For the majority of people I know, the Grand Theft Auto games really captured their hearts with the PS2 games. When the wildly successful series jumped into the third dimension, to say open world games changed forever would be an understatement. I always loved those top down GTA games though, as they just had a daftness I appreciated more than the more story based experiences they evolved into. Deliver At All Costs gave me all those silly vibes I’ve been missing, with destructible environments and plenty of ridiculous deliveries to take care of.
Our protagonist in Deliver At All Costs is Winston Green, a hotshot engineer with a temper that gets the better of him. After his anger issues got Winston in trouble, our hero is in desperate need of a job to pay the rent. Back in 1959 this means listening to the wireless, and as luck would have it We Deliver is looking for drivers. That’s enough for our man Winston to take a drive to their headquarters though, and for his journey to monetary happiness to begin.
Once you leave Winston’s crappy apartment, you’ll have full control of where to go in this decently sized open world. Winston can run and jump to climb various buildings and phone lines, but got the most part you’ll spend your time driving. The best thing about driving everywhere is that the world is very very destructible. Driving into the wall of a house will completely knock it down, revealing the interior and barely damaging your vehicle. This never stops being satisfying, and also makes getting from A-to-B much easier.
Most of your driving won’t be for fun though, it’ll be to earn cold hard cash. Delivery missions are the absolute highlight of the game, because they’re absolutely ridiculous. One of these for example tasks you with driving mouldy melons to be painted (so they look fresh and can be sold) in the back of your pickup, but they’ll roll out of there if you’re not careful. Another mission involves driving a marlin to be shown to a fisherman, but to keep it alive you’ll need to crash into food barrels. Every job brings something new to the table, and the variety really makes the game a joy to play.
Although driving pays the bills, Winston loves using his engineering to make gadgets more than anything else. These will often help you on the job too, like when you build a little crane to pick up packages without having to leave the driver’s seat. Other gadgets are just sort of silly and totally optional, like adding the ability to open your doors manually to slap the hell out of pedestrians. You’ll need materials to make these though, so you’d best get exploring.
The open world of Deliver At All Costs has plenty of treats to find hidden throughout it. Money crates litter the land, and you can use the cash hiding within to buy both helpful and entertaining items from various stores. There are also secret cars to find, which are usually a lot of fun to drive around in. Side quests are scattered around the city too, which are as varied as the main quests. Whether you want to drive a haunted car into a volcano or find someone trapped in a storage crate, there’s always something to keep you busy between jobs.
More than anything else, my favourite thing about Deliver At All Costs is actually the nostalgia it hit me with. The nostalgia I felt wasn’t for the fifties though (I’m not that old) it was for the PS2 generation of gaming. Wacky titles like this used to be such a staple of gaming; games like Destroy All Humans and Bully that didn’t take themselves too seriously. It’s a shame there are so many less of these titles nowadays, but this does mean there’s now a perfect gap in your life for this one.
As entertaining as Deliver At All Costs is, it’s not without issues. Some missions are more frustrating than others, like the one where rocks rain down relentlessly on your car which made me want to give up on life. There were also plenty of occasions where my car would get stuck on particular bits of scenery, which is always annoying. The game is a touch stingy with materials for upgrades too, which isn’t ideal when you want a new toy to play with.
They just don’t make games like Deliver At All Costs any more, and playing it filled me with joy. The destructible environment feels great to smash through, the missions are equal parts creative and ridiculous, and there’s always some collectible within reach as you drive through the city. If you’re longing for simpler time when games were silly and fun don’t worry, Deliver At All Costs will deliver everything you desire.
