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> DRIV3R: Written by: Chris "CBN" Nimmo
 Publisher: Atari Price: 49.99 Genre: Action M for Mature
The Driver series… What started with a simple driving game has come so
far. But, as far as the games have come, it still has a long way to go. This is very evident in the latest release, Driv3r
(pronounced Driver 3, but let your imagination run wild; it’s more fun that way).
The game follows from the original story
of the last two games. It doesn’t pick up right where we were last left, but you do still play as Tanner, the hard-boiled
undercover cop from Miami. The story starts when Tanner is assigned to a job in Miami: 40 stolen cars are being shipped to
an unknown buyer… In the midst of it all, our hero poses as a driver, relentless to take down the criminals involved
and stop the deal from taking place.
Gameplay is broken down into missions. Many times you
don’t have the time to free roam the city as you would in competitors like GTA, but there’s always “Take
A Ride Mode” for that. Though, to the Undercover Mode’s defense, the missions are quite a bit more fun than the
ones in other crime games.
It’s the variety in the missions that shines. Here you’re driving stolen cars up the back
of an 18-wheeler-truck going at break-neck speeds down the road. Whereas other games best missions can be “Shoot all
these guys and steal that car”.
Not to mention the variety in levels! In the other games you get one city. Here we get three. That’s
right: three cities. From Miami, USA; to Nice, France; then to Istanbul, Turkey—that’s three huge cities! They’re
all so beautifully detailed, too.
Many things about the game are much slicker than other games that try this, but it’s not without
flaws. I may say so many good things about the game, but there are many, many, bad things about the game to go right along
with the luster.
It pains me to tell you the game suffers from slowdown. Even on the mighty Xbox version, we see quite a bit of clunky-ness.
When the graphics shine through at times, I was happy, but then the slowdown came back to bite me.
Also, the controls are strange. It took me quite a while to get used to them, and even after this I wondered why they had
to be so weird. It just doesn’t feel right. When you turn a car it slides all over the road and when you walk you have
to turn your character by moving your targeting reticule.
Then there’s the difficulty! It gets insane! You’re veering around the road unfairly weakened, cops all around
you. They’re shooting you to death and running you over! IT GETS SO FRUSTRATING! That is why I love this game! Believe
it or not, it was this very flaw that gave me reason to give this game a score as high as I did. Be warned, those quick to
anger need not apply. While this is no Shinobi (PS2), it is quite tough. The only reason I consider this a flaw is
that most of you will not like it. If you’re ready for the challenge, step up. You’ll love it!
Not to mention the overall-boring feel this game puts off. It just can’t compete with the depth and addiction that
games like Vice City promote. The story doesn’t pull you in quite as well as GTA does, either! I’m sorry, Driv3r,
but you couldn’t quite pull it off. You’re too much like sour kraut coated with chocolate. Maybe next time.
They’re actually quite good most of the time. If it weren’t for some weird glitches and the terrible slowdown
I’d be happy. The beautiful Miami beaches, the absolutely gorgeous sunsets, nice water effects, and sharp resolution—it’s
all very nice, but when the slowdown comes in you’ll be biting your lip. It’s really such a shame. Everything
in the graphics department is nice, but the slowdown and graphical glitches screw up so badly! So terribly shameful.
With the voice talents of Michael Madsen, Ving Rhames, and Michelle Rodriguez, the voice actors are quite good. They all
do a very good job, especially Madsen, who plays Tanner. This was a smart move. The music is equally great, with some rather
good tunes. They do get a little linear and/or repetitive at times, but for the most part I found the songs wholly enjoyable.
This was definitely a high mark in the game.
These controls are weird. They’re difficult to master and quite broken. With the difficulty so high, the last thing
you need is a screwy control system! All this does is add to the frustration the game will already cause you I don’t
mean good frustration; I mean “this game is effing broken” frustration. The character is controlled with the thumb-stick,
and to turn him you use another thumb-stick and move the targeting reticule. You control like a tank! The reticule doesn’t
move fast enough! The driving controls are quite bad as well. They’re just too sensitive.
The game didn’t do very well here, either. Where games like GTA provided a nice long fulfilling story and plenty
of extras to collect, this game does nothing. It doesn’t even have the addictive “let’s play the story again”
feel. You beat it once, play the ‘Take A Ride Mode’ a few times, and that’s it. A terrible shame, really.
I actually disagree with the rating given to the game. It’s nothing worse than a PG-13 movie. There’s no blood,
no drug use, no prostitutes, and no huge amounts of swearing—this game is NOTHING compared to games like GTA from this
aspect. I really, honestly think the ESRB guys were smoking crack when they gave this game it’s rating. “M”
my foot, this game could very well be a “T” game.
Just rent it, play it, have a so-so time with it, and forget the game ever existed. There are so many very sweet things
about this game, but the bitterness comes back in each and every sweet morsel. This one needed quite a bit more oven time,
but in the same respect it was quite enjoyable. A rental at best; stick with GTA.
Graphics: 7.3 | Sound: 9.0 | Control: 4.8
| Replay: 5.0 | Overall Game Score: 6.8/10
           
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