Driver: Parallel Lines
Atari | PS2, Xbox
The setup: Ditching the series' cop-hero Tanner, Parallel Lines is the story of The Kid, an up-and-coming getaway driver in 1978 New York who falls in with a bad crowd. After he's framed and sent to prison, the plot turns into a murder-revenge story when he regains his freedom in 2006 and sets out to murder the ones who wronged him.
The rides: A bunch of era-appropriate muscle machines. We especially like the 1970s cars, as their powerful engines pack a roaring, visceral kick that lets us know this game was created by true car fetishists.
The violence: Fairly low-key, but the game does have its share - particularly when the second half begins and The Kid sets out on a quest for bloody revenge after he's freed from prison. The actual gunplay wouldn't be half-bad if it was a little more discriminating about whom you were locked onto.
