Series Review: Stuntman

Game: Stuntman
Console: Sony Playstation 2
Developer: Reflections Interactive
Release Date: 23nd June 2002

From the same developer/publisher team as the Driver series comes Stuntman, a game where you're tasked with performing stunts for films as a professional stunt driver. Most of the gameplay focuses on stunt driving for movies where you have to complete a string of individual objectives for a scene in the film, usually finishing with a big finish at the end, involving a new type of ramp/special stunt. Inbetween films there are stunt shows at the arena which require the same basic skills as the movies but are shorter and sometimes based entirely around one difficult stunt, rather than a series of them.

Whilst performing the objectives in both the movies and the stunt arena, there's a meter in the top left showing the percentage of the objectives that remain, and that have been passed/failed. There's a target percentage for each level below which the player will have to retry the sequence to complete it. The levels are also timed, which adds to the difficulty of the sequences as there is little room for error.

In each film there's 5 scenes or stunt sequences which need shooting. Each of them will consist of driving one of the vehicles through a course, guided by the voice of the director and icons onscreen and doing the required stunts at the correct time. The game is quite specific about how the stunts are done and it can be hard to nail parts of more difficult sequences. A lot of the scenes are also quite long, containing 3 or 4 difficult big stunts in addition to passing other vehicles and hitting parts of the scenery.

The main problem with the gameplay is that more often than not when attempting a particular scene, it'll take a good 5-10 tries to get used to what's required of you, and then actually pull it all off in one run. It ends up being very narrow hit-or-miss type gameplay, where anything less than perfect can ruin your chances of passing a sequence entirely.

There's not too much in the way of other modes featured in the game; Arena Mode allows you to place your own ramps and stunt equipment to perform whatever string of stunts you have in mind, but other than this the main fun of the game is unlocking all of the films featured in the game. Once filming is complete on a movie, you'll get to see a trailer with parts of your driving in it.

Graphically the game is pretty simple, it's not revolutionary but it reminds me of the style of Driv3r, especially the vehicles. Explosions and effects are pretty average also, which is a shame for a game based on movie stunts and action sequences. Musically there's a variety of tracks that play in the background, most of which are in the style of the movie you're currently shooting. Following the general trend there's nothing mind blowing, but it does fit with the style of the game.

Overall the game feels rather restricted in what you're allowed to do whilst shooting for a film. If you pull off a cool stunt that's not on the director's plan of action then it's not appreciated. Most of the game is spent trying to perfect one run so that you can move onto the next film or scene. In a lot of ways this isn't even realistic since there'd be multiple shots instead of just one complete run at the sequence.

This isn't to say that Stuntman isn't a fun game though; the controls are generally good as long as you're not airbourne, the stunt recognition is usually accurate and you do get a real sense of having done well when watching the trailers for a film you've just helped complete. The biggest problem with the game is the way that it scores sequences, since a few slips or an unplanned stunt can literally ruin a take.

Rating: 63/100
Grade: C

Game: Stuntman Ignition

Console: Sony Playstation 2

Developer: THQ

Release Date: 28th August 2007

Five years after the release of the first game came a sequel for PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. Stuntman Ignition features a concept resembling that of the original game with an updated scoring system for each scene, more game mode choices, and updated graphics. The main mode once again sees the player completing vehicular stunts for use in films, tv adverts and stunt shows. As the player earns more stars on each sequence, they unlock the other films as well as achievements and badges. 

Scrapping the old system, Ignition uses points to decide how well players do on each sequence, using a multiplier to encourage the stringing together of stunts throughout the scene. If a player can keep the string going (a stunt must be done every 2 seconds, or the multiplier resets) then they'll get a 5 star rank for the scene. There are "director" stunts which must be done throughout the scene; failure to pull these off will result in a strike, 5 of which mean that the scene needs re-shooting. The advantage to this is that if a player accidentally misses a "director" stunt, but instead pulls off something different, they're not penalised, but in fact rewarded. 

The game features a larger variety of vehicles (including a hovercraft), and stunts than the first installment with a more freeform feel to scenes although they still have to follow a guideline. Also new is a change of director with each film, which gives added realism as they all have different personalities and ways of working. The films themselves feature an interesting variety of genres and there's some references to jobs in the original game. 

Other modes in the game include Arena Mode for building your own stunts, a sort of puzzle mode based on Arena Mode where you're asked to figure out to how to pull of a sequence of stunts by placing ramps and objects in the Arena, and a Multiplayer Stunt Race type mode which is fairly fun, although it doesn't work quite as well as the singer player career mode.

Graphically the game is more impressive than the first installment of the series, with better looking textures, explosions, vehicles and objects. The music is also impressive with far more of an action feel whilst shooting scenes. The handling of the cars remains fairly similar, but has improved a little which compliments the improved gameplay mechanics for a more enjoyable game as a whole. 

Overall Stuntman: Ignition is like a tweaked version of the original which makes the game much more fun and irons out a lot of it's faults. It's easier for a start and doesn't expect you to be able to pull off every stunt perfectly, and although the sequences still feel very narrow in terms of what you're asked to do, there's a much larger degree of freedom than in the first game. 

Rating: 76/100
Grade: B