PS2 Review: Driv3r (2004)

Don't let the title fool you; Driv3r is as ludicrous as it sounds, but it's the good kind of ludicrous, the same kind of ludicrous we celebrate in a cheesy action picture. In other words, Driv3r has just the right mix of good and bad, and deliciously bad. In this game you play as Tanner, an undercover cop in Miami who has to infiltrate a band of thieves who smuggle expensive cars across the world. You become their getaway driver, and all manner of high-speed chaos ensues. These car chases (what the Driver series is famous for, really) are wonderfully absurd and suitably fast, although in many instances they are extremely difficult, requiring such precision as to be positively infuriating at times. Each vehicle handles appropriately, from the bulky 18-wheelers to the nimble (but overly touchy, in my estimation) motorcycles. Speedboats add some variety to the game, although they handle too much like the aforementioned trucks. For the first time in the series, gunplay becomes a significant factor, and although a variety of weapons is available, shooting is slow and awkward to control. In fact, all ventures on foot in Driv3r suffer from the same poor controls and stiff animations, which brings me back to my initial point: in any other game, these would be major problems, crippling even, but in this game it's part of the charm. The bad animations and poor controls work together with the totally insane police force and the numerous (and often hilarious) glitches to make for a world in which the most bizarre things happen. Playing Take a Ride (Driv3r's sandbox mode) is an exercise in possibility, and the craziness that always ensues can be meticulously edited by the excellent Replay Editor (take a gander at the attached video below for proof of its depth). So long as you don't look for a totally functional, seamless experience, Driv3r might be the refreshingly weird and broken game you've been looking for.