Smashing Drive

Being an arcade game, however fun isn't the problem with Smashing Drive - it's the lack of replay. It won't take you too long to get through the main portion, and multiplayer and Survival modes aren't anything outstanding. There are some bonus levels that can be hard to earn, but I feel Namco could have put a little bit more horsepower in this conversion. Okay, I get it, driving a taxi is wacky - now what?

Smashing Drive's presentation is a well-rounded package. The graphics are vibrant, the textures are adequate, and the visual effects are pretty darn nice. Of particular note are the sparks that fly when you accidentally sideswipe another vehicle, but then again, I am a big fan of flashing lights. All of the power-ups are animated well and come across nicely and the turbo boosts give a greatly enhanced sense of speed to the race. Unfortunately, the rest of the action is somewhat subdued. There is a lot of traffic to avoid and pedestrians to scatter which steps up the "frantic" feeling of the game, but the racing just doesn't feel like it is going anywhere. The other cab is almost entirely disposable as you rarely see (or notice) it after the level gets under way. I can't help feeling that this game would have been better executed as a straight racing game.

With very few exclusive GameCube titles to choose from, Smashing Drive may seem like a diamond in the rough for some gamers. But a game worth a score of 6.5 cannot be upgraded to an 8 or a 9 just because there isn't much else to play. I enjoyed it and I'm sure that you will too, but it gets old after a while.

Smashing Drive wasn't worth a single dollar out of my wallet in the arcade, and it's definitely not getting my 50 bucks on GameCube. Arcade fiends may want to check it out, though.

Smashing Drive is a straight arcade port with few extras. Pick up only if you need a quick racing fix or need to smash something.

When I first started playing Smashing Drive, I loved it. However, after the third time through, I was ready to shelve it. A few unlockables or anything that would make me want to play through again would have been great. As an arcade game, Smashing Drive is great. But as a console game, it is so easy and short that it quickly demotes itself to one of those games you play when you have a bad day. Unless you can find a cheap copy somewhere, you might want to put it on your 'rent-only' list.

A port of the arcade game, Smashing Drive tries to add a few twists to the standard Crazy Taxi formula. You play a cabdriver trying to make it through four shifts, bashing cars and doing whatever is necessary to reach the finish line before your opponent. Helping you out along the way are power-ups that transform your vehicle and shortcuts through sewer pipes and shopping malls that save you precious seconds.

It's a shame this game isn't more fun, because the premise seems absolutely foolproof. Yet the speed of the game is lacking, the levels are short, the sound effects are almost non-existent, and the action remains the same from start to finish: race from point A to point B in the shortest time possible. With this title and the earlier The Simpsons: Road Rage, it would seem Crazy Taxi is not such an easy game to emulate or improve upon. Smashing Drive makes the "crazy" gameplay of Sega's taxicab racer look positively genius.

Ultimately, the game is decently crafted and in very small doses it can be entertaining. Unfortunately, that’s what it should be limited to. Small doses work in the arcade, not at home. This is a strict rental at best, but the reality is if you must play this game, just go for the full experience at the arcade.

If there was actually a sense that Smashing Drive modeled the rubber meeting the road, it might have been interesting. I suppose the only nod to actual driving physics is that you can only take a limited amount of damage before your car is destroyed. As it is, you get the sense you're loosely guiding a cartoon through its paces, not unlike Dragon's Lair.

I wish there was a saving point to at least warrant a rental but alas this game falls short in every category I can throw at it. In other words avoid this game at all costs. Even if your Gamecube is collecting dust behind the old N64 leave this game on the shelf, it is not worth the humiliation when you tell your friends.."Hey I just bought Smashing Drive!" then one of them kicks your ass for being stupid. Another bad game thrown down only at ZTGD!

Smashing Drive is Namco's arcade-to-home translation of a simplistic game that casts you as a cabbie trying to score big bucks in bustling New York City. What makes Smashing Drive superficially different from being just another Crazy Taxi clone is your checker cab's ability to pick up a variety of useful power-ups. Actually, Smashing Drive plays more like a standard racing game than like Crazy Taxi, as you don't pick up fares--you will instead be challenged to race through checkpoints in an effort to improve your time, add seconds to your ticking clock, and top the best overall score. By no means the most technically impressive GameCube game, Smashing Drive would hold the interest of only the most dedicated arcade racing fans.

Smashing Drive is Namco's arcade-to-home translation of a simplistic racing game that casts you as a cabbie trying to score big bucks in bustling New York City. What superficially keeps Smashing Drive from being just another Crazy Taxi clone is your checker cab's ability to pick up a variety of useful yet outrageous power-ups. Actually, Smashing Drive plays more like a standard racing game than like Crazy Taxi. You don't pick up fares, but instead you will be challenged to race through checkpoints in an effort to add seconds to your ticking clock, beat your rival, and top the best overall score. That all sounds fine, but Smashing Drive has virtually no lasting value whatsoever and just isn't much fun to play even as long as it lasts--that is to say, the new Xbox version essentially shares all the failings displayed in the GameCube port released some weeks ago.

Smashing Drive is truly an arcade game brought to life on a console without the quarter slot. You fill the role of a wild city cab driver, working 24 shifts in an unreal environment where the object is to get your passenger from point A to point B by any means possible. It's a no-holds-barred environment, but there are still a few gameplay rules to follow, letting Smashing Drive unfold in a very linear fashion.

To round things off: what was Namco thinking? The game is awful in all aspects. Smashing Drive offers nothing but poor gameplay, terrible graphics, and bad sound. The game is not worthy of being bought, let alone worth a few quarters in an arcade. The only way this game would be any fun is if I was paid a lot to play it.

Bottom line: dont waste your time, money or electricity by trifling with this piece of sorry software. I can see absolutely no reason why Namco would bother putting out something of such dubious quality except to cash in on GameCube owners starved for new titles. Come to think of it, I dont understand why Nintendo would even approve it for release. Do yourself a favor and spend your money on anything else. Taking a taxi ride down to return or exchange Smashing Drive will be more fun than playing it.