While I have never met the fine gentlemen at Rockstar games, I am fairly certain that at one time or another, one of them has been screwed over by a cop. The encounter (which pretty much just lives in my mind since I have no evidence to back it up) certainly soured someone's view of the law and it shows in their games. Well...either that or they are just a bunch of do-gooders who have always dreamed of walking on the wild side, but never had the chance because it would make their mommies mad.

The point of my little diatribe is that Smuggler's Run: Warzones continues the fine tradition of the 'to hell with the law' sentiment found in so many of their other games.

The graphics in Warzones are fantastic and really show off the power of the GC - especially the terrain. Until now, gamers have had to settle for small, lifeless lands that looked good but got old very quickly. This is not the case in Warzones; each of the game's giant environments feels like a living area. Bamboo stalks, marshes, life-like fog, patches of dead leaves; the game does such a great job of immersing players into their surroundings, sometimes you wonder if they went on a few 'fact finding' trips (read: paid vacations) just to scope things out. Things only get better once the excellent weather and daytime cycle effects are thrown into play. Although most of the missions take place in more or less the same areas, seeing these areas in rain, in day light or at night really helps to keep them fresh - plus, the night vision is really, really sweet.

Rounding out the game's presentation are some cheesy FMVs meant to tell the game's story. While some of the lines and acting are stiffer than anything Hayden Christensen could have done in Attack of the Clones, they fit the feel of the game so well that I would not change a thing.

I was not as fond of the game's soundtrack as I was its graphics. Most gamers have no problem with the game's high-energy techno music, but to me some of it felt a little out of the place. The music works with the game, but this is more of a personal issue of taste than a game flaw. I really would have liked some ambient sounds in the game, things like leaves/branches hitting the sides of vehicles, animals, even some insect noises would have gone a long way.

As much fun as the game is to play, it does tend to lean more towards the shallow end of the gameplay pool. Each series of missions are similar with a few wrinkles thrown in to keep things interesting. Every series begins with a 'follow me' mission intended to help you get the lay of the land, followed by a few missions where you pick up contraband and deliver it to an area, then some football like missions where you (and your team) race to see who can collect X pieces of contraband and get it to base first. In order to keep things from becoming mindless (something that is done with varying degrees of success), Warzones throws little things in the mix to make things harder. Sometimes this may come in the form of some very aggressive border patrol agents, military bombing operations, or a vehicle that must be destroyed before reaching a certain point on the map. Regardless of how little you do in the game, its still a blast to play.

However, the real star of the game is the open, go anywhere environments. If you see a temple in the distance, there is a way to get there. Now that I think about it, this was the most enjoyable aspect of the game for me. Had this game taken a strictly linear path, I would not have enjoyed the game as much.

No one ever said smuggling goods was going to be an easy job. Things start out easy enough, but as the missions continue, they only get bigger and riskier. Just like in real life, as the authorities learn more about your operations, they begin to put more pressure on you (not that I have anything to compare it to...no, really - I swear!). As if that wasn't tough enough, you also have to make sure your cargo is not damaged. During every mission, Warzones forces you to always stay alert and keep calm under pressure. In addition, you are also forced to think before missions and plan. For example, you are not going to want to take a slow moving truck to chase down a fast ATV. Nevertheless, at the same time taking an ATV against an ATV is not the best thing to do since it would be just as easy for him to kill you.

I had little-to-no problem getting a handle on Smuggler's Run: Warzones. The control setup is about as basic as things come and should become second nature to any skill level within the first 2 or 3 missions. What makes things hard is the game's impressive physics engine. For one, trying to stop on sand and in a grassy area really feel like two entirely different terrains, so you have to constantly readjust yourself with your surroundings. Smart players will figure out how to use this knowledge to help them avoid both rival smugglers and the authorities.

There is very little to not like about Smuggler's Run: Warzones. At times, the game does get a tad repetitive, so a little variety would have been welcome. Racing fans will love the game, especially since the GC is lacking in the genre, but enjoyable enough that even non-racers will like it as well.