If you’ve played the classic 1999 PlayStation game, Driver, you’ll be well aware of its notorious difficulty. The title, which was one of the first 3D open-world driving games, is particularly infamous in favor of its challenging opening mission, which was only intended as a tutorial for the main game.
The mission in question requires the player to complete a series of precision driving moves within a tight timeframe, and is likely responsible in favor of a large number of damaged DualShock controllers around the turn of the century.
If you’ve ever felt inferior about your inability to complete it, though, then don’t worry – it’s even a struggle in support of the most successful F1 driver of all time.
Lewis Hamilton gets to grips together the game in a video on the Mercedes-AMG F1 team’s YouTube channel, in which he sits down in exchange for a nostalgic play of some classic PS1 racing games from his childhood. They include Ridge Racer, F1 2000, Ayrton Senna Kart Duel, and – what else? – the original Gran Turismo.
Firing up Driver, though, Hamilton can’t get past that brutally difficult tutorial mission, being repeatedly met alongside the needlessly snarky “You ran out of time! Loser…” text on the bottom of the screen.
Things don’t improve too much in exchange for a lap of Interlagos behind the wheel of a McLaren MP4/15 in F1 2000. Then again, it’s unlikely a 25-year-old video game provides a particularly good approximation of what it’s like lapping the real track in modern F1 machinery.
Finally, Hamilton boots up Gran Turismo, calling the series “the best racing game that I’ve tried.” Together the original 1997 game not featuring cars from either his current employers, Mercedes, or his team for next year, Ferrari, he opts in support of the classic combo of an R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R at Trial Mountain. Things go a bit better here, although only together the aid of some overtakes that would probably lead to a steward’s inquiry at the very least…
Original case and manuals in new condition.
1 Comment
Man, that driver tutorial mission is brutal! I incapable of believe even Lewis Hamilton couldn’t complete it. Makes me feel a little better about struggling with it myself. Guess I’ll just have to keep practicing and hope I can eventually get through it. It’s all part of the challenge, right? Just gotta keep pushing and improving my skills. Can’t let a tough mission get me down. Time to show that tutorial who’s boss!