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November 14, 2003 | 10:00 PM PST
by: Kenny Burgess
The Smugglers Run series has been around since the launch of the PS2, and then matured into the sequel Hostile Territory. Now an upgraded version of Hostile Territory makes it’s way to the gamecube with some nice upgrades, but in the end doesn’t do a whole lot different. If you’ve already played Hostile Territory, Warzones is a hard sell, but to anyone who has never played the Smugglers Run series, Warzones can be a fun experience.
Graphics
The graphics in Warzones are clearly the best in the series. More shrubs and trees have been added to the already quite dense PS2 versions of the levels. The particle effects have been upgraded from Hostile Territory, and the textures are now sharper. The automobiles have a slightly cleaner look, but overall there isn’t a huge difference between Hostile Territory and Warzones graphically. Unless you have an HDTV that supports progressive scan that is. Warzones is progressive scan compatible and looks a lot crisper with it enabled.
The most impressive graphical feature is easily the humongous levels you will traverse through. You can see for what seems like miles, all while running at 60 frames per second. On a rare occasion when there is a whole lot of action on screen the game will slowdown, but it happens very rarely, and never effects gameplay. The biggest graphical gripe I have with Warzones is the level of detail is being drawn in so close to the screen. You will never see any draw-in but shrubs and trees will pop-up sometimes. It’s not a big deal but it is somewhat distracting. The physics engine is quite impressive as well. Each vehicle has a distinct feel and reaction to the environment. For instance, some of the lighter vehicles like the ATV can jump quite far, and still maintain a good amount of damage, but the larger and heavier vehicles like the Granadier will fall fast and take a large amount of damage from the fall.
Gameplay
In Warzones the basic main objective is to get from point A to point B to point C and so on, as fast as possible while not getting stopped by the cops. On the top middle of the screen is a little arrow that always points to the next place you have to get. First the arrow will take you to the contraband, then you have to take the stolen goods to a delivery location, which the arrow will guide you right to. There is some mission variety in that some missions your objective will be to take out an enemy vehicle, or with a team of three (including yourself) you must deliver a set number of contraband before the other team delivers the set number. The missions aren’t a lot different, but they are a nice change of pace for sure. The game will start you off easily with just a simple dune buggy for the first few missions, but will then start opening up new vehicles every five or six levels or so.
The vehicles range from a sports car that is really fast on flat ground, to the Grenadier that has very slow acceleration, terrible climbing abilities, a high top speed and a lot of armor. New to Warzones is the addition of the incredibly fast hover bike. While it is very fast it is also very weak. You won’t be using the same vehicle throughout the whole game, as it’s pretty much impossible. Each level has it’s own intricacies that force you to pick a different vehicle from time to time. The story is told through real life cut-scenes every ten missions or so. The acting isn’t the best, but it’s not terrible either, and it gives you a reason for running from the cops.
The control has been tightened up a little from Hostile Territory. It’s a little more reactive, making it a little more forgiving, which is good because the last thing you want to fight, is the control. The cops are also a little smarter than in Hostile Territory and they’ll do anything to stop you. Most of the time if you keep an eye on your radar (which the game keeps pressing you to do), you can avoid the cops, but every once in a while they will catch you and knock your vehicle out of commission in a matter of seconds. It can be rather frustrating at times, when you’re really close to the end of a mission and one little mistake can bring the mission to a screeching halt.
You will have countermeasures that can be used to give you a bit more of a chance against the brutal cops. Each vehicle has two countermeasures, both of which won’t be usable when you first acquire the vehicle, as they will be unlocked as you progress through the missions. The countermeasures range from an acid drop, to a verticle boost, to a speed boost among others. The countermeasures add a nice strategy element to the game with the harder levels.
Warzones comes equipped with a four player multiplayer mode. The multiplayer mode in Warzones is easily superior to Hostile Territory due to the four-player action compared to two players. Right off the bat you have access to 8 vehicles, plenty of modes, and some very large maps, that would take weeks to fully explore. You can partake in solo, every man for himself delivery modes, or team based play. Probably the most fun multiplayer mode is “Bomb tag”, where the contraband is basically like a hot potato. You have to slam into another one of the players to pass it off before it explodes.
Sound
The sound effects in Warzones fit the game pretty well. The engine sounds differ depending on the vehicle you are using, but aren’t too loud, so they won’t really stand out. The crashes and hard landings give off thuds that sound accurate. Before each mission you will be briefed with the main objective at hand. Throughout the missions you will hear your mission commander tell you new mission objectives, as well as show his disapproval of your driving if you driving isn’t so hot. The ambient sounds could have been better as you won’t hear little touches like wind, and the rain sounds are very subdued.
On the music side, Rockstar and Angel Studios has licensed techno tracks from labels like: KMS productions, BluePrint records, and 430 West. While a few people might like the music, it just doesn’t fit the game very well. It has too much of an up-beat dancing sound to it, and doesn’t fit the game’s rather serious atmosphere. Overall, the sound does a decent job, but won’t win any awards.
Closing Comments
All in all Warzones features a fun but sometimes-tedious single player mode, and a multiplayer mode that can be a whole lot of fun with the right people. The sound doesn’t get the highest marks, but the impressive graphics and fun getaway from the cops’ gameplay make Warzones a nice experience.
Graphics
The graphics in Warzones are clearly the best in the series. More shrubs and trees have been added to the already quite dense PS2 versions of the levels. The particle effects have been upgraded from Hostile Territory, and the textures are now sharper. The automobiles have a slightly cleaner look, but overall there isn’t a huge difference between Hostile Territory and Warzones graphically. Unless you have an HDTV that supports progressive scan that is. Warzones is progressive scan compatible and looks a lot crisper with it enabled.
The most impressive graphical feature is easily the humongous levels you will traverse through. You can see for what seems like miles, all while running at 60 frames per second. On a rare occasion when there is a whole lot of action on screen the game will slowdown, but it happens very rarely, and never effects gameplay. The biggest graphical gripe I have with Warzones is the level of detail is being drawn in so close to the screen. You will never see any draw-in but shrubs and trees will pop-up sometimes. It’s not a big deal but it is somewhat distracting. The physics engine is quite impressive as well. Each vehicle has a distinct feel and reaction to the environment. For instance, some of the lighter vehicles like the ATV can jump quite far, and still maintain a good amount of damage, but the larger and heavier vehicles like the Granadier will fall fast and take a large amount of damage from the fall.
Gameplay
In Warzones the basic main objective is to get from point A to point B to point C and so on, as fast as possible while not getting stopped by the cops. On the top middle of the screen is a little arrow that always points to the next place you have to get. First the arrow will take you to the contraband, then you have to take the stolen goods to a delivery location, which the arrow will guide you right to. There is some mission variety in that some missions your objective will be to take out an enemy vehicle, or with a team of three (including yourself) you must deliver a set number of contraband before the other team delivers the set number. The missions aren’t a lot different, but they are a nice change of pace for sure. The game will start you off easily with just a simple dune buggy for the first few missions, but will then start opening up new vehicles every five or six levels or so.
The vehicles range from a sports car that is really fast on flat ground, to the Grenadier that has very slow acceleration, terrible climbing abilities, a high top speed and a lot of armor. New to Warzones is the addition of the incredibly fast hover bike. While it is very fast it is also very weak. You won’t be using the same vehicle throughout the whole game, as it’s pretty much impossible. Each level has it’s own intricacies that force you to pick a different vehicle from time to time. The story is told through real life cut-scenes every ten missions or so. The acting isn’t the best, but it’s not terrible either, and it gives you a reason for running from the cops.
The control has been tightened up a little from Hostile Territory. It’s a little more reactive, making it a little more forgiving, which is good because the last thing you want to fight, is the control. The cops are also a little smarter than in Hostile Territory and they’ll do anything to stop you. Most of the time if you keep an eye on your radar (which the game keeps pressing you to do), you can avoid the cops, but every once in a while they will catch you and knock your vehicle out of commission in a matter of seconds. It can be rather frustrating at times, when you’re really close to the end of a mission and one little mistake can bring the mission to a screeching halt.
You will have countermeasures that can be used to give you a bit more of a chance against the brutal cops. Each vehicle has two countermeasures, both of which won’t be usable when you first acquire the vehicle, as they will be unlocked as you progress through the missions. The countermeasures range from an acid drop, to a verticle boost, to a speed boost among others. The countermeasures add a nice strategy element to the game with the harder levels.
Warzones comes equipped with a four player multiplayer mode. The multiplayer mode in Warzones is easily superior to Hostile Territory due to the four-player action compared to two players. Right off the bat you have access to 8 vehicles, plenty of modes, and some very large maps, that would take weeks to fully explore. You can partake in solo, every man for himself delivery modes, or team based play. Probably the most fun multiplayer mode is “Bomb tag”, where the contraband is basically like a hot potato. You have to slam into another one of the players to pass it off before it explodes.
Sound
The sound effects in Warzones fit the game pretty well. The engine sounds differ depending on the vehicle you are using, but aren’t too loud, so they won’t really stand out. The crashes and hard landings give off thuds that sound accurate. Before each mission you will be briefed with the main objective at hand. Throughout the missions you will hear your mission commander tell you new mission objectives, as well as show his disapproval of your driving if you driving isn’t so hot. The ambient sounds could have been better as you won’t hear little touches like wind, and the rain sounds are very subdued.
On the music side, Rockstar and Angel Studios has licensed techno tracks from labels like: KMS productions, BluePrint records, and 430 West. While a few people might like the music, it just doesn’t fit the game very well. It has too much of an up-beat dancing sound to it, and doesn’t fit the game’s rather serious atmosphere. Overall, the sound does a decent job, but won’t win any awards.
Closing Comments
All in all Warzones features a fun but sometimes-tedious single player mode, and a multiplayer mode that can be a whole lot of fun with the right people. The sound doesn’t get the highest marks, but the impressive graphics and fun getaway from the cops’ gameplay make Warzones a nice experience.
November 20, 2009
