DRIV3R

"Just Not Worth Your Time"

Being a GTA Fanboy, most people will think this review is biased. I love any open sandbox game and love playing any game of this genre. However, Driv3r has nothing really going for it with it's very poor gameplay, minimal enjoyment and causing extreme frustration to the player trying to complete the Single Player campaign.

Graphics (7/10)
I'll give the game this much. The graphics were pretty neat with the outdoor environment looking pretty cool and each city you go to does a pretty good job in recreating it as well as possible. However other than that, the character models look awful and Tanner looks messed up. The cutscenes are very, very well made and look extremely good but too bad the actual game's graphics can't be as good.

Sound (5/10)
Unlike the GTA series, Driv3r goes for the no radio approach and just adds some random music while your driving. While it doesn't sound too bad at first, you'll get tired of it and wish to mute it or something. The sound effects aren't too bad as well although most cars sound the same and nothing else is really any good.

Gameplay (1/10)
Ugh, how the hell could Atari and Reflections mess up so bad? Gameplay is extremely half assed and seems very rushed. Cars are quite horrible to handle and take a long time to get used to. Tanner is hopeless on foot, still looks terribly animated from Driver 2 and skips like a little school girl when you press the jump button. He also can't handle a gun as it is extremely difficult to aim and shoot someone properly and at times you could have the crosshair perfectly on an enemy and still not hit them. Glitches are very noticeable in this game as cars can appear out of nowhere and cause you to crash and completely stop your car. The missions are horrible as well as when your chasing someone, one little crash will cause you to restart as you'll fail the mission even if you can still see the car your chasing quite clearly.

Replay Value (7/10)
The only real thing that will keep you playing this sub par game longer than usual, is the take a ride mode to let you drive around and enjoy the different cities. The director mode will also give you some enjoyment making your own videos from your gameplay,

Overall (3/10)
Compared to GTA or any of the other sandbox games (True Crime, Getaway, The Godfather) it's just not worth it. It just seems that Atari and Reflections don't really want to compete with these other games by releasing this crap. Keep your money and buy one of the many other good sandbox games out there. I would only recommend you to rent this if you really want to check it out.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 01/17/08

Game Release: DRIV3R (EU, 06/25/04)