UK EXCLUSIVE: Stuntman: Ignition Review

Despite a unique premise and impressive visuals, Reflections Interactive' (now Ubisoft Reflections) original take on the life of a stuntman was caught up in wall of frustration, intense difficulty and take, after take, after take of aggravating trial-and-error gameplay. Recognising both its qualities and weaknesses, Paradigm have taken the concept and completely spun it on its head with the first title stemming from THQ's acquisition of the franchise last year.

Taking on the role of the titular stuntman, Stuntman: Ignition' Career mode challenges you to work through a series of movies, providing the stunts for each scene before moving onto the next larger, grander project. Mastering everything from motorcycles to monster-trucks, Paradigm have created a wide range of stunts that capture the high-trills and risks of a stuntman, albeit without the concerns of broken bones, costly health insurance, and an untimely death!

Initially Stuntman: Ignition seems like an overly difficult game to master, one that rewards trial-and-error gameplay much like the original. Using a 'five-strikes and you're out' approach, missing key stunts and falling behind the tight time-limit will quickly ignite the anger of the insatiable director and prompt you to start from the beginning. Further play, however, reveals that Paradigm have virtually perfected the interface, providing just enough time to check what's up ahead and react accordingly. The satisfaction and enjoyment gained from a perfect run is immense, it's a return to superhuman hand-to-eye reflexes as you squeeze between cars, before shooting over a truck and sliding beneath a helicopter. It's a "driving" game unlike any other.

With the exception of certain jobs, the five-strike design along with the vocal and visual tips provided during the stunt, help to eradicate the frustrations that the original Stuntman provided. A run-down of the stunt effectively masquerades the loading sections, providing invaluable hints and tips for the job. Rehearsals provide an opportunity to master the various techniques you'll have to put to work before the shoot, with advanced manoeuvres such as reverse-180's, driving on two-wheels, landing on top of trucks and flips all featured in abundance. Later stages challenge you to keep up with another vehicle in a number of exhilarating chase sequences, adding a further challenge to merely performing the stunts. In many ways, Stuntman: Ignition feels less realistic then its predecessor, much more of a videogame, but as a result the simple sense of fun and entertainment has improved immeasurably.

When you have got to grips with the stunts and worked out the layout of the scene, playing Stuntman: Ignition feels good and packs a lot of satisfaction largely because of the combo system that governs success or failure. Based around a similar concept to Project Gotham Racing' Kudos system, points are gained for techniques such as passing close to a car, in between gaps, performing powerslides, jumps, and hitting the objectives laid out by the director. Maintaining a string, using the powerslides and close-calls to keep the chain going between the main events, is key to accumulating the big points and unlocking further progress in the game. Like the best combo systems, it's entirely possible to maintain a string throughout the entire scene, unlocking major bonuses and wide applause from the typically critical director. It's this feature alone, combined with the ludicrous action, that ensures Stuntman: Ignition is a rewarding experience and one you'll keep coming back to in search of the perfect scene.

Completing all the scenes in the movie tallies up your Stuntman points towards unlocking the next movie, along with additional bonuses, vehicles, and a trailer for the forthcoming feature. Although a welcome bonus for all of your hard work and effort, it's a shame the trailer seems to use pre-rendered footage as opposed to your actual performance on the set. Controlling the replay was a key aspect of the original Stuntman, which Paradigm has decided to remove completely. Instead, instant replays are generated automatically to provide a highly cinematic portrayal of your work, employing stylish camera angles and post-processing visual effects to make it all look rather sweet.

With homage's to Dukes of Hazard, James Bond, 70's exploitation flicks, and Hollywood disaster movies, Stuntman: Ignition covers the full range of motion-pictures with a tongue firmly entrenched in its cheek. In between the movies, you can unlock additional 'Odd Jobs' to perform, effectively providing the means to win a few more points to continue your progress as a world-renowned stuntman and unlock that next major movie. From car commercials to Evil Knievel styled arena events, Stuntman: Ignition provides plenty of variety away from the movie-set and an increased difficulty as you only have one chance to make the shoot. Although there's a wide scope of vehicles to take control of, you'd have to hope for more in the somewhat inevitable sequel, perhaps even the stuntman getting outside of the car - hmmmmm.

Aside from the Career mode, Stuntman: Ignition provides a comprehensive line-up of secondary modes. Multiclash allows players to hop onto Xbox Live/PlayStation Network, System-Link or Local to engage in furious multiplayer action. Taking the best bits from the single-player, Backlot Battle challenges players to race around an arena pulling stunts to accumulate the highest score. The touch of genius comes from the ability to slam against an opponent and steal whatever string they have going to snatch their points. Further multiplayer options include the more convention Backlot Race and Stunt Tourney, though it's really all about the Battle mode.

Providing the scope for players to design their own stunts, the Constructor mode features an inventive Challenge mode whereby players have to construct a set using a limited number of props to perform the stunts required and earn the points needed to move onto the next. It's a shame there's no top-down perspective, as judging the precise placement of objects can be a little difficult using the 3D camera, however it's a small gripe for a mode that should extend Stuntman: Ignition's long-term appeal.