Hero Worship: Driver 5 Loves Tanner
I'm quite looking forward to Driver: San Francisco - partly because I do like to see a fallen series redeem itself, and partly because it puts me in mind of an aggressive Test Drive Unlimited. All driving, no on-foot stuff, trying to re-carve its own niche rather than put an unconvincing GTA costume.
That said, I can't entirely get on board with this scene-setting dev diary's repeated claims that protagonist Tanner and antagonist Jericho are "iconic, historic characters." Iconic how? Historic what-now? Surely they're just more gruff men in videogames' endless archive of gruff men? Can't say they're burned into my memory. Just give me the cars and the city and I'll be a happy little motorised sociopath.
Isn't this stretching the concept of a development diary somewhat? Because it rather looks to me that they just went out and posed by some fast cars to utter soundbytes rather than were chronicling the making of the game. MAYBE IT'S JUST ME.
Interesting, too, that they're not really talking about the mechanic whereby a hospital-bound Gruffer imagines he can insta-transport his psyche to any other driver in the city. Having tried it myself, it's a great way of navigating the streets and switching between vehicles and challenges, but maybe it's a bit too fantastical for the marketing at this point.