Stuntman

"Makes me wish I was a REAL Stuntman!"

Introduction:
Well when I saw this game in a local GameStop, I felt that it would be a great game to see what it was, since I had been reading about it in numerous gaming magazines, and they were saying it was pretty good. Now I was never a huge fan of the Driver series but I didn't hate the series. This game reminds me of Driver in the graphics but that's where the similarities end. I mean the stories are completely different...obviously. But they story that takes place in Stuntman is very original, and makes the game loads of fun. You are a stuntman who works his way through Hollywood movies performing stunts, which all have to do with vehicles. In between films you visit the ''Stunt Arena'' where you can hone your skills or learn new ones. Each movie is significant and so is each trip to the Stunt Arena. Great Stories don't always garuntee a great game, but it helps.

Graphics: 5/10
Now this is the lowest score of the entire review, simply becuase it looks like it would have been easily converted to Playstation, seeing as the graphics are basically the same. I had my freind lend me Driver 2, and I compared the graphics of this and that, and believe me, they are VERY similar. Graphics are usually the one thing that inspires me to buy a game, and when I saw this horrible display it really shocked me. But I didn't give it a HORRIBLE score, becuase the actions during the stunts are well balance and it also make you believe that it is a real movie. The boxes and other smashables break away like they should and other than the base, the graphics are fine.

Sound: 7/10
Now considering I didn't listen to the music much it didn't get repetetive or anything, but when I did listen to the actual game tracks other than my own favorites, I found that the songs were pretty generic, but not too bad. The sounds of explosions, crashes, water, etc. sound great. I mean the engine revs like I would expect a NASCAR game to make it sound like. I also like how they gave different sounds to the different vehicles, it really shows that Atari/Reflections made an effort to make this game SOUND great.

Gameplay: 9/10
Now the actual driving is great, I personally don't like where the hand brake control is, and the fact that you can't change it irritates me. But after playing a few scenes, I got used to having to use the O or / to use the handbrake where I would have perferred the R1 button to have that responsibillity. Having to hit ramps just right also makes me enjoy this game, and yet it also makes me hate this game. If you get far and then have to hit a ramp, 10-1 your going to roll the car. Now unlike alot of games rolling the car almost ALWAYS winds up leaving you on the roof. Now this is annoying since each level is very challenging, and it's even worse if there are alot of stunt before you screw up. This is a great challenge, but if you don't have ambition to beat a certain level, your probably going to break the damn game for pissing you off. But overall, if you don't have patience this game will push all of your buttons, and you will destroy it, maybe your PS2 as well.

Overall: 8/10
This game is great and the addtion of the build your own stunt and precision driving games makes this a must have for any driving fan. Although the game is very repetative, everyone owes it to themselves to at least rent the game becuase it's probably one of the best games to rent. Definately worth the 3 dollars at local video stores and the 5 dollars at Blockbuster. The graphics hurt the score becuase I put alot of emphasis into it, but if it had better graphics, the game would have easily got a 9/10. If you are bored one weekend, or just always wanted to be a pro stuntman, give this one a try.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/06/02, Updated 07/06/02