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Driver: San Francisco

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Driver: San Francisco box art
Developer(s)Ubisoft Reflections
Publisher(s)Ubisoft
Director(s)Martin Edmondson (creative director)
Producer(s)Chris Hadley
Designer(s)Jean-Sebastien Decant
Andrew Willans
Dale Scullion
SeriesDriver
Platform(s)Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, OnLive,[2] PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii[3][4]
ReleaseApril 2011 – March 2012[1]
Genre(s)Sandbox, action, driving
Mode(s)Single-player, split screen multiplayer, online multiplayer

Driver: San Francisco is an upcoming sandbox-style action driving video game developed by Ubisoft Reflections and published by Ubisoft. The game formally was unveiled at E3 2010 and is scheduled for release sometime between April 2011 – March 2012 on Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and the OnLive system.[2][1] A separate Wii version is also at works.[3]

Plot

The game takes place a few months after the events of Driv3r. It is revealed that both Tanner and Jericho survived the shootout in Istanbul. In the game's trailer, it is revealed that since then, both men have recovered and Jericho has escaped to San Francisco, while Tanner has pursued him there. Jericho is shown escaping the police in a hijacked police truck, causing havoc on the Golden Gate Bridge. Tanner is then heard telling the other officers to stay clear before he and Jericho are involved in a head-on collision. While Jericho's fate is still unknown, Tanner is meanwhile taken to a hospital and left in a coma. The game will take place in Tanner's coma dream.[4][5]

Wii plot

The Wii version will have a different storyline about Tanner's early years as a police officer. Tanner will be out to avenge the death of his partner by going undercover. The magazine confirms that Tobias Jones and Solomon Caine will appear in the game.[6]

Gameplay

In San Francisco, players can shift to any car at any time. Also, for the first time in the series, the game will have licensed cars.

A new feature is Shift, which allows Tanner to shift from a car into another car and continue the mission.[5] The Shift option is not unlimited however, so the player has to recharge the Shift meter by doing things such as power slides, big jumps and driving into oncoming traffic. Shift must also be upgraded from time to time, so the player can shift into more distant cars and other parts of the city. One of the inspirations for Shift comes from Google Earth.[5] The game is also being described as a "return to the roots" to the series as the ability to get out of the car, which was introduced in Driver 2, has been removed as the developers felt that too many games have this kind of feature already and "it wasn't desirable [for us] to just copy that exact mechanic.".[5][7] With Shift, the player can also start missions.[3] Using Shift, however, is not obligated, so the player can finish the game without shifting into any other car.[8] The film director mode, which was absent from Parallel Lines, will also return, and players can share their videos online.[5] The game will run at 60 frames per second.[3]

Setting

The game's San Francisco will be one of the largest driving environments, with about 208 miles (335 km) of road.[4][7] Various landmarks are going to be recreated in the game including the Bay Bridge and parts of Marin County and Oakland.[4]

Multiplayer

Split screen and online multiplayer will also be available for the first time in the series with nine different game modes. So far, only the Trail Blazer mode has been announced, where the players have to follow the trail of an AI-controlled car to accumulate points. The player who accumulates more points will win the match.[4][7] The multiplayer will also have experience points.[9]

Cars

For the first time in the series, the game will include over 120 fully damageable licensed vehicles ranging from buggies, muscle cars and sport cars including Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Ruf Automobile, Dodge, Shelby, Pagani, DeLorean and Bugatti.[5]

Wii version

As a prequel to Driver, the game will not include Shift nor on foot controls but it's possible to use guns while driving.[10] The player is also possible to use other two characters besides Tanner: Solomon Caine and Tobias Jones.[6]

Development

The game is in development for about five years.[11] A new game in the series was confirmed to be in production at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show when Sony announced a list of 102 that would be released on the PlayStation 3.[12] Ubisoft later confirmed a new game in the series after acquiring the series from Atari.[13] In June 2008, the BBC conducted reports on the computer game industry,[14] among those reports were in-game, and development footage of the next Driver game.[15] On 21 April 2009, Ubisoft registered the trademark Driver: The Recruit.[16] On January 2010, it was confirmed that a new Driver game was in development and due for release in Ubisoft's fiscal year ending in March 2011.[17] On April 23, 2010, Ubisoft registered the domain driversanfranciscogame.com as well as driversanfrancisco.com and driversanfran.com, suggesting that San Francisco was the setting of the new game in the series.[18][19] On May 27, 2010, Ubisoft confirmed that the next installment in the Driver series would appear on E3 2010, along with other games.[20][21] On June 7, 2010, Ubisoft released a teaser website containing a live action trailer, resembling the first mission of the original Driver game, along with a countdown for Ubisoft's E3 2010 conference.[22][23] Ubisoft also created the game's Facebook page, which upon clicking in the "Like" button, opens a slightly different version of the trailer, showing a Californian driver license of John Tanner.[24][25] A billboard at the LA Convention Center for E3 revealed the title of the new game to be Driver: San Francisco.[26] Ubisoft officially announced the game on their E3 2010 conference.[27] On November 12, 2010 the game has been delayed and is set to be released in FY 2012, which is between March 31, 2011 and the same date in 2012.[1]

Reflections founder and series creator Martin Edmondson, returned to Reflections after he temporarily left the game industry in 2004. The game is being developed by five Ubisoft studios with Reflections as the lead, and four other developers: Vancouver, Kiev, Shanghai and Montreal.[28] Ubisoft also announced plans for DLC, but its content hasn't been announced yet.[29]

Audio

The game's audio is being mixed at Pinewood Studios, which is known for the James Bond film franchise.[30] The game will include 60 licensed songs, along with the original Driver theme.[31]

Marketing

Comic mini-series

A comic book mini-series published by Wildstorm Productions based on the game will be released. The storyline takes place after the events of Driv3r and before San Francisco, and will focus on Tanner's personal vengeance against Jericho. The mini-series being written by David Lapham and illustrated by Greg Scott. It's set to be released in early 2011 and an 'issue #0" entitled The Pursuit of Nothingness was available on Comic-Con 2010.[32]

Collector's edition

A collector's edition will be available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows versions of the game. The pack includes a 18×9×9 cm replica of a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Six Pack, a map of San Francisco, two exclusive in-game cars, the "Mass Chase" challenge, where a wrongfully accused driver attempts to escape the whole police force of San Francisco and prove his innocence, and more features yet to be announced.[33]

Reception

Awards

The game won the Best Driving Game of E3 2010 award from Ripten.[34] The game also received nominations from Kotaku[35] and GameTrailers.[36]

References

  1. ^ a b c Robinson, Andy (15 November 2010). "Ghost Recon, Driver delayed". CVG. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  2. ^ a b Holt, Chris (15 June 2010). "OnLive Unveils Launch Titles, Details for June 17 Release". PCWorld. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d Miller, Greg (14 June 2010). "E3 2010: Driver 5 Preview". IGN. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d e Chester, Nick (14 June 2010). "E3 10: First look at Ubisoft's Driver: San Francisco". Destructoid. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Smith, Jamin (15 June 2010). "Driver: San Francisco Interview". Videogamer. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  6. ^ a b "Driver: San Francisco - Wii screens, preview from Nintendo Power". GoNintendo. 15 June 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2010. {{cite news}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  7. ^ a b c Donlan, Christian (15 June 2010). "Driver: San Francisco Hands On". Eurogamer. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  8. ^ "Driver: San Francisco, E3 2010: Demo Walkthrough". GameTrailers. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  9. ^ Cullen, Johnny (June 15, 2010). "Hands-on preview: Driver: San Francisco". VG247. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
  10. ^ "Driver San Francisco". ESRB. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  11. ^ Alexander, Leigh (November 15, 2010). "Ubisoft's Guillemot Talks Driver Delay, Studio Restructuring". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  12. ^ Dunham, Jeremy (September 16, 2005). "TGS 2005: Sony Confirms 102 PS3 Games". IGN. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  13. ^ "Atari sells Reflections".
  14. ^ "How a computer game is made". BBC. June 18, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  15. ^ "UK games industry needs brains". BBC. June 18, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  16. ^ "Driver: The Recruit trademarked by Ubisoft". VG247. April 25, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  17. ^ Kietzmann, Ludwig (13 January 2010). "Raving Rabbids 4, new Driver planned for Ubisoft's fiscal 2010-11". Joystiq. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  18. ^ Hinkle, David (April 23, 2010). "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Driver: San Francisco domains registered by Ubisoft". Joystiq. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  19. ^ Cullen, Johnny (April 23, 2010). "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Driver: San Francisco domains registered by Ubisoft". VG247. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  20. ^ Gilbert, Ben (27 May 2010). "New 'Driver' game parked at Ubisoft's E3 booth". Joystiq. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  21. ^ Warmoth, Brian (27 May 2010). "New 'Driver' Game Coming At E3 From Ubisoft". MTV Multiplayer. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  22. ^ Brudvig, Erik (7 June 2010). "E3 2010: New Driver Game Teased". IGN. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  23. ^ G, Lewis (7 June 2010). "Driver Pre-Reveal Teaser". TheSixthAxis. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  24. ^ "Facebook | Driver". Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  25. ^ Scalzo, John (7 June 2010). "E3 2010: Driver 5 teaser site launched". Gaming Target. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  26. ^ Totilo, Stephen (13 June 2010). "The Giant Video Game Banners E3 Didn't Want You To See". Kotaku. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  27. ^ Griffin, McElroy (15 June 2010). "Driver: San Francisco coming to 360, PS3, Wii and PC". Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  28. ^ Hinkle, David (29 November 2010). "Driver: San Fran dev Ubisoft Reflections suffers layoffs". Joystiq. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  29. ^ "Driver: San Francisco DLC Plans". Just Push Start. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  30. ^ "Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport visits Pinewood Studios". Gamasutra. 17 November 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  31. ^ "Driver: San Francisco - PlayStation 3 - GameSpy". GameSpy. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  32. ^ George, Richard (20 July 2010). "SDCC 10: The Return of Driver". IGN. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  33. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (18 June 2010). "Driver: San Francisco gets the Collector's Edition treatment". VG247. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
  34. ^ "Ripten's Best of E3 2010 Awards". Ripten. 25 June 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
  35. ^ Crecente, Brian (29 June 2010). "Kotaku's Best of E3 2010 Award Winners". Kotaku. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
  36. ^ "Best of E3 2010 Awards: Best Driving Game". GameTrailers. March 24, 2010. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
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