Driver: San Francisco

 Xbox 360
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 63 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 63
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 63
  3. Negative: 0 out of 63
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  1. Extreme Gamer
    Sep 19, 2011
    72
    Driver: San Francisco is a successful revival of the Driver series. The new approach might be a little odd and silly compared to the core subject matter, but it works.
  2. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Sep 19, 2011
    70
    Not the return to glories we were hoping for, but not quite a total disaster either. It's a by-the-numbers open-world racer with a few cursory nods to the franchise's history, and that's about it. [Issue#76, p.88]
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  3. XGN
    Sep 16, 2011
    70
    There's a danger that you'll become bored with this game, but overall Driver: San Francisco is a pretty fun game with a really cool feature called 'shift'.
  5. Gamekult
    Aug 31, 2011
    70
    Quotation forthcoming.
  6. Gamer.nl
    Sep 9, 2011
    65
    Driver: San Francisco is not like the previous Driver games. A lot has changed since the beginning of the series, and not all for the better. We take for granted that the premise of the story is ludicrous, but we can't escape the feeling that the racing itself is also being pushed to the background.
  7. Metro GameCentral
    Aug 29, 2011
    60
    Horribly inconsistent but also daringly imaginative, but even with its faults this is one of the most innovative racers for years.
  8. GameWatcher
    Aug 26, 2011
    60
    Clever ideas are interspersed with components that fail miserably, making this the definition of 'mixed bag'.
  9. IncGamers
    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.

Awards & Rankings

59
#59 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2011
45
#45 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011
34
#34 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011

User Reviews

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User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 193 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 150 out of 193
  2. Mixed: 28 out of 193
  3. Negative: 15 out of 193
  1. Tranquilbez22
    May 30, 2012
    9
    Driver: San Francisco, Is a reboot of the Legendary franchise. after a dissapointing Driver 3,Ubisoft made changes to the game and boy is itDriver: San Francisco, Is a reboot of the Legendary franchise. after a dissapointing Driver 3,Ubisoft made changes to the game and boy is it good. The Plot to the campaign mode is just like a cop show only ten times better. Gameplay is typical car game fashion with some twists and turns. Like most ubisoft games, the characters are extremely likable especially The lead character Tanner. When a game uses a real world setting especailly if it's complex a city as San Francisco but they managed to get every detail of the city right.The removal of the on foot feature means your constantly in a car even if it's not yours. you can drive all sorts of vheicles from sports cars to massive oil tankers and everywhere in between. Using licenced cars mean you can finally drive a Mazerati without blowing your entire life savings on it. Overall. Driver: San Francisco is a fun title and I highly recommend it to anyone.… Full Review »
  2. technomage
    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.    … Full Review »
  3. Jobadkins
    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.… Full Review »
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