Driver is Back!
Jun 17, 4:48 am
One of the hottest games here at E3 is Ubisoft’s Driver: San Francisco. I have been looking forward to this game since I got a sneak peak at it a few weeks ago at a prior event. I have been counting the days until I would be able to play it again, here at E3. Well, I’ve finally had the opportunity to take this game for a spin and let me tell you, Driver is BACK and it’s better then ever!
The game is being developed by Ubisoft Reflections, under the direction of Martin Edmondson. As the founder of Ubisoft Reflections, Martin is once again behind the wheel of the franchise he helped develop. (He oversaw the first 3 Driver games)
It has been great spending all day with Martin and his creative team, playing with them and picking their brains about this new game. Here is what I’ve learned.
The game has returned to its roots and this time around, it’s all about the driving. The story picks up after the events of Driv3r. You are put right into the fast paced action as John Tanner (veteran policeman and expert driver). Along with his partner Tobias Jones, you are on a manhunt to track down Tanner’s arch nemesis, Jericho. The game is set entirely in San Francisco and the intense Hollywood-style car chases will have you driving over 200 miles of open road through this iconic city.
Not only does this game pay tribute to beautiful San Francisco, but to some of Hollywood’s most memorable cars. This will be the first Driver game to have over 100 licensed vehicles that are fully destructible.
The most intriguing aspect of this game is an innovative dynamic element they’ve introduced called SHIFT. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen in any other driving game and it is wicked cool.
* SHIFT is the ability to leave the car you are currently driving and see above all the cars on the street, allowing you to pick any other vehicle around you to seamlessly and instantaneously SHIFT into and drive.
* There are different levels or upgrades for your ability to SHIFT. When you leave your car your POV will give you a view of the surrounding streets. Upgrade to the next level of SHIFT and you’ll be given a view of the city blocks, SHIFT to the next level and you can see the city in it’s entirety. Each view gives you options of drivable cars, playable characters, and even missions to SHIFT into.
* It is not an unlimited resource but something you have to earn. Most of the missions are designed with SHIFT in mind.
* You can use SHIFT as a way to implement tactical strategies to take down other cars around you. If you wreck one car you can SHIFT to the next. If you are falling behind, you can SHIFT to a vehicle closer to the action, change directions or SHIFT to a different part of the city.
How does this ability fit into the story? Well, something happens to John Tanner that gives him the ability to SHIFT. The source of Tanner’s ability is nothing super natural but grounded in reality. Although, he doesn’t know or understand what is happening (and is a little freaked out by it) but you, as the player will know and understand what is going on.
Will the game offer Multiplayer? YES!!! Driver: San Francisco will most definitely have multiplayer with a number of different game modes. Can you imagine racing down the streets of San Francisco with your friends all using SHIFT to cause wrecks and jumping from one car to the next? It’s going to be so much fun, I can’t wait.
One of the multiplayer modes we are showing, here at E3, is called Trailblazer. It’s where everyone is chasing a lead car. This car leaves a small trail of light behind it. Each player is trying to catch up to that car, get behind it and stay in that trail of light it’s tail lights are making. When you are in this light, you score points. The first person to 100 points wins.
Release Date:
Fall 2010
Driver will be available on:
Xbox 360
PS3
PC and Mac
Jun 17, 4:48 am
One of the hottest games here at E3 is Ubisoft’s Driver: San Francisco. I have been looking forward to this game since I got a sneak peak at it a few weeks ago at a prior event. I have been counting the days until I would be able to play it again, here at E3. Well, I’ve finally had the opportunity to take this game for a spin and let me tell you, Driver is BACK and it’s better then ever!
The game is being developed by Ubisoft Reflections, under the direction of Martin Edmondson. As the founder of Ubisoft Reflections, Martin is once again behind the wheel of the franchise he helped develop. (He oversaw the first 3 Driver games)
It has been great spending all day with Martin and his creative team, playing with them and picking their brains about this new game. Here is what I’ve learned.
The game has returned to its roots and this time around, it’s all about the driving. The story picks up after the events of Driv3r. You are put right into the fast paced action as John Tanner (veteran policeman and expert driver). Along with his partner Tobias Jones, you are on a manhunt to track down Tanner’s arch nemesis, Jericho. The game is set entirely in San Francisco and the intense Hollywood-style car chases will have you driving over 200 miles of open road through this iconic city.
Not only does this game pay tribute to beautiful San Francisco, but to some of Hollywood’s most memorable cars. This will be the first Driver game to have over 100 licensed vehicles that are fully destructible.
The most intriguing aspect of this game is an innovative dynamic element they’ve introduced called SHIFT. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen in any other driving game and it is wicked cool.
* SHIFT is the ability to leave the car you are currently driving and see above all the cars on the street, allowing you to pick any other vehicle around you to seamlessly and instantaneously SHIFT into and drive.
* There are different levels or upgrades for your ability to SHIFT. When you leave your car your POV will give you a view of the surrounding streets. Upgrade to the next level of SHIFT and you’ll be given a view of the city blocks, SHIFT to the next level and you can see the city in it’s entirety. Each view gives you options of drivable cars, playable characters, and even missions to SHIFT into.
* It is not an unlimited resource but something you have to earn. Most of the missions are designed with SHIFT in mind.
* You can use SHIFT as a way to implement tactical strategies to take down other cars around you. If you wreck one car you can SHIFT to the next. If you are falling behind, you can SHIFT to a vehicle closer to the action, change directions or SHIFT to a different part of the city.
How does this ability fit into the story? Well, something happens to John Tanner that gives him the ability to SHIFT. The source of Tanner’s ability is nothing super natural but grounded in reality. Although, he doesn’t know or understand what is happening (and is a little freaked out by it) but you, as the player will know and understand what is going on.
Will the game offer Multiplayer? YES!!! Driver: San Francisco will most definitely have multiplayer with a number of different game modes. Can you imagine racing down the streets of San Francisco with your friends all using SHIFT to cause wrecks and jumping from one car to the next? It’s going to be so much fun, I can’t wait.
One of the multiplayer modes we are showing, here at E3, is called Trailblazer. It’s where everyone is chasing a lead car. This car leaves a small trail of light behind it. Each player is trying to catch up to that car, get behind it and stay in that trail of light it’s tail lights are making. When you are in this light, you score points. The first person to 100 points wins.
With everyone fighting to stay right behind that lead car, (which is a lot harder then it sounds) it makes for some very dynamic online game play. People are wrecking and shifting from one car to the next to stay as close to the action as possible. It gets crazy!
Here are a few of the other things that impress me with this game. The vehicle handling, each car handles differently and the driving feels so smooth. Then there are the graphics, the game runs at 60 FPS and it makes a huge difference. Even though I am looking at an early build, I am blown away by how amazing everything looks.
As far as driving games go I have one or two favorites but I am really picky. There hasn’t been a driving game that has really excited me like this in a long time. I am really looking forward to spending time behind the wheel on the streets of San Francisco. Catch me if you can!
Release Date:
Fall 2010
Driver will be available on:
Xbox 360
PS3
PC and Mac
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