Parents Video Game Reviews for Families- Smuggler's Run

Smuggler's Run

Overall: C
Violence: C-
Sexual Content: B-
Language: B-
Drugs/Alcohol: B

Platform reviewed: Sony PlayStation 2
Publisher: Rockstar Games
ESRB rating: T

So what's a guy to do when he gets tired of watching Dukes Of Hazzard re-runs? Watch NASCAR races? Where's the challenge in that? How about playing Mickey's Speedway USA? Nope, that's too, um... Mickey Mouse. Perhaps you're looking for something that presents more of a challenge to your finely tuned off-roading skills and cop-evasion tactics--a game in which the bad guys are good guys, the good guys are bad guys, and the law is nothing but an inconvenience? If so, search no more; Smuggler's Run from Rockstar Games might contain the salve to soothe both your burning need for speed and those cravings for crime without consequence. But wait, before you get too excited, understand that simply graduating with honors from Bo and Luke Duke's sofa school of driving doesn't mean you have what it takes to be a smuggling legend--it only proves you have potential.

The primary attraction of Smuggler's Run is its Mission Mode. This is divided into three increasingly difficult environments (Forest, Desert, and Snow) consisting of 13, 11, and 10 missions respectively--each of which must be completed in linear fashion (meaning you can't move on to a new mission until all requirements of the current one are met). The game's official website describes your role as "a smuggler, a man without a moral compass, but with a very fast car," and your goal is "to deliver contraband across the borders for cash."

Adversaries come in several forms, and since various stages of each mission must be completed within a specified timeframe, enemy number one is the clock. Secondly, there's this problem with law enforcement officials (Border Patrol, Army, and CIA)--apparently they don't approve of your occupation or your driving habits, and will stick to you like gum on a shoe until they literally bash your vehicle into submission (unless you help them run into boulders, trees, or other obstacles). And finally, some levels feature rival gangs who have nothing better to do than hijack your cargo.

Although an on-screen directional arrow continually points the way towards contraband pick-up and drop-off points, you are given total freedom in choosing the routes necessary to arrive at your objective. Remaining on paved or dirt roads will enable your vehicle to achieve higher speeds, but these smoother options aren't always the quickest (sometimes it's better to go over the mountain than around it). Besides, what better way to test your driving abilities than going off-road, negotiating naturally occurring obstructions, navigating streams, or catching big air as two tons of metal and tires launch over the side of a cliff? Even things like roadblocks, other motorists, pedestrians, and wildlife are mere speed bumps to someone the caliber of a smuggler (the faster you go, the less you feel them). Keep in mind however, that running amok will likely result in extensive damage to your vehicle, thereby causing your engine to stall--in which case you'll be arrested and sentenced to re-start the mission.

Aural feedback complements the adrenaline charged action with sounds of crunching metal, revving engines, squealing tires, pedestrians begging for their lives prior to being hit (no blood, no guts, just people flying through the air), and law enforcement officials delivering brilliant lines the likes of, "Stop your car, sir!" and, "You are driving extremely dangerously!" Also playing a key role in this audio stimulation is an unseen member of your smuggling gang (Radio Girl) who provides driving critique and instructions that are often accompanied by sexual innuendo and minor profanities.

Smuggler's Run proved to be an addictive and challenging pastime (I didn't shut it off until I conquered all 13 Forest missions--some four hours later). But--for anyone concerned with the validation of violence in videogames--its content issues will far outweigh any benefits. The game's official website justifies this glamorization of crime by stating, "Out here, the rules are different--if they don't catch you, you ain't done nothing wrong." And it's that selfsame tongue-in-cheek, lack-of-consequence, total-disregard-for-the-law approach that prevents me from recommending this delinquent diversion to your family.

Jim Fleming