Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Driver 2 doubles down on the franchise’s hallmark of high-speed, mission-based driving, this time adding a new layer of depth by letting you step out of your vehicle and explore on foot. The ability to carjack rival rides mid-mission breathes fresh life into chases: when your current car is too damaged, you can bail out, sneak up on an unsuspecting target, and make a quick switch. These on-foot segments introduce stealth elements you simply didn’t get in the original Driver, offering clever detours and hidden shortcuts through alleys, buildings, and docks.

Over 37 main story missions take you through four distinct locales—Chicago, Las Vegas, Rio de Janeiro, and Havana—each with its own traffic patterns, weather effects, and patrol routes between American and Brazilian gangs. Curved roads and off-ramps replace the old grid-based city blocks, making navigation feel more organic and allowing for swooping drifts, high-speed slaloms, and ambitious jumps. The increased complexity of the street layouts rewards players who take the time to learn the city’s flow, with alternate routes that can shave precious seconds off the clock.

Beyond the main campaign, Driver 2 offers a Free Driving mode where you can explore every corner of each map at your leisure. Want to see if you can launch your sportscar off Rio’s Sugarloaf Mountain? Now you can. Preset challenges—such as timed checkpoints, pursuit evasion, and stunt trials—add bite-sized goals for quick play sessions. And for those who prefer competition, the split-screen multiplayer introduces four modes: Take a Ride, Cops’n’Robbers, Checkpoint, and Capture the Flag, ensuring local couch battles remain a highlight long after the single-player story ends.

Graphics

On the original PlayStation hardware, Driver 2 manages to push polygon counts and draw distances in ways that still impress today. Each city is decorated with landmark buildings—the Art Deco spires of Chicago’s skyline, the neon glitz of the Las Vegas Strip, Rio’s favelas clinging to hillsides, and the pastel colonial façades of Old Havana. Textures remain blocky by modern standards, but the strong color palettes and atmospheric lighting do a remarkable job of conveying the vibe of each locale.

Animations are smooth for the era, with vehicles responding believably to collisions, drifts, and jumps. When Tanner exits his car, you’ll notice character models carry a surprising amount of detail, complete with muzzle flashes and ragdoll effects during shootouts. Weather and time-of-day cycles are not dynamic, but mission designers use lighting—streetlamps at night, glaring sunshine by day—to create memorable setpieces, such as high-stakes chases through Vegas canals under the moonlight.

One of the standout graphical improvements over the first Driver is the introduction of curved roads and more organic cityscapes, which feel more realistic than the original’s right-angle block layouts. While occasional pop-in remains a limitation, it never undermines the excitement of a fast getaway or the tension of a near-miss crash. On CRT displays, the game’s anti-aliasing and scanline blending soften edges, giving it a striking, cinematic look that still holds charm for retro enthusiasts.

Story

Driver 2 picks up with undercover cop Tanner embroiled in an escalating turf war between American and Brazilian crime syndicates. Rather than a single city, the narrative propels you across continents, each arc pushing Tanner deeper into the web of international crime. You’ll switch between cooperative setpieces—like escorting convoys of armored cars—and solo infiltration missions where the stakes feel personal and urgent.

The pacing of the story is brisk. Every mission carries a clear objective—escape the ambush in Chicago, sabotage a heist in Las Vegas, intercept a weapons deal in Rio, then race against time to foil a high-profile exchange in Havana. While the dialogue can be cheesy and the voice acting occasionally stilted, these elements only add to the late-‘90s action-movie atmosphere. Cutscenes use in-engine footage, which helps maintain immersion and keeps the focus on Tanner’s drive to stay one step ahead of both law enforcement and crooked underworld figures.

Character development is light; Tanner himself remains a taciturn tough guy, defined more by his steely resolve than emotional nuance. However, the game’s tight mission scripting and varied objectives prevent the experience from feeling repetitive. Driving isn’t just about speed—it’s about positioning, timing, and making split-second decisions. This keeps the narrative ticking forward, with each city feeling like a new chapter in an escalating thriller.

Overall Experience

Driver 2 succeeds in evolving the franchise without losing what made the original so compelling. The introduction of on-foot gameplay and carjacking diversifies the action, while multiplayer split-screen modes ensure that players return for countless couch co-op and versus matches. The blend of tight mission design and free-roam exploration strikes an excellent balance for both linear and open-ended playstyles.

Although graphics and audio show their age—particularly in texture resolution and voice delivery—the core driving mechanics and city layouts remain engaging. Fans of classic arcade racers will appreciate the emphasis on momentum, precision, and creative route-finding. The joyful chaos of evading police helicopters in Rio or launching off neon-lit ramps on the Vegas Strip captures the spirit of ‘90s action blockbusters in video game form.

Whether you’re revisiting it for nostalgia or discovering it for the first time on retro hardware or through digital re-release, Driver 2 offers a robust package of missions, challenges, and multiplayer thrills. Its combination of varied locales, advanced driving physics for its day, and that signature undercover-cop narrative make it a standout title in the generation that defined console-based driving games. For anyone seeking a classic driving adventure with just enough ambition to stand out, Tanner’s back—and he’s never driven better.

Retro Replay Score

7/10