Driver: San Francisco – Review – Xbox 360

When the original Driver was released back in 1999 it met with great appeal and scored insanely high review scores among most publications. It offered players a chance to become involved with massive car chases and stunts like those featured in old 60’s and 70’s movies. Over the next few years sequels were released but none ever hit the same level of greatness as the original. The one lingering thought most people have is, does this game live up to the Driver name or does it flop like some of the sequels.

Story: John Tanner and Charles Jericho are at it again. We soon learn Jericho is in prison and Tanner is the one responsible for putting there. We quickly learn Jericho has no plans to stay in the Big House. Through some trickery he breaks out and Tanner is forced to pursue him. The story from here is pretty interesting and it does not disappoint. It defiantly feels like a 70’s action flick car chases included. The story is split into chapters the beginning and ending of each chapter blends right into the next almost as if you were watching a TV show. This also means that at the beginning of each chapter it reminds you of what just transpired. As you advance through the story you are required to help people with tasks before you can continue the main story line. Since the game is called Driver San Francisco the story covers the entire bay area. As you progress through the story you will unlock new areas to explore. So you will find yourself moving throughout the world to complete objectives.

Gameplay: One of the most interesting facets of this game is a gameplay element called shifting. Shifting allows you to leave the car you are in and take control over any car in the game world. The system used in the game to incorporate this feature works extremely well. The shift feature is used heavily throughout the story as well as online multiplayer. There are just a few types of modes that are available in this game. Most involve racing your car or smashing up others. But there is enough change up you doesn’t feel like you’re repeating the same type of objective over and over. The game takes you through stages so you can learn things one at a time and in the end you feel pretty confident in your skills.

Graphics/Sound: The game looks great. Characters, cars, and environments look fantastic. Most cars all very detailed including the interior. The city looks good but at times feels fairly basic but it doesn’t distract from the game itself. The sound in the game is very good. The change of engine sounds between car models is very noticeable and sounds great. The cut-scenes in the game are pretty fantastic. The faces of the characters look very detailed and seem to draw you into the story. This game looks as good as most AAA titles. It really feels like they spent a good amount of time getting things to look and sound great.

Multiplayer: The online multiplayer is really fun. The game modes online can range from a simple race to a game mode called Tag. Tag is rather simple everyone starts out not it and an AI vehicle is placed in front of the pack. The first person to touch that car becomes it and everyone tries to Tag him so they become it. The longer you are it the more points you gain. With all the multiplayer game types most end when someone reaches 100 points. But before each new game everyone enters a short qualifying round. Depending in what place you finish determines where you start in the pack for the main game. The lobby system is rather and the game keeps going until you feel like quitting. Inviting your friends is also rather simple and is a breath of fresh air from what most multiplayer games offer.

Overall: This game is fun and I believe it truly lives up to the Driver name. There are a few hiccups here and there but most are minor and are so quickly dismissed you won’t even think about them later. I recommend that people go and give this game a try and you might be surprised at what you find.

Score: 8 out of 10

A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes.

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