| Introduction
The Driver games are still some of my favorite games,
and in my opinion, these mission-based racers have never
been equaled. Next year will see the release of the
third game in the series on all the next-gen consoles,
and if the trailer that's currently doing the rounds
is any indication of the quality, we're all in for a
real treat.
In this GBA version, you play the role of Tanner
the Wheelman, a hired mug whose ability to drive fast
and avoid the law is a much sought-after skill in the
shady world of crime. Unlike the PSX version, the first
compromise on the GBA is to reduce the number of cities
from four to two, but most of the other features still
remain intact. The question is, exactly how much fun
is it to play?
GamePlay
Although you may initially feel a little overwhelmed
by the options on offer, most gamers should head for
the 'Undercover' section. This is the story mode, and
offers 30 missions linked by a variety of cut scenes
that flesh out a plot.
The missions in question are varied, although most
can actually be sampled in the various driving games.
Tasks may start with a simple drive from 'A' to 'B'
within an allotted time limit, but can quickly change
to avoiding or escaping the police. It's important to
keep an eye on your damage meter, as once this turns
red it's all over.
One of the main additions implemented in Driver 2
is that you can now get out of your car and run around.
While this is essential for some missions it also means
that if your car has taken a bit of a pounding, you
can simply steal someone else's.
Once you've completed all 30 missions in the Story
Mode, you'll probably want to sample some of the Driving
Games. These start off with what can best be described
as a practice session, as 'Take A Ride' allows you to
choose any car and freely travel around the cities.
Next up is 'Quick Chase', and in this Chase HQ-inspired
(a driving arcade game released in 1988) section, you
must ram the car in front of you until it's destroyed.
In 'Survival' and 'Quick Getaway' you must escape
from the cops; in 'Survival', you simply need to lose
them while 'Quick Getaway' times how long you can avoid
them before they destroy your car. 'Trailblazer' and
'Checkpoint' also have similarities, and in both you
must travel around both cities hitting various checkpoints
along the way.
Finally, there are the various multi-player options,
some of which are playable from a single copy of the
game. 'Checkpoint' and 'X-Town Race' are, as the names
indicate, simple races across town with the objective
being to cross the finish line first. 'Free 4 All' is
a kind of Demolition Derby where the players ram (or
avoid) other cars with the winner being the last man
standing.
Tweaking the 'Cop AI' alters the game's difficulty;
switch it to 'High', and the police give you nothing
but trouble, while the 'Low' setting means they will
turn a blind eye even when you crash into another car
right along side them. Everything is saved automatically
via a battery backup after each mission, making for
a truly portable gaming experience.
Controls
The control system is both simple and responsive.
One of the great selling points of Driver has always
been its easy learning curve and realistic vehicle weighting.
This allows you to power slide around corners with ease,
or hit the hand-brake (using the shoulder buttons) for
sharper turns. This is fine for the majority of the
game, although there is occasionally some questionable
collision detection, which may result in you getting
wrapped around another car or lamppost even though you've
barely made contact with it.
Graphics
Most of the visuals in this title concern themselves
with the various buildings that populate the driving
environments. There's a generally unfinished feel to
the two areas, and the graphics seem little improved
since the first beta screens were released some time
ago. Since the release of Atari's own 'V-Rally 3', we've
come to expect driving games to deliver a lot more visually,
and unfortunately Driver 2 Advance falls slightly short.
There also seems to be some issues with the screen
updates, and if you've ever played other versions of
Driver, you'll quickly become frustrated with the lack
of any real illusion of speed. Matters do improve slightly
with the inclusion of the PlayStation cut scenes, although
here they're just static screen grabs with text, as
opposed to memory hungry FMV.
Sound & Music
Although the sound is incredibly ambitious, it comes
off rather well in the end. The soundtrack is a GBA
interpretation of the PSX original, changing styles
depending on your location. There are also various car
effects (engine, horn, tires, etc) that do an above
average job of recreating the atmosphere of a big city
car chase.
Possibly the most surprising aspect is the pursuing
police who shout warnings at you (again in various languages
dependent on location), which has been clearly sampled
from the original. It all makes for a reasonably pleasing
atmosphere and does enhance the overall enjoyment of
the game.
Final Comments
Until Grand Theft Auto 3 comes along, this is the
best crime/mission-based driving game that the GBA has
to offer. It's by no means as satisfying as the PSX
version, as a number of compromises have been made in
squeezing this ambitious undertaking into a tiny cart.
Most of the main features are here though, and the mini-games
and multi-player options definitely give the whole package
added value. Overall, it's still a fun title, and while
it didn't deliver on all its initial promise, it's certainly
one of the better driving games we've seen to grace
this format.
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