History VideoGame / DriverSanFrancisco

[[caption-width-right:350:Detective John Tanner is having a bad day.]]

The game received positive reviews for its unique gameplay as well as its campy, ''Series/StarskyAndHutch''-style tone as well as some MindScrew thrown in with the coma dream element. It is available on UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows (via Platform/{{Steam}} and [=uPlay=], though [=uPlay=] is tied in to the game regardless and this game is no longer available on Steam but users that bought the game can still play it on their account), Platform/PlayStation3, Platform/{{Xbox 360}},[[note]]Also to add, of the three platforms, the Xbox version ''doesn't'' have a online pass because Ubisoft botched the code printing for that game. They decided that the only way to fix this was to make the online pass free for everyone on Xbox Live, essentially making the online multiplayer free for all Gold members. The codes still work to unlock some free content, however.[[/note]] and the Platform/{{Wii}}.

However, the Wii version is substantially different from the previous versions, to the point the game is practically unrecognisable other than a few characters. Set before the first game, it centers around Tanner and Jones, with a few playable segments as the main antagonists, and is more of a traditional Driver game with some rail shooter elements mixed in.

* AdventuresInComaland: ''San Francisco'' takes place mostly within Tanner's coma dream.

* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: ''The entire game.''

The game received positive reviews for its unique gameplay as well as its campy, ''Series/StarskyAndHutch''-style tone as well as some MindScrew thrown in with the coma dream element. It is available on UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows (via UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} and [=uPlay=], though [=uPlay=] is tied in to the game regardless and this game is no longer available on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} but users that bought the game can still play it on their account), UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}},[[note]]Also to add, of the three platforms, the Xbox version ''doesn't'' have a online pass because Ubisoft botched the code printing for that game. They decided that the only way to fix this was to make the online pass free for everyone on Xbox Live, essentially making the online multiplayer free for all Gold members. The codes still work to unlock some free content, however.[[/note]] and the Wii.

* AccentUponTheWrongSyllable: No one in the game can properly pronounce [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marin_County,_California Marin]].

** Such as The [[Film/BackToTheFuture DeLorean DMC-12]], a [[Film/{{Bullitt}} 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback]], [[Film/GoneInSixtySeconds1974 another Mustang (a 1973 Mach 1)]], [[Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit Pontiac Trans Am]], [[Film/TheCannonBallRun Lamborghini Countach]], [[Film/TheLoveBug Volkswagen Beetle]] etc. Pretty much every CoolCar used in a chase scene shows up.

* EasterEgg: Driving the [[spoiler:[[Film/BackToTheFuture 1983 DeLorean DMC-12]] at 88 mph]] unlocks [[spoiler: the garage training level from the first ''Driver'' game as a special mission.]]

* ShoutOut: The tutorial in the first game is lifted directly from a similar scene in ''The Driver'', where the main character proves his skills to some gangsters in a parking garage. It was then [[NostalgiaLevel ported]] as a [[EasterEgg special]] challenge in this game and is unlocked by [[spoiler: driving [[Film/BackToTheFuture 88 mph in a DeLorean]].]].

* CameraScrew: Invoked and Averted with the Thrill Camera unlockable that grants an additional, drive-by camera that occasionally changes to a swaying on-the-hood camera. It's invoked in many stunt Dares where you have to perform an objective in that view where you can't see where you're going most of the time. Otherwise, it's averted in Activities, Challenges and Missions where you can't switch to that camera, to avoid being screwed over as you cycle through the other views.

* ShaggyDogStory: Given that Tanner's in a coma, this is inevitable; nothing he does in the dream will affect reality. [[spoiler:Except not really. As he subconsciously receives information from the TV news broadcast in his room, Tanner pieces together that a full-blown terrorist attack via cyanide bomb isn't Jericho's style, but making people ''think'' there's a bomb is. As a result, when Tanner wakes up, he's the only one who has any idea of Jericho's true intentions, and is the one to keep him from escaping.]]

* TheAllSolvingHammer: The ability to shift into random vehicles in traffic and [[SuicideAttack drive headfirst into]] [[KillEmAll your opponents]] is very effective, and used creatively [[MurderIsTheBestSolution it can be used to beat most of the missions]], and as a result may become YourAnswerToEverything.

* UnexplainedRecovery: No explanation is given for how Tanner survived the ShootTheShaggyDog ending of ''[=DRIV3R=]''.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/driversfboxart_6265.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:Detective John Tanner is having a bad day.]]

Following the events of ''[=DRIV3R=]'', Jericho is being taken into custody in an armored truck. Although Tanner's partner, Tobias Jones, insists Jericho's in safe hands, Tanner himself isn't so sure and tails the van just in case. Sure enough, Jericho breaks free of his handcuffs and hijacks the truck. During his escape, Jericho slams Tanner's car with the truck and pushing him to be t-boned by an incoming semi, [[AdventuresInComaland causing Tanner to enter a coma]]. From here on out, the game takes place in Tanner's coma dreams, influenced by the news broadcast in his hospital room, in which he continues the chase for Jericho through San Francisco.

* AccentUponTheWrongSyllable: No one in the game can properly pronounce [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marin_County,_California Marin]].

* NewGamePlus: Story progress is reset but once you pass the essential tutorial missions, the entirety of San Francisco is open without the early game [[BrokenBridge Broken Bridges]] and you retain all of your abilities, upgrades, cars unlocked, WP, etc. It gives a unique advantage during missions that otherwise wouldn't have these abilities. The game also skips the portions teaching you about Activities, Dares, Garage Stores and the discovery and upgrades of abilities or new areas of the city are also skipped.
* NobodyCanDie: As a departure from GTA-style shenanigans of the past, no one can die regardless of how terrible cars can potentially get wrecked. Guns seem strangely unheard of in this game (minus their brief appearance in the prologue) despite various criminals and police likely benefiting if they had them. There are a few times during the story when death is implied or likely, but it's never shown such as the car bomb that offs Krug or when Leila cuts the safety harness to the camera man in the news chopper to let him plummet in the intro. Even if you shift into a car who's driver and passenger are together in a death pact, you can't off them by wrecking the car.

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: Nobody questions the dubious morality of Tanner ramming innocent bystanders' cars into his opponents. While the game doesn't show any civilians dying even during horrific crashes, it seems they may still be able to feel pain. So even if you're not killing innocents you're still wrecking their cars and probably giving them whiplash and broken bones (although if you completely wreck a car with a passenger in it, they rarely complain about pain). Technically justified, since nothing is real anyway, but Tanner doesn't know that [[spoiler:at first]].

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: In-universe example, the reason the events in the game's coma dream match what happens in reality after TheReveal, is because the television in the hospital room was on the news station, subconsciously feeding Tanner information of what was happening in real life (which can be very subtly heard if you shift and fly up to the maximum height, along with the heartbeat and EKG).

* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: One mission involves two cops who know that there is a storage of fake medication but have to wait for a warrant, which by then it would be too late to stop them. Tanner takes control of the driver to smash them all in order to stop the distribution. Later on you help the two ex-cops finish the job in vigilante fashion.

*** Do you REALLY think its a coincidence that there's [[Series/TheATeam a heavily-customized old GMC Vandura that a red stripe and a set of rims away from being a perfect replica of a certain famous van]]?

* UnderTheTruck: Rather not with motorcycles but with ''cars'', the semi-trailers ride so high that even the sedans can perform what the game calls a "truck tuck" without it resulting in an InstantConvertible. Two missions require you to use cars and drive beneath trucks in order to defuse a bomb stowed beneath them.

* UniversalDriversLicense: Tanner has no problem going from his [[DrivingStick manual]] Dodge Challenger R/T to an automatic car whose stick may be on the wheel itself, to an F1-style paddle-shifter or even to a school bus, armored van or the eighteen wheel semi-truck. The game even properly animates these situations in first person, complete with Tanner putting his hand on the wheel-stick when reversing an automatic or having a separate, slanted-wheel animation for larger vehicles. Being AllJustADream, it makes sense Tanner wouldn't have a problem, although at one point in the finale, [[spoiler:he borrows Jones' modern Camaro in reality]] due to his car has been wrecked from the beginning.

** The heavier commercial vehicles are also fictional though they are based on real vehicles like the Caison Elementary C being based on a typical Blue Bird school bus or the Dykemann Haulier SF which is modeled after a Kenworth T-600 or similar model.
* WouldHurtAChild: Cyrus, who kidnapped Toby's son and is willing to kill him for the money Toby has among threats of having a box the size of David's body and "having him picked up in several black bags". Thankfully, nothing ever implies the murder happens even if you fail, only Cyrus getting irritated with you drawing too much suspicion or taking too long.

* ArbitrarySkepticism: Even after he accepts that Tanner can shift, Jones has an alarming tendency to dismiss Tanner's additional revelations later in the plot as "crazy talk" [[note]]Of course since none of what's going on in the game is actually real there's a lot to be said about Jones' demeanor and attitude.[[/note]].

* ArtisticLicenseCars: The Nissan Skyline ([=BCNR33=]) [=GT-R=] is depicted as left-hand drive like every single drivable vehicle in the game, despite the fact that prior to the [=V35=]-series, no Skyline was ever produced in left-hand drive form, and it is physically impossible to have a legitimate [=LHD=] R32, R33, or R34 Skyline [=GT-R=]. The engine's twin turbochargers are sitting directly in the path that a hypothetical [=LHD=] steering column would have to pass through to connect to the steering rack. [[labelnote:Note]]Nowadays, it's doable [[AwesomeButImpractical even though it's a very difficult and time-consuming task]] (plus, you need a professional to convert it to [=LHD=] as a single mistake can be very costly and the price may vary depending on the car's value) as you'll have to dismantle the entire dashboard and re-position while inverting the harness. Then, omit one of the turbochargers in order to replace the steering rack before the brake master cylinder is re-located and re-aligned. Next, inspecting the firewall and repositioning the accessories. And finally, the doors must be re-adjusted before the wipers and motor are replaced. [[/labelnote]] And to add more insult to the injury, the R33 (along with other All-Wheel Drive cars) is able to perform burnouts even though it's virtually impossible due to having better traction compared to FWD and RWD vehicles.

** Certain cars due to their stats, count as this. Cars with high drift can count as this, as they are the ones most likely to spin you out in simple turns. The most drifty car would have to be the Corvette Z06 that can spin out if you put the accelerator down too hard.

* CameraScrew: Invoked and Averted with the Thrill Camera unlockable that grants an additional, drive-by camera that occasionally changes to a swaying on-the-hood camera. It's invoked in many stunt Dares where you have to perform an objective in that view where you can't see where you're going most of the time. Otherwise, it's averted in Activities, Challenges and Missions where you can't switch to that camera to avoid being screwed over as you cycle through the other views.

* ChargedAttack: Ram, hold the button to store energy and release to lurch your car forward, dealing more damage to the enemy in front while briefly preventing your car from taking damage during the ram but it slows you down upon missing with it and continues to drain the ability bar even after fully charging but not releasing.
* CoolCar: Now all real cars (Except ASYM Desanne, see WritingAroundTrademarks below), in change from the previous games which use [[{{Expy}} Expies]] or unbranded cars. Out of the 140 vehicles to choose from, a lot of them are darn cool ranging from muscle cars to supercars, luxury cars and off-road cars and a ''lot'' of them are a reference to one movie or another.

* CowboyCop: Tanner, to the hilt. He's however changed from his no-nonsense, brash but serious personality into a wise-cracking one.

* CuttingTheKnot: Often times races can be won simply by shifting into one of the cars oncoming traffic and [[SuicideAttack driving it headfirst into your opponent's cars]], doing it just a few times will put you in the lead, but you can [[SpamAttack just keep doing it until you take out all your opponents and win by default]].

* DiscOneNuke: If you can be bothered to save up the requisite 150,000 cash required to purchase the Ford GT you have the ability to buy from the very beginning, you'll find it easily beats out every other car you can get until a couple chapters in. Its usefulness is mitigated somewhat by the fact that you can't use it for story missions and challenges

* EndlessDaytime: The entire game, even in short segments in the begining, [[spoiler:the end, and the end credits]] taking place in the real world.

** Their voices and, if it's turned on, even their caption color is different. Real!Jericho has his subdued, calm and smug voice with red text while coma!Jericho has a blood-curdling tone to his voice, maniacal laughter, evil dialogue and his caption text is purple.

* IHaveYourWife: During the mission where you help Toby get his son back from a kidnapper, his voice is constantly wavering and on the verge of tears and justifiably so with Cyrus' threats to kill his son if he doesn't give him the money he wants.

* HideYourChildren: Downplayed, despite the presence of a school bus, no kids appear in the game, the only time a child is mentioned is when helping Toby get his child back from a kidnapper.

** Then there are the cars that are ''in'' the single digits. Pagani Zonda [[MeaningfulName Cinque]] anyone?
** Justified as the game is in Tanner's coma dream and Tanner's interest with cool cars subconsciously affecting the world.

* JustifiedTutorial: Many of the city missions that are done to unlock Tanner missions usually have some sort of unique gimmick to them that unlocks Activities and Challenges of that gimmick, acting as a way to teach you how those missions work.

* IAlwaysWantedToSayThat: The TitleDrop from the getaway side mission "Mission From God"

** Which becomes very evident on NewGamePlus. Got all the cars and upgrades? Enjoy you infinite money which you can never use.
* MushroomSamba: One mission involves a spider collector whose boyfriend got bitten by a "Congolese Dream Widow", which means intense hallucinations that degrades into a coma with the only way to stave it off being an adrenaline shot. Thankfully, Joni happens to be driving a Chevrolet Corvette [=Z06=] to easily perform winding drifts to keep Sam awake. Among his hallucinations involve seeing a bright light (which Joni!Tanner is confused if it's GoIntoTheLight or stay out of the light to stay alive), Joni!Tanner's head being a big balloon, big, angry screeching owls, thinking he's going to the park and sleeping atop a big bear among other crazy things. The whole mission becomes DramaticIrony when you think about it as the game states "Coma Averted!" when you reach the hospital and win the mission, too bad you couldn't avert a certain other coma...

** If you play like this simple get from point A to point B quickly missions will probably be ThatOneLevel.

* AdultFear: During the mission where you help Toby get his son back from a kidnapper, his voice is constantly wavering and on the verge of tears and justifiably so with Cyrus' threats to kill his son if he doesn't give him the money he wants. It's any parent's nightmare where the safety of your child hinges on paying large amounts of money you don't even have.

* UnexpectedlyRealisticGameplay: Since the final chase [[spoiler:takes place in reality]], there's no shifting, boosting or ramming.

* BadassBeard

* RealityEnsues:
** During the opening, Tanner gets broadsided by a semi truck. Rather than brush it off, Tanner gets knocked into a coma.
** Since the final chase [[spoiler:takes place in reality]], there's no shifting, boosting or ramming.

* DummiedOut: There were a few cars slated for appearance but dropped at the last moment due to licensing issues or otherwise and data can be found for them in the game files including the Bentley Mulsanne (replaced by the Arnage T), the Audi A8 Quattro or even the Esprit and Elise (SC) from the Lotus brand. There was also an unknown, Mustang-esque car from development photos that may have been a placeholder.
** While the Nissan Skyline GT-R R33 is in the game, some photos indicated it would have been in it's right-hand drive configuration but no other cars in the game are right-hand drive anyways. This is probably also the reason cars like the Jaguar [=XJ220=] and XJR-15 don't appear as they were exclusively right-hand drive.

* UniversalDriversLicense: Tanner has no problem going from his [[DrivingStick manual]] Dodge Challenger R/T to an automatic car whose stick may be on the wheel itself, to an F1-style paddle-shifter or even to a school bus, armored van or the eighteen wheel semi-truck. The game even properly animates these situations in first person, complete with Tanner putting his hand on the wheel-stick when reversing an automatic or having a separate, slanted-wheel animation for larger vehicles. Being AllJustADream, it makes sense Tanner wouldn't have a problem, although at one point in the finale, [[spoiler:he borrows Jones' modern Camaro in reality]].

* UniversalDriversLicense: Tanner has no problem going from his [[DrivingStick manual]] Dodge Challenger R/T to an automatic car whose stick may be on the wheel itself, to an F1-style paddle-shifter or even to a school bus, armored van or the eighteen wheel semi-truck. The game even properly animates these situations in first person, complete with Tanner putting his hand on the wheel-stick when reversing an automatic or having a separate, slanted-wheel animation for larger vehicles. Being AllJustADream, it makes sense Tanner wouldn't have a problem.

* ArtisticLicenseCars: The Nissan Skyline ([=BCNR33=]) [=GT-R=] is depicted as left-hand drive like every single drivable vehicle in the game, despite the fact that prior to the [=V35=]-series, no Skyline was ever produced in left-hand drive form, and it is physically impossible to have a legitimate [=LHD=] R32, R33, or R34 Skyline [=GT-R=]. The engine's twin turbochargers are sitting directly in the path that a hypothetical [=LHD=] steering column would have to pass through to connect to the steering rack. [[labelnote:Note]]Nowadays, it's doable [[AwesomeButImpractical even though it's a very difficult and time-consuming task]] (plus, you need a professional to convert it to [=LHD=] as a single mistake can be very costly and the price may vary depending on the car's value) as you'll have to dismantle the entire dashboard and re-position while inverting the harness. Then, omit one of the turbochargers in order to replace the steering rack before the brake master cylinder is re-located and re-aligned. Next, inspecting the firewall and repositioning the accessories. And finally, the doors must be re-adjusted before the wipers and motor are replaced. [[/labelnote]] And to add more insult to the injury, the car is ''[[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking incorrectly portrayed as Front-Wheel Drive as opposed to All-Wheel Drive]],'' which is evident if you try to perform a burnout (as it's impossible to do so in the latter drivetrain due to the traction).

* ArtisticLicenseCars: The Nissan Skyline [=GT-R=], in R33 guise, is depicted as left-hand drive like every single drivable vehicle in the game, despite the fact that prior to the [=V35=]-series, no Skyline was ever produced in left-hand drive form, and it is physically impossible to have a [=LHD=] R32, R33, or R34 Skyline [=GT-R=]. The engine's twin turbochargers are sitting directly in the path that a hypothetical [=LHD=] steering column would have to pass through to connect to the steering rack.

* DeliberatelyMonochrome: Just before the ambulance chasing level, a snap of Tanner's fingers brings his entire world to s grinding halt, with everything turning a dreary blue. It's actually supposed to represent Tanner flatlining, and chasing the ambulance (the only thing colored) throughout the sequence is supposed to help maintain his heart rate.

* AcCENTUponTheWrongSylLABle: No one in the game can properly pronounce [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marin_County,_California Marin]].

** The "Movie Challenges" are special missions that closely resemble famous movie chase scenes.

*** And then there's the Dodge Challenger from ''Film/VanishingPoint'', [[Series/TheDukesOfHazzard a '69 Dodge Charger]], and [[Film/JamesBond 007's Aston Martin DB5]].