If you’ve managed to reach the ripe old age of [insert impressively large number here] without losing touch with your inner seven-year-old, congratulations. You’re probably going to enjoy jumping lights, evading cops, and trashing fireplugs in this free, Driver-inspired chase-em-up.
A standalone offshoot of the Driver mod scene with its own modest mod repertoire, The Driver Syndicate comes with ten steeds, a recreation of Driver’s eighteen-mission story mode, a slew of mini games, and ‘Take a Ride’ – a mode in which lawbreaking is optional.
For your zero USD you don’t get indicators, a gear stick, or a visible dash or steering wheel, which is a bit of a shame. However, weaving through dense Miami traffic with a pack of piqued squad cars in your metaphorical* rear-view mirror, such deficiencies are unlikely to be uppermost in your mind.
* Unfortunately, there are no mirrors either.
Only the most stuck-up of sim snobs will take umbrage at the way automobiles turn, skid and bounce. More deserving of sniffy sneers is the puddle-shallow damage modeling. Rides with damage bars almost fully extended, seem to handle identically to ones with uncreased bodywork.
As Hollywood as the damage simulation is the driving style of the game’s motorised lawmen. Amusingly gung ho, cops in The Driver Syndicate ram first and ask questions later.
This triggered sudden flashbacks with that underground parking tutorial. I was about to ask about it then watched the trailer and now I’m hyped.
The ill fated Driv3r came with an absolutely stellar sound track that I still love to dig up pieces from.