Driver and Driver 2 Twin Pack - PlayStation

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Driver and Driver 2 Twin Pack (PlayStation)
Viewed: 3D First-person / Third-person Genre:
Racing: Car
Arcade origin:No
Developer: Reflections Soft. Co.: Reflections
Publishers: Atari (GB)
Released: 13 Feb 2004 (GB)
Ratings: PEGI 12+
Features: Vibration Compatible
Accessories: Analogue JoyPad, Memory Card

Summary

It's undeniable that Reflections' Driver and Driver 2 were two of the most successful games to grace Sony's PlayStation console. They both delivered frenetic gameplay in a genre that is quickly emerging as one of the mainstream’s most popular - the mission-based driving game. And now publisher Atari has brought the two together in a highly affordable double pack for PSOne.

Driver
Ever fancied yourself as Ryan O'Neal in 'The Driver' or Steve McQueen in 'Bullitt'? This could be your kind of game. Play the part of a maverick ex-cop who has to prove to The Mob that he has what it takes to be their driver. Tearing through four major American cities, you have to uncover the dirty dealings of the Castaldi family, but commit any kind of traffic felony, and the cops will soon be on your tail. So start the car.

The streets of San Francisco and Miami are yours as you tear around in a sleek black American muscle car. At the very beginning of Driver, you are invited to perform several tricky manoeuvres in an underground car park in order to impress the mob.

Hardcore adventures aside, other modes include hair-raising chases in which you have to outrun one or more police cars, a deceptively difficult pursuit mode in which you chase a designated car and try to ram him, and a simple training mode. Add to this a film editing function, save replay facility and a darn funky soundtrack, and you could possibly create the greatest car chase of all time.

Driver 2
For the second outing, you play as Tanner, an undercover cop on a mission to smash organised crime rings and racketeering in Chicago, Las Vegas, Havana and Rio de Janeiro. All the true-to-life features of Driver have been reincarnated and improved to some extent. The car handling feels a lot more responsive and the damage modelling has also been souped-up.

The production work that has gone into the cities is an achievement in itself, as the layout is reflective of the actual city complete with real buildings and landmarks. Each city has around twenty miles of road and 150,000 objects and buildings.

All the mini-games from Driver have been included in the follow-up too, so if you have a masochistic streak you can further frustrate yourself with Survival, Lose the Tail, Trailblazer and the rest.

Sequels are a mixed bag. Some are a just a cash-in and some are brilliant innovations on a theme. Driver 2 falls easily into the latter category. The sequel includes curved roads, loads of FMV, the ability to ditch your car and jack another, and a brand new split-screen multi-player option.

Great value!