Dire sequel (Driv3r (PS2))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	Driv3r (PS2)
Date:	06/09/09 (2 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sometimes good looking

Disadvantages: Derivative and messy

Driv3r, the third game in the illustrious and highly acclaimed series, was a hotly debated title upon release, that sadly didn't live up to the hype and was also subject to a scandal whereby it was rumoured that the developers had paid magazines to ensure that they gave out a good review score. On Dooyoo, though, you'll get criticism a little more unbiased, and leafing through the other reviews, it's clear that the judges are in on this being a staggering let-down, and missed opportunity to recapture the magic that made the first game so great.

Whilst it brings Tanner back into the mix as an undercover cop, there's just not enough fun here to make it worth buying, resulting in a shallow GTA clone more than anything. There are new additions such as bikes and boats, but this is no good when the gameplay is buggy and utterly riddled with glitches. The new ability to swim is notably rather bad, and soon enough, your health will begin to dwindle for absolutely no reason at all. Also, the combat system is poorly developed, meaning attaining a lock on is a feat worthy of a Nobel Prize, meaning you'll probably die a lot more than you should. Also, you'll sometimes get stuck in the environment, meaning you either have to be lucky and hope that a vehicle dislodges you, or restart the game.

The presentation at first glance seems pretty good - the modelling isn't bad, but there's sadly a lot of jagged edges that do hamper the otherwise good texture work. Also, the game has CRIMINAL pop-in that a low of reviewers have picked up on, resulting in cars coming out of nowhere and ploughing into you.

I beat the game once and then got rid of it - there's absolutely nothing that would entice me to have a go around again. It's challenging because it's poorly designed, rather than through being well engineered or clever - it's a sad disappointment. This could have been a classic, but instead its one of the worst mainstream titles, and certainly sequels, that I've ever played. You'd think this was still being play-tested - how did it ever get through quality assurance!?

Summary: A bug-riddled crapfest