Hello everyone thank you for indulging in my excuse to talk about Michael Mann films - here's a playlist of my other DRIVER content: th-cam.com/play/PL643B5filmfF22BLaR-pK6XXbTR5UU-pw.html
If you ever wanted to do an entire video on Michael Mann, I'd watch it in a heartbeat. Your insights into his style and your description of his connections to modernism here are absolutely dead on.
I remember the physics and the in-game director being so good in this game. You could stage such exciting and kinetic car chases and then make little movies out of it
Hello ! May Allah protect and guide you to his light and happiness in this life and the hereafter, God bless, Ameen. Excuse me for giving a little presentation of Islam, because it is very misunderstood nowadays, especially on those « Antichrist's » times, where media and politics are mixed to distort history and truth. And terrorists (puppets of the Antichrist) who misinterpret verses, out of ignorance and political motivations, and take them out of historical context (just like radical atheists do by the way), don't help either. Thank you very much for your time. Islam is an arabic word that means the Surrender to the One and Only God, our Creator, Protector, Provider, who gives us life and all that we have, we are safe and sound by his will and grace, we are His and to Him we return, and we have to thank him in this trial life by submitting to him by our free will, or later in the Day of judgment when it's too late to save our own skin. Islam was the original Religion descended to earth from heaven with Adam and Eve (peace and blessing be upon them) in the beginning of humanity. and was passed to people with the succession of the 124 000 prophets and 315 messengers of God to all nations and civilizations since, passing by Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ismaël, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, David, Solomon and Jesus (Peace and blessing be upon them) during the history of mankind, the last replaces and completes the previous, until the succession of the last messenger of God fourteen centuries ago, Muhammad (Peace and blessing be upon him) to complete the noble morals of all mankind, to bring humans and jinns out of darkness into light, and to purify people's religion and belief from corruption and polytheism, and return it to purity and true monotheism, like it was in the times of the prophets (Peace and blessing be upon them). Many Religions that we know nowadays, at their beginning were true and under Islam, initiated by one of the prophets of God, but their original teachings, history and scriptures have been corrupted over time with falsification and polytheism, or lost and replaced with false ones. That's why Islam is the only Religion accepted by God nowadays, which consists in bearing witness that there is no god besides Allah (God in Aramaic, the original language of Jesus and the Gospel), and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, just like Jesus and Moses and others are His servants and messengers. Never a messenger of God said he was God or literally son of God, it was the people after him who changed the words of God and corrupted the Religion. God is unique and absolute, He does not need to have a family and sons or to associate anyone else with His kingdom, He can simply create whatever He wants, everything belongs to Him, and to Him everything will return. Allah said in Surah Al-Mu’minun : “God has never begotten a son, nor is there any god besides Him. Otherwise, each god would have taken away what it has created, and some of them would have gained supremacy over others. Glory be to God, far beyond what they describe. The Knower of the hidden and the manifest. He is exalted, far above what they associate. (91-92 / Translated by ITANI). Allah means the one and only God, the God of all prophets and creatures, the creator of the universe and mankind, and the Master of the Day of judgment, where our destiny, Hell or Paradise, is decided based on our faith and deeds in this trial life, and above all, Allah's mercy. Allah said in Surah Al-Ikhlas : In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. Say, “He is God, the One. God, the Absolute. He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none comparable to Him.” (1-4 / Translated by ITANI). Allah said in Surah An-Nisa : O FOLLOWERS of the Gospel! Do not overstep the bounds [of truth] in your religious beliefs, and do not say of God anything but the truth. The Christ Jesus, son of Mary, was but God's Apostle - [the fulfilment of] His promise which He had conveyed unto Mary - and a soul created by Him. Believe, then, in God and His apostles, and do not say, "[God is] a trinity". Desist [from this assertion] for your own good. God is but One God; utterly remote is He, in His glory, from having a son: unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and none is as worthy of trust as God. Never did the Christ feel too proud to be God's servant, nor do the angels who are near unto Him. And those who feel too proud to serve Him and glory in their arrogance [should know that on Judgment Day] He will gather them all unto Himself: (171-172 / Translated by Muhammad Asad). Allah the Most Merciful said in Surah Ali-Imran : Behold, the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man's] self-surrender unto Him; and those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime took, out of mutual jealousy, to divergent views [on this point] only after knowledge [thereof] had come unto them. But as for him who denies the truth of God's messages - behold, God is swift in reckoning! Thus, [O Prophet,] if they argue with thee, say, "I have surrendered my whole being unto God, and [so have] all who follow me!" - and ask those who have been vouchsafed revelation aforetime, as well as all unlettered people, "Have you [too] surrendered yourselves unto Him?" And if they surrender themselves unto Him, they are on the right path; but if they turn away - behold, thy duty is no more than to deliver the message: for God sees all that is in [the hearts of] His creatures. Verily, as for those who deny the truth of God's messages, and slay the prophets against all right, and slay people who enjoin equity - announce unto them a grievous chastisement. It is they whose works shall come to nought both in this world and in the life to come; and they shall have none to succour them. (19-22 / Translated by Muhammad Asad).. Salam (Peace)
Yeah driver has this feature embedded since driver one I use to make driving like chasing scenes on driver 2 …😂😂 the best we’re stealing buses and driving them around with the cops chasing you and filming the chase like it was a high speed chase lol😂
I was so confused when I got internet and found how poorly received Driver 3 was. I loved the game and everyone that I knew that played it said they loved it too. Might've just been us being kids and not seeing the flaws but it's like the internet hated it while me and my friends loved it. It was such a weird thing for me to see
Just goes to show you how the media can influence a mindset. This game isn’t good but I still enjoy it and unironically so. Something about it has a charm I can’t deny
I don't even think the shooting was that terrible... i mean, have you tried shooting someone in a car in GTA? They all sucked back then. Also you could swim and enter buildings without loading screens (GTA didn't have those until GTA IV) and see bullet holes in vehicles. Of course it wasn't a perfect game, but if this was "bad", then there are no good games, really. But thats just my opinion.
@@SuperGeronimo999 You are crazy. The shooting in GTA III-SA is better simply because the controls actually work. The controls of Tanner in Driv3r are so horrible that it makes playing the game a chore. I remember not playing it more than 3 hours as I happened to play it after having played Scarface. That alone made me not want to keep playing.
Nah, it's that we didn't make up enough of the market. I loved it too, but most of my friends weren't allowed to play it. It's kind of like all the really good kids shows of our day that got like 2 seasons, because parents didn't like them.
I used to play Driver 1 and 2 when I was young, probably 7 or 8. I remember getting Driv3r for Christmas 2004. I never saw any of the hype, promo for the game, or surrounding drama about it being unfinished, so I loved it. "Another Driver game? hell yeah!" The game used to be way to hard for me so I used to just replay the first 5 or so missions or just free roam. This game will always have a special place in my heart.
Same. Put thousands of hours on the first two as a kid, downloaded Driv3r a decade later after I could emulate it. Loved every minute even after I found out what everybody else had to say about it
Driv3r is a chocolate fudge cake that came out of the oven 10 minutes early. It still tastes nice, but you know with just a bit more time it was going to be something amazing.
I love how dead serious this game takes itself, almost to the point of absurdity. Every character has the same stone-faced expression throughout, never cracks a single joke, never smiles, never even expresses any emotion. And then you get into the gameplay itself which is the complete opposite. It's totally zany and over the top and the bugs and glitches only add to the hilarity. It's kind of a unique take that sort of works but at the same time doesn't.
I can't think of a channel I'd like to hear talk about this game more than you. Such a polarizing game deserves a nuanced look, especially one as ambitious as Driver 3. A real shame it didn't get to be the game Reflections wanted it to be, but it does have a charm to it in spite of the very serious issues it has. Games like this are easy to dogpile on and dismiss entirely as "one of the worst games ever" but its genuinely enjoyable to see people discussing and appreciating the things that *did* go right.
Sort of reminded me of Shadow the hedgehog 2005, even with it's rough and sort of confusing gameplay with the unintentional funny edgey things I still found the edginess and story has a charm to it, especially the OST
@@BlueminNight Sonic games always have the edge on soundtracks. Even the shitshow 2006 had stellar soundtrack. It's not indicative of the game quality itself.
I loved Driv3r as a kid. I did have San Andreas and Vice City but i still went back to driv3r because it was so cool. I still know some hidden cars (like a VW Hippy Bus and a ford GT looking car) and also remember the Tommy Vercetti looking guys. Nostalgia hit me right into my face watching this video and i suddenly remembered so much again lol
It's kinda remarkable how much video games have been impacted by Mann's movies. GTA hitting it big while taking massive inspiration from Mann has led the many GTA clones to just feel like even more diluted versions of Mann's works. Mann's main characters being masters in their fields is really similar to how many game protagonists work. Plus there's stuff like Kane and Lynch 2 that feels like if Miami Vice took an adrenaline shot. I dunno what I'm saying I just love talking about Mann lol
You’re absolutely right though. The entirety of Kane and Lynch 2 reminds me of the meth tweaking skinhead shootout scenes from the 2006 version of Mann’s Miami Vice.
Max Payne 3 and Kane & Lynch 2 has so many similarities too: -Both are the sequels that weren't received well on launch -Both take place on locations where the protagonists feel alienated/are not used to it -Protagonists from both games lost their wives at some point -The stories of both games feature female characters that aren't seen much, but are important to the plot -Both antagonists are politicians There is probably more too
you hit the nail on the head with the ambience this game creates. even as a kid i constantly replayed the miami missions despite their jankiness because they felt so cool and different. the michael mann parallels are real
Yeah, I swear me and my gamer friend played San Francisco for a full summer, just drifting around and testing every car out, the handling in that game is mad underrated
@@NewDesignVinylGraphics The handling in D:SF (which most cAsUaL gAyMeRs hated), stands tall till this day and no other driving game comes close! Authentic old-school Hollywood stunt driving!
i have spent a considerable amount of time of my childhood playing the first two driver games.. then one day, maybe about summer of 2005, before we had internet access at home, or any other info about the gaming scene, i have laid my eyes on this game at a shopping center. I couldnt even believe that this exists, i had to look a few times to be sure that this is truly a driver franchise game, not some knockoff. i was willing to stay at the mall to mop the floors of something if my parents couldnt afford to buy it, but luckily they did. i think i didnt even see the sunlight that summer.
Driver 2 was an incredible experience as a child before we ever got the gta 3d series. It was the original og in terms of free roam driving be able to get in and out the car I spent hours in that world in amazement. It truely doesn't get the credit it deserved and frankly gta 3 and similar games have driver 2 to thank for its influence
Driv3r really is one of those games that I’ve ended up loving and appreciating more and more as I’ve gotten older. The whole style and atmosphere of this game has always stuck with me and is something that I genuinely miss from a lot of modern sandbox games. The Getaway games are another example of games with janky ass gameplay but one hell of an atmosphere and vibe.
Yeah the getaway still remains one of the most cinematic and bland games i've played. Driv3r was different in that i wasnt good enough to beat the campaign but the freeroam was fun admittedly amazing for 2005.
@@Fractal_blip the Getaway is not bland at all, it goes for realism, and the graphics were actually TOP NOTCH for its time. The game is just missing a map, thats all.
Pretty much explains my thoughts on it as well. At the time this came out I was 9 years old, and wasn’t really into movies or music yet since it predated all the modern streaming services. And yet, I believe this game heavily influenced my music and movie tastes as well, because for all its flaws it has a badass visual style and a soundtrack that has stuck with me almost 2 decades later.
For the escaping the docks mission, a massive truck actually smashed my car over the side, into the sea. I dived out of my car and swam to shore! Didn't need to follow a linear path or anything, just react to the situation as best I could, and it actually worked.
Some missions in GTA 3 and Vice City could be like that. But San Andreas onwards were on rails. I've seen vids of GTA5, where you have to kill a guy after storming his house, but if you snipe him from a distance, you fail.
@@worldcomicsreview354 Yep, that's my biggest issue with later GTA games, you are right on that my friend. E.g. In GTA 4 you get taught how to shoot out tyres, but if try and actually do it during a scripted chase mission it won't work, you have to just follow the script to a cutscene. So boring.
Amazing. I didn't want to deal with all those guards so I just shot down the first wave of enemies, jumped into the ocean, swam until I was almost dead and completed the mission.
I like how a retrospective of a game thrown under the bus with its jankiness, is still able to give a narrative and philosophical take into a Modernist perspective. Amazing take, my man. Hopefully you'd get to cover Parallel Lines next. Played it during my years from high school to college, so there was definitely a trip in itself.
I'm from Istanbul. This game was a big thing for me back in the day. Although all those hates i spent many hours discovering all landmarks in Istanbul. Thanks Reflections for reflecting Istanbul's atmosphere in a such mystic way. ☺
Hello ! May Allah protect and guide you to his light and happiness in this life and the hereafter, God bless, Ameen. Excuse me for giving a little presentation of Islam, because it is very misunderstood nowadays, especially on those « Antichrist's » times, where media and politics are mixed to distort history and truth. And terrorists (puppets of the Antichrist) who misinterpret verses, out of ignorance and political motivations, and take them out of historical context (just like radical atheists do by the way), don't help either. Thank you very much for your time. Islam is an arabic word that means the Surrender to the One and Only God, our Creator, Protector, Provider, who gives us life and all that we have, we are safe and sound by his will and grace, we are His and to Him we return, and we have to thank him in this trial life by submitting to him by our free will, or later in the Day of judgment when it's too late to save our own skin. Islam was the original Religion descended to earth from heaven with Adam and Eve (peace and blessing be upon them) in the beginning of humanity. and was passed to people with the succession of the 124 000 prophets and 315 messengers of God to all nations and civilizations since, passing by Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ismaël, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, David, Solomon and Jesus (Peace and blessing be upon them) during the history of mankind, the last replaces and completes the previous, until the succession of the last messenger of God fourteen centuries ago, Muhammad (Peace and blessing be upon him) to complete the noble morals of all mankind, to bring humans and jinns out of darkness into light, and to purify people's religion and belief from corruption and polytheism, and return it to purity and true monotheism, like it was in the times of the prophets (Peace and blessing be upon them). Many Religions that we know nowadays, at their beginning were true and under Islam, initiated by one of the prophets of God, but their original teachings, history and scriptures have been corrupted over time with falsification and polytheism, or lost and replaced with false ones. That's why Islam is the only Religion accepted by God nowadays, which consists in bearing witness that there is no god besides Allah (God in Aramaic, the original language of Jesus and the Gospel), and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, just like Jesus and Moses and others are His servants and messengers. Never a messenger of God said he was God or literally son of God, it was the people after him who changed the words of God and corrupted the Religion. God is unique and absolute, He does not need to have a family and sons or to associate anyone else with His kingdom, He can simply create whatever He wants, everything belongs to Him, and to Him everything will return. Allah said in Surah Al-Mu’minun : “God has never begotten a son, nor is there any god besides Him. Otherwise, each god would have taken away what it has created, and some of them would have gained supremacy over others. Glory be to God, far beyond what they describe. The Knower of the hidden and the manifest. He is exalted, far above what they associate. (91-92 / Translated by ITANI). Allah means the one and only God, the God of all prophets and creatures, the creator of the universe and mankind, and the Master of the Day of judgment, where our destiny, Hell or Paradise, is decided based on our faith and deeds in this trial life, and above all, Allah's mercy. Allah said in Surah Al-Ikhlas : In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. Say, “He is God, the One. God, the Absolute. He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none comparable to Him.” (1-4 / Translated by ITANI). Allah said in Surah An-Nisa : O FOLLOWERS of the Gospel! Do not overstep the bounds [of truth] in your religious beliefs, and do not say of God anything but the truth. The Christ Jesus, son of Mary, was but God's Apostle - [the fulfilment of] His promise which He had conveyed unto Mary - and a soul created by Him. Believe, then, in God and His apostles, and do not say, "[God is] a trinity". Desist [from this assertion] for your own good. God is but One God; utterly remote is He, in His glory, from having a son: unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and none is as worthy of trust as God. Never did the Christ feel too proud to be God's servant, nor do the angels who are near unto Him. And those who feel too proud to serve Him and glory in their arrogance [should know that on Judgment Day] He will gather them all unto Himself: (171-172 / Translated by Muhammad Asad). Allah the Most Merciful said in Surah Ali-Imran : Behold, the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man's] self-surrender unto Him; and those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime took, out of mutual jealousy, to divergent views [on this point] only after knowledge [thereof] had come unto them. But as for him who denies the truth of God's messages - behold, God is swift in reckoning! Thus, [O Prophet,] if they argue with thee, say, "I have surrendered my whole being unto God, and [so have] all who follow me!" - and ask those who have been vouchsafed revelation aforetime, as well as all unlettered people, "Have you [too] surrendered yourselves unto Him?" And if they surrender themselves unto Him, they are on the right path; but if they turn away - behold, thy duty is no more than to deliver the message: for God sees all that is in [the hearts of] His creatures. Verily, as for those who deny the truth of God's messages, and slay the prophets against all right, and slay people who enjoin equity - announce unto them a grievous chastisement. It is they whose works shall come to nought both in this world and in the life to come; and they shall have none to succour them. (19-22 / Translated by Muhammad Asad).. Salam (Peace)
@@ililili6350 as an another istanbul resident, i was surprised how right the city felt, i imagine a newyorker might have felt the same for gta3s lc if that comparasion can help. Definetely not a recreation but a well done portrayal.
I love this video on so many levels. Finding the beauty (both aesthetic and mechanical) in a janky, critically panned game, going deep on Mann films/modernism... all of it absolutely rules. Excellent work all round.
Finally someone who actually knows Driv3r. Driv3r was phenomenal even through the rough parts. A lot of the glitches were much more fun than pain. I have so many memories or hilarious glitches and situations. If only it were completed. The vehicle damage and effects are still the best I've ever seen in any video game especially nowadays. Vehicles feel so underappreciated in new games. It's like developers think they just have to throw them in. Driver always knew it was important to make the driving fun and genuinely good. I miss this. Unfortunately I guarantee even if a new driver game came out it wouldn't be the same. Ubisoft doesn't know the feeling
I've been waiting two years for this video 😭 I think everyone who played this game when they were young has a soft spot for it. My family had both this game and GTA 3, yet this was the only game my siblings and I would get into fights trying to take turns playing. I can't deny there's some magic in there beyond just blind nostalgia. The cutscenes, the lighting, the music... I think you hit the nail on the head when you said the game, above all else, is "cool". It just has a vibe that no other game has. Even just the soundtrack is amazing, and was a gateway for me finding tons of cool music when I was younger - "Exit" by Stateless remains a particular favorite of mine, and I would use songs from the game's score in all kinds of dumb TH-cam videos. It's unfortunate that it's almost impossible to talk about the game without mentioning how unfinished it is, even comically so - You take damage for jumping up stairs, for instance, which is an easy way to kill yourself in the very first mission in Tanner's house. Also, at the motel in Miami, if you park a chopper in the second to last parking spot facing the road, get off, get back on, pull forward so one wheel is on the grass, reverse, get off, and go in the motel, you'll fall through the map. I'm not sure why or how I found that out, but it shows you how broken the game is and how much I used to mess with it when I was younger. I imagine a world where Driv3r got the development time it deserved, released a year earlier without the Driv3r-gate controversy and better on-foot sections. I'd imagine we'd have more games that tried to do something different with the open-world driving format, and more games that tried to have a "style" instead of copying what GTA was doing. Either way, I still look back fondly on this game as a major influence of my taste in movies, games, and music, and I'm glad there are others out there who seem to have the same appreciation for this very rough gem of a game. It seriously is great, even if you have to really search for what makes it that way.
I used to love driving with the infinite mass cheat in Istanbul you get after killing the joke - the Timmy Vermicellis. Either taking a big bus, a fast car or just a tiny bike and plowing cars head on in the highway and coastal avenue. Also, when a bumper became detached on one side and flipped in the other direction, you could drive it into cars and lampposts - it would barely slow your car down, but would deal lots of damage to Tanner.
even though i only played Driv3r for a few months when i was younger, i loved the game and its aesthetic a lot. i still think about it constantly despite having played many games when i was growing up, that was one that always stuck with me
So many memories playing this on the PlayStation 2 as a kid. There was so many bugs, some letting you go outside the map and explore new areas. I can't count how many hours I spent playing it but definitely in the thousands. I would definitely love to see the Driver series continued.
Driv3r was amazing despite the criticisms over bugs and things like being rushed; the graphics, environment and soundtrack were astonishing The game was magical and gave a nice sense of immersion, it felt like being in a movie.
To me at the time I thought it was always pushing the systems limits because I never played a game like it, this was one of the games where you could really put bullet holes in cars and when you thrown rockets at them the car would go into parts.
Yessss...that intro scene is so good. So immersive. The music feels like sunrise in the morning, coming down, hopping in your car and heading into work. Even the progression of the morning light to later morning as you go out on your first mission. Also, I enjoy the increasing challenge as the missions progress. Some of those car chase missions are absolutely mind numbing the way you have to play them over and over and get every turn and balance between gas/brake almost perfect. It's nerve wracking but the music, style, and story keep you engaged and wanting to keep trying until you finally get it. I love it 😛 Also used to spend hours bumming around the open world and finding weird glitches and stuff. One my favorite games ever!
this game was what i always wanted from videogames, challenging gameplay, cool story inspired by cinema and great music thanks for the video. after all these years im still waiting for another game with the same mature tone and style.
Thank you for a very interesting and enjoyable video :) This was one of the first games I bought with my PS2, and I had no idea it had such depth, or multiple cities to explore! It was mostly my older brother who played it, I played for maybe an hour in total and thought eh, it is not for me. But I remember thinking it looked very pretty. I think I still have it, so I might pay it a visit next time I turn the ol' PS2 on lol
I still remember looking up the Driv3r website years ago awaiting it's release, I was 11 years old, got to rent it from blockbuster and absolutely loved the game, I still remember the TV ads ( in Australia ) playing and getting very excited for it, I was so baffled by how poorly the game was received though I understand it now, Visually I loved it because it looked worlds ahead of GTA for realism and the music oh my god the ambient music, I haven't played the game in years but I still remember that feeling, those emotions I felt when playing it, Hooking up a semi, cruirsing Miami at night time, and the physics was mind blowing.
Something I find intriguing about Driv3r is the inconsistency of it's setting. The cars all look like they're based on early 80s models at the latest, with many cars from like the 70s or 60s. And the cities also mostly look like early 80s renditions. But then there's all the exceptions. The bikes which are almost exclusively based on sportsbikes from the late 90s/early 2000s. The cellphones and energy drinks, complete with product placement textures everywhere that have been squished or stretched into billboards that clearly weren't designed to feature these ads. Tanner's modern house, etc. All of that has lead to this fun game theory I've seen that Driv3r canonically takes place after Driver SF, and all these inconsistencies are just caused by it being a coma dream. Including killing Jericho at the end. Then again, what probably really happened is that this game was meant to be set in the 80s but Atari's marketing department forced Reflections to pry some of these things in there in the last second. One of the trailers has an early version of the scene at 11:40 without the phone so that shows that at least the Nokia product placement was a later decision.
It's not so much as an inconsistency, but rather a anachronism stew. Tim Burton's Gotham City in Batman '89 looked like 1940's NYC, but featured different styles of clothing, cars, music, etc.
@@comyxcon4gaming860 Which even then in this case, I can excuse a lot of the cars as just older cars, or in the case of a lot of the European cars just them being a European car that lasted a decade or 2 longer than they really should've, the big problem comes in with the American Police car, if they just made it like a 90s Ford Crown Vic, and then boom, this would've really be a problem
I always rationalised it as they knew they had a turd on their hands, but the hype was big enough that they could get some product placement in there for extra money. Driver 2 had subtle product placement for the Diesel clothing / watch brand too, I recall.
Driver has always been really inconsistent with the setting. Driver 1 is very clearly set in the 1970’s, Driver 2 feels more 70’s once again rather than anything else, but what’s even more weird is that officially Driver SF supposedly takes place 6 months after 3. The timeline is so strange.
Driv3r is still my favorite game. I played it non-stop for years and still take a ride every once in a while. Glad to see I'm not the only one that enjoys it
Me and my friend played the shit out of this. Never touched the story, just drove around starting chaos in the game world and playing with the movie maker. I feel like I've lost the ability to make my own fun in games and I miss it lol.
I actually remember growing up playing this game on consoles. At the time I thought it was pretty good. Now looking back on it I realize there were a lot of problems with it but I still find it a decent time.
Same I remember playing this on my cousins PlayStation two at the time and me and my sister thought this was the best game ever looking back on it now and playing it again not too long ago and seeing the many flaws it has but still it’s not the worst thing ever but it’s not the best thing ever but it is a good ride.
Dude, great video. You're really good at this. Good narrative, good research, built an interesting context and really shone some light on the third person sandbox scene of the early-mid aughts.
As dumb kids who loved PS1 installments of Driver series, I'm quite love with this third game despite many flaws. I don't realize this game was actually rushed back in the day and have scandalous driv3rgate since I have very limited information and just enjoy this game as it is. Still have original copy of later PC release despite more buggy and worse than PS2 version.
I originally typed out something long about the game as a whole, but I'll sum it up to this; Driv3r was awesome when it was new. Crashing the cars was just as fun as it was to crash them, all of my friends loved this game. It would be amazing to see a new, modern Driver series picked up by someone and made because we all know we need some company to give Rockstar's lazy asses some competition to force something new and not relying on dumb Oppressors (etc.) and making crazy money off microtransactions. With that said, another revival I am looking forward towards is TDU.
@@Zherosh Considering the state of Atari since, I have to think the franchise would only be even deader if they still had it. I'm struggling to think of the last time they made anything good. At least we got the truly excellent and underappreciated Driver San Francisco under Ubisoft.
Driv3r was my gateway to the GTA games as I was way too young to get GTA Vice City or GTA3 as a kid, and I remember how excited I was leading up to the release, I remember going to the public library on the way home from school and going on the official website for the game where they had screenshots, videos, and this little tech demo where you'd see the cars damage physics in action by running the mouse over the car until it exploded. It seemed so cool at the time in comparison to the GTA games engines. And then seeing the trailer where Jericho pulled the gun on Cain was stunning, after he was elevated to such a mysterious place due to the fact that I was in no way capable of getting past Havana as like a four year old playing Driver 2. The game itself wasn't super revolutionary by any means, but I sunk what had to have been a few summers worth of gaming exploring Miami, Nice, and Istanbul, and all of the interiors they left open to explore on free roam, and the game opening on such an atmospheric note with that first drive to the police station was so mesmerizing. Funny enough I still have the strategy guide, I read it front to back countless times as a kid.
Wow thank you for making a video on this game. I remember playing it with my sister for hours upon hours everyday and absolutely loving it. Now that I’m an adult I see how it was very flawed, but spending hours on free play finding secret cars, Timmy’s, driving through the hole in the ground behind a dumpster in Miami and just blowing stuff up was all I needed to entertain myself when I was a kid. This game still takes me back to simpler times, and oh my god the music during the first Miami mission is so nostalgic I could cry.
I like how Bullitt is always, _always_ mentioned as a grandaddy of Hollywood chase movies, even though 95% of its runtime is Steve McQueen leisurely riding around San Francisco on the passenger seat of a woman's car going under speed limit. Really says a lot about how good that _one_ chase scene really is.
Tangentially related, Bullet also has what I think is the finest credit sequence ever comitted to film. Pablo Ferro designed so many truly memorable title sequences, but what he did with Bullit is sublime, combined with that silky Lalo Schifrin jazz piece... sometimes I will throw this movie on JUST to watch the title sequence. It's probably been aped and homaged as much as the chase scene has been referenced.
19:40 I've been to both Miami and Nice, I can confirm that the design of the cities in this game is surprisingly accurate. I really wish the on-foot mechanics had been better and the game had been given a bit more time, it's a shame that it and the whole Driver series ended up being overlooked in the end as a result of Driv3r's poor reception.
This was one of my first games my dad got me for the PS2. He played the original Driver on the PS1 as a teen so got this for me when it came out. I absolutely loved this game. I spent days of my summers just driving around and making up my own missions. Now as an adult I can definitely see the rough edges of Driv3r but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to replay it and having a nostalgic trip. Great analysis of this childhood gem. Would of loved to of heard your other points on the wheel.
I hope modders are able to figure out this game. It would be cool to see the community fix up the game and show its full potential. Imagine this game, but with competent on-foot gameplay!
At one point it was tried. I don't know if the mod pack was ever released. But I remember that it never managed to get enough people to attempt an actual overhaul and full fix up.
Minimme, you have no idea how happy I am that somebody has come up with a review like this for this game, I feel like it's been a long time coming. This game means so much to me and was such a big part of my childhood that saying anything less feels wrong. I lived on this game and lived for the aesthetic, the controls and the vibe it has. Despite everything wrong with the game, Driv3r may be my favorite video game of all time. It is without a doubt the game I have played the most in my life. I played this game for HOURS with my sister and my dad. I've wrecked and blown up countless cars in this game, shot thousands of cops, laughed my ass off when cars would randomly spawn out of nowhere or explode, laughed when cops would kill fellow cops for no reason, wowed at the gorgeous scenery in Miami. All of this and getting a melancholic feeling as Tanner gets up in the morning and that stunning track plays at the beginning of the game. When you're in this game for too long you get the feeling you are lost in the middle of a great big world that has no end. You are free to go anywhere you want, in any thing you want, at all times. Yet the game feels so beautifully empty. It's so full of realistic stuff yet it plays out like a dream. Cars get blown up to realistic bits. yet the trees are literally textures combined together. The driving controls are buttery smooth, but glitches make the world feel like it's not quite there. The music drones on during silent moments that invoke an eerie-ness, but also a comfy assurance that things are okay. There's no blood, no scariness, just dream-like exploration and cop car explosions set to an almost liminal soundtrack that fluctuates like a dream going back and forth to weird places. Liminal might be a good word for this game actually. Others in the comment section have discussed this feeling it gives them, like a magic, and I agree. The game is laughably broken, but I cannot stop picking it up and roaming Miami or Istanbul for hours and doing fuck all and just enjoying playing the game. It feels epic and longing at the same time. Something about the "cool" atmosphere is truly striking and it, to me, beats out any other driving/shooter game ever. It's fun. There's something special in it's "liminalness" that to me no other game has. And it's not just my nostalgia talking. It still feels that way when I play it. Maybe modern video games could learn a thing or two from this one. Do games always need to be AAA repetitive mind blowers? How often are games this "cool?" Been a long time. Maybe more stuff could be good, bad, and both.
Couldn‘t agree more.. driv3r was also the biggest part of my childhood that no one else played except me and it was absolutely amazing.. i was always stunned by those authentic looking cutscenes and boy oh boy that soundtrack and its atmosphere.. jesus i really think no other game since then accomplished such an unique and astonishing vibe of miami, being a cop driving around or being tranferred to france for the first time after that airport cutscene lol. Could talk for hours about this masterpiecd
I loved Driver 2 as a kid, and I remember when Driver 3 came out I was so hyped. Had to really talk my parents into allowing me to have it cuz I was like 8 and there was a gun on the cover and stuff. But man when I got it it was the BEST game ever. I didn’t even care that I’d have to play the stupid Miami yacht mission like literally all night just to finally beat it, it was worth it. It’s been probably close to 18 years since I played the game but now I really need to figure out how to get it on my PC. This game had such a vibe man, like it’s one of few games that really showed you what 6th gen consoles could really do. Gran Turismo 4 was another one, but even that had a much more narrow scope. I’m seeing so many things in this video that I haven’t seen or heard in close to 20 years, and yet I immediately recognize all of it. The sound when you pick up ammo, the tone of the engines, I adored this game as a kid. I’ve been kinda jaded on gaming for awhile but I really gotta play this again, just the idea of a camp driving game with good physics but that puts you in crazy Blues Brothers and Italian Job style chases is something the gaming world is sorely missing.
Love the video! And for years i had the same theory - Driv3r was aiming really high, and it achived suprisingly much, considering how unfinished it was in the end. I have to say this has to be my nr.1 game, that I wish devs would return to, to actually finish it. No doubt it had the best cities at the time, far surpasing any GTA game (with more dynamic lighting, these cities were much closer to Liberty City from GTA V than to 6th gen GTA games, especialy Istambul - even the building textures on ps2 were really great), the best driving model in it's genre (still amazing), incredible car details, and damages, great interiors, and ps2 port plays really good for the most part. Pop-in is almost non existent on ps2, especialy in comaprison to San Andreas! I think they also had proper idea for on foot controls, but it's clearly one of the most unfinished aspects, with animations that are at best placeholders ( Scarface The World is Yours had shown how important free aim is). I really believe if the team had more time, we would get absolute classic, and Driver today would be huge - probably not as ambitious as devs planned, but only slightly toned down. On the other hand, i really like this unfinished game, because of all the things they managed to make (ps2 by far my favourite version), and for me, unlike cyberpunk, it's easy here to just have fun. Again, amazing video!!! p.s. i really love almost all gta games, i just meant that objectively in some regards Driv3r was far superior to any cometition at the time
I've wanted this video since 2004, I never knew how to describe why I loved this game so much back in the day. It just 'felt' really good to me. I had the soundtrack too, I listen to it to this day. Thank you for making this, I'm going to force all my friends to watch it. 😂😂
hands down one of my favorite games in the PS2 era. I don't even care about the bugs or glitches - it's been the same since Driver 1 flinging your car over the hills of San Francisco. nothing will ever top spawning in the apartment in Miami, walking out to the garage, getting in Tanner's car and exploring
I know it has issues, and it could’ve been better… But DRIV3R has a special place reserved in my heart, and I often come back to it just to calmly explore its open world ^~^
Loved it. Soundtrack was brilliant and the cities had a design and atmosphere that was really great. It was fun exploring for secrets and hidden cars were really a highlight.
I still have an embarassing amount of memories linked to Driver 3. It kind of felt like nobody had it when I was a kid, too, even with all that marketing etc, so it somehow felt like a hidden gem
When I first started this game as a kid I was mindblown. It was before I even heard of GTA. The first steps in the game I could not belive what I have seen. Cars that you can steal? Open world, a whole city to explore? I spend so many hours and days before playing the first Mission. I actually never made it out of Miami, oh wait I was once in Nice. Istanbul was way to hard to reach. But the free Mode was the mode I and my friends played for months or even years. So many memories are attached to Driv3r. It was our our GTA experience, our first big open world. Never saw any flaws, it was perfect for us.
I never owned a ps2 as a child but whenever I went over to my mates place we'd smash out Drive 3 er, or San Andreas. I was more fond of driv3r and that transformers demo that came with it. Good times. Driv3rs graphics when I was a kid looked like the most insane graphical mods on GTA 5 today... it looked stunning
That Atari Transformers game was awsome. I went and bought it after playing the demo. Driv3r was a cool game aswell, i had a strategy guide for it that explained how you could beat missions in certain ways. I loved to drive around in Nice, make it all the way to the top in the city center tiny streets and jump and crash down in the streets below. Damage models were awsome for the time. GTA IV had simular damage models but that was already next gen.
Despite its many flaws, I absolutely loved it and glad there's a community out there who really appreciates the Driver series like I did. A game very flawed, but also very much ahead of its time. You should review Parallel Lines next!
Finding this channel has been such a joy. Feels like I have found some diamond in the dirt, despite the fact the channel is not completely obscured. Anyways, I hope we keep seeing more videos, especially like the coverage on mobile games.
The Cyberpunk 2077 parallels are unquestionable. In both cases, I think, their reach exceeded their grasp and marketing people went way overboard. But hey, at least they tried to make something great, which is always commendable.
I think Cyberpunk was conceptually underdeveloped, whereas Driv3r was very tight conceptually, just sort of unfinished. People love to focus on the bugs of Cyberpunk 2077 without mentioning that the game itself isn't that deep, and they even removed the RPG from their Twitter description before release. Mechanically it was simpler than GTA San Andreas in many places - even if it had been polished it would've fell short.
@@aprofondir Arguably, Cyberpunk was conceptually overdeveloped. Sad thing is that if the higher ups hadn't announced the game too early, a lot of the deeper mechanics could've actually been finalized. I think they've said the game was released at least two years too early or something like that.
@@DantesGrill Two years too early to be called finished, like it should be now, since they have been working on the game since then, but it isn’t. Nor is it even close to their ambitions paid out in the several years before release. It still plays like garbage on console, smh people will do anything to defend CD projekt Red.
The driver games were the ultimate alternative to my concerned parents who didn't want to expose me to the GTA games. Kinda glad their concern got me hooked onto the series all these years later. Especially with the Film director mode being the ultimate tool for making epic videos 😆
I remember buying this on day one of release. It was so close to greatness, I played it a lot & did eventually finish it. The Driver games were always a little rough & ready but very soulful, just good fun to drive around getting the cars to do flips & Hollywood style antics.
I LOVE DRIV3R, soo I never knew the drama and stuff that surrounded the game. it was buggy but not unplayable at all some things were a tad frustrating. but all the bugs were more funny ha ha moments for me. like cops getting stuck in the skybox or them going flying over a hill or dirt mound and freaking out. you could drift semitruck trailers and the truck as well. i had so much fun braking the game and having a blast with the bugs I forgot everything that upset a lot of folks back then. story was okay enough to keep playing but they have always been 70s car chase corny. id say its so bad its Good
I used to do Nice Survival mode and I'd jump over that hill close to where the spawn is. If you manage to jump across it, you'll just go through the floor, barrel-rolling until your car explodes lmao. Good times!
I really enjoyed this one when I was little. I think Vice City and Driver 3 really made me fall in love with the Miami aesthetic. I love it so much that it got me to watch shows like Dexter and Burn Notice. Especially in Dexter, the Miami location elevated that show for me. I kind of look at it as a character itself.
This is maybe the best video that you ever did, man. I already told ya, youre my favorite channel and thats because i just love that passion you put on videos like this. Congrats once more and all the best from Brazil ✌️
33:18 This part speaks to something I've always felt racing and open-world games should always strive for: making it simply fun to drive around and explore the game world. If a game doesn't accomplish that, than why bother?
GTA IV was the last open world AA game with fun handling, and babies who couldn't drive without twanging the stick complained so loudly that no big open world game had fun handling again (save for the last entry in driver series). BeamNG is the one of very few games that can do what driv3r and GTA IV did today.
I loved this game so much as a kid, me and my friends would play it for hours just driving around and doing stupid shit. I had no idea how janky it actually was until last year when I found my ps2. And holy shit the jank is on another level but it was still a lot of nostalgic fun.
I spent hours and hours and hours of my childhood just free-roaming the cities in this game trying to find all the secret areas, because the actual game was too hard for me I never even played that. Even still, finding the secret cars and Timmy's and just driving around gave me more entertainment than most games ever have. An iconic game.
wow sent chills up my spine sent me back to 2004 sitting on the floor turning this on for the first time, the biggest advancement in gaming i ever experienced
Wow this video was such a nostalgia hit for me. I haven’t played Driv3r for well over 10 years, but good god the footage and your feelings about this game gave me goosebumps!!! Great video as always
The driving in this game is still amazing. I remember breaking this game on ps2 by accident, and telling my mom if we can go to the mall to get it again. Now I have it on PC. The only thing that doesn’t hold up is the gun play.
This game is my favourite driver. Even though it's broken. I loved just vibing in this game in all the cities it offered. The cars and car damage was just way better than any GTA in the PS2 era.
I remember when I was young and played vice city and san Andreas, I was windblown when I got driver 3. I didn't like the on foot part but the driving was incredible so I spent countless hours just driving, same thing with driver san Francisco. The driving is those games has something extremely satisfying and addictive that I never found elsewhere yet.
The word fascinating is right for this. There's the actual game, which is rather interesting in and of itself, as well as the even more interesting GBA 3D demake/port/sidegrade thing. There's the context of the game development, and also the Driv3rgate scandal. Might not be a great game but it's a real novel little gem.
Got this game on release for PS2 as a kid. One thing people seem to forget is the horrible sound design, you empty three clips on full auto and neither the music nor the people supposedly living in the city around you react in any way.
I held off on watching this video until after I made my lil retrospective on DRIV3R and it's neat how we both ended up really liking that truck stealing mission, seeing the Heat parallels, though I never realized the part about alternate paths through missions before and feel a bit dopey abotu that. Still, awesome channel!
Driver 3 is possibly on the same level of quality as modern day AAA releases on day one... sadly patches were exclusive to PC games back then. And I totally appreciate someone pointing the inspiration this game got from Heat and Ronin, both are absolute cult classics from the 90s.
Not exclusive to PC, but patches were printed on new disc's. Which means buying a new copy of the game, so you know only late birds got the worm on that one.
17:35 interesting points about the influences in this game. It's particularly weird as Driver 1 and 2 not set up the characters and plot for Driver 3 but were very consiously retro 70s styled in everyway the developers could think of, fitting in with the likes of Interstate 76 and Viglante 8 as riding that wave of retro 70s cool which was so popular in the 90s . Tanner's side kick has an afro and flares in 2 and a Nokia in 3. It's all a bit weird. The 70s asthetic was revisted in the under rated follow up Parrel Lines, which was the last legitimately good Driver game (IMO).
Wow i just found this channel and this video and just love it. I literally got this game just for the ambientation and the driving physics, such details I love to admire, specially in older games
Thank you for bringing me down Memory road. I am a HUge Driver fan. Buying 1 2 3 on day one. Buying the soundtrack for Driv3r and owning posters. Sigh. After being extremely hyped for Driv3r I was ultimately devastated when finding out how janky and just unfinished it was. I did easily beat it on Xbox and PC and 100% it...I....guess I had Dreams and wishes it would one day be something magical.... I cannot however ever go back to playing it. Even though I would if I wanted I prefer the Rose tinted nostalgia glasses that I have. 🙌😎
![GTA SA - Why Remaster is Garbage? [Part 2] - Feat. BadgerGoodger](/img/n.gif)
Hello everyone thank you for indulging in my excuse to talk about Michael Mann films - here's a playlist of my other DRIVER content: th-cam.com/play/PL643B5filmfF22BLaR-pK6XXbTR5UU-pw.html
no thank YOU for talking about Mann one of the very greatests of all times
If you ever wanted to do an entire video on Michael Mann, I'd watch it in a heartbeat. Your insights into his style and your description of his connections to modernism here are absolutely dead on.
@@Nicodemus1 I was just thinking about that, his input of modernism alone makes me wish for a side channel about art in general
Good vimvdeo
Michael Mann is the greatest goat of all time.
Maybe Kubrick depending on the metric.
The first level is all I did when I was a kid, didn't know what the game was about. All I knew was I had a house, a car, and a world to explore
Bro same
Exactly this
Only reason I got it when I was kid was cuz it looked like GTA 😂
Yeah same. Those were the days!
same lol!
I remember the physics and the in-game director being so good in this game. You could stage such exciting and kinetic car chases and then make little movies out of it
Hello ! May Allah protect and guide you to his light and happiness in this life and the hereafter, God bless, Ameen. Excuse me for giving a little presentation of Islam, because it is very misunderstood nowadays, especially on those « Antichrist's » times, where media and politics are mixed to distort history and truth. And terrorists (puppets of the Antichrist) who misinterpret verses, out of ignorance and political motivations, and take them out of historical context (just like radical atheists do by the way), don't help either. Thank you very much for your time.
Islam is an arabic word that means the Surrender to the One and Only God, our Creator, Protector, Provider, who gives us life and all that we have, we are safe and sound by his will and grace, we are His and to Him we return, and we have to thank him in this trial life by submitting to him by our free will, or later in the Day of judgment when it's too late to save our own skin. Islam was the original Religion descended to earth from heaven with Adam and Eve (peace and blessing be upon them) in the beginning of humanity. and was passed to people with the succession of the 124 000 prophets and 315 messengers of God to all nations and civilizations since, passing by Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ismaël, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, David, Solomon and Jesus (Peace and blessing be upon them) during the history of mankind, the last replaces and completes the previous, until the succession of the last messenger of God fourteen centuries ago, Muhammad (Peace and blessing be upon him) to complete the noble morals of all mankind, to bring humans and jinns out of darkness into light, and to purify people's religion and belief from corruption and polytheism, and return it to purity and true monotheism, like it was in the times of the prophets (Peace and blessing be upon them).
Many Religions that we know nowadays, at their beginning were true and under Islam, initiated by one of the prophets of God, but their original teachings, history and scriptures have been corrupted over time with falsification and polytheism, or lost and replaced with false ones. That's why Islam is the only Religion accepted by God nowadays, which consists in bearing witness that there is no god besides Allah (God in Aramaic, the original language of Jesus and the Gospel), and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, just like Jesus and Moses and others are His servants and messengers. Never a messenger of God said he was God or literally son of God, it was the people after him who changed the words of God and corrupted the Religion. God is unique and absolute, He does not need to have a family and sons or to associate anyone else with His kingdom, He can simply create whatever He wants, everything belongs to Him, and to Him everything will return. Allah said in Surah Al-Mu’minun : “God has never begotten a son, nor is there any god besides Him. Otherwise, each god would have taken away what it has created, and some of them would have gained supremacy over others. Glory be to God, far beyond what they describe. The Knower of the hidden and the manifest. He is exalted, far above what they associate. (91-92 / Translated by ITANI).
Allah means the one and only God, the God of all prophets and creatures, the creator of the universe and mankind, and the Master of the Day of judgment, where our destiny, Hell or Paradise, is decided based on our faith and deeds in this trial life, and above all, Allah's mercy.
Allah said in Surah Al-Ikhlas : In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful.
Say, “He is God, the One. God, the Absolute. He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none comparable to Him.” (1-4 / Translated by ITANI).
Allah said in Surah An-Nisa : O FOLLOWERS of the Gospel! Do not overstep the bounds [of truth] in your religious beliefs, and do not say of God anything but the truth. The Christ Jesus, son of Mary, was but God's Apostle - [the fulfilment of] His promise which He had conveyed unto Mary - and a soul created by Him. Believe, then, in God and His apostles, and do not say, "[God is] a trinity". Desist [from this assertion] for your own good. God is but One God; utterly remote is He, in His glory, from having a son: unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and none is as worthy of trust as God. Never did the Christ feel too proud to be God's servant, nor do the angels who are near unto Him. And those who feel too proud to serve Him and glory in their arrogance [should know that on Judgment Day] He will gather them all unto Himself: (171-172 / Translated by Muhammad Asad).
Allah the Most Merciful said in Surah Ali-Imran : Behold, the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man's] self-surrender unto Him; and those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime took, out of mutual jealousy, to divergent views [on this point] only after knowledge [thereof] had come unto them. But as for him who denies the truth of God's messages - behold, God is swift in reckoning!
Thus, [O Prophet,] if they argue with thee, say, "I have surrendered my whole being unto God, and [so have] all who follow me!" - and ask those who have been vouchsafed revelation aforetime, as well as all unlettered people, "Have you [too] surrendered yourselves unto Him?" And if they surrender themselves unto Him, they are on the right path; but if they turn away - behold, thy duty is no more than to deliver the message: for God sees all that is in [the hearts of] His creatures.
Verily, as for those who deny the truth of God's messages, and slay the prophets against all right, and slay people who enjoin equity - announce unto them a grievous chastisement.
It is they whose works shall come to nought both in this world and in the life to come; and they shall have none to succour them.
(19-22 / Translated by Muhammad Asad)..
Salam (Peace)
we didnt play the same game lol
Yeah driver has this feature embedded since driver one I use to make driving like chasing scenes on driver 2 …😂😂 the best we’re stealing buses and driving them around with the cops chasing you and filming the chase like it was a high speed chase lol😂
I was so confused when I got internet and found how poorly received Driver 3 was. I loved the game and everyone that I knew that played it said they loved it too. Might've just been us being kids and not seeing the flaws but it's like the internet hated it while me and my friends loved it. It was such a weird thing for me to see
Just goes to show you how the media can influence a mindset. This game isn’t good but I still enjoy it and unironically so. Something about it has a charm I can’t deny
I don't even think the shooting was that terrible... i mean, have you tried shooting someone in a car in GTA? They all sucked back then. Also you could swim and enter buildings without loading screens (GTA didn't have those until GTA IV) and see bullet holes in vehicles. Of course it wasn't a perfect game, but if this was "bad", then there are no good games, really. But thats just my opinion.
@@Theesvpremekai GTA Vice city had good shooting
@@SuperGeronimo999 You are crazy. The shooting in GTA III-SA is better simply because the controls actually work. The controls of Tanner in Driv3r are so horrible that it makes playing the game a chore. I remember not playing it more than 3 hours as I happened to play it after having played Scarface. That alone made me not want to keep playing.
Nah, it's that we didn't make up enough of the market. I loved it too, but most of my friends weren't allowed to play it. It's kind of like all the really good kids shows of our day that got like 2 seasons, because parents didn't like them.
I used to play Driver 1 and 2 when I was young, probably 7 or 8. I remember getting Driv3r for Christmas 2004. I never saw any of the hype, promo for the game, or surrounding drama about it being unfinished, so I loved it. "Another Driver game? hell yeah!" The game used to be way to hard for me so I used to just replay the first 5 or so missions or just free roam. This game will always have a special place in my heart.
omg me too brother, like omg...
Same. Put thousands of hours on the first two as a kid, downloaded Driv3r a decade later after I could emulate it. Loved every minute even after I found out what everybody else had to say about it
100%
Driv3r is a chocolate fudge cake that came out of the oven 10 minutes early.
It still tastes nice, but you know with just a bit more time it was going to be something amazing.
Hello you
@@BlueisNotaWarmColour no hello you
this is a description that I never knew I always wanted to read
It was cool, very cool, into the mouth "slurrp smack" Noice.
A perfect way to describe 2000s Atari too. Lord what a time to be alive that was.
I love how dead serious this game takes itself, almost to the point of absurdity. Every character has the same stone-faced expression throughout, never cracks a single joke, never smiles, never even expresses any emotion. And then you get into the gameplay itself which is the complete opposite. It's totally zany and over the top and the bugs and glitches only add to the hilarity. It's kind of a unique take that sort of works but at the same time doesn't.
I can't think of a channel I'd like to hear talk about this game more than you. Such a polarizing game deserves a nuanced look, especially one as ambitious as Driver 3. A real shame it didn't get to be the game Reflections wanted it to be, but it does have a charm to it in spite of the very serious issues it has.
Games like this are easy to dogpile on and dismiss entirely as "one of the worst games ever" but its genuinely enjoyable to see people discussing and appreciating the things that *did* go right.
Sort of reminded me of Shadow the hedgehog 2005, even with it's rough and sort of confusing gameplay with the unintentional funny edgey things
I still found the edginess and story has a charm to it, especially the OST
@@BlueminNight Sonic games always have the edge on soundtracks. Even the shitshow 2006 had stellar soundtrack. It's not indicative of the game quality itself.
I loved Driv3r as a kid. I did have San Andreas and Vice City but i still went back to driv3r because it was so cool.
I still know some hidden cars (like a VW Hippy Bus and a ford GT looking car) and also remember the Tommy Vercetti looking guys. Nostalgia hit me right into my face watching this video and i suddenly remembered so much again lol
It's kinda remarkable how much video games have been impacted by Mann's movies. GTA hitting it big while taking massive inspiration from Mann has led the many GTA clones to just feel like even more diluted versions of Mann's works. Mann's main characters being masters in their fields is really similar to how many game protagonists work. Plus there's stuff like Kane and Lynch 2 that feels like if Miami Vice took an adrenaline shot. I dunno what I'm saying I just love talking about Mann lol
Don’t forget Max Payne 3! Big Michael Mann energy in that game (Collateral, specifically).
You’re absolutely right though. The entirety of Kane and Lynch 2 reminds me of the meth tweaking skinhead shootout scenes from the 2006 version of Mann’s Miami Vice.
Now I wish Thief was a videogame adaption of the Michael Mann movie with James Caan.
I gotta play these games. Huge micheal mann fan here. Lol
Max Payne 3 and Kane & Lynch 2 has so many similarities too:
-Both are the sequels that weren't received well on launch
-Both take place on locations where the protagonists feel alienated/are not used to it
-Protagonists from both games lost their wives at some point
-The stories of both games feature female characters that aren't seen much, but are important to the plot
-Both antagonists are politicians
There is probably more too
you hit the nail on the head with the ambience this game creates. even as a kid i constantly replayed the miami missions despite their jankiness because they felt so cool and different. the michael mann parallels are real
Unpopular Opinion: _Even if _*_Driver: San Francisco_*_ became an underrated masterpiece, _*_DRIV3R_*_ will always be a certified hood classic._
Emphasis on the "hood"
Yeah, I swear me and my gamer friend played San Francisco for a full summer, just drifting around and testing every car out, the handling in that game is mad underrated
@@NewDesignVinylGraphics The handling in D:SF (which most cAsUaL gAyMeRs hated), stands tall till this day and no other driving game comes close! Authentic old-school Hollywood stunt driving!
@@MetalArrow Indeed. Jesus, even the original Driver´s handling could teach a thing or two to most games of the genre!
I played with the director mode waaaay too much lol
i have spent a considerable amount of time of my childhood playing the first two driver games.. then one day, maybe about summer of 2005, before we had internet access at home, or any other info about the gaming scene, i have laid my eyes on this game at a shopping center. I couldnt even believe that this exists, i had to look a few times to be sure that this is truly a driver franchise game, not some knockoff. i was willing to stay at the mall to mop the floors of something if my parents couldnt afford to buy it, but luckily they did. i think i didnt even see the sunlight that summer.
That story warmed my heart.
Driver 2 was an incredible experience as a child before we ever got the gta 3d series. It was the original og in terms of free roam driving be able to get in and out the car I spent hours in that world in amazement. It truely doesn't get the credit it deserved and frankly gta 3 and similar games have driver 2 to thank for its influence
Driv3r really is one of those games that I’ve ended up loving and appreciating more and more as I’ve gotten older. The whole style and atmosphere of this game has always stuck with me and is something that I genuinely miss from a lot of modern sandbox games. The Getaway games are another example of games with janky ass gameplay but one hell of an atmosphere and vibe.
I think it deserves a fan remake
Yeah the getaway still remains one of the most cinematic and bland games i've played. Driv3r was different in that i wasnt good enough to beat the campaign but the freeroam was fun admittedly amazing for 2005.
@@Fractal_blip the Getaway is not bland at all, it goes for realism, and the graphics were actually TOP NOTCH for its time. The game is just missing a map, thats all.
Pretty much explains my thoughts on it as well. At the time this came out I was 9 years old, and wasn’t really into movies or music yet since it predated all the modern streaming services. And yet, I believe this game heavily influenced my music and movie tastes as well, because for all its flaws it has a badass visual style and a soundtrack that has stuck with me almost 2 decades later.
My only hate for Driver 3 is The Chase mission. What a piece of trash mission lol... Always have to skip it.
For the escaping the docks mission, a massive truck actually smashed my car over the side, into the sea. I dived out of my car and swam to shore! Didn't need to follow a linear path or anything, just react to the situation as best I could, and it actually worked.
Some missions in GTA 3 and Vice City could be like that. But San Andreas onwards were on rails. I've seen vids of GTA5, where you have to kill a guy after storming his house, but if you snipe him from a distance, you fail.
@@worldcomicsreview354 Yep, that's my biggest issue with later GTA games, you are right on that my friend.
E.g. In GTA 4 you get taught how to shoot out tyres, but if try and actually do it during a scripted chase mission it won't work, you have to just follow the script to a cutscene. So boring.
Amazing. I didn't want to deal with all those guards so I just shot down the first wave of enemies, jumped into the ocean, swam until I was almost dead and completed the mission.
@@worldcomicsreview354 In that mission you are not supposed to kill the guy. The reason you fail if you snipe him is because you have to KIDNAP him.
I like how a retrospective of a game thrown under the bus with its jankiness, is still able to give a narrative and philosophical take into a Modernist perspective.
Amazing take, my man. Hopefully you'd get to cover Parallel Lines next. Played it during my years from high school to college, so there was definitely a trip in itself.
I'm from Istanbul. This game was a big thing for me back in the day. Although all those hates i spent many hours discovering all landmarks in Istanbul. Thanks Reflections for reflecting Istanbul's atmosphere in a such mystic way. ☺
Was their Istanbul accurate to you?
@@ililili6350 Some famous structures, some landmarks were accurate. Definitely was not perfect. But ancient feeling of the city was there…
Hello ! May Allah protect and guide you to his light and happiness in this life and the hereafter, God bless, Ameen. Excuse me for giving a little presentation of Islam, because it is very misunderstood nowadays, especially on those « Antichrist's » times, where media and politics are mixed to distort history and truth. And terrorists (puppets of the Antichrist) who misinterpret verses, out of ignorance and political motivations, and take them out of historical context (just like radical atheists do by the way), don't help either. Thank you very much for your time.
Islam is an arabic word that means the Surrender to the One and Only God, our Creator, Protector, Provider, who gives us life and all that we have, we are safe and sound by his will and grace, we are His and to Him we return, and we have to thank him in this trial life by submitting to him by our free will, or later in the Day of judgment when it's too late to save our own skin. Islam was the original Religion descended to earth from heaven with Adam and Eve (peace and blessing be upon them) in the beginning of humanity. and was passed to people with the succession of the 124 000 prophets and 315 messengers of God to all nations and civilizations since, passing by Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ismaël, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, David, Solomon and Jesus (Peace and blessing be upon them) during the history of mankind, the last replaces and completes the previous, until the succession of the last messenger of God fourteen centuries ago, Muhammad (Peace and blessing be upon him) to complete the noble morals of all mankind, to bring humans and jinns out of darkness into light, and to purify people's religion and belief from corruption and polytheism, and return it to purity and true monotheism, like it was in the times of the prophets (Peace and blessing be upon them).
Many Religions that we know nowadays, at their beginning were true and under Islam, initiated by one of the prophets of God, but their original teachings, history and scriptures have been corrupted over time with falsification and polytheism, or lost and replaced with false ones. That's why Islam is the only Religion accepted by God nowadays, which consists in bearing witness that there is no god besides Allah (God in Aramaic, the original language of Jesus and the Gospel), and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, just like Jesus and Moses and others are His servants and messengers. Never a messenger of God said he was God or literally son of God, it was the people after him who changed the words of God and corrupted the Religion. God is unique and absolute, He does not need to have a family and sons or to associate anyone else with His kingdom, He can simply create whatever He wants, everything belongs to Him, and to Him everything will return. Allah said in Surah Al-Mu’minun : “God has never begotten a son, nor is there any god besides Him. Otherwise, each god would have taken away what it has created, and some of them would have gained supremacy over others. Glory be to God, far beyond what they describe. The Knower of the hidden and the manifest. He is exalted, far above what they associate. (91-92 / Translated by ITANI).
Allah means the one and only God, the God of all prophets and creatures, the creator of the universe and mankind, and the Master of the Day of judgment, where our destiny, Hell or Paradise, is decided based on our faith and deeds in this trial life, and above all, Allah's mercy.
Allah said in Surah Al-Ikhlas : In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful.
Say, “He is God, the One. God, the Absolute. He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none comparable to Him.” (1-4 / Translated by ITANI).
Allah said in Surah An-Nisa : O FOLLOWERS of the Gospel! Do not overstep the bounds [of truth] in your religious beliefs, and do not say of God anything but the truth. The Christ Jesus, son of Mary, was but God's Apostle - [the fulfilment of] His promise which He had conveyed unto Mary - and a soul created by Him. Believe, then, in God and His apostles, and do not say, "[God is] a trinity". Desist [from this assertion] for your own good. God is but One God; utterly remote is He, in His glory, from having a son: unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and none is as worthy of trust as God. Never did the Christ feel too proud to be God's servant, nor do the angels who are near unto Him. And those who feel too proud to serve Him and glory in their arrogance [should know that on Judgment Day] He will gather them all unto Himself: (171-172 / Translated by Muhammad Asad).
Allah the Most Merciful said in Surah Ali-Imran : Behold, the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man's] self-surrender unto Him; and those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime took, out of mutual jealousy, to divergent views [on this point] only after knowledge [thereof] had come unto them. But as for him who denies the truth of God's messages - behold, God is swift in reckoning!
Thus, [O Prophet,] if they argue with thee, say, "I have surrendered my whole being unto God, and [so have] all who follow me!" - and ask those who have been vouchsafed revelation aforetime, as well as all unlettered people, "Have you [too] surrendered yourselves unto Him?" And if they surrender themselves unto Him, they are on the right path; but if they turn away - behold, thy duty is no more than to deliver the message: for God sees all that is in [the hearts of] His creatures.
Verily, as for those who deny the truth of God's messages, and slay the prophets against all right, and slay people who enjoin equity - announce unto them a grievous chastisement.
It is they whose works shall come to nought both in this world and in the life to come; and they shall have none to succour them.
(19-22 / Translated by Muhammad Asad)..
Salam (Peace)
As a Icelander. Turkey sounds hot. So hot that it melts this Viking.
@@ililili6350 as an another istanbul resident, i was surprised how right the city felt, i imagine a newyorker might have felt the same for gta3s lc if that comparasion can help. Definetely not a recreation but a well done portrayal.
I love this video on so many levels. Finding the beauty (both aesthetic and mechanical) in a janky, critically panned game, going deep on Mann films/modernism... all of it absolutely rules. Excellent work all round.
Finally someone who actually knows Driv3r. Driv3r was phenomenal even through the rough parts. A lot of the glitches were much more fun than pain. I have so many memories or hilarious glitches and situations. If only it were completed. The vehicle damage and effects are still the best I've ever seen in any video game especially nowadays. Vehicles feel so underappreciated in new games. It's like developers think they just have to throw them in. Driver always knew it was important to make the driving fun and genuinely good. I miss this. Unfortunately I guarantee even if a new driver game came out it wouldn't be the same. Ubisoft doesn't know the feeling
I've been waiting two years for this video 😭
I think everyone who played this game when they were young has a soft spot for it. My family had both this game and GTA 3, yet this was the only game my siblings and I would get into fights trying to take turns playing. I can't deny there's some magic in there beyond just blind nostalgia. The cutscenes, the lighting, the music... I think you hit the nail on the head when you said the game, above all else, is "cool". It just has a vibe that no other game has. Even just the soundtrack is amazing, and was a gateway for me finding tons of cool music when I was younger - "Exit" by Stateless remains a particular favorite of mine, and I would use songs from the game's score in all kinds of dumb TH-cam videos.
It's unfortunate that it's almost impossible to talk about the game without mentioning how unfinished it is, even comically so - You take damage for jumping up stairs, for instance, which is an easy way to kill yourself in the very first mission in Tanner's house. Also, at the motel in Miami, if you park a chopper in the second to last parking spot facing the road, get off, get back on, pull forward so one wheel is on the grass, reverse, get off, and go in the motel, you'll fall through the map. I'm not sure why or how I found that out, but it shows you how broken the game is and how much I used to mess with it when I was younger.
I imagine a world where Driv3r got the development time it deserved, released a year earlier without the Driv3r-gate controversy and better on-foot sections. I'd imagine we'd have more games that tried to do something different with the open-world driving format, and more games that tried to have a "style" instead of copying what GTA was doing. Either way, I still look back fondly on this game as a major influence of my taste in movies, games, and music, and I'm glad there are others out there who seem to have the same appreciation for this very rough gem of a game. It seriously is great, even if you have to really search for what makes it that way.
I used to love driving with the infinite mass cheat in Istanbul you get after killing the joke - the Timmy Vermicellis. Either taking a big bus, a fast car or just a tiny bike and plowing cars head on in the highway and coastal avenue.
Also, when a bumper became detached on one side and flipped in the other direction, you could drive it into cars and lampposts - it would barely slow your car down, but would deal lots of damage to Tanner.
There's still Saints Row and the Mafia games.
even though i only played Driv3r for a few months when i was younger, i loved the game and its aesthetic a lot. i still think about it constantly despite having played many games when i was growing up, that was one that always stuck with me
its still an average game
That Phantom Planet Big Brat song play as Tanner and Jones went to the club to look for Lomaz for a hit for me.
So many memories playing this on the PlayStation 2 as a kid. There was so many bugs, some letting you go outside the map and explore new areas. I can't count how many hours I spent playing it but definitely in the thousands. I would definitely love to see the Driver series continued.
Damn dude.. your passion for this franchise is infectious. What a wonderful production.
Driv3r was amazing despite the criticisms over bugs and things like being rushed; the graphics, environment and soundtrack were astonishing
The game was magical and gave a nice sense of immersion, it felt like being in a movie.
To me at the time I thought it was always pushing the systems limits because I never played a game like it, this was one of the games where you could really put bullet holes in cars and when you thrown rockets at them the car would go into parts.
Love this game now. Its definitely overhated. Glad that I helped with making this video.
Thank you - and thank you so much for the help
Yessss...that intro scene is so good. So immersive. The music feels like sunrise in the morning, coming down, hopping in your car and heading into work. Even the progression of the morning light to later morning as you go out on your first mission.
Also, I enjoy the increasing challenge as the missions progress. Some of those car chase missions are absolutely mind numbing the way you have to play them over and over and get every turn and balance between gas/brake almost perfect. It's nerve wracking but the music, style, and story keep you engaged and wanting to keep trying until you finally get it. I love it 😛
Also used to spend hours bumming around the open world and finding weird glitches and stuff. One my favorite games ever!
this game was what i always wanted from videogames, challenging gameplay, cool story inspired by cinema and great music
thanks for the video.
after all these years im still waiting for another game with the same mature tone and style.
Thank you for a very interesting and enjoyable video :)
This was one of the first games I bought with my PS2, and I had no idea it had such depth, or multiple cities to explore!
It was mostly my older brother who played it, I played for maybe an hour in total and thought eh, it is not for me. But I remember thinking it looked very pretty.
I think I still have it, so I might pay it a visit next time I turn the ol' PS2 on lol
Saul Meyers learned everything he knew from this game. Which is why he was the best French Foreign Legion soldier ever!
I really want to try it out at some point but I'm not sure I can tolerate that level of Eurojank.
he used to kick ass at DRIV3R
@@Calvin_Coolage Xenus gold edition is fully playable and patched, great game shittts on top of any far cry games
@@emulation2369 We all know it doesn't, cap.
I'm amazed and delighted so many people got the reference. :P
I still remember looking up the Driv3r website years ago awaiting it's release, I was 11 years old, got to rent it from blockbuster and absolutely loved the game, I still remember the TV ads ( in Australia ) playing and getting very excited for it, I was so baffled by how poorly the game was received though I understand it now, Visually I loved it because it looked worlds ahead of GTA for realism and the music oh my god the ambient music, I haven't played the game in years but I still remember that feeling, those emotions I felt when playing it, Hooking up a semi, cruirsing Miami at night time, and the physics was mind blowing.
Something I find intriguing about Driv3r is the inconsistency of it's setting.
The cars all look like they're based on early 80s models at the latest, with many cars from like the 70s or 60s. And the cities also mostly look like early 80s renditions. But then there's all the exceptions. The bikes which are almost exclusively based on sportsbikes from the late 90s/early 2000s. The cellphones and energy drinks, complete with product placement textures everywhere that have been squished or stretched into billboards that clearly weren't designed to feature these ads. Tanner's modern house, etc.
All of that has lead to this fun game theory I've seen that Driv3r canonically takes place after Driver SF, and all these inconsistencies are just caused by it being a coma dream. Including killing Jericho at the end.
Then again, what probably really happened is that this game was meant to be set in the 80s but Atari's marketing department forced Reflections to pry some of these things in there in the last second. One of the trailers has an early version of the scene at 11:40 without the phone so that shows that at least the Nokia product placement was a later decision.
It's not so much as an inconsistency, but rather a anachronism stew. Tim Burton's Gotham City in Batman '89 looked like 1940's NYC, but featured different styles of clothing, cars, music, etc.
@@comyxcon4gaming860 Which even then in this case, I can excuse a lot of the cars as just older cars, or in the case of a lot of the European cars just them being a European car that lasted a decade or 2 longer than they really should've, the big problem comes in with the American Police car, if they just made it like a 90s Ford Crown Vic, and then boom, this would've really be a problem
I thought Driv3r focused more on a 90's setting to reflect its movie inspirations (Driver 1 70's, Driver 2 80's, Driv3r 90's)
I always rationalised it as they knew they had a turd on their hands, but the hype was big enough that they could get some product placement in there for extra money.
Driver 2 had subtle product placement for the Diesel clothing / watch brand too, I recall.
Driver has always been really inconsistent with the setting. Driver 1 is very clearly set in the 1970’s, Driver 2 feels more 70’s once again rather than anything else, but what’s even more weird is that officially Driver SF supposedly takes place 6 months after 3. The timeline is so strange.
Driv3r is still my favorite game. I played it non-stop for years and still take a ride every once in a while. Glad to see I'm not the only one that enjoys it
Same here, man. God bless.
Me and my friend played the shit out of this.
Never touched the story, just drove around starting chaos in the game world and playing with the movie maker.
I feel like I've lost the ability to make my own fun in games and I miss it lol.
this is one of my top list to play back in the day, ah the nostalgia. you brings so much on this documentary, thank you
I actually remember growing up playing this game on consoles. At the time I thought it was pretty good. Now looking back on it I realize there were a lot of problems with it but I still find it a decent time.
I also remember playing the entire series an how nostalgic it was
Same I remember playing this on my cousins PlayStation two at the time and me and my sister thought this was the best game ever looking back on it now and playing it again not too long ago and seeing the many flaws it has but still it’s not the worst thing ever but it’s not the best thing ever but it is a good ride.
even as a 9 year old i could tell how crap the game was
Dude, great video. You're really good at this. Good narrative, good research, built an interesting context and really shone some light on the third person sandbox scene of the early-mid aughts.
As dumb kids who loved PS1 installments of Driver series, I'm quite love with this third game despite many flaws. I don't realize this game was actually rushed back in the day and have scandalous driv3rgate since I have very limited information and just enjoy this game as it is. Still have original copy of later PC release despite more buggy and worse than PS2 version.
How did you even beat the stupid license test?
@@Clay3613 Ofc, get help from my older sibling, and it tooks few days until we finally pass. I'm mostly play take a ride mode
I originally typed out something long about the game as a whole, but I'll sum it up to this;
Driv3r was awesome when it was new. Crashing the cars was just as fun as it was to crash them, all of my friends loved this game. It would be amazing to see a new, modern Driver series picked up by someone and made because we all know we need some company to give Rockstar's lazy asses some competition to force something new and not relying on dumb Oppressors (etc.) and making crazy money off microtransactions. With that said, another revival I am looking forward towards is TDU.
I’m all for quality over quantity, atleast rockstars games are always quality
Son.... You got your wish!
Test Drive Solar Crown is coming out!
Such a shame that Ubisoft killed the driver series, I still hate them for that
They killed it in favor of Watch Dogs. As of now they have The Crew so a revival is unlikely.
If only Atari didn't sell the IP...
To be fair, they were almost at bankrupt xD
@@elmandarin1002 I thought that crew died years ago?
@@Zherosh Considering the state of Atari since, I have to think the franchise would only be even deader if they still had it. I'm struggling to think of the last time they made anything good. At least we got the truly excellent and underappreciated Driver San Francisco under Ubisoft.
And it's such a shame you can't buy San Francisco on pc anymore. At least parallel lines is on steam
Driv3r was my gateway to the GTA games as I was way too young to get GTA Vice City or GTA3 as a kid, and I remember how excited I was leading up to the release, I remember going to the public library on the way home from school and going on the official website for the game where they had screenshots, videos, and this little tech demo where you'd see the cars damage physics in action by running the mouse over the car until it exploded. It seemed so cool at the time in comparison to the GTA games engines. And then seeing the trailer where Jericho pulled the gun on Cain was stunning, after he was elevated to such a mysterious place due to the fact that I was in no way capable of getting past Havana as like a four year old playing Driver 2.
The game itself wasn't super revolutionary by any means, but I sunk what had to have been a few summers worth of gaming exploring Miami, Nice, and Istanbul, and all of the interiors they left open to explore on free roam, and the game opening on such an atmospheric note with that first drive to the police station was so mesmerizing. Funny enough I still have the strategy guide, I read it front to back countless times as a kid.
Wow thank you for making a video on this game. I remember playing it with my sister for hours upon hours everyday and absolutely loving it. Now that I’m an adult I see how it was very flawed, but spending hours on free play finding secret cars, Timmy’s, driving through the hole in the ground behind a dumpster in Miami and just blowing stuff up was all I needed to entertain myself when I was a kid. This game still takes me back to simpler times, and oh my god the music during the first Miami mission is so nostalgic I could cry.
I like how Bullitt is always, _always_ mentioned as a grandaddy of Hollywood chase movies, even though 95% of its runtime is Steve McQueen leisurely riding around San Francisco on the passenger seat of a woman's car going under speed limit. Really says a lot about how good that _one_ chase scene really is.
Tangentially related, Bullet also has what I think is the finest credit sequence ever comitted to film. Pablo Ferro designed so many truly memorable title sequences, but what he did with Bullit is sublime, combined with that silky Lalo Schifrin jazz piece... sometimes I will throw this movie on JUST to watch the title sequence. It's probably been aped and homaged as much as the chase scene has been referenced.
to ir.
Mate this was such an incredible analysis. Thanks!!
19:40 I've been to both Miami and Nice, I can confirm that the design of the cities in this game is surprisingly accurate. I really wish the on-foot mechanics had been better and the game had been given a bit more time, it's a shame that it and the whole Driver series ended up being overlooked in the end as a result of Driv3r's poor reception.
Been to Miami I am born and raised in South Florida and I play the PS2 version at 15 they did it very well it's almost accurate.
This was one of my first games my dad got me for the PS2. He played the original Driver on the PS1 as a teen so got this for me when it came out. I absolutely loved this game. I spent days of my summers just driving around and making up my own missions. Now as an adult I can definitely see the rough edges of Driv3r but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to replay it and having a nostalgic trip.
Great analysis of this childhood gem. Would of loved to of heard your other points on the wheel.
I hope modders are able to figure out this game. It would be cool to see the community fix up the game and show its full potential.
Imagine this game, but with competent on-foot gameplay!
At one point it was tried. I don't know if the mod pack was ever released. But I remember that it never managed to get enough people to attempt an actual overhaul and full fix up.
Dude, this game came out 18 years ago. If that was going to happen, it would've happened by now.
Minimme, you have no idea how happy I am that somebody has come up with a review like this for this game, I feel like it's been a long time coming. This game means so much to me and was such a big part of my childhood that saying anything less feels wrong. I lived on this game and lived for the aesthetic, the controls and the vibe it has.
Despite everything wrong with the game, Driv3r may be my favorite video game of all time. It is without a doubt the game I have played the most in my life. I played this game for HOURS with my sister and my dad. I've wrecked and blown up countless cars in this game, shot thousands of cops, laughed my ass off when cars would randomly spawn out of nowhere or explode, laughed when cops would kill fellow cops for no reason, wowed at the gorgeous scenery in Miami. All of this and getting a melancholic feeling as Tanner gets up in the morning and that stunning track plays at the beginning of the game. When you're in this game for too long you get the feeling you are lost in the middle of a great big world that has no end. You are free to go anywhere you want, in any thing you want, at all times. Yet the game feels so beautifully empty. It's so full of realistic stuff yet it plays out like a dream. Cars get blown up to realistic bits. yet the trees are literally textures combined together. The driving controls are buttery smooth, but glitches make the world feel like it's not quite there. The music drones on during silent moments that invoke an eerie-ness, but also a comfy assurance that things are okay.
There's no blood, no scariness, just dream-like exploration and cop car explosions set to an almost liminal soundtrack that fluctuates like a dream going back and forth to weird places. Liminal might be a good word for this game actually. Others in the comment section have discussed this feeling it gives them, like a magic, and I agree. The game is laughably broken, but I cannot stop picking it up and roaming Miami or Istanbul for hours and doing fuck all and just enjoying playing the game. It feels epic and longing at the same time. Something about the "cool" atmosphere is truly striking and it, to me, beats out any other driving/shooter game ever. It's fun. There's something special in it's "liminalness" that to me no other game has. And it's not just my nostalgia talking. It still feels that way when I play it.
Maybe modern video games could learn a thing or two from this one. Do games always need to be AAA repetitive mind blowers? How often are games this "cool?" Been a long time. Maybe more stuff could be good, bad, and both.
Couldn‘t agree more.. driv3r was also the biggest part of my childhood that no one else played except me and it was absolutely amazing.. i was always stunned by those authentic looking cutscenes and boy oh boy that soundtrack and its atmosphere.. jesus i really think no other game since then accomplished such an unique and astonishing vibe of miami, being a cop driving around or being tranferred to france for the first time after that airport cutscene lol.
Could talk for hours about this masterpiecd
I loved Driver 2 as a kid, and I remember when Driver 3 came out I was so hyped. Had to really talk my parents into allowing me to have it cuz I was like 8 and there was a gun on the cover and stuff. But man when I got it it was the BEST game ever. I didn’t even care that I’d have to play the stupid Miami yacht mission like literally all night just to finally beat it, it was worth it. It’s been probably close to 18 years since I played the game but now I really need to figure out how to get it on my PC. This game had such a vibe man, like it’s one of few games that really showed you what 6th gen consoles could really do. Gran Turismo 4 was another one, but even that had a much more narrow scope. I’m seeing so many things in this video that I haven’t seen or heard in close to 20 years, and yet I immediately recognize all of it. The sound when you pick up ammo, the tone of the engines, I adored this game as a kid. I’ve been kinda jaded on gaming for awhile but I really gotta play this again, just the idea of a camp driving game with good physics but that puts you in crazy Blues Brothers and Italian Job style chases is something the gaming world is sorely missing.
Love the video! And for years i had the same theory - Driv3r was aiming really high, and it achived suprisingly much, considering how unfinished it was in the end. I have to say this has to be my nr.1 game, that I wish devs would return to, to actually finish it.
No doubt it had the best cities at the time, far surpasing any GTA game (with more dynamic lighting, these cities were much closer to Liberty City from GTA V than to 6th gen GTA games, especialy Istambul - even the building textures on ps2 were really great), the best driving model in it's genre (still amazing), incredible car details, and damages, great interiors, and ps2 port plays really good for the most part. Pop-in is almost non existent on ps2, especialy in comaprison to San Andreas!
I think they also had proper idea for on foot controls, but it's clearly one of the most unfinished aspects, with animations that are at best placeholders ( Scarface The World is Yours had shown how important free aim is).
I really believe if the team had more time, we would get absolute classic, and Driver today would be huge - probably not as ambitious as devs planned, but only slightly toned down.
On the other hand, i really like this unfinished game, because of all the things they managed to make (ps2 by far my favourite version), and for me, unlike cyberpunk, it's easy here to just have fun.
Again, amazing video!!!
p.s. i really love almost all gta games, i just meant that objectively in some regards Driv3r was far superior to any cometition at the time
Interesting how Reflections and Rockstar Games were both heavily inspired by Michael Mann. But I don't blame them, the guy is an artist.
I've wanted this video since 2004, I never knew how to describe why I loved this game so much back in the day. It just 'felt' really good to me. I had the soundtrack too, I listen to it to this day. Thank you for making this, I'm going to force all my friends to watch it. 😂😂
Fantastic in depth review and a great pont of viee
hands down one of my favorite games in the PS2 era. I don't even care about the bugs or glitches - it's been the same since Driver 1 flinging your car over the hills of San Francisco. nothing will ever top spawning in the apartment in Miami, walking out to the garage, getting in Tanner's car and exploring
damn this was an amazing review, it convinced me to buy the game, you just earned a new sub and fan.
I know it has issues, and it could’ve been better…
But DRIV3R has a special place reserved in my heart, and I often come back to it just to calmly explore its open world ^~^
Loved it. Soundtrack was brilliant and the cities had a design and atmosphere that was really great. It was fun exploring for secrets and hidden cars were really a highlight.
I unironically like DRIV3R too! #ReDriver
We all do in one way or another 🙌
Im very glad to see you work with minnime sometimes that makes me happy
About goddamn time, man. I've waited over two long years for this one!
I still have an embarassing amount of memories linked to Driver 3. It kind of felt like nobody had it when I was a kid, too, even with all that marketing etc, so it somehow felt like a hidden gem
Facts !! Felt like the undercover GTA game 😜
When I first started this game as a kid I was mindblown. It was before I even heard of GTA. The first steps in the game I could not belive what I have seen. Cars that you can steal? Open world, a whole city to explore? I spend so many hours and days before playing the first Mission. I actually never made it out of Miami, oh wait I was once in Nice. Istanbul was way to hard to reach. But the free Mode was the mode I and my friends played for months or even years. So many memories are attached to Driv3r. It was our our GTA experience, our first big open world. Never saw any flaws, it was perfect for us.
I never owned a ps2 as a child but whenever I went over to my mates place we'd smash out Drive 3 er, or San Andreas. I was more fond of driv3r and that transformers demo that came with it. Good times. Driv3rs graphics when I was a kid looked like the most insane graphical mods on GTA 5 today... it looked stunning
That Atari Transformers game was awsome. I went and bought it after playing the demo.
Driv3r was a cool game aswell, i had a strategy guide for it that explained how you could beat missions in certain ways. I loved to drive around in Nice, make it all the way to the top in the city center tiny streets and jump and crash down in the streets below. Damage models were awsome for the time. GTA IV had simular damage models but that was already next gen.
A remake of this game would be amazing.
Despite its many flaws, I absolutely loved it and glad there's a community out there who really appreciates the Driver series like I did. A game very flawed, but also very much ahead of its time. You should review Parallel Lines next!
Finding this channel has been such a joy. Feels like I have found some diamond in the dirt, despite the fact the channel is not completely obscured.
Anyways, I hope we keep seeing more videos, especially like the coverage on mobile games.
The Cyberpunk 2077 parallels are unquestionable. In both cases, I think, their reach exceeded their grasp and marketing people went way overboard. But hey, at least they tried to make something great, which is always commendable.
I think Cyberpunk was conceptually underdeveloped, whereas Driv3r was very tight conceptually, just sort of unfinished. People love to focus on the bugs of Cyberpunk 2077 without mentioning that the game itself isn't that deep, and they even removed the RPG from their Twitter description before release. Mechanically it was simpler than GTA San Andreas in many places - even if it had been polished it would've fell short.
@@aprofondir Arguably, Cyberpunk was conceptually overdeveloped. Sad thing is that if the higher ups hadn't announced the game too early, a lot of the deeper mechanics could've actually been finalized. I think they've said the game was released at least two years too early or something like that.
@jbiehlable It simply is not.
Projekt CD Red didn't pay off journalists though.
@@DantesGrill Two years too early to be called finished, like it should be now, since they have been working on the game since then, but it isn’t. Nor is it even close to their ambitions paid out in the several years before release. It still plays like garbage on console, smh people will do anything to defend CD projekt Red.
I loved Driv3r so much back in the day. It's amazing how fun it was for me as a teenager.
The driver games were the ultimate alternative to my concerned parents who didn't want to expose me to the GTA games. Kinda glad their concern got me hooked onto the series all these years later. Especially with the Film director mode being the ultimate tool for making epic videos 😆
Underrated comment.
All I wanted is to run over pedestrians, but they always escaped my car 😅 (Driver 1 and 2)
I remember buying this on day one of release.
It was so close to greatness, I played it a lot & did eventually finish it.
The Driver games were always a little rough & ready but very soulful, just good fun to drive around getting the cars to do flips & Hollywood style antics.
I LOVE DRIV3R, soo I never knew the drama and stuff that surrounded the game. it was buggy but not unplayable at all some things were a tad frustrating. but all the bugs were more funny ha ha moments for me. like cops getting stuck in the skybox or them going flying over a hill or dirt mound and freaking out. you could drift semitruck trailers and the truck as well. i had so much fun braking the game and having a blast with the bugs I forgot everything that upset a lot of folks back then. story was okay enough to keep playing but they have always been 70s car chase corny. id say its so bad its Good
I used to do Nice Survival mode and I'd jump over that hill close to where the spawn is. If you manage to jump across it, you'll just go through the floor, barrel-rolling until your car explodes lmao. Good times!
I simply love every video you put out and I'm really glad you decided to revisit Driv3r!
I really enjoyed this one when I was little. I think Vice City and Driver 3 really made me fall in love with the Miami aesthetic. I love it so much that it got me to watch shows like Dexter and Burn Notice. Especially in Dexter, the Miami location elevated that show for me. I kind of look at it as a character itself.
This is maybe the best video that you ever did, man. I already told ya, youre my favorite channel and thats because i just love that passion you put on videos like this. Congrats once more and all the best from Brazil ✌️
33:18 This part speaks to something I've always felt racing and open-world games should always strive for: making it simply fun to drive around and explore the game world. If a game doesn't accomplish that, than why bother?
GTA IV was the last open world AA game with fun handling, and babies who couldn't drive without twanging the stick complained so loudly that no big open world game had fun handling again (save for the last entry in driver series). BeamNG is the one of very few games that can do what driv3r and GTA IV did today.
For real, casuals ruined gaming.@@C.I...
Thanks for reminding how much I god damn love Heat.
I loved this game so much as a kid, me and my friends would play it for hours just driving around and doing stupid shit. I had no idea how janky it actually was until last year when I found my ps2. And holy shit the jank is on another level but it was still a lot of nostalgic fun.
I spent hours and hours and hours of my childhood just free-roaming the cities in this game trying to find all the secret areas, because the actual game was too hard for me I never even played that. Even still, finding the secret cars and Timmy's and just driving around gave me more entertainment than most games ever have. An iconic game.
“If you run on a 45 degree angle, you run way faster than you would running straight ahead.”
Marble Blast fans: 👀
wow sent chills up my spine sent me back to 2004 sitting on the floor turning this on for the first time, the biggest advancement in gaming i ever experienced
this game is always a trip to me because i grew up in Nice and that’s not a town you often see replicated in AAA games
Wow this video was such a nostalgia hit for me. I haven’t played Driv3r for well over 10 years, but good god the footage and your feelings about this game gave me goosebumps!!! Great video as always
The driving in this game is still amazing. I remember breaking this game on ps2 by accident, and telling my mom if we can go to the mall to get it again. Now I have it on PC. The only thing that doesn’t hold up is the gun play.
Great video. Thanks!
This game is my favourite driver. Even though it's broken. I loved just vibing in this game in all the cities it offered. The cars and car damage was just way better than any GTA in the PS2 era.
Shit I will say it's better than any GTA game in general
@@nickrustyson8124 I agree.
@@nickrustyson8124 😂 keep dreaming
@@nickrustyson8124 You could do more in GTA though.
i played that old boy for years and i entirely agree to you. brilliant video, thanks for the flashback!
As a Turkish dude i have a soft spot for this game, because one of the cities was İstanbul
That's a fun map
My first video I've seen from you and I've become an instant fan. Looking forward to the next one.
I remember this game feeling a bit unfinished (as it unfortunately literally was) but i still had plenty of fun playing it!
You just spewed hot sticky nostalgia all over my face. Thank you.
The hard cuts from the gameplay to the cutscenes was always so funny because the graphics suddenly became movie-quality.
Love the video title. Very clever how you intertwined the marketing tagline with your stance on the game's quality.
I remember when I was young and played vice city and san Andreas, I was windblown when I got driver 3. I didn't like the on foot part but the driving was incredible so I spent countless hours just driving, same thing with driver san Francisco. The driving is those games has something extremely satisfying and addictive that I never found elsewhere yet.
The word fascinating is right for this. There's the actual game, which is rather interesting in and of itself, as well as the even more interesting GBA 3D demake/port/sidegrade thing. There's the context of the game development, and also the Driv3rgate scandal. Might not be a great game but it's a real novel little gem.
Got this game on release for PS2 as a kid. One thing people seem to forget is the horrible sound design, you empty three clips on full auto and neither the music nor the people supposedly living in the city around you react in any way.
Ikr, it's really odd and weird that didn't happen.
I held off on watching this video until after I made my lil retrospective on DRIV3R and it's neat how we both ended up really liking that truck stealing mission, seeing the Heat parallels, though I never realized the part about alternate paths through missions before and feel a bit dopey abotu that. Still, awesome channel!
Driver 3 is possibly on the same level of quality as modern day AAA releases on day one... sadly patches were exclusive to PC games back then.
And I totally appreciate someone pointing the inspiration this game got from Heat and Ronin, both are absolute cult classics from the 90s.
Yes is was. Driver 3 was a AAA game for it's time but failed due to many bugs. Still an amazing game for its atmosphere
Not exclusive to PC, but patches were printed on new disc's. Which means buying a new copy of the game, so you know only late birds got the worm on that one.
Great video! Love learning more about the movies that inspired it. Someday I hope to play a game that feels like the first chase in Baby Driver
17:35 interesting points about the influences in this game. It's particularly weird as Driver 1 and 2 not set up the characters and plot for Driver 3 but were very consiously retro 70s styled in everyway the developers could think of, fitting in with the likes of Interstate 76 and Viglante 8 as riding that wave of retro 70s cool which was so popular in the 90s . Tanner's side kick has an afro and flares in 2 and a Nokia in 3. It's all a bit weird. The 70s asthetic was revisted in the under rated follow up Parrel Lines, which was the last legitimately good Driver game (IMO).
Wow i just found this channel and this video and just love it. I literally got this game just for the ambientation and the driving physics, such details I love to admire, specially in older games
I remember as a kid i wanted a House like tanner’s
lol exactly, even to this day
When I was a kid, used to drive aimlessly around the city, trying to obey all the laws of traffic
Thank you for bringing me down Memory road.
I am a HUge Driver fan. Buying 1 2 3 on day one. Buying the soundtrack for Driv3r and owning posters. Sigh. After being extremely hyped for Driv3r I was ultimately devastated when finding out how janky and just unfinished it was. I did easily beat it on Xbox and PC and 100% it...I....guess I had Dreams and wishes it would one day be something magical.... I cannot however ever go back to playing it. Even though I would if I wanted I prefer the Rose tinted nostalgia glasses that I have. 🙌😎