''Driver '76'' is a 2007

action-adventure An action-adventure game is a video game genre, video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Definition An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements f ...

and

driving Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a land vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. A driver's permission to drive on public highways is granted based on a set of conditions being met, and drivers are required to ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

for the

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...

. It was developed by

Ubisoft Reflections Ubisoft Reflections Limited (formerly Reflections and later Reflections Interactive Limited) is a British video game developer and a studio of Ubisoft based in Newcastle upon Tyne. Founded in 1984 by Martin Edmondson and Nicholas Chamberlain, th ...

and

Sumo Digital Sumo Digital Ltd. is a British video game developer based in Sheffield and the principal subsidiary of Sumo Group since 2017. The company was founded in 2003 by four former members of the management team of Infogrames Studios. History Sumo D ...

, and published by

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...

, and is the only ''Driver'' title for the system. The game is a prequel to '' Driver: Parallel Lines'' (2006), set two years prior. ''Driver 76'' is very similar, set in the same game world environment and sharing most of the same vehicles as well as soundtrack, with minor differences in each of these. Plotwise, it revolves around player-character Ray and his friend Slink, both of whom were supporting characters in ''Parallel Lines''.

Gameplay

Mission structure is similar to '' Driver: Parallel Lines'', where driving is an important aspect in gameplay, shooting still remains in the game. Most missions are driving based while some are shootouts or when Ray sits in the back of a car and shoots incoming enemies. There are a total of 27 missions, grouped into 6 chapters, with the player awarded money, cars or weapons when successfully completed. Alongside these are the optional side missions such as delivering, track racing and demolition derbies. Missions, as well as the garage of vehicles, are all accessed via a single navigatable menu rather than accessed through a fully playable

open world In video games, an open world is a virtual world in which the Gamer, player can approach objectives freely, as opposed to a world with more linear and structured gameplay. Notable games in this category include ''The Legend of Zelda (video game ...

. That also means that the player doesn't have to drive across the city to start a mission, which is the case in ''Parallel Lines''. There is however an option for free roaming. ''Driver 76'' also has

ad hoc ''Ad hoc'' is a List of Latin phrases, Latin phrase meaning literally for this. In English language, English, it typically signifies a solution designed for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a Generalization, generalized solution ...

multiplayer modes. ''Driver 76'' uses

comic a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicat ...

-styled illustrations rather than cinematic cutscenes, making the game behave more like a comic book, a unique aspect among the ''Driver'' games.

Plot

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

during the year 1976, the story starts with Ray (

Brian Bloom Brian Keith Bloom (born June 30, 1970) is an American actor and screenwriter. He co-wrote the screenplay and starred in '' The A-Team'', produced by brothers Tony and Ridley Scott. Bloom is the voice of Captain America in '' The Avengers: Earth ...

), a wheelman. He falls in love with Chen Chi (

Dionne Quan Dionne Quan (born October 20, 1978) is an American actress, known for her roles as Kimi Watanabe-Finster in '' Rugrats'' and Trixie Tang in '' The Fairly OddParents''. Early life Quan was born in Oakland, California to Lori and Daryl Quan, who ...

), but she's already got someone, Jimmy ( Masi Oka). With the help of Slink (Geoff Brown), he gains respect from Chen Chi's father, Zhou ( Clyde Kusatsu), but Ray is then betrayed and has to earn money in the meantime. He eventually meets back with Zhou who informs Ray that Jimmy is a traitor, leading to Ray and Slink attempting to take down Jimmy's empire.

Development

The game was announced in January 2007. It was the first ''Driver'' title published by

, who had purchased the franchise from

Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French holding company Atari SA (formerly Infogrames) and its focus is on "video games, consumer hardware, licensing and bl ...

the previous year.

Reception

''Driver 76'' received "mixed" reviews according to video game

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

. Dave McCarthy of

Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...

gave praise to the soundtrack, the comic-book plot presentation, and called the voice acting "first class", but was critical of controls, glitches and some of the plot narrative.

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

's Jeff Haynes was more critical for the "extremely short" story, "useless collectibles", and "weak on-foot combat".

References

External links

''Driver'' official website

Ubisoft's ''Driver 76'' page
* {{Authority control 2007 video games Driver (video game series) Multiplayer and single-player video games Open-world video games Organized crime video games PlayStation Portable games PlayStation Portable-only games Sumo Digital games Ubisoft games Video game prequels Video games developed in the United Kingdom Video games set in 1976 Video games set in New Jersey Video games set in New York City