Smuggler's Run 2: Hostile Territory

"A great game, but can be better"

Introduction
Smuggler's Run 2 is a game involving you trying to pick up a ''package'' of exotic goods before the other team (mostly cops or other gangs). It can fill you with an adrenaline rush while trying to escape from the pursuers!

Gameplay 6.5/10
I have to admit the first time you pop the game in your PS2 it is very fun. After a few days of playing it though, the endless 'you go get the contraband (the package) and get back to the checkpoint' gets boring and tasteless.
A very innovative feature is that there is a ''free roam'' mode where you can just race across the endless country side and listen to the tunes. Though technically you wouldn't want to explore the whole level (where you can see is where you can go, and I'm not kidding), you would just want to do the actual missions.
There is only one annoying bit to this game, all the missions except a few handful are as easy as ****. The hard missions are just way too hard, I've played the same level more than 10 times and I still couldn't beat it (this makes you want to bash the controller, poor controllers). Yet in other missions I could beat in to minutes max no problem.

Graphics 8/10
I have to admit that (as mentioned above) you can go as fare as you can see. The cars all have a rusted look and it doesn't make it look the cars nice, instead the idea backfires!
The environments are almost all of the same colors : green or a yellowy sand-like color and a few trees and (rarely) a few ''huts'' splattered across the level.

Sound 3.5/10
The in-game music is absolutely horrible! It's obvious that the developers didn't care about the music. The music isn't horrible, it would actually be nice in DDR, but sadly they put it into an action/racing! (Which is a bad idea)
The sound effects weren't top-notch but they were just above average. Though I do love the police sirens as they never seem to annoy you but they do have an effect : it scares the **** out of you because it just sounds like the police are chasing after you!

Storyline 2/10
You can't blame them for not trying, but the storyline is absolutely horrible. A few live actor cut-scenes are what the developers used to tell the ''story''. A better thing they could've used was where you actually have a name
so you could actually relate to the character!
They made the same mistake (as in GTA3) where you were an anonymous person.

Life span 5/10
Here is where it takes the biggest blow. The action just isn't satisfying after you've played a new game like no other for more two days. Although they added some mini-games and a free-roam mode, it just doesn't seem satisfying enough to even open the game box.
A simple sentence describing the game : when you've played a mission, you've played them all.

Overall 7/10 (not an average)
Rockstar is a very good developer, they make some of the best games, but sadly this isn't one of their best. If they just spent a little more attention on it, it could've shined like a star.

Rent or Buy
It would definitely be best to rent because to some it may be very fun, to other it may be mediocre. The only way for it to be worth buying at all would be if the price dropped down to $10.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/07/03