New Driver takes off for factory

The Driver franchise, which has seen its share of highs and lows, is getting its fourth installment next week. Publisher Atari today announced that Driver: Parallel Lines has gone gold and will speed into stores on March 14 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The game was developed by Reflections Interactive, the Atari internal studio that was behind the wheel of all games in the Driver franchise.

Parallel Lines will focus on driving, like the earlier games in the series. The game takes players in the way-back machine, all the way back to 1978. The lead character, TK, is an 18-year-old wheelman prodigy who gets the attention of all of New York City's criminal element. After many successful jobs, TK is eventually double-crossed and thrown in the slammer for 28 years. The game continues in 2006 when TK is back on the streets and seeking revenge on those who were responsible for his incarceration.

In addition to the multiple takes on NYC, its citizens, and cars over nearly 30 years, the game's soundtrack will feature songs from the present day and songs from the days of disco. New exclusive tracks from Public Enemy, Grandmaster Flash, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Paul Oakenfold will populate the airwaves, as will licensed tracks from Blondie, David Bowie, LCD Soundsystem, and TV on the Radio.

Driver: Parallel Lines is rated M for Mature and will retail for $39.99. Atari has also announced a PSP version of the game to be released in the future. For more on the console versions, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.