Taking on the role of a Hollywood action
movie driver, players find themselves performing a variety of stunts such
as huge jumps, squeezing between vehicles and smashing objects during the
course of THQ's Stuntman: Ignition for the Playstation 3. The game's
concept is relatively simple and easy to explain. Each level plays out as
a scene from a movie, complete with the 'action' call and director's
instructions that have to be completed. Your objective is to complete all
the stunts in a certain level before the timer runs out and create the
perfect scene. It's not as easy as it sounds because you need to do this
without messing up too many times, since you only have three strikes
before the scene ends and you have to go through it again in a 'reshoot.'
Stuntman: Ignition includes the usual single player and multiplayer modes,
and players can choose from single missions or career modes at the options
menu. Within these modes, there are several types of events which include
directed missions, where you have to complete a mission in the exact order
or freestyle mode where you only need to earn points and don't have to
worry about strikes or directions. You only have a few missions available
at first, but you can unlock additional ones quickly by successfully
completing the early stages. Stuntman: Ignition also offers online
competitive modes along with online play. As you progress through the game
and complete missions, you'll unlock additional areas as well. This gives
the gameplay at least some depth. The game unfolds in a fairly predictable
manner. During each scene, you have a number of objectives that you need
to complete, with each consisting of a specific action you need to
complete, such as passing a truck on the right, jumping off a ramp and
hitting a target such as landing on a boat. Each event is represented by
an icon that appears on screen. In addition to the standard driving modes,
players will also see an 'action' icon appear at certain critical points.
Here, you'll need to press a button at a certain point in order to enable
an extra event such as a speed boost or other special stunt.
These
events are all fairly easy to understand, but if you miss any sequence,
you get a strike, if you are marked with three strikes during any
sequence, the mission ends and you have to begin anew. Going off the
course or crashing excessively also causes the player to lose points.
During each sequence, you earn points which are used to rank your
performance. In addition to the main tasks at hand, you also gain points
for stylish moves like drifting or knocking over barrels. The sequences
are very rigid in their construction, with other vehicles moving at
precisely the same time, which makes it easy to anticipate what's going to
happen every time. This makes things less enjoyable, and it makes each
sequence feel like you're playing the same thing again and again. You can
try to play through the levels again for a better score, but things
quickly reach a point of diminishing returns in the single player mode.
However, the game is fairly lax in unlocking additional content, and you
should be able to unlock a significant portion of Stuntman: Ignition
without putting too much effort into it. This is another problem - once
you get the hang of the timing, things get too easy, which makes the
challenge almost negligible. To maximize the game's replay value, there
are several other modes available including a cool construction mode. When
in this mode, your objective is to place a certain number of objects, such
as ramps, barrels and other obstacles in an open arena in order to create
a perfect stunt condition. You have certain objectives that your director
wants to complete in order to film the perfect scene, which is more
challenging than it sounds, since you have to do this before the timer
runs out. Completing the run in under 30 seconds in this mode means that
you have to design the perfect course, which is much harder than it
sounds. Fortunately, you have an unlimited amount of time to place objects
and edit their locations and can change your layout as many times as you
like until you get things just right.
Despite all these special features and
additions, the total package never really comes together the way you think
it would. Even though Stuntman: Ignition has all the elements in place to
make a really exciting game, things never really feel right. Each stunt
last only a minute or two, which hurts the flow of the gameplay, while the
individual levels quickly become monotonous with a tedious set of
instructions. The game's controls are the biggest problem, with a rather
touchy interface that never really makes you feel like you're in control
of the action. While the game is decent at points, you'll frequently find
yourself succeeding in one section but failing the next. On the next try,
you'll find yourself unable to perform even basic stunts for no apparent
reason. This erratic interface makes this a frustrating experience.
Instead, like many Hollywood action movies, the gameplay never feels as
cohesive as it should. It doesn't help that the game's rather bland
visuals don't really take advantage of the PS3's next-generation hardware
and feel patched together. The game itself has some serious structural
flaws, most of which revolve around its follow-the-instuctions gameplay.
It's a bit challenging at first, but the objectives become entirely
predictable, reducing what could have been an exciting and inventive game
into something like driving by rote. For the most part, instead of
allowing players the freedom to create and perform their own stunts,
Stuntman: Ignition locks you into a predetermined set of stunts and
missions, which sucks the fun right out of the game. There are some
moments of excitement here and there, but the overall feel of the game is
inconsistent and frustrating, making Stuntman feel like a hit-or-miss game
that's been patched together. The game's borderline gameplay reduces all
the other positive elements to mere side-shows and makes for a
disappointing and uneven game overall. Stuntman: Ignition's concept is
badly executed and its inconsistent controls make for a frustrating
experience. This is one of the least enjoyable driving titles we've played
on any next generation console, making this one driving title you
definitely want to avoid.
- Michael Palisano
Grade:
F
