Driv3r Advance (Game Boy Advance) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

We've already had Driver 2 on the GBA and with sequels so popular in the industry at present there was always a fairly good chance another would come along. Rumors of a handheld version of Driv3r began around the same time the game released, to much media fanfare, on the PS2 and X-Box. Unfortunately the third outing for this groundbreaking mission based racer wasn't exactly received as well as its previous PS1 prequels even though it still went on to shift some 2.5 million units within only weeks of it going on sale. It's now well over a year since it's console debut and some moths from it's PC appearance but with a title, which hardly set the game alight, was it worth producing a GBA version?

Gameplay

In case you haven't encountered any of the Driver series before, you play the role of Tanner: the wheelman who is a kind of hired driver for all those situations where speed and accuracy, not to mention discretion, are all important. You're sent on a series of missions, which include everything from stealing cars to following others, remembering not to get too close in case you are seen. What really separates Driv3r from the rest of the series is the sheer amount of time you spend outside of your car shooting other members of the underworld, which is what initially caused disappointment amongst gamers. You can see their point too because it's at these stages in the game where the action slows down significantly and you'll wish that you were back behind the wheel racing somewhere before the clock runs out. While we're are on the subject of shooting there are also a handful of 'Chase HQ' style sections, some of which involve you driving your car while shooting and one rather strange level where your viewpoint is backwards and the van you are 'driving' is computer controlled.

On the plus side the cities (Miami and Nice) are huge and there's much to explore, especially given that most missions are set at a very leisurely pace. It's here where you'll discover the mini-games (marked on the map by a colored dot) and the seemingly endless flurry of collectables. These can all be monitored on a statistics screen via the menu system, which brings us finally to the troublesome save system. Yes, it should be easy and for the most part it is, with progress saved automatically after each stage completed. Attempting to save mid-level however brings mixed results and while this is occasionally recognized it sometimes just sends you back to the level's start and I don't have to inform anyone just how tiresome that becomes.

Controls

While the control is as you'd expect (with the shoulder buttons activating the weapons) the collision detection hardly matches the realistic visuals. This is mainly due to the fact that collisions rather than damaging your car, or even spinning it out of control will simply have you bouncing around. This makes for some frustrating moments especially when you're in hot pursuit but you will eventually learn to live with it. More frustrating is when you get stuck to a fence or wall, because the boundaries haven't been drawn properly or tip over into the water when you've actually been some meters from the edge. Obviously these are not as easy to overlook and become highly irritating when you have to re-start a level as a result of a programming glitch.

Graphics

As you'd expect from the gaming engine, which propped up both V-Rally 3 and Stuntman the visuals are very impressive. They still have the same drawbacks as before though and you'll occasionally be able to see through walls and there's still the 200-meter or so draw distance. What is alarming though is the complete game freeze which happens a little too often for our liking. It's only for a moment but it really does throw your concentration off balance. The story is pushed along thanks to a series of cut screens with overlaid text and whilst the story line is always legible the images are not always that easy to see. This is mainly due to the fact that these have been lifted from the original console version's FMV sequences and while these stills clearly worked as a movie they are simply not as appealing as they appear here.

Sound

While the music isn't too bad it's sampled on a very short loop and therefore very repetitive. The rest of the audio is a collection of generic sound effects such as guns firing and telephones ringing. The developers have attempted to make all the vehicles sound very different and while this works in general it had the unfortunate effect of making the lesser powered family cars sound like hairdryers.

Final comments

It's fair to say that the GameBoy community had incredibly high hopes for this title and the screens alone had most of us here at DS-X2 buzzing with anticipation. Unfortunately the reality is something quite different and not only does it not run as well as it initially looks but also the gameplay itself is flawed and uninspiring. Much of this relates to the same criticisms that brought down the console versions such as why a 'driver' has to run around and it's true that these 'out of car' experiences are neither necessary nor engaging. To make matters worse the missions themselves are not only unexciting but also occasionally frustrating because of the bugs in the game. I hate to say it but if you really want a driver game for your GBA then stick with the first outing (Driver 2).

Pro: Two Huge Cities
Con: Lots of Glitches
Final score: 5.3

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