Driver: Parallel Lines

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Driver: Parallel Lines
Developer(s)	Reflections Interactive
Publisher(s)	Atari (PS2, Xbox), Ubisoft (Wii, PC)
Distributor(s)	Electronic Arts (South America)
Designer(s)	Gareth Edmondson (Reflections Interactive) Ken Allen (Atari)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, Wii, Xbox, PC
Release date	PlayStation 2 & Xbox NA March 14, 2006 PAL March 17, 2006 JPN October 12, 2006 (PS2 only) PC & Wii NA June 26, 2007 PAL June 28, 2007
Genre(s)	Racing, Third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: M PEGI: 18+ BBFC:18+ OFLC: MA15+ CERO: Z

Driver: Parallel Lines is the fourth game in the Driver video game series. The game was released on March 14 (March 17 in Europe), 2006 on the Xbox and PlayStation 2 consoles by Atari, Wii^[1] and PC on June 26, 2007 (June 28, 2007 in Europe) by Ubisoft.^[2]. Many people think that Driver: Parallel Lines and Driver 4 are the same game but this is wrong, in a 1UP video interview production manager Gareth Edmundson answers the question "This isn't Driver 4, right ?" with the straightforward response “No, this is called Driver: Parallel Lines and is not Driver 4; we wanted to get away from the idea that this was just a sequel and so on”^[3]

Contents 1 Plot 2 Overview 3 Gameplay 3.1 Story 3.2 New York City 4 Characters and Voice Actors 5 Vehicles 6 Soundtrack 6.1 2006 Music 6.1.1 Limited Edition Soundtrack 7 Limited Edition 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Plot

The story begins in 1978 in the city of New York - when TK (The Kid), the protagonist, is only 18 years old. His specialty is driving, and he spends most of his time driving, aiding those who rob nickel and dime stores, and driving them away from the police and to a safe place. TK's best friend, Ray, works in his own car garage, named Ray's Autos, fixing and retuning cars. Ray is five years older than TK and is extremely popular around the city, with a few friends that he introduces TK to.

The first of those is Slink, a pimp who loves to live life to the full. He runs the Funky Rabbit, a club/disco where anything goes. It is there that TK first meets Slink, and it is now when Slink tells TK he wants him as his driver.

TK accepts the offer and takes up a few short, simple jobs to prove to Slink that he is a talented driver and gunman. Slink shows him some decent driving and shooting techniques that may help him in the future, and TK impresses. Slink introduces TK to The Mexican, who also requires a driver to replace his old one. To cement his place as The Mexican's driver, TK must win a race against the previous driver on a bike. As TK wins, it begins to become clearer that TK is the perfect driver...

TK soon moves into his own apartment near Manhattan. One morning, as TK's 7am alarm goes off, he is surprised to find a tall man standing in front of his bed: Bishop. Confused, TK asks Bishop a handful of questions. TK figures that Bishop is friends with Slink, and is asked to help break Candy out of prison. Candy is also friends with the rest, and is located at a prison near La Guardia. TK pretends to appear interested in one of the guard's new sports car. He takes it for a spin, before threatening the guard by going at high speeds, and taking dangerous risks. He asks the guard about the guard's plan, when they appear, and how many, before returning the guard safely to his home and ordering him not to tell anyone.

The only other thing TK needs to be able to get into the prison, is stealth. He can't be suspected when entering, and must drive a vehicle that is used by anyone in the prison. Bishop gives TK information on a police prison transport van, which is going to another prison. TK waits outside the gates for the van, and then takes it from the possession of the police, and does the van up at Ray's Autos. Now TK can get into the Prison.

TK sets off and enters the prison unnoticed and unsuspected, as planned. He breaks in using a digger, driving through a construction site, and makes his way to Candy. All he needs to do now is get out. Using a slow, heavy van, TK escapes from the police forces and drops Candy off at the hideout.

Now everything is set. TK eventually realises that he has been lured into a gang. As the gang members socialise in a club one night, the leader of the gang, Corrigan, walks in. On the outside, Corrigan is a gentleman who can be trusted by anyone, but on the inside is a ruthless man who often knows who and who not to trust. The gang are after a Columbian drug lord, named Martinez - they will take the money and come away with huge benefits.

Candy sorts out all the details, while TK executes all the plans. It looks simple. TK must kill all the Columbians except their target, with the help of Candy's plan. TK blows up the escort cars and pursues the Columbian's limo, with bodyguards inside. With the help of the diversion, TK gets to the kill zone, surrounded by lorries and each member of the gang ready to shoot the Columbians, before the limo - and the plan is a success. TK drives the limo, with Martinez still inside, to Hunt's Point and meets with the gang. Martinez is tied up in the hideout and left there, while TK goes out to complete his final mission for the gang.

The ransom money is located on a bike, which is on top of a parking garage. When TK gets on the bike, Columbians begin to shoot at him, and the youngster must make his escape off the rooftops before meeting the Mexican, who is driving a pick-up truck. TK shoots off the back of the truck at the pursuing Columbians, before the Mexican arrives back at Hunt's Point.

The gang meet again, and TK is commended for his excellent work - before Martinez is shot by Corrigan. In shock, TK looks at Corrigan unsure of the reason why he shot him. Corrigan tells TK to "wise up", and tells him he is a nobody, and that no-one cares about him. Corrigan then reveals his secret: he is a police officer. He shoots TK, but does not kill him, and as soon as TK can walk, he is sent to Sing-Sing Prison for 28 years...

TK realises that the entire gang set him up right from the start. He was the fall guy, the one who would be placed in prison, despite doing all the hard work for the gang. It was because of this, that TK decided he was going to kill every member of the gang that helped set him up - and get revenge.

Ray initially refuses to help TK in his quest to find his old friends, but after a soon change of heart he ends up supplying information on four of the five gang members. TK first goes off for the Mexican, chasing him into a theme park and shooting him and his companions. Then, Ray helps TK find Slink and Bishop, whilst introducing TK to his contact, Maria Cortez.

Slink is shooting a new adult film at the Funky Rabbit, whilst Bishop lives in a large mansion in the north of the city. A quick visit to Slink surprises him, and the pimp attempts to make a getaway, but TK kills him. He receives a call from Bishop, telling him he wants to go face-to-face, at his place. He swears he won't bring in any of his men, just himself. TK arrives and Bishop is driving a large tank, which TK needs to blow up. Once TK kills him, he escapes the mansion unhurt.

Maria reveals she is a contact of Candy's, but she doesn't trust him anymore. She tells TK that he lives in a large house in Englewood, and TK pays him a visit. On arrival, Candy is surprised - but he later says he plans to kill Maria when he next sees her. Two men inject TK with a drug, and he must find and kill Candy before he passes out. Once he does so, only Corrigan remains.

The plot takes an incredible twist when TK pays Ray a visit, only to find Corrigan in the house. Ray has betrayed TK, and Corrigan has used Ray to kill the others. Corrigan shoots Ray and escapes out of an open window, while TK finds an injured Maria nearby.

After everything they have gone through, Ray had betrayed TK and had always been part of the gang, without TK even knowing.

Maria puts TK on a few jobs to take Corrigan's attention, and TK finds him at a safehouse before pursuing his chopper and shooting him down. With a gun pointed at Corrigan's head, TK fights the temptation to shoot, and hands him over to Maria, daughter of Martinez, who takes Corrigan away to be tortured.

What happens to Corrigan as of this point is unknown... Although some news papers blowing around the city show a photo of a bloodied man who resembles Corrigan, so maybe he was killed and his body found. Yet another paper has the headline, "I could have blown him to bits," and "Cop killer on loose." , obviously mentioning TK. But nothing has been confirmed.

[edit] Overview

Diverging from previous Driver games, Parallel Lines takes place in just one city, New York, instead of multiple cities, but in the middle of the story you change to different eras of the city. Due to the underwhelming performance of DRIV3R, particularly the often-derided on-foot sections, Parallel Lines returns to the formula used in earlier games in the series, focusing on driving, although shooting remains in the game. The game was received better by critics than DRIV3R, but still was criticized, including its simple gameplay, hit-or-miss controls, and derivative storyline^[4]. This is the first game of the Driver series that does not follow undercover cop Tanner. TK, the new main character, received Game Informer's "Biggest Dork of 2006" award.

[edit] Gameplay

Driver: Parallel Lines takes place in an entirely open-world environment. Instead of choosing minigames from a menu as in previous Driver titles, minigames are now accessed from the in-game world. Many changes have been made from DRIV3R, including visible blood when someone is shot, a money system, fully modifiable vehicles, environment destruction (i.e., lamp posts can now be run over and fire hydrants can break, spewing water into the air), and a new felony system that differentiates between personal felony and felony "attached" to vehicles the player has used. If the player attracts police attention on foot or in a certain vehicle and then loses the police and enters a "clean" car, their wanted level will be suspended. It can be reactivated, though, by spending too much time in the sight of a police officer, who will eventually recognize the player as "wanted". The same principle applies to out-of-car activities, such as weapon use, and allows the player to holster a weapon in order to lose police attention until spotted committing illegal acts again. For the Wii version, the felony bar has been replaced with Grand Theft Auto-esque "stars" which light up when the player attracts police attention. Jumping is also disabled.

The game was originally intended to include online multiplayer, but this was scrapped when it became apparent to the developers that they could not deliver a strong multiplayer mode^[5] and wanted to focus entirely on the single-player portion of the game. The instant replay film director mode of previous Driver games was removed from Parallel Lines. Instead, the only available cinematic mode is the fixed-perspective slow-motion "Thrill Camera".

[edit] Story

The game follows 18-year-old "TK" (The Kid), a skilled driver who works as a getaway driver for a New York crime ring. Following the kidnapping and murder of a prominent Colombian drug lord, TK is set up and charged with the murder and sent to Sing-Sing Prison for 28 years. While at Sing-Sing, TK hatches plans to kill each of the men who helped to frame him. When he is released in 2006, he sets out to kill his former associates, one of whom is now the Police Chief of the New York City Police Department. TK is aided by childhood friend Ray and the daughter of the druglord TK allegedly killed.^[6]

[edit] New York City

The interpretation of New York City in Parallel Lines is not GPS street-accurate like True Crime: New York City's Manhattan. Instead, the game presents a smaller but more stylistic version of the city that includes all the boroughs except Staten Island and parts of the New Jersey shore. The game's Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, and New Jersey consists of 222.5 miles of roadway, larger than the combined total of all three cities (Miami, Nice, and Istanbul) from DRIV3R. The game's New York City is also more "life-like" compared to previous games in the series: vendors sell donuts, NPC pedestrians talk rather than simply grunting and screaming, and numerous side jobs (such as taxi driving and car towing) are available. Several things have changed in the game from real-life New York, for example, New York Police Department has simply been dubbed into "City Police". However, the game completely lacks any kind of weather. The only atmospheric changes are the day-to-night cycle.

In 1978, the twin towers of the World Trade Center are still present, along with New York City's many other landmarks such as the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Times Square, Central Park, and Flatiron Building in Manhattan. In Brooklyn, the player can visit Coney Island. The game features all of New York City's major bridges except the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the Whitestone Bridge, the Hell Gate Bridge, and the Throgs Neck Bridge. The player can traverse these bridges freely from the start. An elevated portion of the New York City Subway that runs from Manhattan to Coney Island is part of the game world, but the subway system is not accessible to the player as a means of transportation. Trains do run on the above ground railway system, but the trains are absent in the 2006 era.

In the 2006 era, when T.K. goes to his safehouse, there is graffiti on the wall that says "Tanner Lives". This is a nod towards Tanner, the protagonist in the previous three Driver games. It is also a possible solution to the cliffhanger ending of DRIV3R, where it is unclear if Tanner or the antagonist Jericho flatlines in a hospital following a shootout in Istanbul. There is also a dumpster in the game which contains copies of "Driv3r", alluding to the poor reception of the previous Driver game. Also in the 1978 bachelor pad, there is a poster for the game: "Stuntman", another game by Reflections.

[edit] Characters and Voice Actors

TK and Ray - Brian Bloom

Slink - Geoff Brown

The Mexican - Carlos Ferro

Bishop - Rodney Saulsberry

Candy - Michael Cornacchia

Corrigan - Ian Gregory

[edit] Vehicles

Both eras included in the game have distinct styles of vehicles, although a few of the 1978-era cars do show up in 2006. Although based on real automobiles, all vehicles in the game are fictitious, and are given fictitious names.

New to the Driver franchise is the ability to customize, or mod, the player's vehicle. Each vehicle can be upgraded numerous ways in Ray's Garage. Upgrades include custom body and paint jobs, although they are preset, increased engine power, nitrous boosters, bulletproof glass, window film and tunable springs, shocks, ride height, brakes, neon lighting, and downforce. A test track is available to "try out" the upgraded vehicles and making any necessary adjustments.

[edit] Soundtrack

Driver: Parallel Lines features an entirely licensed soundtrack consisting of over 70 songs, ranging from 1970s-era rock and funk to modern alternative rock and rap songs. The songs play while the player is in a vehicle, as if they were on the radio. Notable groups featured on the soundtrack include Funkadelic, Can, Suicide, The Stranglers, War, Iggy Pop, Blondie, David Bowie, Parliament, The Temptations, Average White Band, Public Enemy, The Roots, TV on the Radio, The Secret Machines, Kaiser Chiefs, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and LCD Soundsystem.

[edit] 2006 Music

Much of the 2006 era music is a collection of songs from mostly lesser known artists. Much of the songs are of the rock, rap, or electronica genres. It should be noted that lots of the songs are from UK artists, and that England is where Reflections is from.

1. "Louis XIV" by Louis XIV

2. "A Different Age" by the Dead 60s

3. "Oh My God" by Kaiser Chiefs

4. "Chin High" by Roots Manuva

5. "Sealings" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs

6. "My Favorite Mutiny" by The Coup

7. "Nowhere Again" by Secret Machines

8. "Racing Towards the Sun]] by Queenadreena

9. "I Changed My Mind" by Lyrics Born

10. "Boom!" by The Roots

11. "Against the Wall" by Cagedbaby

12. "Hey Scenesters!" by The Cribs

13. "The Cookie" by Dr. Rubberfunk

14. "Tito's Way" by The Juan Maclean

15. "We're Adjusting Ourselves" by Warren Suicide

16. "Intro (Reprise)" by ILS

17. "That You Might" by Home Video

18. "OFG" by ZZZ

19. "All Mapped Out" by The Departure

20. "Get Out of My Way" by Grandmaster Flash

21. "Can't Get Enough" by Infadels

22. "Net Health Rock" by TV On the Radio

23. "Rock 'Till I'm Roll'ing" by Audio Bullys

24. "Muscle Cars (Sander Kleinenberg Pace Car Mix)" by Mylo

25. "Now What You 'Gon Due" by Public Enemy

26. "Pop The Blue" by Suicide

27. "Worth It" by Narco isn"t sharing

28. "reverberate" by Arthur Baker

29. "Big Streets" by Vox

[edit] Limited Edition Soundtrack

1. "Smack the Bird" by The Nimrod Express

2. "Mango Man" by The Fabulous Bongo Brothers

3. "Want what I got" by The Sliders

4. "Come and Get it" by Prince of Brooklyn

5. "New York Pity" by Monthieu Star

6. "Monkey Nuts" by Tribal Funk Stars

7. "Vertical Flip" by Vox

8. "Now What You Gon Due" by Chuck D and Professor Griff of Public Enemy

9. "reverberate" by Arthur Baker

10. "You Will Pay" by DJ Grandmaster Flash

12. "Big City Streets" by Vox

[edit] Limited Edition

A limited edition version of the game was released along with the regular version. The special edition, costing $10 more, includes an extra DVD containing information about the production of Parallel Lines as well as in-game videos and character profiles. Also included with the limited edition is the official soundtrack, including twelve tracks from the game. The UK version is dubbed "Collectors Edition", and does not contain the DVD, instead only providing the soundtrack CD and a metal case.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Driver: Parallel Lines site
• Driver: Parallel Lines is not Driver 4 at Driver-4.com
• Driver Madness - Everything about Driver
• Driver: Parallel Lines (PS2) at GameSpot
• Driver: Parallel Lines (PS2) at IGN
• Driver: Parallel Lines at MobyGames
• Driver: Parallel Lines at GameFAQs

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