Stuntman Ignition Review - Xbox 360

7

Gameplay: 7
Graphics: 6
Audio: 8
Multiplayer: 7
Innovation: 7

Every now and then we get an alternative game. Too often do we see racing game after racing game that offers something new, some fancy new tracks, cars, glossy paint jobs, but it never really separates it from other games in the genre. Stuntman Ignition is a driving game where you have to ‘race’ your way through scenes of a movie. It’s something that hasn’t been done before on this generation of consoles, and the Havok (Battlefield: Bad Company, Halo 3, LOTR Online, Splinter Cell, Smash Bros. Brawl etc) physics engine is at its best in this unique and innovative Xbox 360 game.

Gameplay

Stuntman Ignition has several gameplay options. Career is where you will find most of the single-player action, MultiClash is the multiplayer mode which can also take you online, Constructor mode is a Create-your-own-stunt-arena mode which will definitely offer the hardcore fans hours of gameplay, and last but not least is Quick Fix mode, your standard arcade mode where you can quickly jump in to either a freestyle or directed stunt match. The menu is very easy to work your way around, and as you progress through the game you’ll find the menus actually become a very handy tool for navigating through your awards and trophies that you receive.

Kicking off your career in Stuntman Ignition, you’ll soon find that the road ahead is mapped out for you. There are six movies all up with six scenes in each, and also some side missions to do as well. As you work through each scene, new scenes and movies are unlocked. If there’s one word to describe each movie, it would be cliché.  There’s a Vin Diesel xXx style movie, a hybrid Batman/Ironman style movie, a James Bond style movie, a Hillbilly chase the cops, rob the banks style movie, a Die Hard style movie (you actually crash your car in to a helicopter!), and also a movie that seems eerily similar to the Pierce Brosnan action film Dante’s Peak. Each movie has a different director with a different attitude, but you can ignore all of that stuff if you’re only interested in the gameplay.

The gameplay is fairly simple, and there’s only really two buttons that you need to master, E-Break (B) and Action (Y).  As you get to the more difficult scenes you’ll find yourself having to use the Action button a lot more, as it is used to shoot rockets/guns, or to slide your bike under obstacles, and also for nitro boosts and random explosions. The E-Break button is a must for mastering the various corners throughout the game. As you race around, it’s vital to time the corners perfectly to receive maximum points, and you can barely do this without using the E-Break, nor can you even consider doing 180 degree spins.  All of the stunts are marked yellow on the screen as you race through each scene, and it’s up to you to get the timing perfect, or you risk failing the scene and have to start (continued next page)