Driver san francisco review

This isn't a great port, starting with the fact that it quite obviously is one. Graphically, it's unimpressive, and with no real options beyond switching antialiasing on or off. The biggest annoyance, however, is that the controls are designed for a controller driver san francisco review analogue sticks, and trying to play with keyboard and mouse is a recipe for insanity.

You're also stuck with Ubisoft's DRM, which demands an online check when you fire the game up, driver san francisco review at least it lets you play offline after that. Even with a controller, the actual driving is usually mediocre, with poor handling in most vehicles, and very rubber-banded races. Rarely do you come across a particularly difficult mission.

For instance, to convince his partner, Tanner torments a boy-racer by leaping into him and forcing him to smash into cops and leap off moving car transporters. Another couple driver san francisco review missions are about scaring people to the point of heart-attack through high-speed insanity. If all this wasn't openly presented as a dream, Tanner would be the biggest dick this side of Saints Row 2. Instead, you can enjoy the ride, guilt-free. It can be a bumpy one though, especially on PC.

It's Life on Mars turned into a wheelman's wet dream. Tanner's ability to shift between cars at will takes what was previously a straightlaced series and makes it constantly fun, funny and chaotic.

This keeps the story humming along, but makes the occasional spikes all the more noticeable when they do show up. Without its shifting element, Driver: San Francisco driver san francisco review be enjoyable enough mediocrity, but nothing special next to other driving games. With shifting, it's one of the most enjoyable racing games in a very long time. Gimmicky or not, there's a gleeful purity to Driver's action, from its lack of gun battles and on-foot action, to the way it soon convinces you that magically weaponising oncoming traffic can be as natural as a handbrake turn.

As the suspect hits the freeway, Tanner becomes a floating, ethereal spirit, possesses a truck driver coming the other way, and turns his truck into a high-speed battering ram. San Francisco is one of the weirdest driving games ever, in the best possible way.

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In the driver san francisco review story missions, it's treated as a superpower that only Tanner and his partner are initially aware of. In driver san francisco review, it's cheerfully abused to hand out such objectives as coming first and second in the same race, helping a femme-fatale evade the cops and turning dangerous driving into a televised artform. Tanner's enthusiasm for all of these is infectious, and driver san francisco review fact that he's temporarily possessing drivers instead of simply their cars makes for great in-game chatter from other terrified passengers.

Hardly the drive of your life, but easily one of the most memorable and a great one-time gimmick done well. Deep in a coma dream, Tanner floors his imaginary gas pedal and begins the chase. The suspect in the red SUV desperately weaves in and out of traffic, but if he's hoping the risk of civilian casualties will keep him safe, he's in the wrong car chase. Tanner may not yet realise he's lying in driver san francisco review hospital bed, but that doesn't stop reality being his subconscious's bitch.

That especially is a hell of a trick. PC Gamer is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. One Lombard Street, SuiteSan Francisco California News Reviews Hardware Pro Best Of More Magazine Meet the team Newsletter Signup Community Guidelines Affiliate Links About PC Gamer. Our Verdict Hardly the drive of your life, but easily one of the most memorable and a great one-time gimmick done well.