The original Driver on the PSX was a great piece of
entertainment.
This is largely more of the same for the handheld, with several brief driving
games (Quick Chase, Quick Getaway, Trailblazer - knock some cones over as
you drive from A to B, Checkpoint and Survival - cop cars come from all angles
and you have to survive as long as possible)) and an Undercover option where
you complete mafia missions driving about Chicago and Rio de Janiero, mostly
utilising skills learned in the separate games.
Practice and multiplayer options are also available.
While it handles pretty well and is fun to play, there's nothing you haven't
seen before and it could be hard to justify a full thirty quid for a game
you're bound to have as a version at home.
Also, the graphics are rather lacklustre for a GBA game. This is probably
because there's too much moving onscreen at once as you drive down city streets
and the building pass by in a slightly jerky fashion owing to the low resolution.
However, it's not as bad as the static shots may make them out to be, making
them look like an old Atari VCS game.
The sound could definitely do with improving. Car games rarely have superb
sound FX, but the car grumbles along and the music sounds like it was created
on a Casio keyboard from the early 80s.
As I said though, it can be a fun game to play for a while so don't discount
it altogether. Do try to have a go of it first before you buy though, as it's
a game that should only be bought by those who want more of the same on a
handheld console.
When it comes to chase car games on the GBA though, I'd be more inclined to
recommend
Spy Hunter.
GRAPHICS SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC PLAYABILITY ENJOYMENT
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
While it handles pretty well and is fun to play, there's nothing you haven't
seen before and it could be hard to justify a full thirty quid for a game
you're bound to have as a version at home.
The sound could definitely do with improving. Car games rarely have superb
sound FX, but the car grumbles along and the music sounds like it was created
on a Casio keyboard from the early 80s.
