Line #123 VideoGame/DriverSanFrancisco


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/driver_san_francisco.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''[[ArcWords "Eyes on the City..."]]'']]
3
4	->'''Tanner''': What if I am losing it, Jones? What if this is all in my head?\
5	'''Jones''': Ah, please. That's all you're worried about? Look, the difference between you sane and you crazy is that you drive slightly faster.
6
7	Released in 2011, ''Driver: San Francisco'' is the fifth entry in the ''VideoGame/{{Driver}}'' series. The game takes place in, surprise surprise, [[WideOpenSandbox the city of]] UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco, in the present day ([[RetroUniverse technically]]), starring series protagonist John Tanner in the pursuit of escaped criminal [[MeaningfulName Charles Jericho]].
8
9	Following the events of ''[=DRIV3R=]'', Jericho is being taken into custody in an armored truck. Although Tanner's partner, Tobias Jones, insists Jericho's in safe hands, Tanner himself isn't so sure and tails the van just in case. Sure enough, Jericho breaks free of his handcuffs and hijacks the truck. During his escape, Jericho slams Tanner's car with the truck and pushes him to be t-boned by an oncoming semi, [[AdventuresInComaland causing Tanner to enter a coma]]. From here on out, the game takes place in Tanner's coma dreams, influenced by the news broadcast in his hospital room, in which he continues the chase for Jericho through San Francisco.
10
11	He does this via "shifting", the game's main gimmick, which allows him to BodySurf into any driver of any car in the city, taking control of their bodies. From here on, John uses his newfound powers to help the people of the city, gather clues, work undercover in Jericho's organization, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking smash random cars into his enemies]], and hopefully realize the truth of his situation and eventually escape.
12
13	The game received positive reviews for its unique gameplay and mix of a campy, ''Series/StarskyAndHutch''-style tone with dream-induced surrealism. It was released on UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows (via Platform/{{Steam}} and [=uPlay=], though it has since been delisted), Platform/PlayStation3, and Platform/{{Xbox 360}}.[[note]]Also to add, of the three platforms, the Xbox version ''didn't'' have a online pass because Ubisoft botched the code printing for that game. They decided that the only way to fix this was to make the online pass free for everyone on Xbox Live, essentially making the online multiplayer free for all Gold members. The codes still did unlock some extra content, however.[[/note]] It is also playable on Platform/XboxOne and Platform/XboxSeriesXAndS via Backwards Compatability, though as the game is not currently available digitally one will need to either own a physical copy or have already bought the game digitally.
14
15	On the same day as the other console versions, another game titled ''Driver: San Francisco'' was released for the Wii. [[ReformulatedGame It's not a port, however, instead being an entirely different game]] that acts as a prequel to the first ''Driver'' and plays out as much more of a classic ''Driver'' experience with some shooting elements added in - with the only real similarities to the other versions being some characters and the city itself.
16	----
17	!!This game provides examples of:
18	* AcCENTUponTheWrongSylLABle: No one in the game can properly pronounce "Marin", as in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marin_County,_California Marin County, California]].
19	* AdventuresInComaland: As stated, everything between the very beginning and very end takes place largely within Tanner's coma dream.
20	* TheAllegedCar: AMC Pacer, although it works perfectly.
21	** The Volkswagen Bus isn't exactly known for its reliability either, but again, it works perfectly in-game.
22	** In one mission, you drive a Lamborghini Jalpa that is so thoroughly trashed that one more hit will wreck it completely.
23	** This trope is probably the reason the AMC Javelin is absent from the game, despite an unlicensed version of it (the Cerrano) being present in previous games.
24	** Probably the reason the Jaguar XJS, and all other Leyland-produced Jags are absent as well.
25	* TheAllSolvingHammer: The ability to shift into random vehicles in traffic and [[SuicideAttack drive headfirst into]] your opponents is very effective, and used creatively [[MurderIsTheBestSolution it can be used to beat most of the missions]], and as a result may become YourAnswerToEverything.
26	** If you play like this, simple "get from point A to point B quickly" missions will probably be ThatOneLevel.
27	* AnimalMotifs: CreepyCrows show up around car bombs about to go off or when something in Tanner's head doesn't quite match reality. There's actually a picture of a crow in the hospital room so that may say something.
28	* ArbitrarySkepticism: Even after he accepts that Tanner can shift, Jones has an alarming tendency to dismiss Tanner's additional revelations later in the plot as "crazy talk" [[note]]Of course, since none of what's going on in the game is actually real, there's a lot to be said about Jones' demeanor and attitude.[[/note]].
29	* ArcWords: "Your eyes on the city".
30	* ArtisticLicenseCars: The Nissan Skyline ([=BCNR33=]) [=GT-R=] is depicted as left-hand drive like every single drivable vehicle in the game, despite the fact that prior to the [=V35=]-series, no Skyline was ever produced in left-hand drive form, and it is physically impossible to have a legitimate [=LHD=] R32, R33, or R34 Skyline [=GT-R=]. The engine's twin turbochargers are sitting directly in the path that a hypothetical [=LHD=] steering column would have to pass through to connect to the steering rack. [[labelnote:Note]]Nowadays, it's doable [[AwesomeButImpractical even though it's a very difficult and time-consuming task]] (plus, you need a professional to convert it to [=LHD=] as a single mistake can be very costly and the price may vary depending on the car's value) as you'll have to dismantle the entire dashboard and re-position while inverting the harness. Then, omit one of the turbochargers in order to replace the steering rack before the brake master cylinder is re-located and re-aligned. Next, inspect the firewall and reposition the accessories. And finally, re-adjust the doors before replacing the wipers and motor. [[/labelnote]] And to add more insult to the injury, the R33 (along with other All-Wheel Drive cars) is able to perform burnouts even though it's virtually impossible due to having better traction compared to FWD and RWD vehicles.
31	* AwesomeButImpractical: The game's extreme emphasis on drifting means you can pull off some sweet moves, but trying to drive normally (like, say, how you would in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'') often causes your car to spin wildly out of control, even at moderate speeds.
32	** Certain cars count as this due to their stats. Cars with high drift can count as this, as they are the ones most likely to spin you out in simple turns. The most drifty car would have to be the Corvette Z06 that can spin out if you put the accelerator down too hard.
33	* BadassDriver
34	* BatmanGambit: Jericho pulls one off on ''all of San Francisco'' by [[spoiler:very visibly stealing the components to a cyanide gas bomb, then threatening to detonate the bomb downtown. He has no real intention of following through on this; he just wants the city evacuated so he can stage a prison break unimpeded.]]
35	* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: The entire game is essentially this, though it comes to a head in the final mission where [[spoiler: Tanner and the coma version of Jericho start ''[[CarFu throwing cars at each other]]'' as Tanner tries to wake up.]]
36	* BodySurf: Tanner's "Shift" ability allows him to possess virtually anyone driving a vehicle.
37	* BoringButPractical: A lot of the more common cars that spawn in traffic a lot, the Ford Crown Victoria, Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, Ford F150, Chevrolet C10, and even the Lincoln Town Car to an extent. However, not all the boring cars are practical; see MasterOfNone.
38	* CarChase: The series' bread and butter.
39	* CarFu: Half the time will be spent [[DestructiveSaviour driving semis into]] [[HeroicComedicSociopath oncoming traffic to stop a street race.]]
40	** In the game's climax, BigBad Jericho will [[spoiler: throw cars at Tanner]]. Since it's AllJustADream, [[EleventhHourSuperpower Tanner can, too]].
41	** Team Race being a hard one to win? Just smash the opponents into retirement. Though opponents in races have their durability buffed out.
42	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muhgbVLG8Eg BUSSIN]] Brutally Unfair Strategy Showcases Ingenuity Nicely.
43	* ChargedAttack: Ram, hold the button to store energy and release to lurch your car forward, dealing more damage to the enemy in front while briefly preventing your car from taking damage during the ram, but it slows you down upon missing with it and continues to drain the ability bar even after fully charging but not releasing.
44	* CoolCar: Now all real cars (except ASYM Desanne, see WritingAroundTrademarks below), a change from the previous games which use [[{{Expy}} Expies]] or unbranded cars. Out of the 140 vehicles to choose from, a lot of them are darn cool, ranging from muscle cars to supercars, luxury cars and off-road cars, and a ''lot'' of them are a reference to one movie or another.
45	** Such as The [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture DeLorean DMC-12]], a [[Film/{{Bullitt}} 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback]], [[Film/GoneInSixtySeconds1974 another Mustang (a 1973 Mach 1)]], [[Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit Pontiac Trans Am]], [[Film/TheCannonBallRun Lamborghini Countach]], [[Film/TheLoveBug Volkswagen Beetle]] etc. Pretty much every CoolCar used in a chase scene shows up.
46	* CowboyCop: Tanner, to the hilt. However, he's changed from his no-nonsense, brash but serious personality into a wise-cracking one.
47	* CreepyCrows: Jericho's motif.
48	* CuttingTheKnot: Often times races can be won simply by shifting into one of the cars in oncoming traffic and [[SuicideAttack driving it headfirst into your opponent's cars]]; doing it just a few times will put you in the lead, but you can [[SpamAttack just keep doing it until you take out all your opponents and win by default]].
49	* DeadpanSnarker: Both Tanner and Jones can get their snark on. Makes sense since they're buddy cops (plus since this is all happening in Tanner's head, Jones being a wiseass and needlessly skeptical might simply be Tanner's opinion of him manifested).
50	* DeliberatelyMonochrome: Just before the ambulance chasing level, a snap of Tanner's fingers brings his entire world to a grinding halt, with everything turning a dreary blue. It's actually supposed to represent Tanner flatlining, and chasing the ambulance (the only thing colored) throughout the sequence is supposed to help maintain his heart rate.
51	* {{Determinator}}: Given a DeconReconSwitch. At times, Tanner's focus on catching Jericho is portrayed as bordering on an unhealthy obsession. However, late in the game, this obsession lets him [[spoiler:wake himself up from his coma]].
52	* DirtyCop: Some of the partners of the cops Tanner shifts into. He makes it quite clear that he has an incredibly low opinion of them.
53	* DiscOneNuke: If you can be bothered to save up the requisite 150,000 cash required to purchase the Ford GT you have the ability to buy from the very beginning, you'll find it easily beats out every other car you can get until a couple chapters in. Its usefulness is mitigated somewhat by the fact that you can't use it for story missions and challenges.
54	* DonutMessWithACop: Tanner and Jones stop for coffee and donuts while Tanner tells Jones about his shifting ability.
55	* DramaticIrony:
56	** Throughout the game, the player is aware of Tanner's coma, but Tanner himself isn't.
57	** Some of the people Tanner shifts into have ironic dialog, like hoping there's somebody watching over them as a disembodied Tanner hovers over their car. Or their passenger saying, "What's gotten into you? You've been driving like a man possessed."
58	* DramaticThunder: A bolt of lightning and a clap of thunder is used to denote when another player Shifts into a car in most multiplayer modes [[spoiler:and when Jericho takes control of cars in traffic at the midpoint and finale. This effect is also used when either of you toss cars at each other]].
59	* DreamTellsYouToWakeUp: The first thing Tanner sees in his coma dream is a billboard with the words WAKE UP printed on it.
60	* TheDriver: Of course.
61	* EasterEgg: Driving the [[spoiler:[[Franchise/BackToTheFuture 1983 DeLorean DMC-12]] at 88 mph]] unlocks [[spoiler: the garage training level from the first ''Driver'' game as a special mission.]]
62	* EleventhHourSuperpower: The ability to [[spoiler: throw cars at Jericho's RAM SRT-10]] during the climax.
63	** Otherwise, it is actually [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], as you lose the ability to boost or ram during the final chase.
64	* EndlessDaytime: The entire game, even in short segments in the beginning, [[spoiler:the end, and the end credits]] taking place in the real world.
65	* EnemyWithin: There are two Jerichos. The real one is loose in the real world, plotting a terrorist attack [[spoiler: that was later revealed as a harmless smokescreen to allow him to escape]]. The Jericho in Tanner's head is an embodiment of his obsession to catch him and his fear of death. (Hence the theme song, "Race With Death".)
66	** Their voices and, if it's turned on, even their caption color is different. Real!Jericho has his subdued, calm and smug voice with red text, while coma!Jericho has a blood-curdling tone to his voice, maniacal laughter, evil dialogue, and his caption text is purple.
67	* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler: Used as a plot point. Jericho and his associates never wanted to do a terrorist attack that could kill innocents. His plan to bomb the city are merely harmless smokescreen to cover up his escape.]]
68	* EveryCarIsAPinto: Surprisingly averted for a game themed off of movie car chases. The only time a vehicle explodes is if it's a tanker filled with something volatile or if the car (usually [[WritingAroundTrademarks ASYM Desanne]]) was rigged with a bomb. Tanner jokingly alludes to this when teaching "driving lessons" to an unfortunate passenger.
69	* EverythingTryingToKillYou: You can invert this by invoking this on rival drivers! To quote Krug: "It was like every driver in the city was an undercover cop!"
70	** Played straight when [[spoiler:Tanner discovers Jericho is able to do the same thing he is and traps him in a state where he's shifting from car to car to stop Tanner.]] Incidentally, [[FridgeBrilliance it's like the shoe is on the other foot in this situation and the city is rebelling against your indiscretion.]]
71	* EvilIsHammy: Played with. The Jericho in Tanner's head is loud, bombastic, and prone to evil laughter. The real Jericho is quieter, smoother, and more in control of himself.
72	* {{Expy}}: The Chevrolet Volt for the Toyota Prius.
73	* {{Foreshadowing}}: If the player takes over a certain taxi, Tanner will have a rather odd conversation with a doctor. Turns out, the doctor is talking about the surgery he is performing on Tanner, while he is in his coma.
74	* FragileSpeedster: Any of the sports cars in the game are almost easily totaled at high speed, but the most fragile example would be the Alfa Romeo Guilia [=TZ2=], the only car in the game that has a single bar in the "Strength" stat.
75	* IHaveYourWife: During the mission where you help Toby get his son back from a kidnapper, his voice is constantly wavering and on the verge of tears, and justifiably so with Cyrus' threats to kill his son if he doesn't give him the money he wants.
76	* HeroicComedicSociopath: Tanner is rather gleeful when he makes other people drive recklessly and scare the passengers, especially during the last chapter or the post-game.
77	--> '''Tanner:''' Yeah, yeah, run and scream and stuff.
78	* HeroicWillpower: [[spoiler: It's what making Tanner wake up from the coma.]]
79	* HideYourChildren: Downplayed. Despite the presence of a school bus, no kids appear in the game; the only time a child is mentioned is when helping Toby get his child back from a kidnapper.
80	* ImprobableAimingSkills: Played with. During Jericho's escape, Leila shoots a moving police car with an RPG from a helicopter. The skills required for this shot immediately give Tanner and Jones a place to start their investigation.
81	* ImprobablyCoolCar: You can find some incredibly rare cars just casually cruising the streets of SF, including 1960s Italian racing cars with production runs barely out of single digits.
82	** Then there are the cars that are ''in'' the single digits. Pagani Zonda [[MeaningfulName Cinque]], anyone?
83	** Justified as the game is in Tanner's coma dream and Tanner's interest with cool cars is subconsciously affecting the world.
84	* JokeCharacter: Cars with low stats all around like the AMC Pacer, VW Beetle (especially the old one) and the Camper, as well as the Chevrolet Volt among some others.
85	** LethalJokeCharacter: While more joke than lethal, the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser does count, since it's basically a station wagon variant of the Oldsmobile 442.
86	* JustifiedTutorial: Many of the city missions that are done to unlock Tanner missions have some sort of unique gimmick to them that unlocks Activities and Challenges of that gimmick, acting as a way to teach you how those missions work.
87	* LighterAndSofter: Compared to the previous game, the game has little to no shootings, far less gritty setting with little to no gangland ghetto, far more focus on driving and cars, a more wise-cracking, talkative protagonist, and generally more wacky, fantastic plot and characters, although justified. The Wii version, however, averts this.
88	* IAlwaysWantedToSayThat: The TitleDrop from the getaway side mission "Mission From God".
89	* [[{{InfinityPlusOneSword}} Infinity Plus One Car]]: Both the [=McLaren=] F1 and Pagani Zonda Cinque are the two fastest cars in the game and able to take corners with ease. They're also the most expensive, costing 750,000 and ''1,000,000'' WP, respectively.
90	* ManIFeelLikeAWoman: Alluded to when Tanner is explaining shifting to Jones.
91	-->'''Jones''': So, let me get this straight: when you zap into a ''fine''-looking lady-
92	-->'''Tanner''' (quickly): I keep my hands on the wheel.
93	* MasterOfNone: Some of the most common cars in traffic manage to be [[BoringButPractical Boring, But]] [[BaitAndSwitch Also Impractical]], at least for a fast-paced driving game. The Dodge Neon, Dodge Caravan, Volkswagen Beetle Convertible, and Cadillac DTS all spring to mind. They're not interesting and they're not particularly good at anything, they're just sort of there. If you really push them to the limit you might manage to beat some of the early challenges, but for the most part, you'll only use them as mobile walls to stop the bad guys. Unfortunately, they're some of the most common cars in traffic, especially early on in the game.
94	* MightyGlacier: Anything that's a Van Dourn, Dykemann, Camion and Caisson would count. Pick ups like Ford F-150/350's also count but to a lesser extent.
95	* MindControl: Tanner's "shifting" powers basically amount to this.
96	* MoneyForNothing: Depending on how you manage your in-game currency, you may end up with it flowing in at certain intervals, although that you have already bought everything there is to buy.
97	** Which becomes very evident on NewGamePlus. Got all the cars and upgrades? Enjoy your infinite money which you can never use.
98	* MushroomSamba: One mission involves a spider collector whose boyfriend got bitten by a "Congolese Dream Widow", which means intense hallucinations that degrade into a coma with the only way to stave it off being an adrenaline shot. Thankfully, Joni happens to be driving a Chevrolet Corvette [=Z06=] to easily perform winding drifts to keep Sam awake. His hallucinations include seeing a bright light (which Joni!Tanner is confused if it's GoIntoTheLight or stay out of the light to stay alive), Joni!Tanner's head being a big balloon, big, angry screeching owls, thinking he's going to the park and sleeping atop a big bear, among other crazy things. The whole mission becomes DramaticIrony when you think about it as the game states "Coma Averted!" when you reach the hospital and win the mission, too bad you couldn't avert a certain other coma...
99	* NewGamePlus: Story progress is reset, but once you pass the essential tutorial missions, the entirety of San Francisco is open without the early game [[BrokenBridge Broken Bridges]] and you retain all of your abilities, upgrades, cars unlocked, WP, etc. It gives a unique advantage during missions that otherwise wouldn't have these abilities. The game also skips the portions teaching you about Activities, Dares, Garage Stores, and the discovery and upgrades of abilities or new areas of the city are also skipped.
100	* NobodyCanDie: As a departure from GTA-style shenanigans of the past, no one can die regardless of how terrible cars can potentially get wrecked. Guns seem strangely unheard of in this game (minus their brief appearance in the prologue) despite various criminals and police likely benefiting if they had them. There are a few times during the story when death is implied or likely, but it's never shown, such as the car bomb that offs Krug or when Leila cuts the safety harness to the camera man in the news chopper to let him plummet in the intro. Even if you shift into a car whose driver and passenger are together in a death pact, you can't off them by wrecking the car.
101	* NoodleIncident: Several...
102	--> '''Tanner''': Have you ever had an out-of-body experience?
103	--> '''Jones''': You been eating moldy waffles again? I told you about cleaning out your fridge.
104	--> '''Tanner''': Hey! We agreed never to mention what happened on 'Weird Tuesday'. You promised.
105
106	--> '''Tanner''': Let's go grab a cup of coffee, there's something I need to talk to you about.
107	--> '''Jones''': You're not pregnant again, are you?
108	--> '''Tanner''': Trust me, with this [shifting] thing I got going on, it makes just as much sense.
109	* PowerPerversionPotential: Discussed. When Tanner manages to convince Jones that the shifting thing is real, Jones immediately starts speculating about what Tanner could do if he shifted into a good-looking female body. Tanner says firmly that in that case he'd keep both hands on the wheel.
110	* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: Nobody questions the dubious morality of Tanner ramming innocent bystanders' cars into his opponents. While the game doesn't show any civilians dying even during horrific crashes, it seems they may still be able to feel pain. So even if you're not killing innocents, you're still wrecking their cars and probably giving them whiplash and broken bones (although if you completely wreck a car with a passenger in it, they rarely complain about pain). Technically justified, since nothing is real anyway, but Tanner doesn't know that [[spoiler:at first]].
111	* RetroUniverse: Despite being set in the present day, the game feels ''very'' [[TheSeventies '70s]]. Some challenges even limit the cars on the road to classics and throw on a light sepia filter with film grain to simulate a TV show from the era.
112	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: In-universe example, the reason the events in the game's coma dream match what happens in reality after TheReveal is that the television in the hospital room was on the news station, subconsciously feeding Tanner information of what was happening in real life (which can be very subtly heard if you shift and fly up to the maximum height, along with the heartbeat and EKG).
113	* RubberbandAI: As said by [[WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation Yahtzee]], opponent cars slow down dramatically once you're far enough behind them.
114	* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: One mission involves two cops who know that there is a storage of fake medication but have to wait for a warrant, which by then it would be too late to stop them. Tanner takes control of the driver to smash them all in order to stop the distribution. Later on, you help the two ex-cops finish the job in vigilante fashion.
115	* SequenceBreaking: The mission [[IronicName "The Big Break"]] has you driving through a long, winding route with lots of sharp turns, breaking signs advertising a rap concert along the way (ItMakesSenseInContext), all in a Cadillac XLR-V, a car that isn't known for its great cornering. However, at the very first turn, [[EasyLevelTrick instead of turning left like you're supposed to, you can keep going straight for 3 or 4 blocks and THEN turn left, and just follow that street]], as [[DungeonBypass it leads directly to the finish line]], completely [[CuttingTheKnot bypassing all the tricky corners the big Caddy struggles with and completing the mission]]. This does however make the dialogue at the end of the mission make absolutely no sense, since [[DramaticallyMissingThePoint the entire point of the mission was to smash all the signs advertising the concert, so an assassin wouldn't be able to find and murder the performer]].
116	* ShaggyDogStory: Given that Tanner's in a coma, this is inevitable; nothing he does in the dream will affect reality. [[spoiler:Except not really. As he subconsciously receives information from the TV news broadcast in his room, Tanner pieces together that a full-blown terrorist attack via cyanide bomb isn't Jericho's style, but making people ''think'' there's a bomb is. As a result, when Tanner wakes up, he's the only one who has any idea of Jericho's true intentions, and is the one to keep him from escaping. Him progressing through the dream, including the messages, allow him to wake up as well with sheer HeroicWillpower.]]
117	* ShoutOut: The tutorial in the first game is lifted directly from a similar scene in ''The Driver'', where the main character proves his skills to some gangsters in a parking garage. It was then [[NostalgiaLevel ported]] as a [[EasterEgg special]] challenge in this game and is unlocked by [[spoiler: driving [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture 88 mph in a DeLorean]].]].
118	** The "Movie Challenges" are special missions that closely resemble famous movie chase scenes. Some players go as far as turning off the in-game music and then replacing it with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp1SKuN_FuI the]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq2MBh_3H48 real]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_DWqg8hakk thing]].
119	** In one mission, Tanner has to catch two lowlifes who stole a church collection box. His reaction? [[IAlwaysWantedToSayThat He's always wanted to say that]] [[Film/TheBluesBrothers he's on a mission from God]].
120	** One mission has you drive a semi-truck that needs to be kept [[Film/{{Speed}} above 60 mph]]. There's even a challenge requiring you to do this in a (school) bus.
121	** Some of the cars:
122	*** Do you REALLY think it's a coincidence that there's [[Series/TheATeam a heavily-customized old GMC Vandura that's a red stripe and a set of rims away from being a perfect replica of a certain famous van]]?
123	*** How about the AMC Pacer that's the same year as the one used in ''Film/WaynesWorld''?
124	*** Why would a game about driving fast include an unwieldy land barge such as a [[Film/TheBluesBrothers 1974 Dodge Monaco Sedan]]?
125	*** Then there's the Trans Am from ''Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit'' and the Mustang Mach 1[=/=]Shelby [=GT500E=] from ''Film/{{Gone in\|SixtySeconds1974}} [[Film/GoneInSixtySeconds2000 60 Seconds]]''.
126	*** And then there's the Dodge Challenger from ''Film/VanishingPoint'', [[Series/TheDukesOfHazzard a '69 Dodge Charger]], and [[Film/JamesBond 007's]] (or, in one certain mission, [[Film/CannonballRun Seymour Goldfarb, Jr.'s]]) Aston Martin [=DB5=].
127	*** Some of them get REALLY obscure. [[Series/MyNameIsEarl There's a reason they made the El Camino a '73 instead of the '70 El Camino fans are complaining it's not, and his name rhymes with "pearl."]]
128	*** Pretty much every car in the game is a shout out to some famous car from a TV show or movie, there's too many to list.
129	* ShownTheirWork: Early on in the game, Jericho attempts to get his hands on platinum and ammonia. While Tanner is baffled as to why, Jones calls up a chemist they rescued earlier and learns that the two can be used to make hydrogen cyanide gas. The platinum is even correctly identified as a catalyst.
130	* StoryOverwrite: [[spoiler:At the end, you wake up from your coma, lose your "powers" and get Jericho. After the credits, you return to your coma and can complete the rest of the challenges]].
131	* SuicideAttack: You can shift into other cars and do this to take out other vehicles; it's very effective.
132	* TalkLikeAPirate: [[http://youtu.be/N_lAPHFaiDk One of the passengers you can encounter]].
133	* TerroristsWithoutACause: In the real world, Jericho steals ammonia and platinum, two ingredients for making cyanide gas, and threatens to detonate a bomb in San Francisco for no real reason. [[spoiler:Subverted when this lack of reason is what tips Tanner off to Jericho's ''real'' plot: evacuating the city to stage a massive prison break.]]
134	* ThoseTwoGuys: In the first level, you meet Jun and Ayumu, two down-on-their luck racers trying to make money for Ayumu's college fund. Because it's for a good cause, Tanner decides to help them out. However, Ayumu gets the wise idea of continuing to race even after they make all the money, forcing Tanner to help them in most of the following chapters.
135	** Of course, it takes a more serious turn as Jun and Ayumu are forced to race as Jericho now owns every race in the city at that point. From the dialogue of "ending up like that big guy, Krug", it implies that the cars have bombs planted on them, effectively forcing them to race or die. By the time of their last race in a [[ImprobablyCoolCar Pagani Zonda Cinque]], they start making light of it after telling off the person offering their job to "tell Jericho to stick his money where the sun don't shine". Jun!Tanner is ''not'' happy at how casually they're telling off such dangerous people like Jericho's mooks.
136	--> '''Jun!Tanner''': You crazy people! When a man that dangerous offers you a job, you say "yes" and ''then'' you run like hell!
137	--> '''Ayumu''': Ten seconds ago, you thought it was hilarious.
138	--> '''Jun!Tanner''': ''Now'' I think you're a dumbass and I have to win this race to save your lives, again!
139	* UnderTheTruck: Not with motorcycles but with ''cars'', the semi-trailers ride so high that even the sedans can perform what the game calls a "truck tuck" without it resulting in an InstantConvertible. Two missions require you to use cars and drive beneath trucks in order to defuse a bomb stowed beneath them.
140	* UnexpectedGameplayChange: In the penultimate chase, [[spoiler:Tanner realizes just what the entire city being in his head means, and shifting is replaced by the ability to telekinetically hurl cars at Jericho while he does the same to you]].
141	** Looking for a red SUV with stolen sheet platinum has Tanner shift into the co-pilot of a police helicopter. It plays out more like an interactive cut-scene, you don't have to scan any of the vehicles until you see a red Land Rover Range Rover Sport suspiciously parked on an off-road with [[CreepyCrows crows circling around it]] ''and'' a floating "!" icon with a circular area beneath it.
142	* UnexpectedlyRealisticGameplay: Since the final chase [[spoiler:takes place in reality]], there's no shifting, boosting or ramming. Tanner even remarks [[spoiler:"Reality has its drawbacks."]]
143	* UnexplainedRecovery: No explanation is given for how Tanner survived the ShootTheShaggyDog ending of ''[=DRIV3R=]''. The prequel comic simply reveals that Tanner was taken to the hospital and clinically dead for a short time, but the doctors saved him.
144	* UniversalDriversLicense: Tanner has no problem going from his [[DrivingStick manual]] Dodge Challenger R/T to an automatic car whose stick may be on the wheel itself, to an F1-style paddle-shifter or even to a school bus, armored van or the eighteen wheel semi-truck. The game even properly animates these situations in first person, complete with Tanner putting his hand on the wheel-stick when reversing an automatic or having a separate, slanted-wheel animation for larger vehicles. Being AllJustADream, it makes sense Tanner wouldn't have a problem, although at one point in the finale, [[spoiler:he borrows Jones' modern Camaro in reality]] due to his car having been wrecked from the beginning.
145	* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Tanner keeps seeing black billboards with strange messages. When Tanner points them out to Jones, he doesn't seem too fazed by it, at one point telling Tanner the billboards have "been up for years."
146	* WideOpenSandbox: Of the supernatural variety, even.
147	* WritingAroundTrademarks: There is this one and only fictional car that cannot be driven, the [=ASYM=] Desanne which appears as certain police cars in cutscenes or the normal version for a character, later blasted by an RPG-7 or planted with a car bomb. This is probably to avoid licensing issues because it's doubtful Ford, Dodge, or any other car manufacturer would approve of the depiction of their police cruisers (or other cars, for that matter) being blasted by an RPG or shown deliberately bombed.
148	** The heavier commercial vehicles are also fictional, though they are based on real vehicles like the Caison Elementary C being based on a typical Blue Bird school bus or the Dykemann Haulier SF which is modeled after a Kenworth T-600 or similar model.
149	* WouldHurtAChild: Cyrus, who kidnapped Toby's son and is willing to kill him for the money Toby has, among threats of having a box the size of David's body and "having him picked up in several black bags". Thankfully, nothing ever implies the murder happens even if you fail, only Cyrus getting irritated with you drawing too much suspicion or taking too long.
150	* YourMom: Tanner to someone during ''It's For Charity'' after already being fed up by her commentary and the fact the Jalpa they were driving is almost wrecked.
151	--> [[SassyBlackWoman Passenger]]: "Honey, this car is worth cash money!"
152	--> Tanner: "[[DoubleEntendre Your mom's cash money]]."

Context VideoGame / DriverSanFrancisco