Stuntman

"A great game. A hard one. But still, a great game."

The makers of Driver are back to make an exciting new game! I was never a huge fan of the Driver series, but this games concept made me have to have it. Just think, you are a stuntman for a multi-million dollar production. You are required to jump off ramps, crash into things. cross bridges right before they blow up, and tons of more action-packed things. You'll enjoy every second of it.

This game has six movies, each with multiple stunt sequences. Each of these stunt sequences make you perform about ten stunts quickly and accurately. The stunt sequences are very hard. You might find yourself spending up to 8 hours trying to complete one stunt sequence. However, it is all worth it in the end. The game is very fun and challenging.

The stunts start off pretty simple. At the beginning of the game you have to do 180's and chase cars in very simple chases. However, the game gets harder. There is an open door to a car in one level and you have to break it. One level lets you drive a snow mobile around. All these aspects make Stuntman fun and yet challeging at the same time.

There are a few things that cause the huge difficulty of Stuntman. For one, the clock gives you barely any time, so any mistake is fatal. Also, you can't just complete the level. You also have to complete a huge percent of the stunts. However, after completing a stunt sequence, you will be very happy with your accomplishment.

There is a very fun mode that let's you cool off from the difficulty of the main game. This extra mode is the stunt arena. It let's you set up stunts and then perform them. You can create stunts using stunt toys you unlocked in the main game. This mode is actually pretty exciting, so I suggest you try it.

There is only one real problem that plagues Stuntman. The problem is that the game has very long loading times. The loading times for the animations and when you start a new stunt sequence are about 20 seconds. (There are many of these.) Every time you fail a stunt sequence, you sit through a 6 second loading time.

What about the control? Well, the game has nice control and physics. I sometimes have a few problems with crashes. Almost nothing in the game is breakable except the things you need to break for a stunt. If you crash, you have no chance of finishing the stunt sequence in time.

Stuntman has pretty good graphics and excellent sound effects. The music can get pretty boring very easily, but that's okay. None of this detracts from the gameplay, so you'll be fine.

If you've ever wanted to be a Stuntman, or you just love pure action, you have to check this game out. It is an incredible game that you must play at some point in your life. Just try to sit through those loading times. (And make sure you have plenty of free time.)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/02/02, Updated 10/18/02