Driver '76 Critic Reviews

Sure, Driver ’76 isn’t the end-all-be-all of PSP racing games, but you can’t help but have a fantastic time once you climb behind the wheel and explore one of the best handheld recreations of New York City.

Vehicle customization in Driver 76 is a beautiful addition that gives it a slight edge over the notorious GTA, in the vehicle department.

It doesn't do too much to suggest it's anything more than a Costcutter GTA, but it's a fun nostalgia-soaked affair.

The limited amount of driving and action seems to go hand-in-hand with the slightly more conservative story, but it also drains some of the fun as well.

The Thrill Cam is a majestic moment in gaming but it's the rock-solid driving model that ensures great universal enjoyment, albeit marred by technical gremlins and misguided GTA aspirations.

Unfortunately, creating such a smooth ride has resulted in a title you can race through in just under a single charge of the PSP battery.

Despite a few technical glitches this is a solid back-to-basics effort with some extra bells and whistles and a load of groove.

Compared to GTA, Driver 76 is something that seems a little shallow and ordinary, but judging it as a game in its own right, and only drawing parallels with the best of the Driver series, it is a fairly decent chunk of big-screen cool, crow-barred nicely into the sleek internal organs of the PSP.

You will be bored of doing the constant fetch and carry missions so that's why it's best played in small doses.

Solid, but ultimately very repetitive and dull crime caper.

We can appreciate what Ubi has tried to do, but most of us have gotten over the novelty of the fact that the PSP is ‘a bit like a handheld PS2’ and are looking for a lot more substance and enjoyablity in our games, no matter how many dozens of cars and miles of road have been packed onto the UMD.

Driver '76 is a GTA clone that's technically uneven and short on originality, personality, and content.

It plays well, but instead of creating an innovative product, developer Sumo Digital followed the Grand Theft Auto template, relying on a list of familiar and boring jobs including escort and carjacking missions. In addition, the game looks dated.

Driver '76's brand of road rage does get more right than it does wrong, and though it might not offer the best combat action or racing excitement, it still deserves a look for its competent mix of the two.

It's just that it hasn't really addressed the chief failing of Parallel Lines, which is that, as polished, and competent as it is, it still feels a bit like a soulless GTA clone.

Yes, it’s hard to ignore things like brain-dead police AI or a lack of fun things to do in this surprisingly massive city, but some of the missions are actually kind of fun and the story isn’t bad at all.

If not for the fact that the actual driving in Driver '76 is fairly decent, this would be a complete loss. Technical issues, excessive loading and a worthless storyline, however, mean the driving is the only thing that's decent.

This was sort of acceptable a couple of years ago, but with PSP now capable of tossing around gigantic, detailed cities, it looks a bit old-fashioned.

Driver ’76 offers a number of fun missions playable through an entertaining driving engine that will make you want to set up some heavy duty police chases and go tearing through the city. Unfortunately the miniscule police presence really puts a damper on the fun, and the tired out graphics engine just can’t cope.

You're better off sticking with GTA.