Parents Video Game Reviews for Families- Driver

Driver

Overall: C-
Violence: C
Sexual Content: A
Language: B
Drugs/Alcohol: B+

Platform reviewed: Playstation
Publisher: Reflections / GT Interactive Software
ESRB rating: T

So, what does a driver do when he's finished with the racing circuit? In this game, he (Tanner) gets a job on the police force. Then, when his driving talents come to the lieutenant's attention, he receives an undercover assignment to infiltrate the "Castaldi" family by becoming a driver for the criminal underworld. There's just one catch... only Tanner and the LT know about the assignment.

The game begins with an "interview" in a parking garage, conducted by one of Castaldi's "minions." You are given 60 seconds to complete some fairly tricky maneuvers. Once successful, you move to a motel room located somewhere in Miami and await your first mob "job." Upon accepting assignments called in on your answering machine, you race against time and other obstacles including motorists, pedestrians and the police. Two gauges are viewed on-screen, one indicating damage sustained by your vehicle, the other tracking felonies committed along the way. If either gauge hits maximum, or if you don't reach your destination in time, you've failed your mission. Successful completion will provide tougher challenges, eventually taking you to the streets of San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York.

If you can imagine the Dukes Of Hazzard taking place on city streets, then you can get a feel for this game--right down to the inane actions of the authorities. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the game designers used the collective intelligence of Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane and Cletus Hogg in programming chase scenes. Kamikaze cops suddenly veer into guardrails, meridians and barriers; cruisers on your tail one instant, disappear the next--without explanation (there is an option to increase cop mentality, but they're still portrayed as goofs). And although these brain-dead antics extend to other motorists who often make lane changes at the most inopportune times, at least the pedestrians are smart enough to jump out of harm's way.

For a game that went to the effort of showing the sky's reflection in your paint-job, graphics are terribly weak at times, but then again, you're normally too busy to notice things like bridges appearing 100 pixels at a time. An essential graphic component is the on-screen radar/map... this back-seat-driver replacement indicates your position, the location of your objective, and the whereabouts of the "fuzz." In the soundtrack department, having the capability to adjust the music and SFX levels independently is a nice touch, since you can only handle the sound of revving engines, squealing tires and sirens for so long, but I'm still wondering why the programmers used stereotypical criminal voices (I thought we'd outgrown this kind of racial discrimination). Parents of potential "drivers" will also want to be aware of the game's mild language warning.

In the five levels examined, I drove getaway for bank robbers, stole a car, exchanged a suitcase for a set of keys, witnessed a murder, and busted a criminal out of police custody... not to mention a long list of traffic violations which usually resulted in heavy damage to other vehicles. The game justifies this glamorization of crime and total disregard for the police by having your character go "undercover." While Driver may induce an adrenalin high in some players, breaking the law is its primary goal, and the only consequences ever handed out are... mission failed, try again.

Jim Fleming