Driver: Parallel Lines [Xbox]

News of a sequel to Driv3r didn't exactly fill us with excitement, but Parallel Lines is a pretty decent game. It's a 100 percent GTA clone, yes, but it's also a playable one. There are even a few elements done better than Rockstar has managed.

To get to the good stuff, though, you'll have to wade through a load of familiar content. The basic story setup is novel, since it begins in a nicely imagined NYC circa 1978, then jumps to the modern Big Apple. But as gorgeous as the cutscenes are, there's really nothing to latch onto in the story, which is half gangland tale, half revenge plot. Humor and satire are almost non-existent. The characters are at best familiar and often stale, and you've generally seen it all before.

The same goes for the gameplay structure, which has all the expected execution/race/escort/extort beats. The city's got more detail than most sandbox games, but all the floating icons and goofy game-centric activity indicators are here. After True Crime and LA Rush, it's nice in a way to see someone crib from GTA with success, but the familiarity does get overwhelming. It's like GTA is Law and Order and this is Criminal Intent, only without Vince D'Onofrio.

In Driv3r, huge sticking point number one was the on-foot mode, which was like attempting suicide with a butter knife. This time it's a much better experience. TK, the "hero," looks kind of like the hippie musician in Guitar Hero with a goofy gait, at least until he's older and more bitter. Targeting and gunplay works well; there's even an easy way to aim with precision, the better to blow out tires or heads.

But there's no way to explore in depth, and much of the world feels closed off. Walking is just a way to pass the time between cars. Without the on-foot missions that made Driv3r so problematic, the only time you'll want to walk is when trying to lose the cops. More on that in a second. Cars are where the game is at.

And that's where the good stuff comes in. This series has always been in love with cars and car chases, and the same physics and models that have served it well are back. Some of the physics are still wonky, but since most objects can be moved or destroyed, often in ingenious ways, that's to be expected.

The driving controls are excellent; they rely on the same two buttons as every other urban racer, but feel more responsive and detailed. The pressure-sensitive buttons on the PS2 pad are put to perfect use for the gas pedal, and after a few minutes you get a dynamic sense of control. In general, cars handle with more weight and personality than in GTA and are frequently a blast to drive.