Driver: San Francisco - Multiplayer Mayhem
We give you a few tips to ensure multiplayer success in the new supernatural entry in the Driver series.
It's safe to say that most people were taken aback by the change-up of core mechanics in Ubisoft's latest game in the long-enduring Driver franchise. After the lukewarm reception for the most recent title in the series, developer Ubisoft Reflections realised it needed to do something drastic to stand apart from other similar games on the market, and it has done just that with its new 'spiritual shifting' gameplay. Players will be able to shift between any of the hundred or so cars on the road in the middle of a chase, a little like the agents shift around to different cars in The Matrix Reloaded. Yes it's quite crazy.
We recently had a chance to play the game's 'Tag' multiplayer mode, which has players stealing a crown and trying to hold on to it for a total of 100 seconds, while other players try to nab it by ramming into you. We played several games of the 'Tag' mode and can confirm that this new style of gameplay is quite fun and original, and will make for some great edge-of-your-seat chases with your mates. While it might take a few matches to get the hang of things, we thought we'd give you all a few pointers ahead of the game's release, both to help you dominate when you pick up Driver: San Francisco and to highlight how the new mechanics shift things up.
1) Shift Far Ahead
A quick tap of R1 (or RB) will shoot your viewpoint up over the car you happen to be chasing. To have any chance of catching up to it using the ability to shift, you will need to pick wisely. While you may see many suitably hotted-up cars within the target's vicinity, shifting to one that's too close may cause you to fall back again due to a lack of speed. Your best bet is to shift to a car that's much further ahead but going in the same direction, so that you can build up enough speed to match your target as it drives near you.
2) Drive on the Wrong Side of the Road
If you become the target car, the best way to avoid people shifting up close to you and taking you down, is to immediately spin your car around and drive against traffic. If every car that's near you is going in the opposite direction, it becomes extremely hard for other racers to shift near you, as they'll have to stop and turn around, causing the distance between you and your pursuers to grow quickly.
3) Hide Inside Alleyways
Ducking into an open alleyway is a great way to avoid other players shifting near you. Because there are no other cars in an alleyway, it becomes quite difficult for rivals to catch up to you. Their only options are to drive into the alleyway and follow you, or to try and figure out where the exit is and shift to a car there and just wait. There are lots of cool alleys in the game, some of which are actually quite long and will grant target cars a lot of time on the clock.
4) Avoid Shifting Into Big Trucks
There are numerous large semi-trailers on the road in Driver: San Francisco, but good luck chasing your target down or getting away from your pursuers in one of those hulking monstrosities. These large vehicles are basically only good for one thing, and that is blocking traffic in front of the car you're chasing.
5) Don't Rush Into Shifts
While you have an unlimited amount of shifts that can be performed in each multiplayer mode's allotted timeframe, you cannot shift again immediately if you screw up. You will have to wait a short amount of time before you will be able to perform another. This can cost you quite a bit in the middle of a match if you happen to shift into an unsatisfactory car, giving your target even more time to hold on to the crown and more time to gain distance from you. Make sure you choose wisely before making the (quantum) leap.
These are just some of the tactics that will help you become a Driver-master online when the game releases this September. We thought about including a sixth useful tactic, which is to spiritually channel Jason Statham each time you play, but really, that kind of goes without saying.
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seems like common sense, but ok