Driver : Pararell lines [name changed!] - Update @ Post 1

[Cosmic]

Driver 4 Announced!

The Driver series will be back for a fourth installment, according to announcement from Atari today. Developer Reflections Interactive is currently at work on a new game in the action franchise, planned for release on PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC in 2006.

While neither company is announcing game specifics yet, Atari does describe the next installment as a "return to game play roots," featuring improved AI and "unprecedented" vehicle dynamics and physics. The new game will take place in New York City, feature an open, mission-based structure, and will include online multiplayer options.

Source : http://ps2.ign.com/articles/615/615283p1.html

Story :

August 23, 2005 - New details have emerged from an official German PS2 magazine that is worth checking out for Driver fans. Apparently, there's a new title on the way known as Driver: Parallel Lines and takes a trip back in time to explore some extreme driving in New York City in the 70s. There's more traffic, better AI, and additional texture details, but the key point here is that the focus is once again back on the driving (as well as online). There will be no boats and the on-foot sections have been reduced. All this is promised for a March 2006 release in Europe.



The new hero this time around is an 18-year-old go-getter with long hair who arrives in New York City in 1978, ready and willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead. Known simply as The Kid, sometimes as T.K., this new driver is set to cut loose in an open game world with some integrated mini-games. With missions set across Brooklyn, Manhattan, and The Bronx there are plenty of places to make some money and get some pull.

The game will be a little easier this time around since the gameplay won't be as linear. If a mission is difficult, then T.K. will be able to do some other events, such as race. There will be three circuit race tracks that can be visited at any time in the game. With the cash from these events, T.K. can tune it up in a garage with what is called a "diverse tuning system" to beef it up a bit. Or he can go about acquiring another of the 80 cars available in the game. Either way, he'll be able to go back into the mission with a bigger advantage and move ahead.

If T.K. wants still more distractions from the missions, then there will be some mini-games to check out as well. He will be able to stop by Central Park for a checkpoint race or enter into a destruction derby in The Bronx. The missions will still be necessary to complete the game, of course, but it's good to see that there are some driving segments to check out while exploring the city and seeing recreations of real-world places and buildings like Times Square and the Empire State Building. All this and about 40 licensed tracks from the 70s to set the mood.

After DRIV3R's lukewarm reception from critics, developer Reflections has expressed the need to improve the driving experience. Even the developers are admitting that the out-of-car sections in DRIV3R were on the weak side and this time about 80% of the game will be inside the car. There will still be some on-foot missions and apparently the targeting system has been completely redone this time around. T.K. will also be able to shoot out of his car for some drive-by assaults.

While in the car the action is being improved by putting in more cars and making them smarter. There will be three times more traffic and more pedestrians walking about as well. And to make the driving all the trickier there is the promise of some improved A.I. to make the chases a little more hair-raising.

When the idea of fighting against the cars that are being driven by a computer gets old there will be the option of going online to play in games that support up to eight players. Sadly, there are no details about what modes this online portion will include, but more details should be emerging soon. We'll keep you updated so check back for more info.

Source : link.

Update 1

FAQ's :

Driver: Parallel Lines Known Information
General Info
* Name Change - Driver: Parallel Lines
* For PS2, Xbox, and PC as of now
* Release: March 2006
* New York City, 1978
*40 Licensed Music Tracks (from the 70's)
* 3 times the traffic of Driv3r
* Improved AI
* Faster Vehicles
* 80% Driving, 20% On Foot
* Able to do drive-by shootings
* No Boats
* No load screens, instead access mini games and online in the city, like GTA
* Still in alpha stages, i.e. graphics aren't ready to be shown

Gameplay
* 80 vehicles
* Garages where you can upgrade cars, even repair and repaint
* Money system so you can buy parts
* No Tanner, instead you play as "The Kid", 18 year old driver for hire
* Open mission structure, don't need to complete every mission (but you can redo missions if you want), and do the missions in different ways
* Online Play up to 8 players

Mini Games
* Can be started or ended at any time
* Not known if all mini games are online, keep that in mind
* Cops N' Robbers - Online - One player is criminal, others are in squad cars chasing them
* Racing Mode - Online - duh
* Team Based Carjacking - Online - Players steal cars around the city and bring them back to the safehouse
* Destruction Derby

Source : here.


First pictures! Scanned from a German console magazine : page 1 | page 2
Source : here.

Thanks to IGN and the US atari community for the informations and the pictures 👍

 

[Revheadnz]

Sweet, I love Driver. I'm suprised that they aren't developing for Xbox360 or PS3 though.

 

[T5-R]

Driver 3 was a great game spoilt by many annoying flaws which should have been fixed, especially when it was released nearly a year later on the PC.

It would be nice if Driver 4 actually ran well on the systems it was developed for unlike D2 and 3. I enjoyed Driver 3, but is pretty arse compared to Mafia. I still play Mafia even now 👍

 

[VIPFREAK]

So this game is like The Getaway series or Stuntman right?

 

[smellysocks12]

No, the getaway and stuntman are like driver.





Anyway, I was looking forward to driv3r.... but unfortunately everyone said it sucked, so I didn't buy it. I really enjoyed the first driver. Really hard though, especially the final missions. I still don't know how I passed that very final one. Too many cars trying to wreck you.

 

[VIPFREAK]

oh... forget it then... That's what I thought. Both the getaway and Stuntman sucked ass like GTA so no thanks.

 

[T5-R]

Anyway, I was looking forward to driv3r.... but unfortunately everyone said it sucked, so I didn't buy it. I really enjoyed the first driver. Really hard though, especially the final missions. I still don't know how I passed that very final one. Too many cars trying to wreck you.

I remember that mission, I gave up trying to do it, it was just too damn annoying (something thats been consistant in driver and the getaway series). Furthest I got I think was about half way. Ended up cheating

 

[smellysocks12]

oh... forget it then... That's what I thought. Both the getaway and Stuntman sucked ass like GTA so no thanks.

If you don't like GTA then you won't like driver. How can you not like police chases in crowded virtual cities anyway?

 

[stumpydino]

driv3r was great, i spent many a day jumping on cars on hills which for some reason disabled their handbrakes and they rolled backwards and got swallowed up in the level great to watch

 

[VIPFREAK]

If you don't like GTA then you won't like driver. How can you not like police chases in crowded virtual cities anyway?

How can you not like[ insert virtual sick statement here ]...

It get's old after about 5 min. thanks.

 

[McLaren]

Sweet! Looking forward to this!

 

[Solid Fro]

Is this going to be what Driver 3 should have been?

Reflections would have to release a GTA Killer in order to redeem themselves after their Driver 3 ****load.

 

[Cosmic]

I remember that mission, I gave up trying to do it, it was just too damn annoying (something thats been consistant in driver and the getaway series). Furthest I got I think was about half way. Ended up cheating

Driver 3's final mission was absolutley impossible for me. More 10 people shooting at you while your stupid friend runs and trying to kill them and you have to save him from dying otherwise you will fail....stupid missions

Anyway...I'm really looking forwad to this game. I hope it will be like in SA , day from night and so on...and for christ sake some STATS! (Atleast how much you have completed of the game and how much you have driven or ran/walked.) and auto aim, and less imposible missions and maybe a couple of radio stations.
And when you are ''on foot'' like running....should be improved. If it would be like that. It would rock so ****ing much! 👍

 

[McLaren]

I really wish some of the vehicles in 3 would have been in all the citys.

I hated going to Europe to drive the Countach (no offence, didn't like the city).
I LOVED the cars for 3....The Ferraris, Vettes, GT40, etc!

But I would like a home with garages for it...
Personally, I think the story for 3 was excellent!

 

[Cosmic]

I really wish some of the vehicles in 3 would have been in all the citys.

I hated going to Europe to drive the Countach (no offence, didn't like the city).
I LOVED the cars for 3....The Ferraris, Vettes, GT40, etc!

But I would like a home with garages for it...
Personally, I think the story for 3 was excellent!

Yeah....but I think they should listen to the fans, ATARI and Reflections would learn so much

 

[stumpydino]

the cobra was a brilliant drifter, some nice curves on those long islands to the north of miami to test it out

 

[livemusic]

I like the Driver series, but I didn´t like Driv3r that much. Although Driver 2 had a painfully slow framerate through most of the game, and the Brazilian characters were speaking Spanish , I had a good time playing it.

But I won´t be surprised if they delay the game to release it on the next gen consoles.

 

[T5-R]

I pray they don't release it on current generation consoles, they need to do alot to make up for the general poorness of Driver 2 and 3.

A decent Driver 4 on PS3/XB360 and PCs would do wonders to the brand name. Comparing Driver 3 to GTA always seemed abit silly to me as I always think of it as what it is supposed to be, a 'Hollywood car chase simulator' which it does very well. Still its reflections own fault for ripping off GTAs ideas... The crashes are ace though, plowing into cars with a massive truck is fun

 

[James2097]

Well I definately won't buy number 4 without looking at reviews first! I loved driver 1 and 2 so I bought number 3 straight away without thinking. Very bad decision.

Reflections should just take out ALL shooting (it just plain sucks) and make damn sure the game is solid in framerate and get rid of all bugs properly this time. Don't try and make it GTA, get some focus and just do what Driver is good at - driving.

 

[mouser]

I love the Driver series, but Driver 3 ruined it for me. I know they were trying to get a T rating by putting no blood, but they should have known that they would get M anyway. Hopefully Driver 4 redeems Atari's bad name.

 

[smellysocks12]

Atari's name isn't bad, just the driver series name. Atari delivered a very highly enjoyable game at about the same period as the driv3r release. That PS2 game Transformers is a lot of good fun.

 

[livemusic]

I like Driv3r better, and that´s because I don´t like Driv3r that much.

 

[mouser]

I like Driv3r better, and that´s because I don´t like Driv3r that much.

That makes NO SENSE whatsoever.

 

[livemusic]

That makes NO SENSE whatsoever.

Sorry. I was replying to smeelysocks' post about Transformers being a good game.

If this still don´t make sense, well, then cut me some slack. English is not my native language.

 

[Dave A]

I think I get it, you prefer driv3r to Transformers but you don't like driv3r that much.

 

[livemusic]

I think I get it, you prefer driv3r to Transformers but you don't like driv3r that much.

👍

 

[T5-R]

Ataris just a name anyway, its still just Infogrames they atleast published Driver 2 also. Whenever I see the old Infogrames 'Spirally coloured mouse thingTM' I get all nostalgic and think of the days watching my dad play Alone in the Dark 2 in the mid-90s Back then that was a really spooky game.

 

[Danny]

No, the getaway and stuntman are like driver.

Nope, Driv3r used Stuntman's damage and driving physics engine.

 

[Cosmic]

So freakin' awesome!!!!!! 👍

August 23, 2005 - New details have emerged from an official German PS2 magazine that is worth checking out for Driver fans. Apparently, there's a new title on the way known as Driver: Parallel Lines and takes a trip back in time to explore some extreme driving in New York City in the 70s. There's more traffic, better AI, and additional texture details, but the key point here is that the focus is once again back on the driving (as well as online). There will be no boats and the on-foot sections have been reduced. All this is promised for a March 2006 release in Europe.



The new hero this time around is an 18-year-old go-getter with long hair who arrives in New York City in 1978, ready and willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead. Known simply as The Kid, sometimes as T.K., this new driver is set to cut loose in an open game world with some integrated mini-games. With missions set across Brooklyn, Manhattan, and The Bronx there are plenty of places to make some money and get some pull.

The game will be a little easier this time around since the gameplay won't be as linear. If a mission is difficult, then T.K. will be able to do some other events, such as race. There will be three circuit race tracks that can be visited at any time in the game. With the cash from these events, T.K. can tune it up in a garage with what is called a "diverse tuning system" to beef it up a bit. Or he can go about acquiring another of the 80 cars available in the game. Either way, he'll be able to go back into the mission with a bigger advantage and move ahead.

If T.K. wants still more distractions from the missions, then there will be some mini-games to check out as well. He will be able to stop by Central Park for a checkpoint race or enter into a destruction derby in The Bronx. The missions will still be necessary to complete the game, of course, but it's good to see that there are some driving segments to check out while exploring the city and seeing recreations of real-world places and buildings like Times Square and the Empire State Building. All this and about 40 licensed tracks from the 70s to set the mood.

After DRIV3R's lukewarm reception from critics, developer Reflections has expressed the need to improve the driving experience. Even the developers are admitting that the out-of-car sections in DRIV3R were on the weak side and this time about 80% of the game will be inside the car. There will still be some on-foot missions and apparently the targeting system has been completely redone this time around. T.K. will also be able to shoot out of his car for some drive-by assaults.

While in the car the action is being improved by putting in more cars and making them smarter. There will be three times more traffic and more pedestrians walking about as well. And to make the driving all the trickier there is the promise of some improved A.I. to make the chases a little more hair-raising.

When the idea of fighting against the cars that are being driven by a computer gets old there will be the option of going online to play in games that support up to eight players. Sadly, there are no details about what modes this online portion will include, but more details should be emerging soon. We'll keep you updated so check back for more info.

 

[T5-R]

So freakin' awesome!!!!!! 👍

Sounds good, aslong as its true of course. I'd prefer it if they released it on the PC though, or atleast ensure it has a decent frame rate like the original driver had (for its time). I certainly don't plan on buying a PS2 network adapter after the GT4 farce but online would be nice.