Driver sequel headed for PSP

After getting burned by the heavily hyped but critically unsuccessful Driv3r, Atari took the franchise back into the shop and performed a total overhaul. Gone are the setting and protagonist of the original games. Now the series is set to make a fresh start with a new lead man in 1978 New York City in Driver: Parallel Lines.

What better place for a fresh start than on a fresh platform? Atari today confirmed that Parallel Lines is headed for the PSP in addition to the already announced PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions, and is being developed by Sumo Digital. Sumo Digital is no stranger to racing games or PSP development, as it has worked on OutRun 2 for the Xbox and the PSP editions of TOCA Race Driver 2 and Virtua Tennis. The possibility of a portable Parallel Lines first surfaced last night in a report on Shacknews, which cited a "well-placed and reputable source."

The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of Parallel Lines are being handled by series developer Reflections Interactive and should be out in March. Atari has yet to announce a release date for the PSP edition.