Stuntman – PS2 – Review

I’m exhausted.  My eyes feel
like they could snap shut at any moment and never open again.  I’ve shot scene
after scene, wrecked 40 cars and damaged a thousand props.  But I can’t go
home, not yet.  The director is content with my inability to jump off a hill,
knock over a chimney, fly between two trains and crash into a burning building
all in one take, but I am not.  I want the scene to be perfect.  And I want to
finish the scene right now, even if it kills me.

In reality, it would have.

But in Stuntman,
Reflection’s new stunt/driving game, the only health risk you’ll encounter is
lack of sleep.

The gameplay is very,
very unique.  The controls are slightly reminiscent of Driver (Reflection’s
previous game), but other than that, Stuntman is unlike any other game out
there.  The emphasis of the game is on performing stunts, but the goal is to
do exactly what the director tells you.  Not much information is given to you
before the director says "Action!", so you’ll have to rely on his
stunt-by-stunt directions while the camera is rolling.  Luckily, his
directions are usually really good, but they aren’t always given to you fast
enough.  However, it is not that hard to get lost in some of the larger
areas.  Arrows are used as an indication of where to turn, but there is not
always a sure way of knowing where to go.  This is not a major problem, but it
is somewhat annoying at times.

Stuntman’s controls are
almost too realistic.  Remember, you’re making an action movie, so the game
requires you to do things that only a professional stuntman could do.  But
even real stuntmen have trouble performing every scene in one take, which is
why they sometimes break the scenes up into smaller segments.  Stuntman
doesn’t do that.  To keep the challenge, action and intensity high at all
times, the game crams a ton of different sequences into one long scene.  99%
of the major stunts must be performed at just the right moment.  If you’re a
second too soon, or a second too late, you’re finished.  This isn’t just a
game about making a movie, it’s a game about living it.  In a way, you play
both roles — you’re the guy in the movie who’s trying to escape, and you’re
the stuntman who wants to do everything perfectly.

Once you’ve completed (or
failed) a level, Stuntman gives you the option to watch what you’ve
accomplished in the awesome replay mode.  All of the views are pre-determined,
which helps to make each stunt more exciting.  For example, one of the levels
in A Whoopin and a Hollerin (the second movie) requires you to jump over a
house, hit the chimney and then jump between two moving trains!  You actually
have two chances to jump between the trains because the cars are different
shapes and sizes, or you can wait until they pass and royally screw up the
shot.  The trains are going in opposite directions, so you must drive up the
ramp just as the two open cars are parallel with each other.

During the replay, the
camera will periodically switch between your car and the back of the house.
Just before the car drives up the hill, the camera will switch back to the
house, showing you an excellent view of the car flying over the building.  The
camera performs equally well during the train sequence.

When the movie is finally
complete, the game creates a trailer using computer-generated images and the
real-time stunts you performed (which have been slightly enhanced to make them
blend together even better).  Like all movie trailers, only the most exciting
portions of the stunts are used — the rest is cut out.  The voice-overs are
somewhat cheesy, but I think they did that on purpose.  The movies are
supposed to be comical, so it works pretty well.

Graphically, Stuntman is
close to some of the best-looking games on Xbox!  The real-time shadow
animation is nearly perfect.  Your vehicle’s shadow mimics every move you
make, and every object (except trees) streaks an incredibly realistic shadow
on your vehicle.  The shadow hugs your vehicle as you drive under the object,
wrapping around it as you move out of the area.  The detail and the depth of
the trees is also amazing.  Each one is 3D model comprised of polygons, not
sprites (as seen in other next-gen games).  They’re the best-looking trees
I’ve seen since Dead or Alive 3 came out.

But that’s only half the
beauty of this game.  Burnout still holds the crown for most-realistic
crashes, but Stuntman is the new champ of realistic body damage.  Think you’ve
seen a car get beat up before?  Think again.  None of the vehicles can be
completely totaled (since the director yells "Cut!" if you lose the front
end), but a lot of pieces can be torn off.  Non-moving vehicles (such as a
parked cop car) are just as sensitive as the vehicle you’re trying.  There are
tons of movie props to destroy, but that doesn’t mean you can’t obliterate
other perishable objects.  To top it all off, each car model is wrapped in
beautiful textures and polygons, creating a realistic coat of paint that
surpasses almost every other game released on the PlayStation 2 this year.

Reflections has once
again developed a unique and innovative game that tests my patience.  If you
don’t have any patience, get some!  If you can’t, then this game probably
isn’t for you.  But if you’re truly interested in being a stuntman in real
life or just in a virtual world, this game will consume you for the rest of
the month.  After that, you’ll be consumed by its challenge.  Perfectionists
will want to perform every stunt again and again until they get them exactly
right.

Reviewer’s Scoring Details

Gameplay: 8
Stuntman’s
gameplay is great.  Performing stunts can be a difficult task, but it’s worth
the time and effort.

Graphics: 8.9
Stuntman is
gorgeous.  Reflections has even squeezed more power out of Sony’s leading
console.  I never doubted its abilities, but I am still amazed by these
graphics.

Sound: 7
The
stunt-by-stunt commentary is good, and the sound effects are nice, but the
music leaves a lot to be desired.

Difficulty: Hard
Did I say hard?
I meant extremely hard!  Stuntman makes other driving games seem
like a piece of cake.

Concept: 9
Stuntman is one
of the most unique games that I have ever played.  Reflections has never been
a developer that creates familiar gameplay experiences, which is one of the
reasons why I like them so much.

Multiplayer: N/A

Overall: 8.3
Never in a
million years would I have envisioned a game like this.  I’m really glad that
someone did though, because I would have never known what it was like to be a
stuntman without this game.  If you have the will and the patience to be a
good stuntman, or if you’re just looking for something different, Stuntman
will satisfy your gaming needs.