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The Plot:
   
In "Smuggler's Run", you are a new member of a gang of international smugglers? What do you smuggle? Well, you don't ask questions - you just get paid. The game doesn't make it quite that easy, though: although you're outfitted with a series of powerful, all-road vehicles, the terrains can sometimes be unforgiving and it's only a matter of time before the police, the border patrol or rival gangs are giving chase.
"Run" can be played in a few different ways - there is a "mission based" series where you are requested to go through different missions to collect and deliver contraband or do things like race a rival gang to the finish line. There is also a "Turf War" (1/2 player) series of adventures, where you're up against other gangs to deliver the most contraband - if they pick it up before you do, it's up to you to knock into them and steal it back.
Last, but not least, there's "Joyride", which gives players the ability to simply ride around and interact with the environments (forest, desert, or snow). Essentially, it's "bumper cars" on a bigger scale. It would be nice if there were more elements (cars, trains, whatnot) to interact with in these areas, but it was never that difficult to find something new to bump into.
What I found most enjoyable about "Smuggler's Run" were the instances where the police/patrols gave chase. These are not simply aluggish characters passively giving chase - they don't give up and they are absolutely on your tail unless you can creatively come up with a way to shake them. Not only do they try and give chase, if they can get around side or around front, they may attempt to box you in or bump the back of your car to get you into a spin-out. If you need to pick something up or drop something off while the cops are on your tail, you need to hit the pick-up/drop-off perfectly; miss it, and when you turn around, the cops will likely be waiting. Think quickly and pull a "Fast and the Furious" going in-between the oncoming cars or, if the cops close in, you're arrested. I almost forgot to mention - you are being timed (smuggling can't be an all-day sight-seeing ride, apparently.)
Both a positive and a negative about "Smuggler's Run" are the environments. There are a moderately enjoyable amount of details to interact with in most of the scenes, but some of the missions started to look or feel a bit too similar (didn't I just pass this corner?). On the other hand, the wide-open gameplay means that maybe there isn't only one way from a pick-up to a drop-off. There's also a few bridges, tunnels and rivers to go through, over or into.
Although the first missions are relatively easy, the level of difficultly picks up nicely as the game goes along. Although I would have liked the missions to look a bit more different, I still found the different tasks and obstacles enjoyable enough so that I imagine I'll be playing through the game a few more times than once.
Rating: 8.5/10
The DVD
Graphics: The graphics for "Smuggler's Run" are not going to stun and/or dazzle users of the PS2, but they aren't bad, either. The terrains are detailed and I really enjoyed how the cars can interact with the surrounding environment. If you bump into some of the street signs or other cars in traffic, they realistically fly back - the cars even start smoking if you hit them hard enough. Your car even leaves tire marks if you go into the grass.
The cars have fairly crisp detail (even a little gang logo on the back or side) and the parts fly off convincingly if you hit another car too hard or if you smash into a rock. What I was most impressed by, in terms of graphics, was the smooth camera panning when your car spins around. I practically felt as if I was being trailed by an expert cinematographer on a crane. While not as detailed or remarkable as some PS2 games, I still felt the graphics had their positive aspects.
Rating: 7.5/10
Sound: The sound is really the one element of "Smuggler's Run" that I wasn't thrilled with. While the sound effects are fairly decent, if not stellar, some of the other elements became tiring. During the mission scenes, there's a female voice telling to you to "Go faster, baby!" or other words of encouragement. There's a fair amount of different things for her to say, but occasionally you'll start to realize that you're hearing the same things over again. The music wasn't particularly entertaining, either, becoming too repetitive. Thankfully, you can turn both music and dialogue down and go only with sound effects. When you turn off the dialogue, the female voice goes, "You're own your own, baby." I was okay with that.
Rating: 6.5/10
Gameplay: I really enjoyed the ease of gameplay for "Smuggler's Run". Simply, I picked up the controller and, within a minute or two, was able to play the game easily. No instructions were needed. Car steering can either be accomplished with the sticks or with the directional keys and buttons. A map of the area as well as a reverse camera angle (both almost full-screen) can also easily be brought up without losing focus on the car controls.
Rating: 9/10
Rating Issues: "Smuggler's Run" is rated "T" (Teen). In terms of themes, the smuggling issue is not for the youngest viewers. There is violence in the game, but the violence isn't highly visual/gory. If your car hits a pedestrian/deer, they do go flying, but no blood or anything else is shown. There are some issues involved with this game that wouldn't make it appropriate for the youngest members of the gaming audience, but otherwise, the violence is not that noteworthy compared with some of the other games on the market. The "T" rating is appropriate.
Final Thoughts: I enjoyed "Smuggler's Run" very much. While it doesn't boast outstanding graphics, the game is easily controlled and has a respectable amount of replay value, with the different cars, missions and environments. Although at the game's original price of $49.99 I might have recommended this more as a rental, the new $19.99 price tag makes it easy to recommend as a purchase.
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