DRIV3R [Xbox]

Once upon a time there was a game company called Reflections, and it loved more than anything creating games filled with cars that you could smash to mieces to pieces. As part of the second wave of killer PlayStation games in 1996 and 1997, Reflections joined Psygnosis and Singletrac as the primary culprits in ushering in the crème of the crop on Sony's hit new system. Games such as WipEout, Twisted Metal and Destruction Derby paved the way for newer games, better ideas and each of those developers grew in size, popularity and power.

Fast-forward to the year 2003, and Reflections, which had something going with its Destruction Derby series, has grown into one of Atari's most coveted development teams. Responsible for the incredibly popular Driver series (Driver, Driver 2) as well as Stuntman, Reflections has emerged into the principal -- how do you say this right? -- destructive-car-driving-simulator developer around. Which brings us to the unheralded popularity of this style of game -- open-design, smash-'em-up, arcade-style racing-action games -- made famous by both Driver and Grand Theft Auto, but not necessarily in that order, and now expecting a several more entrees from Reflections' own Driver 3, Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto: 4 (working title) and Activision's brand new True Crime: Streets of LA.

With so many games of this style hitting gamers in the next year or so, how can we separate Atari's game from the rest? Perhaps the best way to look at Driver 3 is by calling it what it is, the best simulation of a Hollywood car chase game around. Driver has always been about great car chases, superb physics and car crashes, and the third in the series will be not different. Originally slated for 2003 release, Atari announced the delay of Driver 3 until 2004, saying that the massive production would need more time for it to reach its optimum maturation. Starring the series' quiet but rough unsung hero, Tanner, the undercover cop once again takes a clever carjacking network. Building on ideas implemented in Driver 2, players will once again get the chance to steal an enormous load of cars (in fact, all cars in the game are jackable), they'll be able to drive more cars than before (including trucks and boats), and they'll once again be able to step outside of their cars.

Reflections doesn't have to distinguish its game too much from the most obvious competition, Grand Theft Auto because it's already quite different. More of a driving game, Driver 3 comprises approximately 70% driving and 30% walking/shooting around. The car physics, always one of the team's best qualities, will be more robust, sophisticated and impressive than either Driver 2, or the game that shares the same engine, Stuntman.