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Take the 3D open-world gameplay of ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'', put the player in the role of the police, set it in a [[The Seventies|'70s-esque]] [[Retro Universe]], and beat [[Rockstar Games]] [[Older Than They Think|to the punch by two years]], and you have ''Driver: You Are the Wheelman''. In ''Driver'', you play as Tanner, an [[New York City Cops|NYPD detective]] who, due to [[Badass Driver|his driving skills]], is sent undercover to investigate a criminal syndicate, taking him on a journey to [[Miami]], [[San Francisco]], [[Los Angeles]] and back to [[Big Applesauce|New York]]. The game was styled after '60s and '70s car chase films like ''[[Bullitt]]'', ''[[The French Connection]]'' and ''The Driver'', to the point of including a "Director's Mode" that allows you to place cameras during replays to follow your action.
 
Developed by Reflections Interactive and released in 1999, ''Driver'' pushed the [[Play StationPlayStation]] to its limits technologically, and proved to be a smash hit, earning rave reviews and selling over six million copies, and anticipating the boom of [[Wide Open Sandbox]] games that would emerge in the next console generation. So naturally, there was pressure for sequels. ''Driver 2'' went out the door the following year and was also very popular, selling in excess of four million, though there was a general sense ([[Critical Dissonance|at least among critics]]) that it didn't live up to the first game's pedigree. While the addition of curved roads<ref>In the first game, every corner was at a 90-degree angle due to the limitations of the technology. While this was acceptable at intersections, this made turns on, say, bridges rather awkward.</ref> and foreign cities (Havana and Rio de Janeiro, in addition to [[The Windy City|Chicago]] and [[Viva Las Vegas|Las Vegas]]) was welcomed, the new on-foot controls were heavily criticized for their clunkiness, and were famously [[Take That|lampooned]] in ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]''. A [[Game Boy Advance]] version was released in 2002.
 
In 2004, ''[[Letters 2 Numbers|Driv3r]]'', the series' debut on the [[Play StationPlayStation 2]] and [[X BoxXbox]], attempted to play catch-up with the ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]'' series by introducing gunplay and recruiting such voice talent as [[Michael Madsen]], [[Ving Rhames]] and [[Michelle Rodriguez]]. It wasn't very well-liked, the on-foot controls weren't much better then the last game (which made the shooting segments rather akward). While sales were still solid (chiefly thanks to the previous games' reputation), reviewers weren't nearly so forgiving, with most giving the game mediocre scores. The game is also notable for having whipped up a minor controversy, dubbed [[Scandalgate|"Driv3rGate"]], in which two Future Publications magazines (''PSM2'' and ''Xbox World'') gave the game [[8.8|suspiciously high "9/10" reviews]], leading many who played the game to [[Screw the Rules, I Have Money|question the magazines' integrity]].
 
For most series, a game as poorly-received as ''Driv3r'' would've been a [[Franchise Killer]], but instead, Reflections released ''Driver: Parallel Lines'' in 2006. Set entirely in [[New York City]] and its [[Joisey|New Jersey]] suburbs rather than multiple cities like the other games, it instead took place over a period of time -- the first half was set in [[The Seventies|1978]], while the second half took place in [[The Present Day]]. It also took place in a new continuity-focusing on a young man known only as TK who rises through NYC's criminal underworld only to be betrayed and thrown into jail, and is out for revenge upon release. ''Parallel Lines'' was considered an improvement overall, most critics felt that it was nothing more than a ''[[Grand Theft Auto|GTA]]'' clone, but a decent one that learned from the previous game's mistakes and returned the series to its driving-focused roots while retaining the gunplay. Unfortunately, ''Driv3r'', which came out just two years prior, left many gamers too burned to give it a try. A prequel, ''Driver 76'', was released the following year for the [[Play Station Portable]].
 
In 2011, Reflections (now [[Ubisoft]] Reflections) took another shot at the series with ''[[Driver San Francisco]]'', the first game in the series for the [[Play StationPlayStation]] 3 and Xbox360. Returning to the first three games' continuity and, like ''Parallel Lines'', taking place entirely in one city ([[Captain Obvious|guess which one it is]]), ''San Francisco'' goes the supernatural/[[Mind Screw]] route by taking place [[All Just a Dream|while Tanner is in a coma]]... and giving him "shifting" powers that allow him to [[Mind Control|possess other drivers on the road]]. According to critics, it's better than it sounds, with the game getting a Metacritic score in the high 70s and with most reviews praising the shifting mechanic. Even [[Zero Punctuation|Yahtzee]] [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/4181-Driver-San-Francisco is a fan]. It remains to be seen whether it will be able to overcome ''Driv3r'''s noxious legacy.
 
Coinciding with ''San Franciso'''s release is ''Driver: Renegade'' for the [[Nintendo 3DS]]. Set [[Interquel|between the first two games]], the story begins with Tanner quitting the NYPD and striking out on his own as a [[Vigilante Man]]. Tanner is soon recruited by Andrew Ballard to take down five of New York City's most notorious crime lords.
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