Stuntman Ignition

[TEENWOLF]

Nobody pick this up then?

Got my copy yesterday and I'm quite impressed with it.

It's an absolute score hounds dream, played through 5 of the 6(I think theres 6 anyway) movies, and I'm enjoying it so far. It's a breeze through the first four movies if you just achieve the minimum score on each but that wont unlock you the other stunts and extras.

As I said in my first impression of the demo, it reminds me of the crash mode in Burnout 3 more than anything else.

Learning the best routes through the stunts to achieve a 5 star rating is one of the most addictive things I've ever played. It annoys the hell out of you, but you darent put the controller down as you always think next time will be the run you nail it on.

Only real downside for me is the difficulty curve, the first few movies are a breeze, but come the fifth its an absolute battle to get through the stunts let alone 5 star them.

This isnt high art or anything, if you want that go and play Bioshock but this is a hell of a lot of fun, and I'll be damned if anyone else doesnt think likewise.

If i had to score this I'd give it a solid 7 low 8. Not even tried the multi-player yet as I couldnt seem to join a game.

[Shozuki]

gotta agree, been finding the game insanely good fun, only completed 3 movies so far achieving 4 stars on each mission minus the very first one which I managed 5.

The game is constantly fast paced with lots going on which adds to the adrenaline rush, the game also has that 'one-more'go' syndrome. I find once I start I cant stop.

Graphics arent bad, could be better but there completely functional. To sum up its superb, having lots of fun.

[VR46]

Split this from the demo impressions thread, I rented it last weekend (360 version), fun, but repetitive, certainly a test of the memory - remembering exactly what path to take. Not my ideal sort of game but was fun for 48 hours

Didn't see anyone online all weekend by the way.

[ezee ryder]

I bought this after playing the decent demo and reading a few good reviews, I played it for a few days and quite enjoyed it. I ending up finishing career mode with 5 stars in every scene including the odd jobs. It certainly was a test of patience as one lil mistake can ruin a whole stunt string (which you have to do to get a 5 star rating) but when you finally pull it off it is extremely satisfying There is plenty of humor along the way from the directors of each movie especially from the Hillbilly director and a nice lil touch is the director speaking through to via the headset if you choose to wear it. This probably won't get a look in due to other good titles out at the moment but if you have the patience there is a fun game here.

[cavalcade]

Oh Stuntman: Ignition. Damned to couple of First Play reviews on ntsc-uk. Sales figures measured in baker's dozens....

The problem with reviewing anything on ntsc-uk is that a majority of people here are better at playing games than I am. Case in point, peeveen in the Online folder wanted a playing partner for Mutant Storm: Empires. A casual glance at his 1000/1000 littered gamer profile and insanely high high scores on some of the Arcade titles suggested not only would this exercise be a futile, but also embarrassing for a man, such as myself, that counts his 890 points on Full Auto as a profile high point.

Which is why I throw this "review" out in the full realisation that I will take flak. I will take derision. I will take verbals.

WHO THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO PUT IN THE 180 DEGREE REVERSING STUNTS IN THIS GAME?

I was quite enjoying this. The lava levels. Play. Get a certain distance. Crash. Stop. Restart. Play. Get a bit further. Crash. Restart. And then they came. A tutorial. I'm required to reverse the car into a box, and then turn around and drive off.

Fine. 4 or 5 gos it is done. The next level starts. it's starting to get a bit tricky now. But bit by bit the level begins to make sense and unfold. I start to get comfortable. And then?

WHO THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO PUT IN THE 180 DEGREE REVERSING STUNTS IN THIS GAME?

Picture the scene. You leap across lava from a ramp, and land in a small open space. Facing forwards. Obviously. Ahead is a square asking you to do a reversal stunt. So, the question facing me is:

1) Do I reverse into the square and drive out forwards?
2) Do I drive into the square forwards and reverse out?

Hmm. Lets try 1. No. Hmm. Lets try 2. No. So the answer is:

Neither of the above. NEITHER OF THE ABOVE WORK.

cavalcade's brain at this point: "Great. Well, this bit is clearly broken. I'll take that stunt as my 1 of 5 misses and just keep driving. It seems a bit dumb, I guess they won't put even more of the same type of stunt in."

Oh, but no. The game then becomes a Kafka-esque nightmare of box after box of these reversing stunts. All offering the same question:

1) Do I reverse into the square and drive out forwards?
2) Do I drive into the square forwards and reverse out?

The game becomes a reversing stunt simulator in lava land.

The game now ceases to be fun. I get angry.

I swear.

I put on Orange Box.

Now, I have no doubt those with the gaming might of Teenwolf or equivalent will sneer at my inability to do a simple task, and laugh at my lack of l33t skills, but personally, based on just this extremely sucky bit of the game, I'm glad it didn't sell. I hope sincerely that all those involved in producing it have been made redundant. And I also pray that Atari and any sister or parent companies also go bust, and during the resulting corporate chaos their offices are burnt down, and all traces of this game are lost so no sequel can be built with the same art assets.

You can tell me what I'm doing wrong, but I won't listen because I'm still seething with resentment.

[VR46]

Good summary, got to agree whole-heartedly with the "180 DEGREE REVERSING STUNTS" being a bloody nightmare. I used to always use them as one of my "misses" also

I bought this the other week (£12.99 new online) - not tried it again yet though.

[cavalcade]

I forgot to mention the graphics. Lets say you've decided to create a game where pinpoint accuracy (e.g. driving your car through tight gaps) is part of the experience. Where frustration might come from anything "unfair" happening. Where controls are core to the entire experience.

What might be a teeeeeeeny bit annoying is if the graphics engine spasms from time to time due to a frame rate with the stability of a drunken grandma on Boxing Day.

Well, credit to Atari, they have nailed a graphics engine that is rock solid when nothing is happening, but at points of high action manages to slow to a crawl, rendering control input like mushing a broom handle about in a bucket of frog phlegm. One of the other "features" about the engine is from the bumper cam it is very smooth, but completely unplayable. Each successive viewpoint that is further and further from the car makes the game easier to play, but results in the engine becoming more and more stretched.

You basically have to make a choice - play from a bumper cam set so low it feels like you're an extra in Willow, or put the camera in a chase mode where it affords you a great view of the road but hands you a bucket of frog phlegm.

[EvilBoris]

It's not slowdown, it's dramatic slowdown , just like the shmups!

[DUKENUKEM2UK]

having trouble activiating the action press triangle put never seems to happen unless its a timing thing