Driver: Parallel Lines - PS2

The first half of Driver: Parallel Lines is set in a convincingly dingy 1970's New York City, as players take on the role of TK, a devil-may-care young man who, free from conscience and the willingness to follow rules, is the most sought after driver-for-hire in town. TK came to New York City from out west. Home was way too slow and too dull to contain him. He loves cars, girls, risks, music and speed. Folks who can't take a joke get short shrift. TK's fearless, optimistic, loyal, and rock-steady with a sense of humour that gets him into trouble and a cheeky grin that gets him out just as quickly. At 18 years of age, he chooses New York to make his fortune using the one undeniable skill he has - driving. The Parallel Lines experience begins with a pick-up outside a pharmacy, a drop-off of some drop-out in Harlem, and a period of time living above Ray's auto repair shop. Offers of work are not slow to come in: low-life snoops, peddlers, bail-bondsmen and villains on the up. All this activity takes TK across the City which, in the space of a few outings, becomes as familiar as the dashboard of the car he learned to drive in back home. As long as the money keeps rolling in, and there's no unnecessary violence, TK's happy. It's not too long before he gets his own apartment and his first hardcore driving gigs: Slink - archetypal 70's cool black dude…think Huggy Bear - gave him a few test drives and he did well enough to get the proper jobs. He's fun to be with, optimistic and packed full of ambition. Life's sweet. But that was 1978...

Fast forward 28 years, and the boyish good looks and carefree manner are gone. TK's kept fit and has filled out with muscle. Despite being on the inside for all those years, he's still a damn fine driver and now he's an athlete too. The world has changed, and for TK, it takes a little getting used to: unfamiliar, new buildings, a cleaned-up city on the surface…but beneath that surface, things really haven't changed in the seedy underworld in which TK immersed himself. He still knows how to operate, what people to see and how to get things done. He's still got the gift of the gab, the smarter-than-thou remarks are second nature; but now they're meaner, harder-edged. He's a man driven by the intense desire for revenge who has learned to be quiet and wait for the right moment. With or without the help of anyone else, he'll get what he wants. Nothing can come between TK and his revenge: he's spent 28 years preparing for it.

So much for the storyline. The real bonus with Parallel Lines is that it'll banish any memories of its predecessor - Driv3r - from just about 30 minutes in. Graphically, it's not fantastic, but it more than makes up for it in terms of the pace of gameplay and a (mostly) storming soundtrack, including Parliament, Suicide, David Bowie and Iggy Pop. Oh, and for younger viewers, The Cribs, Kaiser Chiefs, Dead 60's and Yeah Yeah Yeahs amongst others. more