Some of you whippersnappers probably don't remember a PC game called Interstate '76, a car combat title that still ranks as one of the best examples of the genre. The fearsomely funky autoduellists in that game had a credo: "Never get out of the car."
Well, the guys who made DRIV3R (God, that is SO annoying to type) obviously never played Interstate '76's crappy follow-up, Interstate '82, in which getting out of the car was a key element of many of the game's missions. It also forced players to split their attention between driving and scampering around on foot, and since the on-foot controls were stiff and awkward, it leeched joy out of the game like a Star Trek salt vampire. If joy was, you know, salt.
DRIV3R arrives on the heels of a blaring wave of hype, being as it's the third instalment in a series which broke major new ground in its original outing on the PlayStation and PC back in the day. But lest we forget the lacklustre second game in the series (called Driver 2 rather than DR2VER or something equally precious), this is a franchise that needs to produce a blockbuster hit to maintain the faith of its fans. And, we're sorry to say, DRIV3R is no blockbuster.
You play once again as undercover cop Tanner, this time working for the FBI in a bid to infiltrate a Gone in 60 Seconds-style exotic car theft ring. The game starts out in Miami, which has now served as the locale for roughly 291 driving video games, before moving on to Istanbul (not Constantinople) and Nice. Having just about been hit by a car in Nice once upon a time, I can vouch that Tanner's style of leadfooting wouldn't raise any eyebrows there. Zut alors!
The game's 26 missions run the gamut from your basic "drive to this point on the map really fast"-type affairs to stealing specific cars and delivering them to your handlers to sitting in the back of a truck and blazing hot lead at pursuing coppers. But since you can also get out of your vehicle and scamper around on foot, stealing other people's rides is an element of the game, as is on-foot combat with a variety of pistols, machine-guns and even a grenade launcher.
Which is the game's first major problem. Tanner controls very stiffly on foot, and the out-of-car combat ranges from straightforward to pretty boring. Enemy A.I. is dodgy at best, and I always found myself wanting those missions to be over as quickly as possible so I could get back behind the wheel. (Fortunately they don't comprise more than about a quarter of the game, but still.)
The woe continues with the game's visuals. The phenomenon called "pop-in" - when objects and scenery are drawn in only as you get close to them - is a major issue here, because it can lead to you barreling into cars or obstacles that weren't even there a second earlier. The game also suffers from aliasing issues (the dreaded "jaggies") and slowdown when there's a lot happening on the screen.
Which could be forgiven, maybe, if the gameplay brought something new to the Driver formula other than poorly implemented out-of-car combat. The story is probably DRIV3R's strong point - the cutscenes are well done, the plot is interesting and the voice work is very good - but you can't play a cutscene.
What's really disappointing is Driver 3 (I will no longer be a part of this stupid cutesy-spelling tyranny!) needed to be great in order to make up for the mediocre Driver 2 and the disaster that was developer Reflections' last title, Stuntman. While that game looked great and had a cool premise, it was so utterly linear and unforgivably difficult that whatever was good in the game was completely overshadowed by what was bad.
And, sadly, that's the fate that has befallen Driver 3. Good story, some interesting missions, spectacular chases and crashes and the ability to drive a wide variety of vehicles are definitely marks on the plus side of the column. But the overly floaty driving physics, host of graphical glitches, stiff on-foot combat and general lack of polish add up to too many dents in what might otherwise have been a sweet ride.
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BOTTOMLINE
Maybe DRIV3R is trying to cash in on the success of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, but in reality it's not even as good as True Crime: Streets of L.A., and that game was mediocre at best. If you can force yourself to overlook its flaws, go ahead and take it for a spin. Otherwise just steer clear.
