Driver: San Francisco revives the hit open-world driving series that got its beginning during the PSOne era.
Taking place a few months following the events of Driv3r (That’s “Driver 3” for us laymen), fans find out that both Tanner (the main protagonist of the series) and Jericho survived the intense shootout at Istanbul. Both have now recovered from their wounds and escaped to San Fran in California. Tanner, of course, is hot in pursuit. Jericho was captured, but escaped his prison vehicle by using an acid vial contained in his mouth, and overpowering the guards. Hijacking the truck, he is now on the run. Tanner and Jones witness this incident, and pursue Jericho through the city streets.
It is during this chase that Tanner gets put into a coma following a deadly crash. This is where Driver: San Francisco begins…. and where Tanner picks up a unique ability. The game will apparently play out as a dream of Tanner’s while he is comatose.
In this world, Tanner has the ability to “Shift”, that is, exit his body and re-enter the body of another car, in order to continue on with his mission. The game features a Shift meter that is charged by performing powerslides, big jumps and driving into oncoming traffic. You’ll also be able to upgrade the Shift ability throughout the game; allowing you to enter cars at a farther out distance or access new parts of the city. A major inspiration for this interesting new feature was Google Earth, so say the developers.
Unlike other open-world games, Driver: San Francisco takes place entirely from the car, without the ability to get out and run on foot. While in-car, you can perform boosts or ram attacks; the game is also very cinematic, with the return of the Film Director Mode seen in Driver: Parallel Lines. This feature allows you to edit and create films and then share them with friends!
This developer Diary explains how Driver: San Francisco takes the franchise back to its roots.
This video explains the Shift and Tag features of the game.
Over 125 licensed cars will be featured in Driver: San Francisco! Get a glimpse at what to expect in this video.
Online multiplayer will also be a big focus of Driver: San Francisco and the game supports a whopping nine different game modes! The game also supports split-screen local online play! The multiplayer looks absolutely awesome and is full of incredibly innovative features. Everyone has the ability to Shift, which allows them to inhabit other cars on the road. This ability means that crashing no longer sets you back, as you can go forward into another car! This totally opens the game up and makes it a pure race in the only direction that matters, forward! It also allows for some insanely strategic moves, such as skipping ahead to purposefully t-bone a car that is now heading towards you! Other unique abilities include the ability to morph your car into a different car, and the ability to give a “kick” to opponents, shoving them forward. Not only that, but the developers took the best parts of not only other driving games, but other genres, such as first-person shooters. Thus modes like Capture the Flag and Tag are featured, with a driving spin!
This video explains how the multiplayer works in the game and gives you an in-depth look at the crazy stuff that this game offers.
Key Features of Driver: San Francisco
Here is a list of key elements that will be available in Driver: San Francisco from developer Ubisoft Reflections based on news and announcements made so far.
- Chase down crime lord Charles Jericho in a relentless manhunt as detective John Tanner, the Driver.
- Seamlessly shift between more than 130 licensed cars and keep them constantly in the heart of the action with new groundbreaking gameplay features
- Feel the rush of a real free-roaming, classic, cinematic car chase experience.
- Instantly swap vehicles, shifting to a more powerful car to make a faster getaway, deploying a civilian vehicle to destroy your enemies or even taking control of your opponent’s car using the unprecedented Shift ability.
- Tear through more than 200 square miles of road network, over the Golden Gate Bridge and along iconic locations throughout San Francisco, and discover a timeless and realistic atmosphere.
- Take on the identities, the abilities — and the struggles — of different residents across the disaster-stricken city.
- Throttle through 20 challenging races and test your handling skills in 80 dares spread all across the city in additional gameplay modes.
- Ram, tail and overtake your friends in bumper-to-bumper split-screen modes, or take the mayhem online in six frantic modes that give you the ability to instantly transport yourself to different locations.
- Revel in the glory of your most epic stunts and frantic chases by recording, editing and sharing sequences in the Director replay mode.
- Amp up for the action along with a killer soundtrack featuring 60 music tracks from famous artists, as well as the original Driver theme.
- Continues the tradition of the classic racing series that has sold 14 million copies worldwide.
