Game Boy Advance

Driver 2

Driver 2 Advance is both impressive and enjoyable. Sure, the cities could look more realistic and the gameplay could be more diverse, but you'd be hard pressed to direct any real criticism toward any aspect of the game. Driver 2 Advance is simply great, not just for fans of the series, but for most any GBA owner who can handle the subject matter.

Driver 2 Advance is a solid game and, for the most part, provides an excellent translation of the series. Thus, many of its followers will have no objection and players new to the series can take over the wheel without any problem. Granted, the visuals seem pixelated at first and some other details were missing to suit the limits set on Game Boy Advance, but none of these complaints seem to register once on the roadway. Like Grand Theft Auto these days and even Crazy Taxi a couple years ago, the Driver series inspires a certain degree of freedom in players. Without question, that same great sense of freedom remains intact for this Game Boy Advance translation.

Overall, this game did satisfy my gaming needs in that it accomplished a task that is mandatory in a videogame. It kept my interest and then gave me some extra’s to nibble on. It certainly is a cut above the rest. Not only was this game graphically epic, featuring two large cities, but it sported a 3D engine that had some flaws, but never failed to turn heads. I’m sure a lot of handheld gamers out there are thanking the people over at Atari for bringing us this one.

Unfortunately, this is the type of game that naturally takes a massive hit by being shrunk down, and it certainly did here. It's essentially the same feel, but you don't get nearly the same excitement out of it. A kick in speed would have helped, but if you're looking to take a drive down the mean streets of the GBA world, it's not going to get better than this any time soon.

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.

Should you buy Driver 2? I would say yes if you can find it for ten bucks. It is not worth $30 as there are so many more quality games out for the system. However, Driver 2 does offer some great new advances in the GBA's history as it is one of the first games to offer a free roaming aspect. But the turning and camera are flawed while the graphics and sound don't stick out in anyway. The multiplayer is fun but it is difficult to find another person with a copy of the game. Despite the glitchiness, Driver 2 isn't that bad of a game if you can find it cheap.

The driving action is believable enough, and the car moves around realistically, sliding and skidding, knocking over objects and scaring the hell out of pedestrians. What doesn't come through well is the interaction you should be able to have or not have with your surroundings. I love the premise of the game and the multiplayer action is awesome, but if controlling the car becomes more of a chore than a pleasure because of control issues, a driving game might as well be put to rest. Getting around and seeing the big town maps scroll by is a treat, and there are lots of neat little story elements that will motivate some to keep trying. For me, when the going got tough and the game seemed to be spitting the same tired issues at me (overly aggressive AI and some glitchy edge-detection), I decided to put Driver 2 back in the garage and take something else out for a spin.

Driver 2 Advance n’est décidément pas une réussite. Ne vous fiez pas aux apparences, car sous une 3D réussie se cache un jeu minable que vous regretterez d’acheter. Je vous aurai prévenu !