Driver ’76 is the fifth installment in the Driver series, the first after Ubisoft purchased the license from Atari. The game is a prequel to Driver: Parallel Lines, taking place two years before the events of the first game, and features two side characters from the first game, Ray (controlled by the player) and Slink. Ray has set his sights on the daughter of a Triad boss and is attempting to impress him by taking on complex tasks. This gets him into a lot of difficulty with the other gangs, and the plot is portrayed in comic-book style, separated into six chapters.
There are 27 objectives set in New York, from New Jersey to Coney Island, with numerous distinct districts and over 40 customizable vehicles, ranging from dirt motorcycles to sports cars and huge rigs, as well as some surprises like the Ghostbusters’ Ecto-1 – all with exceptional handling. Although players have unlimited freedom of movement, the task structure is linear. Timed runs, escorting, and dodging missions are among the tasks. Ray may also walk about on foot and cause havoc with a variety of weaponry, as well as locked targeting.
During the main game, the characters can accept side tasks to earn extra money, such as closed-course or open-road racing, driving a tow truck, a cab, or an ambulance, and spending money at the garage to enhance the cars.
Street Racing, Carnage, Circuit Racing, Pink Slip Racing, and Swap Meet enable multiplayer for up to two players over WiFi. Players can also swap things or download new paint jobs over W-Lan. There are a few minigames in addition to the main game.
