has anyone played this?
somehow it managed to fly right under my radar. probably because I was getting my racing fix from Test Drive Unlimited 2 for months.
but recently some user reviews spurred me to grab Driver:SF without even "trying" it first. it has proven to be 20 bucks well spent.
I played the very first Driver and hadn't touched the series again until now.
and so far I'm really satisfied with SanFran. they've licensed something like 130+ vehicles so the streets are filled with real cars from the 70's to the 2011's. the player can seamlessly shift between anything they see on the road and start driving that in place of their current ride. you can only compete in the games missions using the cars you've been able to purchase (aside from missions that require specific vehicles). but there are a plethora of other side events that can be completed with any car you see around you. just shift away. this includes trucks, like large industrial trucks, and emergency vehicles like an ambulance.
the concept of shifting is explained by a ridiculous story narrative that is straight out of an 80's B-movie. but that's irrelevant because it works just as advertised and it's a lot of fun. the story is definitely the sidecar to DriverSF as it is to virtually any racing game.
gameplay itself is a relatively nice balance between arcade and sim.
handling feels robust and enjoyable; it can be as unforgiving as it is responsive and punchy. the AI is capable of providing a solid challenge without being overbearing or outright "cheating" with their physics. the game world, being a fair recreation of San Francisco, is pretty huge. simply driving around in free mode is engaging enough to get lost for awhile. sound effects are superb and the game always keeps track of handbrake turns, jumps, near-misses, and other stunts that add points to your "bank account," let's call it.
when you win events or complete missions you earn points which are basically currency allowing you to buy new garages around town (to store more rides) and other vehicle or player upgrades. I say player, but the whole game takes place in the cars. there's no 3rd person getting out and walking around. momentarily shifting is the only time the player "exits" the driving part of the experience. like I said though, it's all seamless. very cool concept that's well executed.
once you get used to it you realize it opens up new possibilities. say you're doing a mission where you're chasing somebody and you pull a bad turn, spinning out, and they start to get away. you have a chance to shift to (let's say) a pickup truck that you can see further down the road near your target, take control, and ram his car or block him. then you continue the chase. you could also shift into a pedestrian vehicle during a race in order to "fling" it at your competition and crash them.
of course there are also straight-forward missions and technical races where shifting is disabled.
the whole game is well polished.
no load times, seamless shifting (hard to describe but effortless), fast menus, easy to navigate map, etc etc.
I'm less than 15 hours in but it's got my thumbs up.
oh and there's also a mode in which you can film yourself doing whatever, similar to GTA 4, and edit your stunts into movies with special effects.
somehow it managed to fly right under my radar. probably because I was getting my racing fix from Test Drive Unlimited 2 for months.
but recently some user reviews spurred me to grab Driver:SF without even "trying" it first. it has proven to be 20 bucks well spent.
I played the very first Driver and hadn't touched the series again until now.
and so far I'm really satisfied with SanFran. they've licensed something like 130+ vehicles so the streets are filled with real cars from the 70's to the 2011's. the player can seamlessly shift between anything they see on the road and start driving that in place of their current ride. you can only compete in the games missions using the cars you've been able to purchase (aside from missions that require specific vehicles). but there are a plethora of other side events that can be completed with any car you see around you. just shift away. this includes trucks, like large industrial trucks, and emergency vehicles like an ambulance.
the concept of shifting is explained by a ridiculous story narrative that is straight out of an 80's B-movie. but that's irrelevant because it works just as advertised and it's a lot of fun. the story is definitely the sidecar to DriverSF as it is to virtually any racing game.
gameplay itself is a relatively nice balance between arcade and sim.
handling feels robust and enjoyable; it can be as unforgiving as it is responsive and punchy. the AI is capable of providing a solid challenge without being overbearing or outright "cheating" with their physics. the game world, being a fair recreation of San Francisco, is pretty huge. simply driving around in free mode is engaging enough to get lost for awhile. sound effects are superb and the game always keeps track of handbrake turns, jumps, near-misses, and other stunts that add points to your "bank account," let's call it.
when you win events or complete missions you earn points which are basically currency allowing you to buy new garages around town (to store more rides) and other vehicle or player upgrades. I say player, but the whole game takes place in the cars. there's no 3rd person getting out and walking around. momentarily shifting is the only time the player "exits" the driving part of the experience. like I said though, it's all seamless. very cool concept that's well executed.
once you get used to it you realize it opens up new possibilities. say you're doing a mission where you're chasing somebody and you pull a bad turn, spinning out, and they start to get away. you have a chance to shift to (let's say) a pickup truck that you can see further down the road near your target, take control, and ram his car or block him. then you continue the chase. you could also shift into a pedestrian vehicle during a race in order to "fling" it at your competition and crash them.
of course there are also straight-forward missions and technical races where shifting is disabled.
the whole game is well polished.
no load times, seamless shifting (hard to describe but effortless), fast menus, easy to navigate map, etc etc.
I'm less than 15 hours in but it's got my thumbs up.
oh and there's also a mode in which you can film yourself doing whatever, similar to GTA 4, and edit your stunts into movies with special effects.
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