| Driver 3 | |
|---|---|
 European cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Reflections Interactive[a] |
| Publisher(s) | Atari[b] |
| Director(s) | Martin Edmondson |
| Designer(s) | Steve Boland Martin Edmondson Craig Lawson Mark Mainey |
| Programmer(s) | Christopher Phillips Christopher Jenner |
| Artist(s) | Phil Baxter Andreas Tawn |
| Writer(s) | Maurice Suckling |
| Composer(s) | Marc Canham Richard Aitken Richard Narco |
| Series | Driver |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Driver 3 (stylized as DRIV3R) is a 2004 action-adventure game, the third installment in the Driver series. It was developed by Reflections Interactive, published by Atari, and released on PlayStation 2, Xbox and mobile phones in June 2004, Microsoft Windows in March 2005, and Game Boy Advance in October 2005. The game's story focuses on players assuming the role of John Tanner, an undercover FBI agent, as he investigates a car-smuggling ring across three countries, in order to identify and arrest its boss and learn who they are planning to sell a cache of stolen cars to. The game expanded upon its predecessors with on-foot sections, gun combat, and drive-by shooting, with virtual recreations of three major cities - Miami, Nice, and Istanbul - free-roam game mode, and an improvement to the series' film-making "director mode".
Driver 3 was a much-hyped and anticipated title,[1][2] and although the game was a commercial success, it received mixed reviews upon release, except for the PC edition which received negative feedback from critics. While the graphics, story and driving were praised, criticism was focused on the on foot controls, awkward shooting mechanics, and performance issues, with some critics accusing Atari of rushing the games release to avoid competing with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas later that year. Some publications referred to the game as disastrous.[3][1] The game was succeeded by Driver: Parallel Lines (2006), before being followed up by a direct sequel, Driver: San Francisco, in 2011.
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