Smuggler's Run: Warzones review

High-tail it to the border, contraband in tow

12DOVE Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Easy-to-get

  • +

    smooth gameplay

  • +

    Five massive levels to explore

  • +

    Pissed-off lawmen on your case

Cons

  • -

    Those guys don't give up - ever

  • -

    Mission variety is lacking

  • -

    Online would make this a must-play

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You're screaming through dense, sun-drenched Vietnam forest, army jeeps hot on your trail. There are two paths up ahead - one's a massive hill that looks impossible to climb, the other's a valley that's loaded with border patrol cronies. In a split-second decision, you go for the hill, your truck's engine roars in contempt but drags over the top anyway, launching you off a cliff and safely to your contraband drop zone. Mission accomplished.

Smuggler's Run: Warzones is boiling over with moments like that. You're a rookie smuggler who wants to make a big name for himself, and what better way than taking on the most insane, outlandish missions available? One minute you're flying a sports car across a desert looking for air-dropped packages, then five seconds later the FBI, US Army and border patrol officers rain down on you with a vengeance.

Warzones is a director's cut of the first two PS2 Smuggler's Run titles. It combines the enormous, dwarfing levels of the series with new countermeasures and getaway techniques. Part of the instant appeal of the Smuggler games is their wide-open gameplay - after one quick load at the beginning of each stage, you've got a miles-long stretch of landscape to tear through. It's all about winding through the small villages, bountiful hills and marshy swamps to get your stolen goods delivered on time.

More info

GenreAction
DescriptionThe ultimate game of cops 'n' robbers - you won't have a chance to breathe when you're running from the cops, FBI and border patrol all at once.
Platform"GameCube"
US censor rating"Teen"
UK censor rating""
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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Brett Elston

A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE. 

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