though, but only at slow speeds. When flying through a course control is fluid and responsive, but once stopped taking off again can be a nightmare, especially when cornered or faced with any obstacle. Turns are exceedingly sluggish and getting reverse to kick in with the analog stick can be hit or miss at times. If you ever get stopped this badly you'll likely fail the mission, but you have to wonder if better low speed control could change that. If there's a positive way at looking at this, you could say that the action is kept at a frenetic pace- few driving adventure games feel as pressured as this one.
With all the onscreen action, especially in multiplayer modes, it's amazing that the engine easily holds up. Framerates are locked in solidly, with no signs of slowdown. Like the first title, the second installment isn't texture rich, but maps are huge and filled with opponents. The car details are improved this time around- they're still a little monochromatic, but the cars are camouflaged. Where the vehicles really shine is in the wealth of detail, especially the workings of the vehicles. Suspension plays an important part and is expertly rendered on the screen. Tire movement seems independent and accurate skid marks trail your vehicle. When the action gets intense parts of your vehicle start falling off, giving a visual indication of just how bad things are getting. Explosions aren't overdone, but modest and satisfying. Light effects aren't state of the art, but they serve gameplay rather than replace it. In fact, most graphics in Smuggler's Run 2 have some bearing in the gameplay. In the Vietnam maps, tall grasses and brush obscure your vision allowing mines to go undetected or police to sneak up on you. Missions executed during the night also use strategic lighting to add to the challenge, though headlights would have been a nice addition.
Like music, sound also has a more utilitarian nature here. The music isn't done by any big labels, but its techno, fast-paced rhythm keeps you on your toes without overpowering the game's ambience. Sound cues support visual ones, sirens in the distance clue you in on approaching cops, engine whine lets you know how much traction you're losing on the ground. Even the annoying commander does lend a hand letting you know how bad you're screwing up. It all comes together to make the gameplay experience that much more seamless.
As overdone as the whole racing genre is, it's nice to see a game that has just as compelling a physics engine as some of the more dedicated sim racers out there, but with the substance needed to actually provide a gaming experience. Smuggler's Run 2 pulls this off with ease, and with the additional multiplayer modes it makes itself a hard title to pass up, even for non-racing fans.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
billservo
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Member: Bill Saez
Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Reviews written: 79
Trusted by: 98 members
About Me:
Lifelong game freak. Recently got to work with Sega and THQ in developing cellphone games.
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