DRIV3R [PC]

It's been four years since the Driver series had a new entry. In that time, new cities have been mapped, dozens of cars have been modeled in intricate detail, and an all-new cinematic style of driving is taking shape. At last, the series is hitting the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

Picking up the story of Tanner, wheelman extraordinaire, the game cranks up the production values with Hollywood talent, huge visuals, and dastardly vehicle physics. Several months ago we traveled to the Newcastle, UK offices of developer Reflections to report on the game. Now we've received a preview build, and after some exhaustive playtesting, there's quite a bit new to report.

At first glance, DRIV3R looks as if it's cut straight from the Grand Theft Auto mold. Of course, 2000's Driver 2 cut that mold before Rockstar did, but regardless, this sequel is a logical continuation of the series.

Rather than integrating cruising and missions into one glob of gameplay, DRIV3R breaks the two into distinct menu entries. "Undercover" takes players through a linear sequence of missions with no unstructured driving in between. Cutscenes tell what will hopefully be a complex story, with missions filling in the details. "Take a Ride," on the other hand, is where you'll go for unrestrained driving in unlocked cities. Three cities are included -- Miami, Nice, and Istanbul -- and several mini games are also available.

Given that Atari is pushing the title for full mainstream acceptance, we were a bit surprised to discover that the game is hard. Like, really hard. The driving physics are true-to-movie reality, but the flipside is that they're also quite unforgiving. This isn't GTA -- drive into a lamppost, and it's 60 to 0 in one second.

Missions take place in and out of the car, balancing the pair of dynamics, though always with one eye on the road. So a back alley gunfight leads to a chase, which might culminate in either a cutscene or another chase -- it's all about cars. On foot, controls are cribbed from the FPS handbook, and are easily figured out. On four wheels, the controls seem equally accessible, though getting the best use from the burnout button may take time. Unlike Driver, which took flak for its stringent training mode, there's no driver's ed to show new players the ropes.

Here's where the mini games come in, though, which are more than simple, speedy distractions. The timed challenges (like trailblazer and the gate races) require strict adherence to the course, and the skills learned will pay off for the main campaign.

Another surprise is that the game plays much better in first-person than we had anticipated. While out of the car, the controls are optimized for the FPS view, and use the standard Halo-style dual-stick control. In the car, the right stick looks to each side, on the off chance you want to check both ways before pulling into traffic.

The game looks fantastic. The lighting goes from subtle to dramatic, and cars shear apart into thousands of pieces. The environments vary hugely from city to city, but have a very realistic bent no matter the locale. Visually, there may not be much in DRIV3R that's truly new, but it's all done with a very high level of polish. There is some slowdown, however, especially when several police cars are in pursuit. Hopefully that'll be smoothed out in the last crunch month at Reflections.

A couple of other things could become issues for players. One is that there seems to be no way to skip through cutscenes. The cinematics are really nice, to be sure, but when you've failed a mission a dozen times -- which you will -- watching the same interlude is just irritating. The other problem is a sense of stiffness to the controls when out of the car, especially when it comes time to aim and fire.

There's a lot of really solid mechanics underlying DRIV3R, and plenty of cool little touches. The on-demand thrill cam and the custom "Previously On DRIV3R" recap when you load a saved game come to mind. For those looking for maximum replay enjoyment, the game's "film director" may offer the most extensive set of replay controls yet. Multiple camera types can be placed anywhere along a run for car chase footage that lives up to the cinematic ideal.

DRIV3R's looking like a good package, and we're anxious to play through the final version to see if it fulfills its promise.

Want more DRIV3R? Be sure to check out our interview with Michelle Rodriguez and our huge compilation of exclusive content in the game's downloads section, which includes a "Making Of" documentary hosted by Michael Madsen, concept art, wallpapers, and gameplay footage.