Stuntman
Score: 86% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Atari Developer: Reflections Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Action/ Racing
Graphics & Sound: Before the advent of the PS2 and other next-gen consoles, driving games had been somewhat limited in their graphical prowess in order to retain the framerate of the game. Although this game could stand to be a bit faster, Stuntman offers a very nice blend of eye-candy and smooth gameplay. Everything present in the game is rendered very well, bringing an added richness to the scenes. Stuntman has got all of the sound elements that a typical modern-day game might have. The 3D cut scenes in between movie scenes are voiced over very well, and it is here where you get your information on what you need to do to please the director in the upcoming movie sequence. In-game sound fx are modest, and retain enough spice to please the ear. The background music is also a key element in the auditory portion of Stuntman too, as each movie has it's own style fit for its genre. But perhaps the biggest in-game sound comes in the form of the director cueing you via a headset for each of your next moves.
Gameplay: In this genre-busting game, you are the Stuntman in 6 Hollywood films. You'll start out in the world of the 'B-movie,' and will need to work your way toward being the go-to guy in a major motion picture. In order to do so, however, you will have to have precise timing in order to perform some seriously hair-raising stunts. Your ultimate goal is to please the director of each of the films. The movie sets you will be driving on range everywhere from Bond-esque to busting it up on a snowmobile. And of course, I can't forget to mention my personal favorite, a movie that more than just resembles the television show The Dukes of Hazzard. Stuntman has a very unique way of accomplishing its goals. Before you begin, you will receive some vital information as to what the director wants you to do in each scene. Unfortunately, the video fly-by that comes with the voiceover isn't actually all that helpful, and the road to the overall goal can actually be very unclear. I'm not exactly sure how they do it in Hollywood, but I can image that real stuntmen find out every detail before setting out to film a scene. But in this game, you get behind the wheel and basically drive blind, only able to see small visual clues (in the form of icons - which are very helpful) and hear the director giving you audible cues. Although these audio hints are helpful, they should have been given sooner, which would have allowed more time to make decisions in real-time. In addition to the Career Mode, Stuntman also includes three sets of tests, as well as a Stunt Arena which allows you to build your own stunt shows to wow the stadium crowds with your own personal stunt-stravaganza! The three tests include Precision Tests, which require perfect execution and navigation of your vehicle, the Speed Tests, which are pretty self-explanatory, and the Stunt Tests, which become available only after completely finishing your Career Mode and becoming a top-ranked Stuntman. Throughout your Career, you will unlock many different stunt items and playable cars for use in the Stunt Arena. It's here where you get to really shine, and in front of a full house (or stadium, in this case). You will be able to build and save to a memory card any type of configuration possible, or at least to the limits of the arena and memory card. The Stunt Arena adds that little bit of extra to Stuntman which gives the game a small amount of added replay value.
Difficulty: Quite frankly, Stuntman is extremely difficult... period. It's not that the game itself is overly hard, but more that it is very repetitious. One small mistake can easily cost you not only your would-be pay in the game, but also a lot of time out of your life. The directors in Stuntman are fairly picky, so performing a stunt sequence as they see it can sometimes be overly tricky. I guarantee that you will find yourself getting frustrated as you repeat the same scenes over and over until you get them right. But as frustrating and annoying as this is, it almost makes the rewards all that more enjoyable after completing each finished movie.
Game Mechanics: Stuntman is the first of its kind in the world of mission-based driving games. The controls of the game are very basic, and the extras are very fun to play with. You'll notice that on the back of the game's case, Stuntman is listed to use a full 8MB Memory Card to save your games. Don't rush out and buy another card just yet though, unless you want to save a lot of Stunt Arenas or some of the instant replays of your actual scene. The actual game save doesn't require all that much free space. If you're looking for a fun and exciting new style of game to play, then Stuntman is for you. You may want to first rent, however, to make sure you can handle the frustration. But because of the difficulty involved, you will certainly get many more hours out of the game than you maybe would with your typical driving game. And with the added extras and ability to go back and replay scenes, the replay value of Stuntman is definitely increased. Whether you rent or you ultimately buy, Stuntman puts you in the middle of the action of your favorite Hollywood movies.
-Woody, GameVortex Communications AKA Shane Wodele
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