Let's Play - Driv3r!

Welcome to our Let's Play series, where we revisit some of Reflections' most loved games, and talk to the developers that worked on them.
In this episode, Paul and Martin tackle Driv3r, sharing their experiences working on the game, the challenges they faced, and the evolution of the Driver franchise.

[@Gustingorriz]

New Driver please. A Driver is not a The Crew nor a Watch Dogs. A Driver is... a Driver. We desperately need something fresh focused on driving (not racing) in the arcade genre. I hope this video go further. Thanks for this revival!

[@gamedestiny2520]

Exactly, we need car chases and stunts. We need getaways and explosions. Needs to feel likes one of those classic car chase movies.

[@Dave_Albright]

@@gamedestiny2520 I'm thinking of Driver (+Stuntman) with a map of The Cew

[@NFSracers1]

​​@@Dave_Albrightdriver don't need big open world map like the crew.

[@luxoflux5064]

"We desperately"?

[@arthurmorgan2906]

@@luxoflux5064 yes. The market is way too hungry for games of this genre. Thanks to milkstar's monopoly. Back in the day 25 years ago Driver started as a competition to GTA... I was a little kid but I still remember that.

[@VortexStory]

Amazing! I wish Let's Play could be done on all Driver games! "Michael Madsen... Kids are gonna love it" DRIV3R Making-Off reference! #ReDriver

[@zngru]

Russian version does not have voice acting by Michael Madsen, so I do not know what DRIVER 3 was like in the English original.

[@DomPeriod]

​@@zngruThe original English version of Driv3r is one of those games that seems like most of the budget was blown on big name actors

[@zngru]

@@DomPeriod There is an opinion that these famous actors voiced the characters of the game very mediocre. What surprises me more is that everything in the game is poorly implemented except for car models and their physical behavior on the road. At the same time, already in DRIVER PARALLEL LINES, the entire gameplay was implemented neatly and conveniently.

[@AkiRalcolf]

​@@zngruMore like the Driving was seriously toned down. There's no weight to them. They all feel the same, the cars sink all the way down like a boulder when in the air, etc.

[@Stevo_1985]

Well done with your content on the Driver series ✅

[@OhMrZack]

All I ask, just please remaster Driv3r 🙏

[@zngru]

Series Remakes.

[@Don_Ramiro]

Would be awesome. But to be fair, what this game really needs is not a remaster, but a remake.

[@markoz673bajen8]

Tanner & Slater

[@arthurmorgan2906]

remakes... learn the fkn difference. Remasters are just some basic visual upgrades, remakes are new games made from scratch. This is way too old for remaster.

[@Fey-ml6qs]

Not remaster it's remake

[@zombie-2358]

A remake of the first three Driver games would blow up on the market!

[@TaccRaccoon]

Id love to see it

[@daddydallas4789]

They need to remake Driver Parallel Lines as well. Got the best story out of them all and the concept of changing eras is too unique to ignore

[@elgrandesmokio2725]

@@daddydallas4789Absolutely! Driver: Parallel Lines was such a good game. 76 was decent too.

[@arthurmorgan2906]

@@daddydallas4789 yes. Driver PL was the best in my opinion.

[@DaddyCRUDE]

Imagine it was like Halo Master Chief Collection - where by all the Driver games are in one big game, remastered with single player and multiplayer available. I honestly wouldn't leave my room! 😆

[@Willzyyy]

9:36 - Parallel Lines mentioned! :D But seriously, this was great to watch and to hear your thoughts/processes on making this classic. Hope to see you guys play more Driver!

[@scarlettNET]

If any game deserves a remake, it's this one. There was so much potential that could easily be realised if a good amount of development time and budget was properly given this time around. It's the closest thing to a playable Michael Mann film we've gotten.

[@sensuu5257]

Bring back Driver saga

[@DaddyCRUDE]

Yes please!

[@trollyoazz5439]

This game is so nostalgic it almost makes me cry and I recently bought a 85 inch tv a and a huge sound system with a 16 inch subwoofer and I watch my dad play driv3r daily like I did as a kid and I REALLY appreciate you guys for making my childhood extremely fun and memorable

[@sstephiL]

Driver 2 was my FIRST game on PS1. I used to play it every day as a kid, completed it and till this day I open it up to complete and enjoy it again. Then there was Driver 1. And after there was Driv3r(!), Parallel Lines and D: San Francisco. Driv3r is the most memorable for me and that's the title I play too till this day. Actually have it installed on my PC. Driv3r comeback would be the out of this world. Most amazing thing. Thank you for this gameplay and commentary!

[@AkiRalcolf]

You got the Driver 3 Definitive Edition mod? It fixes a lot of graphical glitches etc

[@sstephiL]

​@@AkiRalcolfI don't, but I'll give a try to modding community. Thanks man

[@Efthious]

Despite its jank, I absolutely loved that game. It had a unique charm to it, felt like a fully playable movie, amazing atmosphere, the missions were fantastic and I loved cruising around the three maps of this game.

[@AkiRalcolf]

Still play it. It still has the best driving physics I have ever seen, the music, and the weight to the vehicles when you crash into them

[@Cheezus]

the PC controls are supreme jank, but the game was so fun. I loved going to the secret gokart track or driving around in the mall in the gokart lol

[@AkiRalcolf]

@@Cheezus That's what controller support is for

[@Gravfox_]

These guys deserve a podcast !!

[@John-TannerDSF]

When I first saw this video, I couldn't believe my eyes, reflections playing DRIV3R? No way! The ones who made the game itself, This is very special for us to see, I hope in the future we will see more DRIVER games it's been so long😢.

[@70stastic]

I love Driv3r so much. I'd love a remaster but I'd even be happy to have a PS5 port. I still play it on my old PS2

[@arthurmorgan2906]

please revive Driver. We need that so much in this dead end era without any proper open world games in the last 10 years in classic eras.

[@ShootinandStressin]

I’ll never forget going to a used video game store as a child and my dad deciding to buy a poker gamer and Driv3r was actually the game inside the case. Will never forget

[@OreoForRuario]

As much as reviews were mixed for this game and it was rushed out, it did create a lot of memories. The cars were fun to drive, the cities were detailed and more varied than you'd usually get. I showed the game to my younger siblings years ago, and to this day they willl occassionaly load it up to muck about with the fork lifts and the draw bridges and such. One of the core games of our childhoods definitely.

[@RollingDude.]

The soundtrack for this game is absolutely incredible....whoever was in charge of choosing the songs for this game has an amazing music taste. The official soundtrack CD with Iggy Pop as a narrator between tracks is just one of the best game related music experiences i had in my life and i still listen to it until this day...

[@richaitken9603]

i thank you

[@RollingDude.]

@@richaitken9603 Wait....are you...actually the guy behind that masterpiece? 😱 .... Was you also involved in Parallel Lines and San Francisco by any chance? This is a curiosity i always had since the soundtrack for those games were also exceptionally good too and it had a similar "style". It even featured Narco again (which is such a criminally underrated band)

[@richaitken9603]

@@RollingDude. Narco was me too :). My band with Cave Samrai on vocals and Marc Canham (google him - excellent film composer now) on guitar. Yup also the same for PL and SF. Enjoyable times my friend!

[@RollingDude.]

@@richaitken9603 WOW😱! and i was literally listening Narco yesterday!! im honestly out of words.. it is an honor to chat with you even though it is through YT comments of all places 😄 You have no idea how influential and meaningful your work was for me. When Driv3r came out i was only a 14 year old kid at the time but the soundtrack really stuck with me... Throughout the years playing the other games you had worked in, it pretty much molded my music taste and introduced me to so many incredible artists and songs that i still listening today! Thank you so much for that man!

[@VortexStory]

​@@richaitken9603 If you have some never-released soundtracks lying around, feel free to share them ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@ReplicantBattyman]

Mad how these guys can't remember so much but this game was a huge part of my childhood. Thanks for all the memories - may not have lived up to the expectations but I was blown away as a kid playing this on the PS2

[@joshuafoster7772]

DRIV3R Is My Most Favorite Game I Grew Up Playing It Ever Scence I Was 5 Or 4 Or Something Along Those Ages And I Still Play It Im 17

[@badr5790]

One of my fav games of all time 😍 despite technical issues, driving physics were ahead of it’s time, cinematic scenes and the soundtrack, characters and cities

[@Krrly]

absolutely love driver! a new driver or a remaster of san francisco would be an absolute dream

[@kikons78]

Watching Paul and Martin agonise over the same missions as I did as a kid.... an amazing and touching view that brings back a huge amount of nostalgia. This game is one of the biggest and most important parts of my childhood. Thank you for this video. Thank you for Driv3r!

[@imembridibuddha]

Despite the criticism Driv3r got at the time and the fact that it was released 20 years ago, the car physics and collision physics are still top tier to this day. T-boning a car and seeing it rollover felt pretty natural and realistic. What sets Driver apart from other games is that it's unforgiving and the car physics did not hold the player's hand. Apart from this, Driv3r is also pretty moody. Good graphics for the time, great neo-noir story and cutscenes. I still crave for more open-world games like this.

[@AkiRalcolf]

Yes!!

[@_Braised]

The physics were top tier... the collisions absolutely were not. Curbs could utterly wreck your whole car and if you clipped an open car door you'd hit the mass of the whole car and the door wouldn't swing at all. Driver 2 had the best balance.

[@AkiRalcolf]

@@_Braised Cap. Each car you crash into feels realistic

[@_Braised]

@@AkiRalcolf Not even close

[@AkiRalcolf]

@@_Braised Surreee. That's your opinion nothing more

[@davidautosport]

Spectacular initiative! Long live Driver and Reflections

[@ahmedben9532]

Driver (driver 2 was something else) has a special place in my heart. i really hope we will get more driver games in the future. despite all the hate it got, i think driver 3 had its special vibes.

[@DalazG]

Nice to know people that made Driver still exist at Reflections. I thought ubisoft had already replaced them all. Ubisoft made a terrible decision to just ignore the franchise so long that most people don't even know what it is anymore. It used to almost be neck and neck with gta

[@SRC267]

Miami map, Mustang. Take A Ride.

[@DevinRyanVitek]

Always loved the atmosphere in this game. That Rooftops mission was so cool, driving in the night and going through the hotel. DRIV3R remake, anyone?

[@Mundo_NFS]

How wonderful it would be for the Driver franchise to return, but only focusing on driving and nothing else, no shooting involved.

[@gm3341]

It would be better with guns and action, but in the Driver style

[@darcykeddell4930]

like driver san fran? that game was awesome

[@Beretta980]

This was such a treat to watch. Give us a new Driver please!

[@Ciril619]

Thanks to all team. Thanks to the team that the first game of my life was Driver: San Francisco (I was 5 years old, played right after release on my brother's laptop). Thank you that I can still see echoes of the “movie” in The Crew Motorfest. Thank you that I spent a huge amount of time in the first The Crew. The Driver and The Crew series of games have greatly influenced my character and life through introductions to other players and continue to do so. Thank you for continuing your work and I hope you can make other projects related to the Driver franchise pretty good. Good luck on the road and never drive alone, Drivers!

[@RetroIgor996]

Despite all of its problems, Driv3r had many thing to enjoy honestly: the driving, the cutscenes, the soundtrack and the whole atmosphere. They were and still are unique in a way.

[@Duckingheights]

My childhood right here. My first game I've ever played as a kid among my most cherished and, best ever damage models in a open world crime game and the best arcadic driving I've seen in this genre. It's the most perfect mix of having enough control of your car but not too much, which in turn creates a well thought out easy to learn hard to master skill to driving. So ahead of it's time especially the theatre mode / film director just as comparable as film director mode on Driver 1 and 2. In fact, not just ahead of it's time but technically impressive pulling it off on more limited hardware 4-5 years before GTA 4 did it on PC while counting on-foot elements and 9 years before GTA 4 for Driver 1. Also, definitely among the coolest of games I've played for sure. While the ending is as odd as Once Upon A Time America's ending other than that, the atmosphere and cutscenes are so well done that, you just can't find it's style anywhere else. I love how focused the cutscene's style is how natural people talk like with Madsen and Ving Rhames in the 'You Shot Him' cutscene, the Trapped cutscene, and the Fingers cutscene, it just plays out very organically. Plus in-game as well the atmosphere really puts you in a nice vibe. Overall, this game evokes the most memories of any game I've played. There are some art media that you engage in that they age poorly as time gets on, or age well through time, and with what I mentioned about it's game's strongest elements, this is a art media that has aged well over time. Because as a kid, I loved it and looking back now, the cutscene details I'm noticing now the new found appreciation for it's atmosphere and it's music, there's no other game quite like it and really, this still stands as the top 10 games of all time for me personally or at the very least, the top 10 games I respect the most or the top 10 games that influenced my taste in games the most. Among my favourite game I've experienced of all time, and uhhh, if any of the Reflections employees reading this long comment I made um hope you enjoyed reading through my very detailed dissection and appreciation for why I love Driv3r haha. That's all.

[@Gregorovich1997]

I loved the Driver series, I really hope you bring it back again!

[@DayIX]

At least like once I year I comeback to select PS2 Games that I can't play on modern platforms. This is one of those games. Loved the series

[@undercvr2485]

DRIV3R LETS GOOO!!! We would LOVE a new driver game!!

[@nightmoodandy9146]

This video is so refreshing. First of all, it is incredible to know that people who made Driver are still working at Reflections. Then, your feedback and honest take on the qualities and imperfections of the game bring a great touch of authencity and self criticism, to an era where fakeness and self-justification rule the internet. Now bring Driver back !

[@keatonwastaken]

Driv3r had the potential to be a truly unique game, so ahead of its time but it was quite unfinished in it's release. Such a cool game with a cool engine, creative direction, unique countries but plagued by a lot of bad luck. Bringing it back in a remake would be so damn cool.. or a new Driver game in general..

[@TheBlueLightChannel]

A remaster of this game would blow the GTA series out of the water.

[@mr.goodboi2780]

Driv3r was one of the funnest games I've ever played. Broken as hell in spots but the free mode is unmatched. I would love to drop full price on a new Driv3r-esque game with similar physics and a multiplayer online chaos mode like the free ride version of this game. Me and dad had endless fun with this and the scope and feeling of the game still sticks with me to this day. Loved the commentary and hearing about how things got made too. Knowing the ghost arrow cars are an actual person's recorded playthrough instead of AI makes the difficulty make a lot of sense! I'm also glad you guys made the lamp posts breakable in future games, that killed a lot of great runs in this game, but at times did make it more challenging.

[@rodrigoaijo]

WE NEED A NEW DRIVER GAME!!

[@DedAlexFive]

You guys were responsable for Driver and Destruction Derby. Cant thank you enough!

[@TheRealBandit69]

I loved the vibe, the music and the ambience of Driv3r, and specifically the difficulty, felt like such an achievement when a mission was passed! Miss that challenge.

[@loikinglish]

Wow, this video was a great surprise!! Seeing two developers of my favorite childhood games talking about some behind-the-scenes stuff 😁 Thanks for this! Please make a new Driver 🥰 I have a Stuntman 3 Trailer on my channel if anyone is curious 😁😁

[@Royal_Rails]

''Man this game is so hard!'' ''Don't worry, the devs couldn't do it either.''

[@C.I...]

I think in this case it looks like they have a fair amount of input lag to deal with since they're not using a CRT.

[@renatonehr1323]

If you guys doing it, please Driv3r and Gta 4 base physics for the car. Make it feel real! I love how hard they work to resonate with the classic chases from movies! The weight, balance, sound, destruction. It was perfect!

[@Ceeed100]

Gotta love the main menu and theme Even as a kid back than I always loved the destruction and car handling. Also that you and your car have 2 separate wanted levels. AND BULLET HOLES never saw that before. It took GTA until 4 to get em in :D

[@SolidSnake995]

I grown up with Driver game series since I was 3 years old. I still play these games nowday and I really wish one day we’ll have a proper remastered or remake of these masterpieces. Thanks to all the developers who created such series.

[@11kimczi]

big part of childhood

[@Monacomaverick]

Dang, I didn't know Reflections had been around as long as I have. I've played a lot of their games growing up in the 90s!

[@MarieJoLeroux]

So great to see you guys! Miss you very much Paul and Moliver! 😘

[@DontBlink.]

loved this game!! would love a remaster or a new Driver ;)

[@JayBirdBlu_117]

DRIV3R is a Nostalgic Gem! 💎 // #KeepDRIV3RAlive

[@WiktorGaming595]

You two Deserve A Podcast!

[@xbilly_vedovelli1228]

We need a remake of this pls, my 2nd fav game ever after mgs A well done remake, will redeme What happend with driver saga in 2004… It would be amazing

[@elsenior8110]

Please revive the series 😭😭😭

[@Lagom0rph]

This was absolutely great, very insightful, loved it. PLEASE do one for each driver game (and stuntman), we deserve at least this much :(

[@chrisw443]

Honestly a driv3r remaster would be cool. That way we have san francisco and a remastered driv3r for our modern games.

[@freshcutflower]

Absolutely adore the things Reflections worked on, Driver 3 was a product of it's time and definitely only got a cult following way after it's release, which is a shame.

[@NFSracers1]

I love all Driver's games, but the first three are special. ❤❤ What I will never understand is how the wonderful driving model of Driver San Francisco was lost and not reused for The Crew.

[@Chr.Monika6469]

The game that once was better than GTA... That's gotta mean something, man. I wished Driv3r had a remake, for real!

[@icyclegaming2329]

I love the driver series and would love for it to come back loved each one for being different from the last but driver san fransisco didn't hit like the others did. Driver 1 was difficult and hard at times, Driver 2 was the first time we could exit cars and steal them too, Driver 3 finally had guns and each car felt different like it should and Driver parallel lines was the first to have it start in the 80s and then progress into the 2000. These games are legendary and deserve a remaster the right way and a revival of the series. I love the idea of having 3 to 4 maps and having to play the campaign to unlock them and the past to current time period with tones of cars to customise

[@rjbishop6128]

This in no way makes me want to play Driv3r again, but it's cool to watch you guys looking back 😊

[@VortexStory]

*Mistake*

[@pessimistickris2718]

I dream of a remake of this game with all the og gun sounds and maybe a few new weapons such as Jericho's sawed off shotgun. Despite all the hate this game got, I feel like it didn't deserve it. Thank you for making my childhood. Cheers!

[@Rodrigo-nj4og]

Please Ubisoft, make a new Driver game !!!

[@LetsPlaymaker]

miss this franchise so much...

[@walkerwhited]

I love how telephone poles and stuff werent smashable. More realistic and tougher. Would be interesting to do more of that today. We have more realistic shooters but not really realistic open worlders. Really bothers me they talk about how to make things “easier” for today like smashables and rubber banding.

[@MartysWhiteSuit]

Wonderful memories of playing this game.

[@CopiousDoinksLLC]

Man, I wonder how people who bought "The Crew" feel about watching you two having a blast playing an old racing game.

[@Crazy_Borg]

Cool insights into the development, thanks! Always loved the game, the slowmotion mode combined with the cinematic camera created some really stunning images. I gave up in the mission where you drove a white Sportscar and had to drive, aim and shoot at the same time.

[@VortexStory]

Retribution 🥸

[@squeak5213]

what a game

[@joebirdy4787]

This is absolutely brilliant to see! The whole driver series was amazing but like most of the comments here I think Driv3r just had something very special about it, even with its problems and being the underdog at the time, there was nothing like driving through Nice at night seeing all the colours down the promenade! The storyline, the missions, cars, music everything. It really deserves a remaster to just finalise what it should have been in the demos with all its extras! Oh and not sure if it’s just me, but Driv3r storyline would make one HELL of a film 😍

[@enfantterrible4868]

They're actually making a new Driver game

[@zKoruja]

Driver San Francisco was actually really nice, I'd like to see another "experimental" driver game. Or something like parallel lines, no realistic bullshit

[@RobertT1999]

I was hoping they'd explore Tanner's apartment more than just the unintended foreplay with the entrance way 😅 The realisation that he doesn't have a bathroom frightens me.

[@ZelMG]

This games was goated, everyone was playing GTA while I was playing this back in 2005-09

[@sunriseDPL4242]

I would love to get let's play of Parallel Lines and get to know some new stuff from behinde the scenes

[@Lordicus21]

Just imagine a remake of Driv3r to go head to head with GTA 6 ❤‍🔥❤‍🔥

[@agipandi4482]

One of the best game soundtracks ever. Turned me into music in general.

[@calumjones9265]

Loved this. Thank you so much. I loved this flawed masterpiece deeply and it was a huge part of my childhood. My father bought me the first 4 driver games as rewards for various school achievements. He passed in 2011 and I used some money he bought me to buy San Francisco. Please consider remasters or resurrecting the driver series, I'd love to revisit some old memories. Tanner Lives!

[@johncarpenter8527]

Honestly The Getaway 1 & 2 need remasters. Those I feel like would blow up. Upgraded gameplay mechanics, more blood, ability to swim, aircraft such as helicopters. It would outdo the mafia franchise I bet

[@loikinglish]

I was so sad when they canceled The Getaway 3 😭😭

[@adidragan]

one of the first games I bought for my PS2, fond memories.

[@lxarchives5482]

9:45 pretty sure the devs are wrong about there not existing an AI that drives not based on scripted/prerecorded paths; Driver 2's Find the Clue mission had dynamic AI pathfinding which was quite impressive for it's time. Guess they didn't work on that one or forgot in the 25 years.

[@AhmadWahelsa]

This may sounds silly but take a look at Cyberpunk, Ubisoft can reboot this series starring Ryan Gosling.

[@TLSFC5050]

Please give us a remaster. This is my all-time favorite game. The crash physics are still some of the best there is aside from Beam NG

[@speedwaynutt]

I remember years ago Nerdcubed complaining about the house having no Bathroom.

[@C.I...]

The graphics and physics absolutely left every other game at the time in the dust. A crying shame that Atari wouldn't allow it to be finished before release. Still, I don't think I would have played it half as much when I was younger if it hadn't had so many funny glitches to laugh at.

[@RAFAEL199O]

Tanner is a real man if they bring back a new driver character it's probably going to be a geek guy or a Girly one

[@agus.lorenzo]

PLEASE A REMASTER!!!! It will be so awesome. One of my favorite games ever

[@TomLehockySVK]

Driver San Francisco needs to be added back to stores and also needs a sequel !

[@NumaanTahir]

We need driver san fransico back in stores.

[@Vengeance19]

I remember the hype back then, followed by the dissapointment, but I played this last year out curiousity and was pleasantly surprised! Played it on pc so had to mess around with the setup and the controls, and yes even though its still pretty janky when everythings setup, i find it a very charming and entertaining game. Maybe not as polished as lets say Vice City, but I think i wouldve still enjoyed it back then if i wouldve ignored the complete media circus surrounding this.

[@BearlyRegal]

Ruddy love the Driver games. Curious to see what times the Ubi Refections crew can achieve in Driver's tutorial/car park level

[@zngru]

Make Remake.

[@Mobius_Ap3x]

I love the Driver series! Awesome video guys! 😎

[@DaddyCRUDE]

C'mon, give us a new Driver game! 😆You know we all want it! 😉Great video - it's so nice to see the developers playing their game so many years on. 🙏

[@jordantaylorrocks]

Great game from my childhood. Very advanced game foe the time

[@Memoquin1866]

I love Driver 3 for it faults but it’s interesting that devs point out issues and how they came about

[@iuripacheco3699]

Thanks guy, you made me want play this game again right now ❤️

[@DangusBoom]

Need The Driver franchise is back. Best games of all time.