Driver (video game)
You Are the Wheelman in four real-life cities.
Driver (subtitled "You Are the Wheelman" in North America) is an action driving video game and the first installment in the Driver series. Developed by Reflections Interactive and published by GT Interactive, it was released on the PlayStation on 25 June 1999. The game, inspired by movie car chases, was a commercial hit and received favorable reviews from critics.
Quick Facts
- Producer
- Peter Hawley
- Designer
- Martin Edmondson
- Writer
- Maurice Suckling
- Composer
- Allister Brimble
- Platforms
- PlayStation
- Microsoft Windows
- Game Boy Color
- Classic Mac OS
- iOS
- Palm Pre
- Genre
- Driving, action
- Modes
- Single player
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The game is set in four cities: Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York, each only partially faithful to the actual layouts. A fifth bonus city, Newcastle, is unlockable in the PC version through gameplay and in the PlayStation version using a cheat device, but it has no missions and a small playable area. At its original release, Driver was notable for allowing players to explore each city as an open world environment. It has often been compared to the Grand Theft Auto series and bears thematic resemblances to the 1978 film The Driver.
Plot
NYPD detective and former racing driver John Tanner is sent undercover by Lieutenant McKenzie to investigate a crime syndicate. McKenzie instructs Tanner to go to Miami and meet a pimp named Rufus. After arriving, Tanner proves his driving skills to gangsters in a parking garage and becomes their getaway driver. He carries out jobs for various criminals before meeting Rufus, who tasks him with rescuing an associate named Jean-Paul. Rufus is later shot dead by his girlfriend Jesse, whom Tanner apprehends; she reveals Jean-Paul is now in San Francisco. Tanner goes to San Francisco, meets syndicate head Castaldi, and begins working directly for him. He also meets his former racing rival Rusty Slater, who also works for Castaldi. Local informant Mojo tells Tanner that Castaldi is working with Don Hancock, a presidential candidate. Tanner suspects Slater is spying on him and wrecks Slater's car during a chase, leading to Slater's arrest. The syndicate moves to Los Angeles, where Castaldi plans to assassinate FBI agent Bill Maddox. Tanner ensures Maddox turns up, but the assassination fails and police ambush the gangsters. Tanner convinces the gangsters that Slater informed the police. Lech tells Tanner that McKenzie met with FBI agent Marcus Vaughn, whom Tanner realizes is working with Castaldi and Hancock. In New York, Castaldi plans a high-profile assassination. Lech says Hancock has bribed FBI personnel and McKenzie wants Tanner to pull out, but Tanner insists on staying undercover. He learns Castaldi plans to assassinate the President of the United States, and Tanner is tasked with driving the President's car. He ignores instructions and takes the President to safety. McKenzie arrives, says Castaldi and his associates have been arrested, and offers Tanner his badge back. Tanner suspects police and FBI involvement with Castaldi, so he leaves, ignoring McKenzie.
Development
Series creator Martin Edmonson was inspired by the 1978 crime thriller The Driver, the first film he saw at the cinema; the tutorial level was directly lifted from a scene in that film. Destruction of vehicles was inspired by Edmonson watching real destruction derbies and banger racing as a child. To achieve the sound effects of crunching metal, the team went to a wrecker's yard, hired a JCB, and dropped cars on top of other cars. In 1999, GT Interactive conducted development tests for a Nintendo 64 port, but no such release materialized. A remastered version for iOS, developed and published by Gameloft in 2009, kept the original plot and structure but enhanced graphics, redid music, and re-recorded voice acting for cutscenes. The iOS version replaced the original soundtrack with an entirely original one including music from three radio stations, and was later delisted from the App Store.
Reception
Driver sold over a million copies by early August 1999. In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the PlayStation version earned a Gold award from the VUD by late July, meaning at least 100,000 units sold, and reached Platinum status (200,000 sales) by the end of September. In the United States, the computer jewel case version, released in October 2000, had sold 390,000 copies and generated $3.8 million by August 2006, ranking as the 42nd-best-selling computer game from January 2000 to August 2006. The game received strong critical praise at launch, with Metacritic rating the PlayStation and iOS versions as favorable. Jeff Lundrigan of Next Generation gave the PlayStation version four out of five stars, calling it a dream for movie buffs. IGN’s Douglass C. Perry described it as a dream come true for driving enthusiasts and one of the best driving games on any system. Game Revolution’s Ben Silverman highlighted its balance between action and realism, noting its blend of true physics and arcade handling. GameSpot’s Ryan MacDonald was less impressed, stating that while its presentation was mediocre, the gameplay and concept more than compensated.
Frequently Asked Questions
What platforms is Driver (video game) available on?
Driver was released for PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Color, Classic Mac OS, iOS and Palm Pre.
Who designed Driver (video game)?
Driver was designed by Martin Edmondson.
Who composed the music for Driver (video game)?
The music for Driver was composed by Allister Brimble.
Is Driver (video game) single-player or multiplayer?
Driver offers single player play.
More in Ubisoft Games
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced