Driver just made an unexpected comeback in the year of our lord 2023

Well, this is certainly a throwback. Who remembers Driver? I hope the answer was a resounding yes because if you said no, you’re missing out on a banger of a franchise. The good news is, Driver has finally made a comeback. It’s all thanks to an incredible new fan project.

If this is the first you’re hearing of Driver, the franchise started with the titular Driver on the PlayStation 1 in 1999, with a PC and Game Boy Colour release in the following year. Players control race car driver turned undercover detective John Tanner who must infiltrate a criminal outfit planning to assassinate the US president. This was followed by Driver 2 in 2000, Driver 3 in 2004, Driver: Parallel Lines in 2006, Driver 76 in 2007, and Driver: San Francisco and Driver: Renegade 3D in 2011. It’s not a franchise known for having the most exciting naming conventions. Before someone points it out, yes, there’s the free-to-play mobile app Driver: Speedboat Paradise too.

Who agrees that the PS2 is still one of the best consoles of all-time?

The franchise has essentially been on hiatus for a decade though, and there are seemingly no plans for an official return. One fan has taken matters into their own hands though, creating a ‘Definitive Edition’ mod for Driver 3, also stylised as DRIV3R. As reported by DSOGaming, the mod is the work of Nexus Mods user Zombie2358, with the help of fellow user burritoo.

The description reads, “This mod not only fixes the game but also recovers HD Vehicle Textures from early game builds as well as many other improvements from the Xbox and PS2 version.” It sounds good to me. Let’s dive into the specifics though. The mod includes: PS2 car colours, HD vehicles, a draw distance fix, interior fixes, anisotropic filtering fix, EXE improvements, PS2 moods and skies recovery, UI improvements, PS2 fog shader, upscaled textures, PS2/Xbox atmosphere, car light fixes, a fixed challenger and merc, EAX fixes, and a graphics layers fix.

If you do happen to own Driver 3, there really is no better time to dive back in to experience the game with a fresh lick of paint - or should I say, a fresh set of tyres.