Driver 2: The Wheelman is Back brings
back the same great things we loved in the original. Unfortunately, it also
brings back the glitches, pop-ups, and all of that. Making a sequel to a hit
game is one of the easiest things to do. All you need is some new features, and
to have ridden the game of past errors. So, why was this so hard for
Reflections?
In Driver 2, you are Tanner, and undercover
getaway driver trying to keep a war from breaking out. While the story may not
be that great, the FMV sequences have surely improved, and they help you enjoy
your time through the game. That is, until you get to the part when you actually
need to drive.
The difficulty of the game has increased so
drastically since the last one, even the best will have trouble. For the new
coming gamers who haven't played the first, they will find it hard to jump into
the game. In Driver 1, you started out "practicing" and learning how
to attempt moves before you could actually start missions. While this may not
have been fun, it surely prepared you for what you were in for. Unlike the
first, Driver 2 throws you into a full blown mission right away. This leaves the
novice drivers shaking with frustration.
The cities are much larger and much more
detailed. Whether it is bypasses, curved roads, or just the risible bridge,
Driver 2 has it all. One of the great new features in the game is that you can
now exit from your car and steal another. this is a great way to lose cops. If
you get felony (the amount of laws you break in a police officers field
of vision), a great way to lose those cops is to lose your ride and take a new
one. The one problem to this is that the variety of cars isn't that great.
However, each car handles differently.
It seems to me that Reflections rushed this
game to get it out before the launch of the PS2. I say this because there are so many errors and glitches in this game that it amazes you. While the cops AI
is increased, the other cars on the road are idiots. They don't seem to realize
that when you see a bus coming head-on going 70 mph, you should move and not
just honk and slow down. Also, the frame rate is horrible; it is choppy and
slow. When there is a lot of activity around you, the whole game goes really
slow. Along with that, things just pop up in front of you. This is something
that haunted the original Driver. I will be running from the police who are
close behind and suddenly a car or building pops up feet in front of me causing
me to crash. Even worse, sometimes you don't even see the car until after you
have hit it. It doesn't happen all the time, but it is very annoying when it
does. Often, when you are driving, wall just disappear and you can see through
them. Plus, if you drive down a steep incline, the screen might get all messed
up and you can't see anything. Driver 2 clearly has many problems.
A great new addition to Driver is that it is
now two player. This is something I would have loved to have last game, and am
glad to have it now. You can choose between several different games to play with
your friend. These include just going for a ride, playing Cops 'N Robbers,
playing Capture the Flag, and more. It is a great new feature which I am
glad to see. Unfortunately, you can only play in a section of the city and you
are the only two cars on the road.
While Driver 2 might not be all I
wanted to get, it is still a fun game with much to offer. Let's just hope that Reflections
can correct all these errors for Driver 3.