Stuntman

"Orignal yet flawed"

Basic Concept
This game had enormous potential as being one of the most original as well as being one of the most definitive games of the year. Unfortunately it was hampered by exceedingly long load times, and frustratingly repetitious gameplay. Though hindered by the above, it still manages to provide some intense action and surprisingly great extras.

Visuals (8)
At a glance this game promised more than it delivered, but further examination reveals that Stuntman has it’s own distinctive flair. Yes there are some jaggies as most PS2 games are plagued with, but somehow the graphics just click together. Character models are a bit blocky, not that they’re a big part of the game, but most everything else looks decent. There are detailed backdrops and scenery and the in game FMV sequences are about what you’d expect, perfect. Cars in particular come across with a sense of wear and tear, and yet realism, than that of say, Gran Tourismo 3 car models. What Stuntman absolutely nailed was it’s real-time car damage engine. Car models, and pretty much everything else for that matter, break away just how you would picture it, messy and everywhere. Although earlier screen shots seemed to be better than the actual game, Stuntman has a practicality about its graphics that’s often not seen in games these days.

Audio (8)
The audio in Stuntman is hard to define. Voice acting and sound affects are pretty much right on cue, as is the soundtrack, but it’s mostly forgettable. When I play a game I come away remembering some aspect of the sound, something that I remembered because it was either really bad or really well done. But in Stuntman there’s something about the audio that keeps you from getting into it. Maybe it wasn’t loud enough or bold enough but I’m having a hard time remembering what the game sounded like right now. It’s not that the audio is bad; it’s just easily overlooked.

Story (7)
There really isn’t a story per se in this game. All you really know is that you’re a stuntman trying to work your way up in Hollywood by first getting a reputation doing small budget films that’ll eventually lead to Hollywood blockbusters. You’re also a famous stuntman off the movie sets and can perform daredevil stunts in front of a live audience in a custom made stadium full of things to do.

Controls (8)
The controls in Stuntman are very unique. The actual button commands are very simple, but the way vehicles handle and perform is very interesting indeed. Every car handles differently and you’ll half to compensate for each cars weakness and strengths. When you jump off a 45-degree ramp at 60 miles an hour, you actually feel like your doing it. What makes it so real is the fact that you don’t float in the air long enough to say hey, shouldn’t I have landed a while ago. It’s just a more real life experience than most stunt racing games offer these days. However, not everything happens the way you would expert it to. Going 25 off an extremely low ramp would not cause you to flip over on your back in any situation. But these are minor flaws that, with a little bit of practice, can be anticipated and remunerated for.

Gameplay (6)
This is where the game shines, and inevitably fails. Stuntman is a game that leaves you with the sense that you didn’t buy a game, more like you bought a piece of metal that will tap into your deepest angered feelings of aggravation and unleash them upon society. Let me paint a vivid picture for you. I start a stunt that requires me to chase this van, and in the end crash into it. Seems easy enough. So I wait for it to load for about 30 seconds, and when you’re just sitting there looking at your TV for 30 seconds you begin to get board. It finally loads and a FMV sequence starts that shows how professional stuntmen actually do the stunt. Then it goes into a loading screen again and you wait for another 30 seconds. Feelings of aggravation start to build, don’t worry it’s natural. But already this makes the game look bad since you haven’t even started the level and your wrestles for some action. Finally it loads and you’re talking to the director for a minute or two, planning out specifically what you’re going to do. Then it does the unthinkable and goes into another load time. It doesn’t matter that it’s only 15 seconds this time, what matters is that you’re sat through three load times, one very short and pointless FMV sequence, a computer sequence that helped you none whatsoever, and you haven’t even had the chance to play yet. That’s not even the worse part, since you’ll probably have to restart the level about eight times, which means another eight load times in between as well. This ladies and gentlemen is why Blockbuster is loosing copies of Stuntman; the renter keeps breaking the disc.

As I mentioned earlier, it is near impossible to complete a stunt on the first try. If you’re lucky you’ll get it on the fourth try. Some of the tougher stunts require even more time invested into memorizing exactly what to do, and at the precise time to do it. One stunt requires you to jump onto a moving train, move across it, and then hop off before it takes you someplace else. Of course the stunt can’t possibly end there, there’s another five things you have to do in order to complete the stunt, and for what, a couple thousand dollars you can’t actually use in the game. It may seem pointless at first, and it is, but when you finally get a stunt right and watch the replay, your anger slowing melts away. Plus you have to complete the career mode anyway to get all the stunt equipment to use in the stunt arena. This game wouldn’t have been so irritating if they had just cut each stunt sequence in half. No movie production in the world would make a stuntman do an entire car chase at one time; they do segments of car chases and other stunts and eventually paste them together. But not in Stuntman, you’ll do an entire scene and mess up at the end, so of course you do the entire stunt over again.

The most redeeming feature of this game is the stunt creator, but even this mode is hampered in many unnecessary ways. One of which is the amount of toys in a stunt. For instance, in stunt creator mode you have three sets of “toys” you can use: ramps, specials, and smashables. There is a wide variety of each, but you can only use a seemingly small number of any of the three groups in one arena. What this is aimed at is having you build a specific stunt for you to complete in each arena, which kind of sucks considering the amount of space in an arena, and the amount of variables to choose from. However, it is nice to be able to completely demolish a car by driving it up a ramp, through burning hoops, and into a bunch of cars. Stuntman also delivers some nice extras including a great assortment of videos about the game, and a large list of cars to unlock and use in the stunt arena. When it comes right down to it Stuntman is a decent package.

Closing Comments
What the creators of Stuntman did do right was make a decent game with a great and original concept. But what they did wrong will ultimately separate it from great titles such as Grand Theft Auto 3 and Metal Gear Solid 2. Hopefully a Stuntman2 is on its way, and with any luck with have fixed all the errors the makes Stuntman just another brick in the wall.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/16/02, Updated 07/16/02