The controls have been reworked and the effect is immediately noticeable. The vehicles turn, cut, and weave like never before. This can only add to the excitement of evading the authorities and scoring the big loot. If the fine new control system isn’t enough to make you smile, then perhaps the new counter measures will. Introduced in Smuggler’s Run II on the PS2, countermeasures are the proverbial tricks up the smuggler’s sleeve—used when the heat is all the way up and the cops are breathing down your neck. Joining the old-school counter measures like turbo, bombs, and smokescreen are new toys like repulse shield, cloaking device, and a vertical boost-- for those times when catching a little air is necessary. Vehicles now come equipped with two countermeasures; this makes for twice the fun and spices up the gameplay quite a bit. So far, it looks like the superior handling and new countermeasures will provide enough resources to make the franchises’ legendary difficulty more manageable.

The promising additions to the single player mode are impressive, but the expanded multiplayer mode is really remarkable as well. For the first time in the series, four players can join in on the fun. Those familiar with the series know many of the multi-player games are team oriented, so the addition of four players on the same team offers promising depth—in addition, of course, to the always-enjoyable competition. A host of multiplayer games are available providing significant depth to the multiplayer experience.

Warzones combines many of the best areas from the first two games: North America from the first installment, Vietnam and Russia from the second. Eastern Europe is new to the GameCube, and one location is as of yet undisclosed. All in all, Warzones looks to offer roughly twice the number of maps as its predecessors.

Another of the more exciting aspects of Warzones is that you won’t have to wait too long to get your hands on it. Look for Smuggler’s Run: Warzones this July.