Driver: San Francisco

The latest Ubisoft Reflections game, Driver: San Francisco, continues from the events of the third instalment, yet apparently tries to “forget” about the shocking conclusion to the very mediocre third instalment Driv3r. I can't blame Reflections either, since Driv3r (and Parallel Lines) struggled to impress. Needless to say, both John Tanner and his arch-nemesis Charles Jericho survived Istanbul, and Driver: SF starts in medias res a few months later, in the fine Californian city of San Francisco.

Jericho has been incarcerated, however any hopes of seeing him rehabilitated, or (hopefully) joining an Adult Prison Education Programme is shattered as he attempts a daring prison break (that would have left Michael Scofield green with envy). Fortunately for the inhabitants of San Francisco, Tanner and his partner Tobias Jones are at hand and immediately pursue him through the streets of the city. It's during this frantic car chase that Tanner and Jones are involved in a devastating car crash, which puts our hero (Tanner) into a life threatening coma.

This is generally where some games would roll the credits and leave you anxiously waiting for the next instalment, but not Driver: SF. In a shocking twist, the vast majority of the game continues in Tanner's coma dream; complete with creepy messages on billboards and even nightmarish dream crows make their appearance. He also discovers that he has gained a very peculiar power. He has the ability to “shift” his consciousness into another person's body, thus temporarily taking them over - almost like a benevolent poltergeist trying its hand at spirit possession. The victims are obviously clueless, and will probably need years of counselling to come to terms with their unexplained blackouts. Tanner can shift at any time and later in the game you even gain a speed shift option, where you can literally bounce between two or three drivers - perfect for the cops-and-robbers car chases. Shifting also allows you to fast travel and zoom in or out to get a bird's eye view of the city. This acts as a map screen, from where you can select missions, start side challenges (including "dares" mini-missions), or even cause mayhem on the streets of San Francisco, by shifting into some hapless innocent and driving their car like a speed demon... uh.. possessed.

The shifting mechanic may sound very strange, but it makes for a curiously fun gaming experience. It's without a doubt one of Driver: SF's saving graces, because it allows you to do some pretty interesting things. If you're struggling to reach a criminal's car, because you're stuck in an old Volkswagen Beetle, and they're taunting you from the inside of a McLaren, just shift into a faster car or better yet, choose a truck (preferably one that is thundering on in the oncoming traffic side), and ram them off the road. Later story missions make full use of the shifting mechanic, and while I don't want to spoil too much of the plot, the way they're implemented is pure genius.

Even though Driver: SF benefits immensely from the shifting mechanic, the single-player story leaves much to be desired. It's not terrible, but the further you go down the rabbit hole, the weirder it gets as it approaches total absurdity. Towards the end of the game you start to wonder if what you're doing actually matters, and it ever so slightly taunts you with glimmers of hope, but just as you think it might be heading towards something quite interesting, the game prematurely ends. There are even a few moments where the story felt like it could have been taken from one of those really obnoxious student films. However, unlike your sister's latest “cinematic masterpiece”, Driver: SF actually features very good voice acting. The banter between Tanner and Jones is perfect, and it oozes with cool. It gives you that “Miami Vice meets Starsky & Hutch for brunch” feel. But honestly, what would a car chase be without running commentary on your driving from your partner?

Regardless of a very silly storyline, Driver: SF is essentially an arcade racer, and it features an esoteric mix of 140 officially licensed cars - from muscle cars and sports cars to buggies and trucks. All the cars can be launched off ramps, damaged in crashes, rolled or even used as battering rams. In this regard, Driver: SF practically shines. It never tries to be a serious car simulator, and keeps the driving aspects comfortably within reach of even the most casual of gamer. The interior (dashboards) and exterior of the cars are almost true to their real world counterparts, and the cars are truly stunning. The game isn't just eye candy, because in terms of the driving aspects, Driver: SF's middle name is clearly over-the-top car action. This is a game that doesn't take itself too seriously, and gladly encourages you to weave in between oncoming traffic, or to see how far you can launch a truck with a ramp.

Most of the cars are available from the start, since you can shift into any car on the map, but if you wanted to drive specific car for races (like the stunning Murciélago), you have to buy them using the in-game currency called Willpower. Willpower points are also used to buy upgrades such as speed boosts, and garages to access even more cars. You continuously gain these points through merely driving in a car or by performing stunts like drifting, driving in the wrong lane or even from overtaking, but it is through missions, dares and side challenges that you'll receive the bulk of your cash.

Amazingly, this is the first Driver game to feature multiplayer, and instead of merely throwing one or two modes in and calling it a day, Driver: SF is literally packed with an assortment of classic and zany multiplayer modes. It features the options for both spilt-screen and online modes up to 8 players. Since the shifting mechanic works in some of the multiplayer modes, the online gameplay can get pretty frantic and chaotic. One mode in particular requires you to capture a flag, and it plays like a game of “tag” . Once you grab the flag, you start to accumulate points, and everyone else needs to try to hit (tag) you, to break your point count. But just to spice it up, they can shift, and any car in the traffic can quickly turn into an opponent barrelling at you. Other modes involve cops-and-robbers, and the very strange, yet oddly addictive trailblazer, where you have to follow an AI-controlled car, and to accumulate points, you have to stay in its trail. There are also more familiar kinds of racing modes for those who require more classic fare. A simple levelling system is added for additional unlocks to keep you interested.

While Driver: San Francisco is a competent, enjoyable and fun arcade racer, it does fall into the same trap as countless other sandbox arcade racers. To its credit, it behaves itself, by keeping each story mission fresh, but side challenges (and dares) can become repetitive. Another bone of contention is that races do not take into account what your current vehicle is, and once you've bought the fastest car in the game, you're practically assured a race victory. It is unfortunate, because Driver: SF will barely challenge veteran gamers.

For all its tongue-in-cheek storyline peculiarities, Ubisoft Reflections can deservedly pat themselves on the back. They've managed to deliver an amusing arcade racer that dabbles in the crazy, yet still stays true to its vintage car-chase roots. The future looks bright, and with any luck the Driver franchise can finally recover from the scandal and painful memories of Driv3r (or the equally dismal fourth game, Parallel Lines).

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