Driver: San Francisco

 Xbox 360
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
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  1. 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, 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 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.    … Expand
  2. BambiZombie
    Sep 7, 2011
    7
    Surprisingly good! I haven't played the old Driver games but this one is fun. Jumping between cars is like GTA without the BS of getting hit by trucks. Driving itself is balanced for arcade gameplay which is the way I prefer it tbh. Give it a spin, you may be pleasantly surprised if you're not looking for a sim.
  3. Daematune
    Sep 12, 2011
    7
    Driver: San Francisco is a great game, certainly better than I expected.. it's not like the old Driver games though. The single player is actually really fun, in fact, all the challenges are really fun--even just driving around aimlessly proved to be enjoyable. Some of the challenges took you behind the wheel of criminals or into dune buggy races, it had an excellent twist on the gameplay.Driver: San Francisco is a great game, certainly better than I expected.. it's not like the old Driver games though. The single player is actually really fun, in fact, all the challenges are really fun--even just driving around aimlessly proved to be enjoyable. Some of the challenges took you behind the wheel of criminals or into dune buggy races, it had an excellent twist on the gameplay. And no, you cannot get out of your car anymore. The handling was perfect, stable and drift sensitive like it should be. The story itself is well, it's...what you expected; a bit ridiculous. The SHIFT system certainly proved to be much better than it looked, it just doesn't feel like a racing game anymore though, when I play the game I sometimes picture the logo of the Sci-FI channel in my head, that's clearly... not a good sign. The multiplayer didn't shine has much as the single player. The modes were not as well rounded as they should have been, the races are far too short and it's more frustrating than it is fun. I am still questioning myself some of the developers had some form of brain cancer after seeing some of the alterations and the qualification system, it's simply just unnecessary. I ultimately cannot see this a good change for the franchise, it certainly wasn't as bad as it could have been though.… Expand
  4. matroycem
    Apr 30, 2013
    7
    I picked this game up on the cheap as I was not expecting very much from it. But to its credit this is actually a pretty decent game. It has a large vibrant world with a fair bit going on. Nice sub missions and variety of vechicles, but the main surprise was the Story. I expected when I first started the game that the story would be terrible but its not half bad. Yes it is not veryI picked this game up on the cheap as I was not expecting very much from it. But to its credit this is actually a pretty decent game. It has a large vibrant world with a fair bit going on. Nice sub missions and variety of vechicles, but the main surprise was the Story. I expected when I first started the game that the story would be terrible but its not half bad. Yes it is not very believeable and really plays mainly to make the games Unique Selling Point work but it does work. The Storys USP is that you can jump freely between cars. So in a car chase you can jump from a car that you crash to another and keep on the chase. alternatively if you have to bring a car down, you can jump to oncoming traffic and ram it. Sounds odd and to begin with it can be, however after a while it just feels okay and you just get on with it. You earn a kind of XP for completing tasks and sub missions etc and can buy cars and boosters. I found the multiplyer mods the best as it can triple what XP you get and thus give you more extras later on. they dont really need to be opened though as the game is completable anyway.
    The voice acting in the game is fine and some of the random conversations are pretty funny. Honestly I would not suggest buying this for more than say £10 to £15 but if you want something light and to cause some automotive carnage this can be alot of fun.    … Expand
  5. Broyax
    Apr 16, 2017
    7
    Développé entièrement (ou presque) autour de cette idée géniale de téléportation immédiate dans n'importe quelle bagnole (le "shift"), Driver SF exploite à merveille cette capacité à contrôler le trafic, ajoutant contre toute attente une petite dimension stratégique dans un jeu de chignoles pourtant très arcade. Pour autant, la conduite y est très agréable, ça glisse beaucoup, l'inertieDéveloppé entièrement (ou presque) autour de cette idée géniale de téléportation immédiate dans n'importe quelle bagnole (le "shift"), Driver SF exploite à merveille cette capacité à contrôler le trafic, ajoutant contre toute attente une petite dimension stratégique dans un jeu de chignoles pourtant très arcade. Pour autant, la conduite y est très agréable, ça glisse beaucoup, l'inertie est présente de même qu'une gestion non négligeable de la motricité. En vue intérieure, les sensations sont excellentes et les nombreuses caisses ont toutes un tableau de bord très correctement modélisé, ce qui ne gâche rien.

    Driver SF est un mélange détonnant de NFS Hot Pursuit (mais en bien mieux), Midnight Club L. A. et Burnout Revenge. La ville est superbe, le trafic très important et la fluidité toujours au rendez-vous. Il faut également mentionner le très beau boulot abattu par la VF (des doubleurs connus venus... de Prison Break !).

    Ces lauriers étant tressés, si le scénario surprend et intrigue avec ses multiples rebondissements, il ne tient assurément pas la route... La difficulté est globalement très élevée et aucun niveau n'est disponible, ce qui occasionne pour certains passages quelque irritation mal séante. Autre détail qui a son importance, la carte très mal aisée à l'utilisation et dont l'ergonomie a été pensée par un poivrot.

    Driver SF en fait des tonnes sur le nombre astronomique de missions annexes (sans compter les "exploits", sorte de mini-cascades, qui pullulent), missions dont une partie est obligatoire pour progresser dans l'histoire principale. Bien qu'assez variées (on saluera le louable effort d'ailleurs), leur multiplication abusive entraîne un effet de répétition très dommageable à la longue. Au bout d'un certain nombre d'heures, on craque et on vomit du San Francisco partout, la faute à cette naïveté qui nous a fait croire que l'on pourrait tout boucler (ou à 95%) comme dans un Assassin's Creed par exemple. Erreur !

    Mis à part ce péché d'orgueil de la part de Reflections, ce Driver reste un jeu de charettes bien fait et spectaculaire et malgré ses défauts, toujours prenant.    … Expand
  6. Arya977
    Jan 21, 2021
    7
    Gameplay..............Great
    Graphics................Great
    Story.......................Good
    Score.....................Good

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

Critic Reviews

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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
  1. Quarter to Three
    Jan 6, 2012
    80
    This is the sort of wheelsport the Need for Speed arcade racers should have been providing all along.
    Read full review
  2. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 19, 2011
    84
    The new Driver is something that has been long in the making. The result is quite good, despite the surprisingly tight difficulty level. Soul shifting is a nice innovation and the arcadish feel for cars makes it fun to push through the tight streets of San Francisco. [Sept 2011]
  3. Destructoid
    Oct 5, 2011
    75
    A good laugh, and deserves immense praise for its ingenuity. It is sadly let down by some sluggish navigation and annoying vehicle controls, not to mention some severely imbalanced AI These issues hold back the experience, but certainly don't stop it delivering a solid amount of fun.
    Read full review
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