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Review:

21st February 2003:
Driver 2 Advance
Driver on the Playstation was an amazing achievement but how does it fare on the GBA?
Posted by John Wasabi - Game Boy Advance - UK and Europe

The original Driver was amazing, it was well ahead of its time on the Playstation and will be one of those games that will be fondly remembered even when Playstation 234 comes out.

The question then remains... Why bother with a GBA version of Driver 2? For a start, it begins rather promising with familiar gameplay and mission structures such as get from point A to point B in a set time limit, follow the target from a distance without spooking him, and the one we all love... Pummel the opposition till his vehicle needs AA assistance. With mission structures accurately portrayed on the GBA you could say Driver 2 advance has the done well to capture the feel of the Playstation but obviously on a smaller scale. The gripe I have here is limitations; the kind of detail and environment modelling found on the PlayStation means that this version is a lot less exciting. It may sound harsh but it's true because the fact of the matter is the GBA does not have these luxuries and its only when you can look past these luxuries experienced on other platforms that you can sit down and play Driver 2 advance comfortably. At times the game can be dull, but Driver 2 advance has some exciting moments as you slam on the handbrakes doing a 90 degree turn into a tight alleyway to escape capture from the cops or pursuing gangsters. It is because Driver 2 advance does enough to capture the essence of the Playstation version that makes it work and exciting most of the time.

Hats off to Developer Sennari for they have turned in a solid 3D engine for Infogrames in Driver 2 Advance. The 3D engine although not the most technically perfect or advanced engine on the system, has on the plus side achieved an excellent physics engine and driving control model to bring a very complete version of the game to the tiny screen. Other that the flat, bland looking streets and the lack of 3D car modelling, there are no letdowns in the engine. The engine is capable of huge traffic flows; it drives like the original, and most importantly recreates the behind-the-wheel feel of tight escapes and infinite choices that's essential to this sort of game.

While the cities are not detailed enough to memorize like that of Driver on the Playstation or GTA 3, they are extensive. Together with some memorable landmarks, the city itself is not just the same streets repeating lifelessly and endlessly. Instead you will be humbly surprised to see beaches, slums and posh areas plus with the inclusion of narrow back-alleys, it really helps add to that Driver feel and atmosphere.

Music and sound effects are a bit of a let down. Most of the time it is tinny and overlaps causing no significance or distinct sounds when you're playing. It feels and seems as if everything was recorded and played at the same volume with no consideration for fall off at all. Things are further made difficult by the fact that the music score clashes and gets moulded with the rumbling of engine sounds or crash effects causing an even more horrid irritable mixture of sounds that simply put, gets very annoying very fast.

Quite possibly one of the best aspects of Driver 2 advance is the welcome multiplayer options available for up to 4 players (providing of course you have friends and a link cable). Lots of varied game modes such as cops and robbers where you and your friends choose to be one or the other and the purpose is to chase each other ramming the robbers car to submission or in the case of the robber outmanoeuvre the cops to a safe distance earning himself a win. Other multiplayer modes include a straight race to the finish line and coupled with many other mini-games such as driving tests, Driver 2 advance has plenty of reply value if you give it the chance.

Overall the developers managed to do the business, pacing could have been better and although at times dull, slow and repetitive, there is still a great deal to be enjoyed and entertained here. Sure it could have taken advantage of better frame rate, mission design, 3D car modelling and better sound effects but for what its worth there's no game quite like it on the GBA and probably wont be for a long time coming (unless of course a GBA version of GTA 3 is released) so really all we can say is, if you want the Driver experience on the 'go' then you will definitely find it here.

John Wasabi

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Review Summary:

Overall the developers managed to do the business, pacing could have been better and although at times dull, slow and repetitive, there is still a great deal to be enjoyed and entertained here. If you want the Driver experience on the 'go' then you will definitely find it here.

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Driver 2 Advance
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