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5/5 |
Nothing's perfect, but this is pretty near
(November 09, 2007) |
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To be honest, it's not suprising that the third installment was to come in for a lot of stick when so many people were intrenched in the first to that were so incredibly similar. This is a whole new generation of game from the previous two so don't expect to not have to learn a few new tricks.
The graphics are absolutely superb. Although some have complained they are not smooth, I do not have the best computer on the market but I'm running it at top levels and it's as smooth as watching telly.
The car handling and physics are fantastically realistic. As a die hard racing simulator fan I can assure that these, to me, are a million times better than GTAs cartoony wabbeling cars. This combined with the way the cars are damaged and behave under weirder circumstances (grenades under the wheel) really makes the game look much more professional then it's competitors as well as feeling better.
The missions stand to benefit through fantastic plot line cutscenes animated and directed every bit as well as they are acted by the likes of Michael Madsen, Michelle Rodriguez, Mickey Rourke and of course Ving Rhames.
The only problems with the missions seem to be down to careless programming. This unfortunately is the games one huge downfall that keep it from being perfect. Some times a mission is not explained well and has to be played over and over just to work out what you're meant to be doing. This is a real pain. On top of this there is the fact that despite all the amazing reality of the game, it some one hides behind a box but there head is still visible, you're just wasting bullets. The object clipping points are often way out and mean that you are getting shot but can't seem to shoot them back.
However, the one thing that could cure any problem is that the maps are gorgeous. Unlike the GTA series you get three cities (Miami, Nice, Istanbul) and they are reproduced to perfection. Having been lucky enough to have visited two of the cities on the game I can tell you this whole-heartedly. I even found my hotels on Driv3r!!! It is scarily like visiting the real cities and so the game is worth every penny even if you just want to go for a drive and marvel and your computers graphics! It should also be added, another HUGE HUGE HUGE advantage with Driv3r is that if you play the game first person, it STAYS that way when you get out the car. The second person thing in GTA ruined any realism for me. Kudos to this game therefore.
These things lead to real frustration, but the truth is that in the long run, every single mission is rewarding in the end and the plot line is fantastic and follow brilliantly from Driver 2. Like I say, this is not the perfect game, but it's as near as I've seen.
So long as you are not close minded, I would recommend this 110 percent |
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5/5 |
A different view
(April 22, 2007) |
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I have been playing Driver (the first one) for as long as I can remember. I absolutely loved the Classic American cars which were so hard to master control of, but once you did, you could drift around those corners as the overly-aggressive cops behind you smashed into eachother. The reasons people gave for disliking this game are the same reason I love it so much.
The same goes for Driv3r. I decided I wanted to get the game so had a look around the internet. Anyone who has done the same will also have encountered a phenominal amount of negative reviews about this game: poor control layout; poor handling; poor Tanner-on-foot skills; pretty much poor everything.
Yes the cars are hard to handle at high speed: just like if you drove a real car at 100mph and then had to make a handbrake turn to the left, you just wouldn't be able to. The same goes in this game. I remember reading somewhere someone saying that "The game plays more like a simulator" - which is sort of true. If you crash the car, you won't just drive off like nothing happened - like in certain other games involving cars and guns - instead, your car will actually be damaged! Sounds reasonable?
As for the missions: they are very, very hard. But this isn't something which should put you off. It's far too easy to come across far-too-easy games these days that don't challenge your handling of the character, vehicle and common sense. Driv3r does all this, especially as the main character (Tanner) handles just like a real person would. Perhaps you don't like this idea and would maybe prefer the latest GTA installment where you can literally swim as fast as a speedboat and sprint for ages at Sonic the Hedgehog speed.
The Take a Ride mode is - as usual - incredible. The cities are bigger than in GTA and you get a much more realistic feel: there are other cars that obey the rules of the road, and others that don't (and subsequently get chased by the cops!). There are traffic lights which you can adhere to, and even just "taking a ride" around the city is pleasing enough. Then again, if you want something more, you can always antagonise the local police department...
There are some things I would have liked to have seen in Driv3r: namely, a rear-view mirror like in the original Driver, a speedometre so you can see how fast you're going and of course, I would have liked to have seen the hubcaps fly off when you spin too much!
You might not like Driv3r: this may be because you just don't like the idea of a slightly more realistic game, or - and this is what it seems like for most people - you can't master the handling of the cars in time. It does take patience: you cannot just buy the game and expect to be a driving god in it, it takes some practice and skill. But once you have this skill, playing Driv3r and executing those perfect handbrake turns will be very satisfying indeed. |
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1/5 |
Huge, sweaty pants
(February 21, 2006) |
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(Searches for 0 star option realising that one is just too many.) The reason I bought this game was because for just £5 I got both it and the official strategy guide type thing (can't go wrong I thought). Oh dear.... the only foreseeable reason you MIGHT like this game is if you have THREE very well co-ordinated arms (to stand a chance with the default controls (left-side of keyboard to walk, mouse to aim and right-side of keyboard to shoot!!)), a fetish for square graphics and the most fantastic imagination to fill in the huge holes in the story-line, or of course you are the maker and can scrounge money in exchange for it. Seeing as the game is solely based around driving, you would have thought that they could get that right eh? nah, just skidding violently, annoying car bonnets constantly flapping open and a painful inability to catch up with the villain because that wouldn't fit in with the #cough# 'story line' #end cough#. You just drive, crash, drive, decide you hate the game, drive some more because for a minute it was almost fun, then curl up and die inside because of the horrid realisation that you or someone paid for this huge pile of sweaty pants. |
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1/5 |
Absolute trash
(December 19, 2005) |
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I am a big fan of the driver series, and couldn't wait until Driv3r came out. At first glance, the graphics are pitiful and the handling of the vehicles is ridiculous. The crash system is ok, they have put loads of effort into making the damage to the cars realistic, and this impressed me. However, they have done nothing else. The missions are awful, and the handling system of Tanner himself is deeply saddening. The aiming system, range of weapons, and realism are not worth talking about. And the final point that made me want to set fire to this game was this:
You are driving along, full speed, in an 18-wheeler(I did this). You are ploughing through cars effortlessly, and it all seems great. You then misjudge a corner and hit a lamppost, which stops your tanker dead in it's tracks, and makes the rear end fly up due to the impact. Now what the hell is that? How can that happen? How can your 10-tonne truck be stopped by a metal pole??? Infuriating. If you buy this game, after half an hour playing it, you'll want to burn it too. |
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4/5 |
Just goes to show.....don't believe everything you read
(December 15, 2005) |
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I was shocked when I read the amount of negative reviews about this game. I thought "No way, it can't be as bad as people make out" So, I decided to get it and just as I thought, I loved it! Let me do a step-by-step critique of the points people raise when talking negatively about this game. The Graphics- No, they are not bad, despite what so many people say. The lighting at dusk and dawn in Miami and Nice (haven't tried Istanbul yet) is breathtaking, when the sunlight bounces of the road's surface. The cars look very good. I will admit that there is a certain "unfinished" quality in some respects but overall I think they are superior to GTA: SA's graphics (and yes, I do have SA and yes, it is a better game) The Controls- Yes, the default controls are very strange. Is there a solution? You bet. Go to Options and change the keyboard configuration to your liking. Problem solved. The sensitivity of the steering is another criticism. This game plays more like a simulator, rather than an arcade, which makes a nice change since it offers something different from GTA. You need to brake or at least take your foot off the accelerator when going round corners. In reality, if you were to do so without braking, there's a good chance you'll crash and/or spin. I've been playing the game for about 2 hours and i've got totally used to the steering. The AI- This is something which really is cut and dry, whichever way you look at it. It really is abysmally poor. For example, if you are shooting baddies on a rooftop and hide behind a metal crate, they will simply stand there and wait for you to emerge. They will not take the initiative themselves. As a result, it's very easy to pick them off one by one. The Cities- The three cities of Miami, Nice and Istanbul are huge and I mean HUGE. All three cities are about 30 sq miles in size. The game is as big as GTA SA. There isn't as much to unlock in terms of hidden areas, weapons, etc but this really doesn't bother me. If I wanted that, I can always play GTA. The Cutscenes- The cutscenes are superb with very nice voice overs by Michael Madsen, Ving Rhames and other Hollywood stars. I've played the original Driver and Driver 2 and I can safely say that this is the best instalment, both in terms of quality and quantity. The Missions- The missions vary from retrieving stolen cars, to shooting up bars, to time constraint missions, etc. A nice blend of different things to do. Although I'm only on Mission 7 out of 26, I do not find the game boring at all. To conclude,I recommend it to those gamers who consider themselves patient and intelligent enough to overcome minor obstacles such as configuring the keyboard and getting used to the steering, without uninstalling it after only playing 5 minutes. |
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