Driver: San Francisco

Driver: San Francisco is the fifth installment of Driver game series, which has always been characterized by spectacular pursuits and numerous cinema inspirations. This game was created by the studio Ubisoft Reflections (once known as Reflections Interactive), which previously developed such acclaimed titles as Shadow of the Beast and Destruction Derby.

The fifth Driver game goes back to the roots of the franchise. The story is set a few years after the events of the third part of the series (Driv3r), which ended with the cop John Tanner facing the villainous Jericho. As a result of this confrontation, Tanner ended up in the hospital in a state of coma. But as time heals all wounds, Tanner recovers and on the day when Jericho is to be executed, the cop wants to be close to action. However, with the help of his friends and their big money, the villain manages to escape. Tanner starts chasing him, which ends in a serious accident getting him back into coma. The player has to aid the hero and help him through his dreamy visions of the reality. This story twist enabled developers to use different type of narrative with more freedom and new dynamic solutions.

In the game you sit behind the wheel of Tanner’s unique car and visit the largest city in the history of the genre (209 square miles of San Francisco), and drive through a series of missions, which ultimately lead to the final confrontation with Jericho. The main innovation is the Shift system, which allows the main character switch between cars. This makes it possible to drive many different vehicles during a single mission, and increases dynamism. The only limits come during missions, depending on their, so e.g. you cannot take control over the car you are chasing.

Putting in a variety of characters and rapid changing of cars created huge possibilities for both developers and players. For example, while you take part in a pursuit, you can switch between different police cars and even set an unexpected blockade (e.g. ram him with an oncoming truck). The system allows you to watch the nearby streets from the air, and even observe the whole city when you zoom out. In this view you can see the parameters of cars or look out for new jobs marked with appropriate icons.

These new gameplay features come with a huge number of cars – the game includes more than a hundred. What is more, there are also seventy trucks to please everyone who loves big machines. Each car was created using real brands and rendered with attention to details (also in terms of the interiors). Players drive across bustling streets, narrow alleys, and dirt roads. Such a broad set of surfaces can be found in virtual version of San Francisco, which was scaled down a little (so that driving did not get tedious). Other important elements of gameplay are complex driving model and damage system.

The game also includes an extensive editing tool, which allows you to record gameplay and cut it into a film.

The distinguishing feature of the game is the huge city prepared by the developers. What is more, there are cinema-like scenes inspired of classic movies (Italian Job, Ronin). Also players should not complain about music, as the soundtrack includes dozens of old and new songs. All aforementioned gameplay features, primarily the Shift system, also appear in multiplayer, which offers several play modes.

Last updated on 22 December 2014