Driver '76

"Driver 76 comes on like gangbusters, can you dig it?"

Driver 76 for the PSP is a game worth investing in. Anyone who was a fan of Drivers 1 and 2 as well as Parallel Lines will enjoy this game thoroughly. I swore I'd never pick up another Driver after the sorry excuse of a game known as DRIV3R was released. However, 76 does a fantastic job at taking what made the originals great as well as adding to that.

Graphics: 8

You can't expect a game as massive as Driver to have elaborate graphics on the PSP, however they still manage to hold their own. Textural details are obviously lower than standard, but this is only to compensate for the insane amount of detail put into everything else. Most automobiles have at least four separate paint jobs, and they are so crazy that you won't even notice the shotty detail. I mean, when you're driving 120 MPH down the Brooklyn Bridge the last thing you're noticing is poor textures. That's basically the only graphical fault. Draw distance is excellent as well as the scenery and car models. There are many well designed sports cars in this game which are as impressive to drive as they are to look at. Basically, if you're accustomed to the presentation of the Driver series, you're not going to be let down in the graphics department.

Audio: 10

I've heard many gripes and complaints about the soundtrack of Parallel Lines (which is pound for pound the soundtrack for Driver 76 as well as the map). I for one love it. You don't have radio stations like in Grand Theft Auto, but it does contain a ton of licensed songs that made the 70's oh so groovy. If anything captures the 70's feel of this game it is the soundtrack. Sound effects are also on par. They bring back the same old crashing and smashing; screeching and revving sounds that you've come to love about the Driver series. When it comes to audio, Driver 76 has the real skinny. Can you dig it?

Story: 5

The story is one of the few things holding this game down for me. Firstly, it is INCREDIBLY short. I expected a storyline that would have taken eons of time and would provide frustrating mission failures like only a Driver game can. Sadly, this was not the case. I've played the game off and on for the past two days (in the middle of exam week no less), and was done in no time flat. It was short, but not sweet. The plot is centered around wanting to get with the daughter of a mob boss. So you're basically doing missions for different people in order to gain the boss' blessing to date his little girl. Hmm...that's about all the main protagonist has to offer here...he sure is no Tanner. The cutscenes are presented in a comic book fashion which is also very throwback to the seventies...but the voice acting is terrible at times. The slick, jive-ass stereotypical black wingman is back and that's a voice that never gets old, but the voice of the Asian mob boss has to be the WORST fake Asian accent I've ever heard. It becomes amusing very quickly in the game, it's almost like they asked an eighth grader to speak broken English in a demeaning accent while occasionally stuttering over the lines. Let's just say it's cheesy...but hey, it's the 70's... what more do you want?

Gameplay: 8

After playing Grand Theft Auto for about five thousand hours I've had to get back into the Driver style of gameplay recently. Definitely not a problem though, because Driver 76 has great gameplay as well as the same intuitive gameplay functions that put Parallel Lines a step in the right direction. Car customization is back and better than ever, with groovy 70's style paint schemes, engine and suspension tuning, and everything you want to make your car stand out from the rest. Cars can be equipped with Nitro for that quick getaway, and the forward shooting scheme is like something out of Spy Hunter. Weapons that come back include the revolver, shotgun, assault rifle, Uzi, and grenade launcher. You're not going to get an array of weapons like in Grand Theft Auto, but who can carry all that junk anyway? All weapons are accessible both on foot and in the car which make for some unique chases. Other than that, not much can be said about the gameplay of Driver 76 that couldn't be said about any other series in the genre...it's the classic game of cat and mouse, don't let the fuzz bust your chops.

Lasting Appeal: 9

This is what makes Driver worthy of it's rating. It's the kind of game that never runs out of stuff to do. I don't know anyone that buys a game in this genre to beat it and put it back in the closet. You buy it for endless supply of police chasing and big city violence duh! Therefore, don't fret about Driver 76's lasting appeal because there is much to do. There are collectibles as well as side missions, races, taxi runs, you name it.

I would recommend Driver 76 to anyone who is a fan of the Driver and GTA series. I really feel it's a game that stands it's ground; and for a portable game, that's really saying something. Besides Liberty and Vice City Stories, you're just not going to find a game like this on a handheld system. It's certainly a rare breed, and Driver 76; faults aside, makes an amazing transformation to the Playstation Portable.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/10/07