Driver: Renegade

Review

Common Sense Media says

Violent, vehicle-based action game with sex and swearing.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Driver: Renegade is one of the rare Nintendo 3DS games that is M-rated because of its violence, blood, sexual themes, and strong language. It isn't for kids or young teens. The mature themes involve killing kingpins and their henchmen in and around New York City, primarily through driving-based missions, which show loads of violence and blood-splatter. Cussing is heard throughout the dialogue and some scenes are sexually suggestive.

  • Positive messages0
    While the game has you stopping criminal overlords, you decide to take the law into your own hands. Your goal is to take down these evil kingpins by any means necessary, which usually means through violence. As such, this game doesn't give a positive message.
  • Positive role models0
    The main player, John Tanner, used to be a NYPD officer but he decides to go out on his own to take down the heads of various criminal outfits. While likeable, he isn't a very good role model for breaking the law and using excessive force to complete his objectives.
  • Ease of play3
    Despite a somewhat confusing mini-map, this game is pretty easy to play using the Nintendo 3DS buttons and accelerometer. The touchscreen isn't utilized very much in this game.
  • Violence4
    Especially for a Nintendo 3DS title, this "Mature"-rated video game shows plenty of violence, both in the actual gameplay as well as non-interactive cut-scene sequences. For example, you can drive into enemy cars to cause them to explode, while the mini-movies might show a gunshot to the head, with lots of blood, or someone jumping in front of a train.
  • Sex3
    There are references to sexual behavior, especially in the missions to take down the "pimp" in the game. Dialogue refers to "prostitutes," "hookers," "massage parlors" and "call girls." In one scene you can see a cut-scene of a prostitute taking off her clothes with a man in a bed and you'll hear moaning sounds (but there is no nudity).
  • Language4
    The game has some strong profanity in dialogue sequences, including words like "f--k," "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch," "damn" and "hellhole."
  • Consumerism0
    Not applicable.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking3
    A couple of the main criminals are involved in drugs; therefore, there are many references to "drugs," "narcotics," and "shooting up." But you are taking these seedy characters down rather than partaking in illegal narcotics.
  • Privacy & safety0
    Not applicable.
CloseExpand to see more details

What's it about?

In DRIVER: RENEGADE for the Nintendo 3DS, players step into the shoes of John Tanner, an ex-undercover cop who decides to take the law in his own hands. New York City is overrun by organized crime and so Tanner, with his vehicle as his main weapon, vows to take down five kingpins, including an arms dealer, human organs trafficker, drug lord, and other seedy villains. Taking place between the stories of Ubisoft's Driver and Driver 2, the relentless renegade will also work with other characters we'll meet, each of whom helps Tanner in his dangerous missions.

Is it any good?

 

Driver: Renegade is good, but the action is over way too soon. While the gameplay is fun and intense for the targeted audience of older gamers -- featuring mission-based driving that has you racing around NYC's streets, engaging in car chases, destroying property, performing jumps, and filling up your "Rage" bar to add a boost and punish enemy cars even more –- the main story mode is over in less than 3 hours. And while there's also a career mode, where you can complete challenges for gold medals and new vehicles, the game offers very little replayability.

Visually, the stereoscopic 3D effect works well -- without requiring 3D glasses -- for both the gameplay and the cinematic cut-scene sequences, plus the Nintendo 3DS' accelerometer sensor can be used to help control Tanner's vehicle, too. The frame rate is fairly smooth, as well, which is very important for a racing game. But because of the game's brevity, it's hard to recommend it -- especially as it's a $40 cartridge.

Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!

What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about whether adult games for the Nintendo 3DS platform make sense given their primary demographic of young players. Is it smart to release games like this, and other mature titles like Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, to broaden their gamer base, or do they sell well enough to justify the investment?

  • What is the impact of violence like the kind found in this game?

This review was written by Marc Saltzman
Teen, 13 years old
February 25, 2012
AGE
13
 
An awesome albeit bloody game.
I have been playing over 50 hours of this for the past 3 days without stopping to rest or take a toilet break and I've completed this.In 3 days.Yes,that's right.Ease of play:12/10 Violence:Extreme.10/10 Sex:4/10 Drugs-7/10 Mature content-10/10 Overall content:31/40 13 and up
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
Flag as inappropriate 
See all user reviews
This review was written by Marc Saltzman
Platforms:Nintendo 3DS
Available online?Not available online
Genre:Racing
Developer:UbiSoft
Release date:September 6, 2011
Price:$39.99
ESRB rating:M for Blood, Drug Reference, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
This review was written by Marc Saltzman

Contact us to give us more feedback on our learning ratings.

 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.

Screenshots

  • 1 of 3
  • 2 of 3
  • 3 of 3

Tell us what you think about our new Learning Ratings. We value your feedback.

About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

Better Nintendo 3DS titles to invest in
For kids who love handheld games
Browse more games
 

vote now

Will you play Driver: Renegade?

Game on
Press pause
Game over

Already played it? What do you think?

I recommend it
It's a pass
 
More from Common Sense Media
Age-appropriate reviews
Top advice and articles

Been There? Tell us about it