Driver 3 (2004)

The original Driver game was revamped in 2004 with many elements improved like more realistic graphics, more realistic driving physics, modern cars, exotic cities to dash through (crowded Istanbul and sunny Nice), options to leave the car and continue on foot or using boats, motorcycles, trucks or even mopeds. The basic idea remained the same - we are hired as getaway driver, but this time the missions are concentrated more on stealing luxury cars or dealing with more complicated tasks that involve leaving the car and using weapons.

Unfortunately in the process of making it more similar to popular Grand Theft Auto series the creators lost a lot of elements that made the original Driver so popular - the dynamic actions, the originality, the unique driving feeling with the auto-handbrake option and soft suspensions, not to mention the mirror that was vital during the car chases. Also the new set of controls (especially those used when outside of the car) were simply poor and made it even harded to complete the tasks than it would be fun to.

Another flaw was the improved AI of the police cars, which put additional strain on the player, but also made the car chases less fun. In original games policemen made mistakes while in heavy traffic, here they drive perfectly and their cars are magical version of real police cars catching up with even fastest cars that are available in the game, also they drive without any drifting, which means it is harder and less fun to run away from them.

Driver 3 was interesting approach to the series, but with Grand Theft Auto competition it did not stand the chance and became almost parody of the original game.