Driver 76

Driver 76
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Ubisoft
Director(s)Darren Mills
Designer(s)Ned Waterhouse
Programmer(s)
  • Steve Camber
  • James Graves
Artist(s)David Blewett
Composer(s)
SeriesDriver
Platform(s)PlayStation Portable
Release
  • NA: 8 May 2007
  • AU: 10 May 2007
  • EU: 11 May 2007
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player, Multiplayer

Driver '76 is a 2007 action-adventure and driving video game for the PlayStation Portable.[1] It was developed by Ubisoft Reflections and Sumo Digital, and published by Ubisoft, 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

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Gameplay screenshot showing the player driving the car while using a weapon

Mission structure is similar to Driver: Parallel Lines, where driving is an important aspect in gameplay, shooting still remains in the game.[2] 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.[3]

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. 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.[4] Driver 76 also has ad hoc multiplayer modes.[4]

Driver 76 uses comic-styled illustrations rather than cinematic cutscenes, making the game behave more like a comic book, a unique aspect among the Driver games.[4]

Plot

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In New York City during the year 1976, the story starts with Ray (Brian Bloom), a wheelman. He falls in love with Chen Chi (Dionne Quan), 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

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The game was announced in January 2007. It was the first Driver title published by Ubisoft, who had purchased the franchise from Atari the previous year.[5][3]

Reception

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Driver 76 received "mixed" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[6]

Dave McCarthy of Eurogamer 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.[4] IGN's Jeff Haynes was more critical for the "extremely short" story, "useless collectibles", and "weak on-foot combat".[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Driver 76 - PSP". IGN. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Haynes, Jeff (23 May 2007). "Driver 76 Review". IGN. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  3. ^ a b Burnes, Andrew (22 January 2007). "Driver 76 Announced". IGN. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e McCarthy, Dave (20 May 2007). "Driver 76". Eurogamer. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  5. ^ "Ubisoft announces Driver 76 for PSP". Engadget. 23 January 2007. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Driver 76 for PSP Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  7. ^ Edge staff (July 2007). "Driver 76". Edge. No. 177. p. 94.
  8. ^ Bertz, Matt (July 2007). "Driver 76". Game Informer. No. 171. Archived from the original on 8 January 2008. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  9. ^ Lewis, Cameron (17 May 2007). "Driver 76 review". GamesRadar. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  10. ^ Davis, Ryan (15 May 2007). "Driver 76 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  11. ^ Zacarias, Eduardo (28 May 2007). "Driver 76 - PSP - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  12. ^ Keller, Matt (17 June 2007). "Driver 76 Review". PALGN. Archived from the original on 6 March 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  13. ^ Freeman, Will (28 June 2007). "Driver 76 Review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  14. ^ Stevens, Tim (18 June 2007). "Driver 76". X-Play. Archived from the original on 22 November 2008. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
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