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Stuntman Ignition
Another death defying instalment of the
Stuntman franchise returns on PlayStation 2 entitled "Stuntman Ignition"
that transforms gamers into a Hollywood stunt driver. As a stuntman,
gamers must embark on a variety of missions for films, commercials and
tournaments by performing a variety of stunts with over 25 unique
and memorable vehicles. To keep things fresh and exciting, developers Paradigm
Entertainment have not only included exotic sport cars but also strange
new editions such as hovercrafts, making this one of the most unique
Stuntman titles to date.
Features
It doesn't seem like 5 years but that's
when the original Stuntman game hit the shelves that not only challenged
the gaming industry but proved that car games were not just made for
racing. Sure the gameplay may have been difficult to master but that's
what being a stuntman is about... making the impossible seem possible.
In its essence, Stuntman Ignition allows
the gamer to start from a simple wannabe stuntman as they become more
and more known in the world of Hollywood. The title is a combination of
racing meets demolition derby as you jump, crash, slide and move through
a variety of obstacles in order to create spectacular stunts.
Fortunately for those who may be a little
rusty from the original title, Paradigm Entertainment have carefully
ensured that the gamer isn't thrown into the deep end of the pool as
your stunts start from simple drifts to small jumps. With this in mind,
the control system is carefully mapped on the PlayStation 2 DualShock
controller with the analog sticks used in conjunction with the D-Pad and
shoulder buttons to neatly create a quite playable title.
However, the gameplay does suffer from a few
extremely difficult levels which will cause a good set of frustration
for even the most patient of gamers. Although trying to avoid
spectacular crashes is your aim, the title will give you a few chances
before the entire "stunt" has to be re-shot which will gradually become
more and more difficult as you progress. A simple slight move to the
right or even left can spell disaster for the stunt.
To make things a little easier (besides
choosing "Easy"), there are a few in-game cheats such as arrows and
markers which will give you that slight edge in mastering the stunt.
Needless to say, you really need to be a DualShock wizard if you are to
pull off these stunts on the first go.
The game also offers a variety of different
multiplayer options such as tournament mode and black lot battle which
offers the gamer some great replay excitement from stunts to racing.
There are also a variety of different mini-games but the main crux of
the title is the career mode.
The star of the show are easily the amazing
stunts that have been faithfully recreated in this title which are
nicely rendered by the spectacular graphics engine. All the backgrounds
in the game are quite detailed and the developers have ensured that
there are a variety of different and exotic locales to keep the gameplay
fresh.
The vehicles in the title are quite realistic as are the
Hollywood style explosions and realistic gravity that make this quite a
decent looking game on the PlayStation 2. To go hand-in-hand with the
graphics is a Hollywood sounding block buster soundtrack with a variety
of realistic sound effects. I must admit that watching some of other
reviewers playing this title was actually quite entertaining and it was almost
like you were watching a movie.
In conclusion, Stuntman Ignition is a
rather good title on the PlayStation 2 but does not offer the market too
much in the terms of gameplay. Although it's a sequel upon sequels,
Stuntman Ignition does have a few new additions that will make lovers of
the old franchise jump with glee. Even if you've never played the
Stuntman franchise before, than I would recommend you check this title
out if you're interested in a technical racing game that although does
become excruciatingly frustrating, if you can master the controls than
that is more than enough reward in itself, especially seeing your final
stunts. |
