• Publisher: Namco
  • Release Date: Feb 18, 2002
Metascore
47 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 18 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 18
  2. Negative: 10 out of 18
  1. What should be an adrenaline-filled journey through busy city streets ends up being a dull ride, which is hard to believe given the exciting premise.
  2. Just reviewing this game has proven to be an agonizing experience.
  3. All the alternate routes in SD make the game highly replayable, [but] there are still only a handful of tracks that add up to a total estimated playing time of oh, let’s say…15 minutes before you’ve seen just about everything. [Mar 2002, p.139]
  4. 60
    It's essentially a one-trick pony -- short, fast, fun, and to the point, just like a good arcade experience should be, but not exactly what gamers hungry to spend $50 will call filling.
  5. Being an arcade game, however, fun isn't the problem with Smashing Drive – it's the lack of replay. [Apr 2002, p.79]
  6. 50
    You can see everything the game has to offer in an hour or two, and similarly, the two-player split-screen mode gets boring very quickly.
  7. Despite the chaos you can create, everything happens at the same time for the same reasons. There will always be a cop car with its lights on at this corner; that boat will always be there at this time, etc.
  8. Its extremely short life span, accompanied by its lukewarm presentation, ensures that few players will get more than a couple of hours' worth of enjoyment out of the home version.
  9. 35
    If there was actually a sense that Smashing Drive modeled the rubber meeting the road, it might have been interesting.
  10. It's not innovative, it's not a sequel and the graphics are below the quality of "Crazy Taxi," a driving game that's nearly four years old.
  11. The title’s sub-par graphics and limited options don’t make it a must-have, but the mindless action is fun for short periods of time.
  12. 34
    It's just so shallow and lacking any kind of noticeable depth.
  13. Smashing Drive also takes the prize for what maybe the worst soundtrack in the history of videogames. No, this is not an exaggeration.
  14. The graphics are pretty subpar and there's not much game here, but it's a total blast while it lasts. [Feb 2002, p.150]
  15. A soundtrack so preposterous I forgot the Mazda zoom-zoom jingle for almost a full minute. [Apr 2002, p.62]
  16. Everything about Smashing Drive smacks of laziness.
  17. It's got graphics befitting of the N64, bizarre music that’s a mish-mash of different styles and horribly shallow, agonizingly repetitive gameplay that makes playing the game for five minutes seem like five hours.
User Score

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 4 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 4
  2. Negative: 2 out of 4
  1. cheap is one word that could summarize this game. The graphics are horrendous. This is the only game that I could fully beat in 30 minutes. For crying out loud, you do not even do anything a real taxi even does. there are plenty of better Gamecube racing games out there Full Review »
  2. KevinA.
    7
    If you're not too stuck up about graphics and just want to have fun playing video games with your friends or alone, Smashing Drive is a solid game. There isn't much replay value, but it's still good arcade-style fun. Full Review »
  3. MarkH.
    0
    I love it but it sucks.