Driver 2 Hands-On

Everyone wants to live the dangerous life of a freewheeling criminal - that's the premise behind Reflection's hit game, Driver. In Driver, you play Tanner, an undercover cop who assumes the role of the wheelman for notorious crime bosses in his attempt to gather enough evidence for a conviction. It is a game plump with enough bad guy/good guy muscle car chases to fill a '70s cop show. And now Tanner's back on the prowl in Driver 2, which features new cities, more cars, and, of course, bigger and more dynamic vehicular acrobatics.

I recently got the chance to spend some quality time with Tanner and found that Driver 2 is not only bigger, but is also definitely better than the first game. Driver 2 is running on a completely rebuilt version of the original game's engine that's easily faster and more robust than its predecessor. What is immediately obvious when you start playing Driver 2 is the environments are just packed with stuff. Cities are now full of detail, and there are about twice as many cars. But the most impressive and game-impacting changes are somewhat simple: Driver 2 has curved roads, and Tanner can now exit his vehicle. The first change is somewhat self-explanatory. In the first game, cities are square and unrealistic; this time around, curving roads and actual freeway on- and off-ramps will help increase the realism factor. The second change is a little odd for a driving game, but it still manages to be helpful and will no doubt move the plot in its own way. At any point in the game, you can simply throw the car into park and get your stroll on. This is helpful if you want to jack another vehicle, or if you have to complete certain objectives, such as closing a garage door or entering a building. But the gameplay isn't the only thing that's getting a face-lift in Driver 2.

Driver 2 takes place in four actual cities that are not only rich in their own distinct feel and historical landmarks but are also somewhat infamous for their Hollywood car chases. Now you can relive your favorite car chases in the game's realistically modeled versions of Chicago, Las Vegas, Rio de Janeiro, and Havana. Reflections has a team of artists and photographers assigned to each city who spend their time ensuring that the game accurately models the actual cities. The amount of time spent tweaking each city really shows in the game - driving through these digital cities gives you the distinct impression that you're actually there. While unimportant buildings are often repeated in the first Driver, the artistic team working on Driver 2 wants every building to be unique and correctly placed in the city. A daunting task, to be sure, but one that helps enhance the realism of the game. And now, if you get lost, the game sports a real-time map that correctly labels streets and important landmarks.

For a PlayStation game, the graphics really look excellent. There are tons of new makes and models of cars, and each one is realistically portrayed and instantly identifiable to gearheads. Each car not only moves appropriately to its own physics, but also displays damage in an appropriate way. Driver 2 also sports some excellent CG sequences that not only setup the game's initial plot, but also help propel the game through its compelling storyline, which I'm not about to give away. To help immerse players in the gritty, retro atmosphere, Reflections has handpicked a collection of licensed blues and soul pieces performed by their original artists to accompany the game's cutscenes. The effect is nothing less than cinematic, and it definitely draws people into the game's storyline.

Reflections is doing everything it can to address each and every problem that riddles the original Driver. Driver 2 will feature a slew of multiplayer modes, the most interesting of which are probably the two-player competitive and cooperative modes, where you and a friend can team up against the bad guys or square off against one another, perhaps as rival government agents both vying for evidence. There are a slew of other modes, including the joyride, cops-and-robbers, and survival modes from the first game. Reflections is also hard at work improving the director's replay aspect of Driver 2, tweaking camera angles and the control interface to provide a better, more concise director's mode. Taking everything Reflections is doing to improve the game into account, Driver 2 will no doubt not only be an excellent arcade-like driving experience for anyone who wants to see themselves behind the wheel of a Blues Brothers-like car chase, but also for fans of the first game who want a thicker plot, a more robust game engine, and an all-out better wheelman experience. Expect to steal cars legally and stick it to the mob personally this November.