DESCRIPTION

Based on the 2000 arcade game, Smashing Drive for the GameCube involves racing a futuristic taxicab through the busy streets of New York City while competing against a rival cab and the clock. Players must finish the route within the time limit to advance, with bonus points awarded for beating the rival taxi. The game is divided into nine working shifts: Brooklyn, Wall Street, Little Italy, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Music City Hall, West Central Park, Sea and Air Museum, 5th Ave to 34th Street, and Times Square.

Since the object is to finish the route in as short a time as possible, players can look for one of the many shortcuts hidden within each track. A number of ramps are also found along the roads, allowing players to leap into windows, climb up the ladder of a burning building, and race atop a plane heading out of JFK airport. Three modes of play include Arcade, Survival, and Head to Head. All of the modes follow an identical format, but Survival offers the added challenge of minimizing damage taken by the cab.

To help players reach the finish line, eight different power-up balloons are available on the tracks: turbo boost, sonic blast (destroys oncoming vehicles with a beep of the horn), glider (allows the car to extend its jumps), four-by-four (turns the taxicab into a monster truck), repair (fixes damage), cutter (two spinning saw blades slice through objects), random, and crash (lets players plow through objects without slowing down). Players who achieve certain scores will be able to unlock the "Dusk & Wired" bonus shift. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide