"Acually, there are no on foot missions in this game"

Before the 3D free roam splendour that was Grand Theft Auto III, Rockstar games developed Smugglers Run, a refreshing addition to the drive/battling genre. It was a game that was characterized by rugged off road vehicles, the chance to play it bad and vast open and detailed free roam areas. Hostile Territory is the sequel to the popular original

If there is one thing that is certain about Smugglers Run it is the visuals which are excellent. The terrain and backgrounds are all very varied and detailed - players of the original will know what to expect from this. The vehicles, whilst all rather samey lack a little bit of detail but the game is so fast paced it almost doesn't matter. As you will be travelling through detailed areas, it is good to note that the game has a fairly consistent frame rate.

Despite the alternating backdrops, the vehicle handling never seems to be as adversely affected by it as it should be. For example there is no real difference between driving on asphalt, fields and mud. Its not as much of an issue as it could be, for instance the game could be accused of being too realistic and unnecessarily so - Rockstar have never been afraid to bend the rules of reality in there games and I feel it does keep in with the games slightly comic nature.

Smugglers incorporates something not really seen on the PS2 - Live action cutscenes. Rather than something to cringe at like some of the earlier live action cutscenes in gaming, Smugglers are well acted and directed even if they are a little bit shortlived and there are perhaps not enough of them.

Sadly, Hostile Territory really lacks variety in the nature and style of the missions you undertake. Many of them are simple Lose the tail and collection missions which are engaging and playable, but there are only so many you can do before they get quite tedious. Despite this the choice of around 8 vehicles goes some way towards compensating for this.

The game is tough; there are a fair amount of missions, which slowly increase in difficulty as you progress (And therefore gain experience) in each of the three areas. Some of the missions are quite fun. Others are frustrating of the controller smashing variety. One thing I found very annoying in particular was the dreadful music which plays over and over on each mission. You'll soon find yourself playing the game with the sound off in an attempt to stay sane due to the repetetive and dour tune.

Its certainly a major improvement on the original and for the most part it has good, fun gameplay with some excellent graphics and good attention to detail. But the missions can become very samey, frustrating and I think the vast sprawling areas could have been used a little better as much of the scenery is just that.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/01/06