Driver Parallel Lines

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Driver: Parallel Lines is the fourth game in the Driver video game series. The game was released on March 14 (March 17 in Europe), 2006 on the Xbox and PlayStation 2 consoles by Atari. After a year, the game is also available on Wii[1] and PC which was released on June 26 (June 28 in Europe), 2007 by Ubisoft.[2]

Overview

Diverging from previous games, Parallel Lines takes place in just one city, New York, instead of multiple cities. Due to the underwhelming performance of DRIV3R, particularly the often-derided on-foot sections, Parallel Lines returns to the formula used in earlier games in the series, focusing on driving, . The game was received better by critics than DRIV3R, yet was still criticized on a number of points, including its simple gameplay, hit-or-miss controls, simplified and more cartoonish graphics, and derivative storyline[3]. This is the first game of the Driver series that does not follow undercover cop Tanner. TK, the new main character, received Game Informer's "Biggest Dork of 2006" award.

Gameplay

Driver: Parallel Lines takes place in an entirely open-world environment. Instead of choosing minigames from a menu as in previous Driver titles, minigames are now accessed from the in-game world.

Many changes have been made from DRIV3R, , a money system, fully modifiable vehicles, environment destruction (i.e., lamp posts can now be run over and fire hydrants can break, spewing water into the air),

The game was originally intended to include online multiplayer, but this was scrapped when it became apparent to the developers that they could not deliver a strong multiplayer mode [4] and wanted to focus entirely on the single-player portion of the game.

The instant replay film director mode of previous Driver games was removed from Parallel Lines. Instead, the only available cinematic mode is the fixed-perspective slow-motion "Thrill Camera".

Story

The game follows 18-year-old "TK" (The Kid), a skilled driver who works as a getaway driver in New York who offers his services to earn some money. He isn’t very famous or rich, because he only gets involved in small stuff. A friend of him and the owner of some garages in New York, Ray, introduces him to a more influential person. This Slink gets The Kid more involved in bigger jobs and he even wants to use him in the common cause mission with multiple people.

To get more money from dealing drugs, the group in which The Kid now takes part wants to kidnap a Colombian drug baron for ransom. Everyone is responsible for his own part of the plan and The Kid is the one executing it. The mission seems like a success, but The Kid takes the fall and ends up in jail for 28 years. When he gets out he can finally execute his plans to take out his former colleagues.[5]

Weapons

The weapons vary from which time period you are in (like if you were in 1978, you would have more classic weapons like Revolvers and Rifle Carbines, also if you were in 2006, you would have more modern weapons like 9mm's and SMG's. There now is a more upgraded version from DRIV3R. There is now a auto-lock system, a 2nd person shooting button, shooting from cars in a 180 degree rotation and actually having recoil on guns. There is also a secret melee attack you can use. The graphics aren't that good, but that doesn't keep you from having fun with them!

New York City

The major features of New York's skyline, such as the Empire State Building, are always visible, even from the other boroughs across the river.
The major features of New York's skyline, such as the Empire State Building, are always visible, even from the other boroughs across the river.

The interpretation of New York City in Parallel Lines is not GPS street-accurate like True Crime: New York City's Manhattan. Instead, the game presents a smaller but more stylistic version of the city that includes all the boroughs except Staten Island and parts of the New Jersey shore. The game's Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, and New Jersey consists of 222.5 miles of roadway, larger than the combined total of all three cities (Miami, Nice, and Istanbul) from DRIV3R. The game's New York City is also more "life-like" compared to previous games in the series: vendors sell donuts, NPC pedestrians talk rather than simply grunting and screaming, and numerous side jobs (such as taxi driving and car towing) are available. However, the game completely lacks any kind of weather. The only atmospheric changes are the day-to-night cycle.

In 1978, the twin towers of the World Trade Center are still present, along with New York City's many other landmarks such as the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Times Square, Central Park, and Flatiron Building in Manhattan. In Brooklyn, the player can visit Coney Island. The game features all of New York City's major bridges except the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the Whitestone Bridge, the Hell Gate Bridge, and the Throgs Neck Bridge. The player can traverse these bridges freely from the start. An elevated portion of the New York City Subway that runs from Manhattan to Coney Island is part of the game world, but the subway system is not accessible to the player as a means of transportation.

In the 2006 era, when T.K. goes to his safehouse, there is graffiti on the wall that says "Tanner Lives". This is a nod towards Tanner, the protagonist in the previous three Driver games. It is also a possible solution to the cliffhanger ending of DRIV3R, where it is unclear if Tanner or the antagonist Jericho flatlines in a hospital following a shootout in Istanbul. There is also a dumpster in the game which contains copies of "Driv3r", alluding to the poor reception of the previous Driver game.

Vehicles

As its title suggests, Driver: Parallel Lines focuses heavily on driving. As such, there is a wide variety of vehicles included in the game. The game flaunts the fact that there are "80 drivable vehicles". Numerous "modified" versions of regular vehicles show up in certain missions, sometimes as a target of theft or the special ride of an adversary. Examples include the "Pimp Wagon", which is a modified "Montara" and driven by the character Slink in one mission. Some names of cars are: Andec, Cerrano, hot rod, Wayfarer, Boldius, Regina, Zartex, pimp wagon, ram raider, Saxon, Teramo, Olympic and chopper.

Both eras included in the game have distinct styles of vehicles, although a few of the 1978-era cars do show up in 2006.

Although based on real automobiles, all vehicles in the game are fictitious, and are given fictitious names.

Vehicle customization

New to the Driver franchise is the ability to customize, or mod, your vehicle. Each vehicle can be upgraded numerous ways in Ray's Garage. Upgrades include custom body and paint jobs, increased engine power, nitrous boosters, bulletproof glass, window film and tunable springs, shocks, ride height, brakes, and downforce. A test track is available to "try out" the upgraded vehicles and making any necessary adjustments. Also, some vehicles have neons. During the night, they turn on. The Ram Raider and Pimp Wagon are the only two cars with neons. The Ram Raider has red neon lights. The Pimp Wagon has light blue neon lights. The Montara has the ability to have neons. If you install Body Kit 1, it comes with neons, as it is the same body kit for the Pimp Wagon.

Soundtrack

Driver: Parallel Lines features an entirely licensed soundtrack consisting of over 70 songs, ranging from 1970s-era rock and funk to modern alternative rock and rap songs. The songs play while the player is in a vehicle, as if they were on the radio. Notable groups featured on the soundtrack include Funkadelic, Can, Suicide, The Stranglers, War, Iggy Pop, Blondie, David Bowie, Parliament, The Temptations, Average White Band, Public Enemy, The Roots, TV on the Radio, The Secret Machines, Kaiser Chiefs, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and LCD Soundsystem.

Limited Edition

A limited edition version of the game was released along with the regular version. The special edition, costing $10 more, includes an extra DVD containing information about the production of Parallel Lines as well as in-game videos and character profiles. Also included with the limited edition is the official soundtrack, including twelve tracks from the game. The UK version is dubbed "Collectors Edition", and does not contain the DVD, instead only providing the soundtrack CD and a metal case.

In My Opinion Driver: Parallel Lines is good game (8/10). Nice graphic, soundtrack, New York City, action. But IMO they should make a shops (like in GTA) and create a radio stations. It would be more realistic, but overall I like it. D4 is so much better than D3. What's Ur opinion?