Driver: San Francisco Image
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 63 Critic Reviews What's this?

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8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 193 Ratings

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  • Summary: Developed by Ubisoft Reflections under the direction of the creators of the original title, DRIVER San Francisco marks the return of the established video game series that has sold 14 million copies worldwide. Gamers will play as Detective John Tanner on a relentless manhunt for crime lordDeveloped by Ubisoft Reflections under the direction of the creators of the original title, DRIVER San Francisco marks the return of the established video game series that has sold 14 million copies worldwide. Gamers will play as Detective John Tanner on a relentless manhunt for crime lord Charles Jericho through the hills of the City by the Bay. Thanks to a groundbreaking gameplay feature, players can now seamlessly "shift" between well over a hundred licensed vehicles, keeping them constantly in the heart of the action. With its timeless setting, unique car handling and renewed playability, DRIVER San Francisco will revitalize the classic free-roaming, cinematic car chase experience for the current generation of gaming platforms. Expand
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E3 2011: Driver: San Francisco Trailer
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 63
  2. Negative: 0 out of 63
  1. Sep 28, 2011
    95
    Until then, Driver: San Francisco is without a doubt, one of the most entertaining, innovative, and challenging racing games you can play on your console or PC.
  2. Sep 19, 2011
    88
    Action-paced racing in an intense thriller setting – highly recommended.
  3. Sep 12, 2011
    85
    All in All, Driver: San Francisco is a successful rebirth for the series.
  4. Aug 26, 2011
    80
    Undoubtedly the most complete, polished offering in the series to date. Tearing through the streets of San Francisco, forcing your car into manoeuvres that it probably shouldn't be able to do with the knowledge that you can hit X and take control of another car at any time is just as fun as it sounds.
  5. Sep 14, 2011
    80
    Simply put, it's consistently fun, never taking itself too seriously, and instead focusing on how enjoyable the act of driving can be when you throw in a supernatural curveball.
  6. Sep 6, 2011
    80
    When we first heard of the Shifting mechanic we thought this would be a total disaster. We couldn't be more mistaken: the new Driver is not only innovative, but also one of the greatest arcade racing games we've seen in some time.
  7. Aug 26, 2011
    60
    Driver: San Francisco would be an easy game to recommend if the mission design of the single player campaign were on a par with the quality of its technical elements. As things stands though, it seems that some good gameplay ideas have been wasted on level designers that simply didn't know how to make best use of them.

See all 63 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 40
  2. Negative: 0 out of 40
  1. Jul 1, 2013
    10
    Driver: Amazingly revolutionary, 10./10
    Driver 2:Not as good as the first 7/10
    Driv3r: A complete flop 5/10 Driver Parallel Lines: A huge
    Driver: Amazingly revolutionary, 10./10
    Driver 2:Not as good as the first 7/10
    Driv3r: A complete flop 5/10
    Driver Parallel Lines: A huge improvement over Driv3r and certainly a good contender to GTA: 8/10
    Driver 76: A nice stripped down portable version of parallel lines: 8/10
    Driver San Francisco: The perfect reboot of the series, takes the mechanics of the first game and everything that makes it great and mixes it up with the idea of taking control of multiple vehicles at your will, The best in the series so far without a doubt. 10/10

    Driver has had a fractured life, started great, then went down, then went up, then disappeared for about 4 years and then came screetching back in with an excellent reboot, let's hope "The Crew" will be as good as Driver SF was!
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  2. Feb 19, 2022
    10
    The greatest racing/open world game I've ever played, this game outdone every other racing game out there. The graphics, the AI control, theThe greatest racing/open world game I've ever played, this game outdone every other racing game out there. The graphics, the AI control, the vehicles, this game is amazing. Still enjoyable to this day and still one of my favorite games I've ever played. Driver San Francisco has a lot to offer. It all vehicle licensing you could imagine of. The driving physics is awesome. The storymode is flawless. The gameplay is amazing, this game aged like fine wine. 10/10 would 100% recommend. Expand
  3. Nov 29, 2011
    10
    Amazing and a sleeper hit it is.2011 is the best year ever for gaming so a game like this is going to be overlooked by most people.I actuallyAmazing and a sleeper hit it is.2011 is the best year ever for gaming so a game like this is going to be overlooked by most people.I actually got this game for $20 brand new because of black Friday.I would of paid the $40 for it if I would of known how awesome this game really is.The shift feature is a totally new idea and it work's flawless in this game.Some,of course,will knock it.I love it and the game is finally screaming with quality from head to toe.All those hours we wasted on Driv3r trying to find the part were it sucks you in but never did.Well people go out and get this game cause it renders all other Driver games obsolete.Game play,graphics,fun factor,replay value,sound,story it is all spot on and great in every way. Expand
  4. Mar 23, 2014
    9
    This was first Driver game I have played since 1 and 2 on PS1 and it has blown my mind on so many levels. Visuals are awesome, game-play andThis was first Driver game I have played since 1 and 2 on PS1 and it has blown my mind on so many levels. Visuals are awesome, game-play and controls are fluent and perfectly balanced, soundtrack is one of the best I have ever heard in games. Definitely best (non-sim) racing game I have played, with strong focus on story telling (real, interesting story in racing game!) and many new well balanced game mechanisms. If you are a racing person, this game is a must. Expand
  5. Oct 8, 2011
    8
    I was a fan of the original Driver and it's sequel Driver 2. I also managed to look past all the flaws of the 3rd game, and enjoyed that oneI was a fan of the original Driver and it's sequel Driver 2. I also managed to look past all the flaws of the 3rd game, and enjoyed that one as well. It was obvious the series was going down hill so I never played any of the games after that. Driver San Francisco is a definite return to form though. The game is all about driving, just like the first game and that's exactly how it should be. You can no longer get out of your vehicle and run around on foot, and considering how that was always the worst part of the previous games, this is a good thing. Instead you can just zoom the camera out to a birds eye view of the city and select a new vehicle to shift into. The whole story behind this is ridiculous but at the same time entertaining. I found myself enjoying this game from start to finish. Expand
  6. Apr 4, 2012
    8
    Really enjoyed this game. The variety of missions and cars allows you to jump in at any time and progress your storyline or just have someReally enjoyed this game. The variety of missions and cars allows you to jump in at any time and progress your storyline or just have some fun. Plenty of action and well produced. The only downside is a bit more attention could have been provided to the surrounding environs. The people jumping out of the way feels a bit weak Expand
  7. Jan 6, 2012
    6
    I wanted to like Driver San Francisco, I really did. The plot was interesting, and the graphics and visuals were great. Unfortunately, theI wanted to like Driver San Francisco, I really did. The plot was interesting, and the graphics and visuals were great. Unfortunately, the game suffers from 2 flaws which really diminish the experience. The first is that the driving physics are not enjoyable. It's very heavy on the brake/drift mechanic and the cars spun out way, way too easily. I don't claim to be an expert on if the physics are realistic according to the models of car or not, but I do know for a game like this, where driving plays a central role in the mechanics of the game, the physics diminish the fun factor of the game. Some missions I had to repeat several times due to poor AI (give me a chance to avoid crashing into some of the cars in the world!) and/or the insistence of the AI on racing missions that I destroy opposing cars. Most vehicles in the game fishtailed way, way too easily and handled very poorly. Understandable on semi truck or vw bus, not so much on a sports car.

    The second flaw is the the stovepipe way the storyline progresses. I would have enjoyed at least the illusion of an open world game - as each chapter in the story unfolds, you are given what looks like options to continue forward - but rest assured, you will have to complete each "suggested" mission before you can progress to the next level. In some cases, the missions are part of the story arc - and that makes sense - but often they are simply random people you never see again, or the mission has nothing to do with the overall plot of the game. I've enjoyed every game in the Driver series previous to this one, and would have loved to give this a higher rating. Unfortunately, this is a flawed gem.
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See all 40 User Reviews