Driv3r
Encyclopedia
Driv3r, more commonly known as Driver 3 (marketed as DRIV3R), is a racing, shooting, and adventure video game. It is the third installment in the popular Driver series
and was developed by Reflections Interactive and published by Atari
. Driv3r was released in North America for the PlayStation 2
and Xbox
on June 21, 2004. In Europe, it was officially released on June 25, although due to the way Atari shipped the title across the continent, it made its way into independent UK
retailers before the release date, even making a #6 position in the ELSPA chart for that week. On March 15, 2005, it was released on PC
for US customers, it was also released on Game Boy Advance
October 25, 2005. A scaled down version was released for the mobile phone
in June 2004. At one point a Nintendo GameCube
version and an N-Gage
version were planned, but both were canceled.
Driv3r brings back features from Driver 2
and adds the ability to ride motorcycles and boats, use weapons, swim, climb ladders, and enter certain buildings among other things, as well as controlling more than one character.
in Istanbul
, Turkey
, in a shootout between a gang and the Istanbul police. The scene later shifts to the hospital where it shows Tanner and Jericho injured and the doctors examining one of them, and later shows one of them flatlining.
The game goes back six months before in Miami, where undercover FBI Tanner (voiced by Michael Madsen
), along with partner Tobias Jones (voiced by Ving Rhames
), infiltrating a crime ring known as South Beach which specializes in stolen vehicles. A ruthless woman named Calita (voiced by Michelle Rodriguez
) runs the Crime Ring, and there is a weapons specialist Lomaz, and Bad Hand. Tanner convinces them to give him a shot to work for them. Once he is accepted by the group, Tanner begins conducting various jobs for them, in pursuit of a total of 40 stolen high-performance vehicles.
South Beach end up having a falling out with a local crime lord named "The Gator", so Calita sends Tanner on a job to blow up The Gator's Superyacht which is docked by an island south of Miami. The feud with The Gator ends when Tanner shoots him into the sea when Calita sends him and Lomaz to kill The Gator, believing him to be dead afterwards. South Beach then moves their operations to Nice
, France
, and Tanner relocates as well. However, Interpol
agents Henri Vauban and Didier Dubois have their own plans to take down the crime ring and are at odds with Tanner. Tanner decides to work the job his own way, which, in several cases, leads him into direct conflict with the Interpol agents.
In Istanbul, Turkey, Tanner is now working as a rogue agent. However, Tanner and Jones are able to find a number of contacts who lead them to the crime ring and its true leader, Jericho (voiced by Mickey Rourke
), a former hitman who betrays and kills Solomon Caine, his former boss. Jericho once appeared at a warehouse while Didier Dubois was using a laptop belonging to Calita, first stunning Tanner, who drops his gun, then confronts Tanner and shoots Dubois.
Later, Dubois' partner Vauban tells Tanner that Dubois is in a body bag
and the bullets are his. Tanner then walks away and ends his cooperation with the police force, forcing Tanner to escape to the nearest warehouse. Once it is evident that Tanner has found a way to stop the gang from selling the stolen vehicles, he is brought back onto the force and aids in stopping the sale. Following a car chase between Jericho' and his men and the Turkish Police, Tanner faces him in a final showdown. After the long lasting chase between Tanner and Jericho, Tanner, who gains the upper hand, single handedly takes down Jericho. However, Tanner decides Jericho isn't worth finishing off and turns away. Jericho uses this opportunity to shoot Tanner in the back with a concealed gun claiming "mistake".
The scene shifts to the hospital and shows both Tanner and Jericho unconscious on operating beds. One of the men flatlines, it is left unclear which one, but a doctor uses a defibrillator on him.
Weapons are unnamed in the game. Weapons' firing range and rate vary depending on their type. When the game starts in Take A Ride mode, Tanner is only equipped with one weapon. Other weapons can be claimed by seizing them from police and armed civilians who have been killed, or from hideouts or safehouses. Weapons vary from pistols to grenade launchers.
The PC version of the game has an extra mission called "The Hit". The Xbox version allows for custom soundtracks within the game, although the player cannot change the song track.
and GameSpot
both gave the game 5.4 out of 10.
Driv3r was criticized for Tanner's lack of hand-to-hand combat skills and meleé weapons. There were also criticisms for the poor implementation of the 'on foot' missions. This was also a criticism levelled at Driver 2
.
The game won the MegaGames.com award for Worst Game of 2005.
Police AI vehicles were criticized for the use of "doublespeed", a way of cheating in which a pursuing cop would suddenly double its speed making it hard (if not impossible) for the player to escape. The AI can easily stem from the series' long use of rubberband AI. No matter what vehicles players can pick (either fast or slow or even a police car), the police AI seems to always catch up and stay with the player.
(PSM2 and Xbox World) gave it 9/10. Having played the game and seen the overall media response, readers of both magazines began to question the integrity of the scores, and a long discussion on Future Publishing
's GamesRadar
forum saw the mini-scandal dubbed "Driv3rGate" (adding the suffix '-gate' to the name as per media tradition owing to the Watergate scandal). The affair gained a fairly large amount of coverage in the games press and on Internet forums and was still being discussed as late as 2008. Another Future publication, Official PlayStation 2 Magazine (UK), gave the game 6/10.
Although a number of forums maintained that the magazines had come to a deal regarding publicity with Atari
, no proof either way was ever cited and the scandal eventually simply died down.
Driver (series)
Driver is a series of mission-based driving video games developed by Reflections Interactive , and originally published by GT Interactive and later by Atari. The gameplay consists of a mixture of action, driving, and third-person shooting in open world environments...
and was developed by Reflections Interactive and published by Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
. Driv3r was released in North America for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
on June 21, 2004. In Europe, it was officially released on June 25, although due to the way Atari shipped the title across the continent, it made its way into independent UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
retailers before the release date, even making a #6 position in the ELSPA chart for that week. On March 15, 2005, it was released on PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
for US customers, it was also released on Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
October 25, 2005. A scaled down version was released for the mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
in June 2004. At one point a Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
version and an N-Gage
N-Gage
The N-Gage is a mobile telephone and handheld game system by Nokia, based on the Nokia Series 60 platform, released in October 2003. It began sales on October 7, 2003. The N-Gage QD replaced the original N-Gage in 2004....
version were planned, but both were canceled.
Driv3r brings back features from Driver 2
Driver 2
Driver 2: Back on the Streets is the second installment of the Driver video game series.-Gameplay:...
and adds the ability to ride motorcycles and boats, use weapons, swim, climb ladders, and enter certain buildings among other things, as well as controlling more than one character.
Plot
The game opens in medias resIn medias res
In medias res or medias in res is a Latin phrase denoting the literary and artistic narrative technique wherein the relation of a story begins either at the mid-point or at the conclusion, rather than at the beginning In medias res or medias in res (into the middle of things) is a Latin phrase...
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, in a shootout between a gang and the Istanbul police. The scene later shifts to the hospital where it shows Tanner and Jericho injured and the doctors examining one of them, and later shows one of them flatlining.
The game goes back six months before in Miami, where undercover FBI Tanner (voiced by Michael Madsen
Michael Madsen
Michael Søren Madsen is an American actor, poet, and photographer. He has appeared in more than 150 films, most of them small independent films, though he has starred in central roles in such films as Reservoir Dogs, Free Willy, Donnie Brasco, and Kill Bill, in addition to a supporting role in Sin...
), along with partner Tobias Jones (voiced by Ving Rhames
Ving Rhames
Irving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
), infiltrating a crime ring known as South Beach which specializes in stolen vehicles. A ruthless woman named Calita (voiced by Michelle Rodriguez
Michelle Rodriguez
Mayte Michelle Rodríguez , known professionally as Michelle Rodriguez, is an American actress. Following on from her breakthrough role in 2000's Girlfight, she is best known for playing tough-girl roles and starring in Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil,...
) runs the Crime Ring, and there is a weapons specialist Lomaz, and Bad Hand. Tanner convinces them to give him a shot to work for them. Once he is accepted by the group, Tanner begins conducting various jobs for them, in pursuit of a total of 40 stolen high-performance vehicles.
South Beach end up having a falling out with a local crime lord named "The Gator", so Calita sends Tanner on a job to blow up The Gator's Superyacht which is docked by an island south of Miami. The feud with The Gator ends when Tanner shoots him into the sea when Calita sends him and Lomaz to kill The Gator, believing him to be dead afterwards. South Beach then moves their operations to Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and Tanner relocates as well. However, Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
agents Henri Vauban and Didier Dubois have their own plans to take down the crime ring and are at odds with Tanner. Tanner decides to work the job his own way, which, in several cases, leads him into direct conflict with the Interpol agents.
In Istanbul, Turkey, Tanner is now working as a rogue agent. However, Tanner and Jones are able to find a number of contacts who lead them to the crime ring and its true leader, Jericho (voiced by Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
), a former hitman who betrays and kills Solomon Caine, his former boss. Jericho once appeared at a warehouse while Didier Dubois was using a laptop belonging to Calita, first stunning Tanner, who drops his gun, then confronts Tanner and shoots Dubois.
Later, Dubois' partner Vauban tells Tanner that Dubois is in a body bag
Body bag
A body bag is a non-porous bag designed to contain a human body, used for the storage and transportation of corpses. Body bags can also be used for the storage of corpses within morgues. Before purpose-made body bags were available, cotton mattress covers were sometimes used, particularly in...
and the bullets are his. Tanner then walks away and ends his cooperation with the police force, forcing Tanner to escape to the nearest warehouse. Once it is evident that Tanner has found a way to stop the gang from selling the stolen vehicles, he is brought back onto the force and aids in stopping the sale. Following a car chase between Jericho' and his men and the Turkish Police, Tanner faces him in a final showdown. After the long lasting chase between Tanner and Jericho, Tanner, who gains the upper hand, single handedly takes down Jericho. However, Tanner decides Jericho isn't worth finishing off and turns away. Jericho uses this opportunity to shoot Tanner in the back with a concealed gun claiming "mistake".
The scene shifts to the hospital and shows both Tanner and Jericho unconscious on operating beds. One of the men flatlines, it is left unclear which one, but a doctor uses a defibrillator on him.
Gameplay
The vehicles in Driv3r are modeled after real life vehicles and are designated to behave as such. For example, bullet holes appear when a car is shot, vehicles only take significant damage when the engine is hit, rims of blown tires screech against the curb, and individual pieces of the car can be shot out or can fall out after taking damage.Weapons are unnamed in the game. Weapons' firing range and rate vary depending on their type. When the game starts in Take A Ride mode, Tanner is only equipped with one weapon. Other weapons can be claimed by seizing them from police and armed civilians who have been killed, or from hideouts or safehouses. Weapons vary from pistols to grenade launchers.
The PC version of the game has an extra mission called "The Hit". The Xbox version allows for custom soundtracks within the game, although the player cannot change the song track.
Reception
After an extensive and intensive promotional campaign, Driv3r was met with mixed to poor critical reaction, with the vast majority of magazines and websites giving the game mediocre scores; IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
and GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
both gave the game 5.4 out of 10.
Driv3r was criticized for Tanner's lack of hand-to-hand combat skills and meleé weapons. There were also criticisms for the poor implementation of the 'on foot' missions. This was also a criticism levelled at Driver 2
Driver 2
Driver 2: Back on the Streets is the second installment of the Driver video game series.-Gameplay:...
.
The game won the MegaGames.com award for Worst Game of 2005.
Police AI vehicles were criticized for the use of "doublespeed", a way of cheating in which a pursuing cop would suddenly double its speed making it hard (if not impossible) for the player to escape. The AI can easily stem from the series' long use of rubberband AI. No matter what vehicles players can pick (either fast or slow or even a police car), the police AI seems to always catch up and stay with the player.
Driv3rgate controversy
Despite generally negative critical reception, the game did receive some positive feedback, as two magazines published by Future PublishingFuture Publishing
Future plc is a media company; in 2006, it was the sixth-largest in the United Kingdom. It publishes more than 150 magazines in fields such as video games, technology, automotive, cycling, films and photography. Future is the official magazine company of all three major games console manufacturers...
(PSM2 and Xbox World) gave it 9/10. Having played the game and seen the overall media response, readers of both magazines began to question the integrity of the scores, and a long discussion on Future Publishing
Future Publishing
Future plc is a media company; in 2006, it was the sixth-largest in the United Kingdom. It publishes more than 150 magazines in fields such as video games, technology, automotive, cycling, films and photography. Future is the official magazine company of all three major games console manufacturers...
's GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
forum saw the mini-scandal dubbed "Driv3rGate" (adding the suffix '-gate' to the name as per media tradition owing to the Watergate scandal). The affair gained a fairly large amount of coverage in the games press and on Internet forums and was still being discussed as late as 2008. Another Future publication, Official PlayStation 2 Magazine (UK), gave the game 6/10.
Although a number of forums maintained that the magazines had come to a deal regarding publicity with Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
, no proof either way was ever cited and the scandal eventually simply died down.
Cast
- Michael MadsenMichael MadsenMichael Søren Madsen is an American actor, poet, and photographer. He has appeared in more than 150 films, most of them small independent films, though he has starred in central roles in such films as Reservoir Dogs, Free Willy, Donnie Brasco, and Kill Bill, in addition to a supporting role in Sin...
as Tanner - Sirine Saba as Fabienne
- Jake CanusoJake CanusoJake Canuso was born in Switzerland to Italian descendants. In his late teens he trained as a professional dancer in London....
as Dubois - Ving RhamesVing RhamesIrving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
as Jones - Eluid Porras as Lomaz
- Iggy PopIggy PopIggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
as Baccus - Mickey RourkeMickey RourkePhilip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
as Jericho - Stephan Cornicard as Vauban
- Michelle RodriguezMichelle RodriguezMayte Michelle Rodríguez , known professionally as Michelle Rodriguez, is an American actress. Following on from her breakthrough role in 2000's Girlfight, she is best known for playing tough-girl roles and starring in Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil,...
as Calita - Demetri GoritsasDemetri GoritsasDemetri Goritsas is a Canadian-American actor.From Greek and Norwegian parentage, Goritsas was born in Eugene, Oregon, USA, grew up in British Columbia and has lived his adult life in London. Goritsas was educated at Prince George Secondary School, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.Early in...
as Bad Hand - Quarie Marshall as Gator