Driver: San Francisco

Driver: San Francisco is a unique 2011 action-racing game developed by Ubisoft Reflections that boldly revitalizes the franchise with a surreal, game-changing mechanic. The game features the return of undercover police detective John Tanner and his long-time nemesis, crime lord Charles Jericho, setting the stage for an intense, cinematic chase across the iconic streets of the Bay Area.

The Coma and The Shift

The story begins with Jericho staging a massive prison break and escaping. During the ensuing high-speed chase, Tanner is involved in a devastating car crash that leaves him in a coma. It is from this comatose state that the game’s core mechanic, Shift, emerges.

In his dream world, which is influenced by news reports filtering into his hospital room, Tanner discovers he has gained the ability to instantly eject his consciousness from his own body and possess any driver in the city. When the player "Shifts," the camera zooms out into a top-down, bird’s-eye view of the city, and the player can select and take control of any vehicle on the road.

Gameplay Innovation

The Shift mechanic is central to every aspect of the gameplay, transforming traditional racing and chase missions:

• Tactical Chases: During police pursuits, you can instantly Shift out of your car and into an oncoming vehicle, using it to T-bone the target or set up a massive, destructive roadblock.

• Mission Variety: Shift enables an unparalleled diversity of missions. You might start a mission in a police car, Shift into a civilian's taxi to drive at full speed and ram a target, and then Shift into a bus to block an alleyway, all in a matter of seconds.

• The Narrative: The plot cleverly uses the coma state to explain the supernatural power, as Tanner pieces together Jericho's criminal plot—which involves a chemical bomb threat—from within his own mind, all while occupying the lives of various San Francisco citizens.

The game boasts a vast open-world recreation of San Francisco, complete with over 130 fully licensed muscle and super cars. The driving physics are highly stylized, emphasizing arcade-style, heavy-handling drifts and spectacular, Hollywood-esque crashes, perfectly complementing the over-the-top, action-packed nature of the Shift mechanic. Driver: San Francisco is celebrated for its unique concept and success in blending racing, strategy, and a surprisingly bizarre, compelling narrative.