The Basics:
Platform: Xbox, PS2 (Xbox Reviewed)
Developer: Atari
Price: $49.99 (June 2004)
ESRB rating: M (Mature)

Summary: Drive away from this one. . .

Note: A run-of-the-mill storyline with far more violence than heart, buggy coding and abysmal gameplay make this game a poor choice for kids in almost every respect. Perhaps the greatest concern, however, is the role-model that main character Tanner presents. Although he is supposed to be a cop, during much of the game Tanner is on the other side of the law, committing crimes such as stealing cars, reckless driving and even killing fellow police officers.

Further Breakdown:

Overall rating: 0 out of 5 stars

Best for ages: 17+
Playability: Very Poor
Graphics: Average
Entertainment value: Poor
Educational value: None
Reading Level: 5+
KidScore Rating

Ages 3-7: Red
Ages 8-12: Red
Ages 13-17: Red
Violence Amount: Red
Fear: Yellow
Illegal/harmful: Red
Language: Yellow
Nudity: Green
Sex: Green

Review:
There is little positive to say about Driv3r. In fact, a run-of-the-mill storyline with far more violence than heart, buggy coding and abysmal gameplay make this game almost a total wreck. A gang of car thieves plans to steal $20 million dollars worth of exotic cars from Miami, Florida and Nice, France to be delivered to Istanbul, Turkey. The player stars as an undercover cop named Tanner who will stop at nothing to capture the gang. In order to infiltrate the gang and catch the ringleader, Tanner must play along as part of the gang stealing cars, killing rival gang members, and helping them evade the cops, until the trap is finally sprung. In typical action game/movie fashion, the plot line makes little plausible sense, but has plenty of opportunity for fast car chases and shoot-outs.

As a role model, the character of Tanner has very little to offer. The manual to the game advises that Tanner is reported to have a "frequent tendency to ignore and override authority." During much of the game Tanner must steal cars, run down pedestrians and even kill fellow police officers in order to stop the gang. The result is that the line between the good guys and the bad guys is very blurred. It is possible that younger players would not even realize Tanner is a police officer unless they pay close attention to some of the cut scenes.

Missions are varied between driving and on-foot action. At times Tanner may be involved in top-speed chases where the player needs to stick close in order not to lose whoever is being chased. At other times Tanner may need to go through a building on foot, shooting anyone trying to stop him. During most missions Tanner has his own vehicle, but when it becomes too damaged (and it often does) Tanner can "appropriate" whatever vehicle is necessary. The most convenient way of achieving this is by car jacking. The manual advises "don't forget that if you wreck your car you can get out and steal another one."

Although some of the gameplay is open-ended, such as Tanner being able to choose his own driving routes, the overall plot is completely scripted, making it next to impossible not to steal, slaughter innocent bystanders and kill fellow cops to win the game. The game attempts to counter this by "the felony meter". If Tanner does something illegal in front of a cop-such as shooting pedestrians, "the felony meter" goes up. As it rises, the police more actively pursue Tanner to attempt to stop him. Ironically, this typically leads to the death of more police, since the player must complete the mission to win. Of course players can take the manual's advice and reduce their felony rating by sounding their car's horn in order to "warn pedestrians out of your way . . ."

With all that said, the gameplay is so poor it is doubtful anyone will even want to play for long. Much of this comes from poor coding. Moving Tanner or driving can be frequently frustrating, as graphical quirks prevent fluid motion and cause odd errors. Sometimes the results are downright comical, such as watching Tanner "swim" through the air while he is supposed to be standing in a boat; however, much of the time the errors are simply exasperating. At times the game requires near perfection on the part of the player; where every second can mean the difference between winning the level and playing it over again. It is during these tense moments that the technical errors can really cause a lot of frustration. It can be assumed that many players will want to toss this game after attempting a level for the nth time, only to be defeated by a technical glitch that is beyond their control.

The only positive to the game is the incredible detail in the cityscapes and animated cut scenes. It is clear that the developers took their time with modeling each city to great length, and driving around can be akin to actually visiting the city. Sadly, there is typically little time to enjoy this, as most missions require speed as a top priority, leaving little time to look at anything but the road ahead. (It should be noted that a different part of the game does allow plenty of time to drive around.) The cut scenes are also well done from a technical standpoint, and serve their purpose of telling the "story", as mediocre as it is.

In the end, Driv3r just ends up being a waste of time and money. The game hardly presents itself as a purveyor of good role models, nor does it even remotely address criminal/police activity in a realistic manner. However, on top of this, technical bugs make the game almost unplayable at moments. Drive away from this one . . .