Watch out for Driver: San Francisco - RB10's Blog

RB10's Blog

Watch out for Driver: San Francisco

Posted on September 21, 2011 at 12:56 AM.

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Ubisoft is kind of an under the radar game producer who just came out with a game I'm actually a fan of. Previously, Shaun White Snowboarding and Skateboarding along with the Tom Clancy games have been Ubisoft's biggest hits, but I feel they have created the start of a gem with Driver: San Francisco. I'm gonna say it right now, I do not feel this game is worth the $60, but not many games these days are.

When I downloaded the demo for this game, I expected an arcade racing experience much like the game I had for my original PS1. The first turn I went around quickly threw it into an elite category in my book. The game just about nailed the art of the drift. Not many games that I have had the pleasure of playing have excited me with this drifting. I am a big fan of drifting, I look for it in any game and it just never grows old for me. Dirt 3 and Grand Theft Auto 4 are the only two other games that have displayed this kind of car handling that I enjoy.

The problem with Driver? I'm not a fan of the story mode. I'm not the biggest fan of outrunning the cops and the whole "Shift" feature of the game where you can switch from car to car on the fly, but I am just a fan of the gameplay. Driver: San Francisco does an alright job of recreating the city, but the best part is the 125+ accurate cars that are available to the users.

From this:

To This:

(Yes those are animated)

Pictures of More of the Elite Cars Within the Game
Full List of Cars Seen Here

Driver does and awesome job. If this game were strictly in a racing format, I would be all over this game. Put some of these cars on Infineon or any race track and I would love to play that game. Driver: San Francisco definitely has a good base, but when Driver: Race Car Career (dreaming) comes out I will definitely fork out the dough.

Pros:
Correctly displays damage, perfect dents and debris in the right areas
Very smooth driving, from drifting to jumping, this game has a good feel
Great smoke coming from the tires during a drift or burnout, I've never seen smoke that real before
Great selection of cars, from the grocery getter' to a 67' Mustang Hatchback, each is perfectly displayed

Cons:
Story Mode, if this were a rally, rally cross, or even stock car game, I would be much more interested than outrunning the cops with oncoming traffic right in front of me
Shift, this allows you to switch from car to car without getting out, which is nice for trying out all the cars, but not nice for much else, besides this story mode

Grade: 7/10

In short, if these cars and drifts were on a racing game and not a get-away car game, I would be all over it and not have any regrets. Smooth drifts and great car selection makes it worth while, but the oncoming traffic and chasing cop cars aren't what I want to see when drifting these beautiful cars.