[Review] Driver (video game)

[NANO]

Driver (known as Driver: You Are the Wheelman in North America) is an action driving video game developed by Reflections Interactive and published by GT Interactive Software for the PlayStation. It was released in Europe on 25 June 1999;and in North America on 30 June. It is the first game in the Driver series.

Initially, the game was released only for the PlayStation, but later, a Microsoft Windows port of the original PlayStation version was released in North America on 11 October 1999, and in Europe later on.In May 2000, a remake developed by Crawfish Interactive and published by Infogrames was released for the Game Boy Color.This version featured a third person trailing camera view, and fewer missions. A Mac port was released in North America in December 2000 The game was re-released on the PlayStation Network on 14 October 2008,and a remake developed and published by Gameloft, with enhanced voice acting and graphics, was released for iOS on 8 December 2009.

The game is played out in four cities: Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York, each of which remain only partially faithful to the actual city layouts. A fifth bonus city, Newcastle Upon Tyne (where Reflections Interactive is based), is unlockable in the PC version through gameplay and in the PlayStation version using a cheat device, but no missions are available and the playable area is small. The game was notable at the time of its original release insofar as the player was able to explore each city as an open world environment. Driver has often been compared to the Grand Theft Auto series. It also bears significant thematic resemblances to the 20th Century Fox movie "The Driver" (1978).

NYPD officer and former racing driver John Tanner is sent undercover by his boss Lieutenant McKenzie to discover the intentions of a crime syndicate led by Castaldi. McKenzie instructs Tanner to go to Miami and meet a pimp named Rufus. After arriving in Miami, Tanner uses his driving skills to prove himself to some gangsters in a parking garage, allowing him to become their getaway driver.

Tanner carries out jobs for various gangsters before meeting Rufus, who tasks Tanner with rescuing Jean-Paul, one of Rufus's associates. Rufus is later shot by his girlfriend Jesse. Needing more information for his investigation, Tanner apprehends Jesse and takes her to the police station, where she reveals that Jean-Paul is now in San Francisco.

Tanner goes to San Francisco, where he meets Castaldi, Jean-Paul's boss, and begins working directly for him. He also meets Rusty Slater, his former racing rival, who also works for Castaldi. Tanner later learns that Castaldi is working with a man named Don Hancock, who is running for president. He later suspects that Slater has been spying on him and wrecks Slater's car during a road chase, resulting in Slater being arrested.

The Castaldi family move to Los Angeles, where Castaldi plans to assassinate FBI agent Bill Maddox as part of Castaldi's plan to carry out a more high-profile assassination in New York. Tanner tells Leck, a police associate, to ensure Maddox turns up, otherwise Tanner's cover may be affected. The assassination on Maddox is successful, but the police ambush the gangsters, forcing Tanner to take them to safety. Tanner convinces the suspicious gangsters that Slater likely told the police about the planned assassination while under interrogation. Leck later tells Tanner that McKenzie recently met Marcus Vaughn, a corrupt FBI agent who is working with Castaldi and Hancock.

The Castaldi family then move to New York, the location of the planned high-profile assassination. Tanner is told by his police associates that McKenzie wants him to pull out of the undercover operation, as he is worried that Tanner's cover will not hold up much longer, and Leck tells Tanner that Hancock has bribed several members of the FBI. Tanner remains undercover and continues working for Castaldi, intent on discovering what he is planning.

Tanner eventually learns that Castaldi plans to assassinate the President of the United States, and Tanner is tasked with driving the President's car. However, he ignores all instructions and takes the President to safety. McKenzie then arrives and tells Tanner that Castaldi and all of his associates, including Hancock and Vaughn, have been arrested. He then tells Tanner to take his badge back, but Tanner refuses, suspecting that the police and FBI are involved in the job, corrupted by bribes due to Vaughn's involvement. Tanner leaves, ignoring McKenzie completely.

In 2009, a remastered version of the game was released on the App Store. Developed and published by Gameloft, the original plot and structure were left intact, but the graphics were enhanced, the music was re-done, and voice acting was re-recorded for the cutscenes.

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• OS: Win Xp 32
• Processor: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0GHz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4400+
• Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 2600 XT or NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT
• System Memory: 1 GB RAM
• Storage: 10 GB Hard drive space
• DirectX 9 Compatible Graphics Card

Recommended Requirements

• OS: Win Xp 32
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz / AMD Athlon II X4 620
• Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 3850 or NVIDIA GeForce GT 530
• System Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Storage: 10 GB Hard drive space