A few years ago, nobody knew how hard the job of a stuntman really is. When Atari released the game about the most exciting job in the world in 2002, that changed suddenly. Gamers all over the world sat in front of their PS2s with their hair pulled out and their joypads smashed. The reason: stuntman was definitely too difficult!
Five years later, the sequel, Stuntman: Ignition, was released. It’s still as tough, but fortunately it’s been drastically toned down. But first a few words about the gameplay: You’re hired as a film double for a total of six films (from comic book adaptations to spy films). After a short briefing from the director, it starts: You race through cities, wastelands and even icy deserts in your speedster. On the way, you’re constantly given instructions by the director about which stunt to do next: “Drive just past the tram!”, “Drift turn to the right!”, “Just past the explosion!”.
In addition to the announcements, symbols and fields appear on the screen so that you know exactly where and when to perform the maneuvers. Unfortunately, some stunts appear too late or too suddenly. Sometimes, by the time you understand what you have to do, you have already raced past the object. That’s why (in the worst case) you sometimes have to repeat a recording a good ten times – luckily, the loading times are pleasingly short when you restart.
A few other changes ensure that Stuntman: Ignition never becomes as frustrating as its infamous predecessor. You still have to hurry to get to the next stunt in time, but the previously merciless time limit has been retired – and with it the opaque rules of the original: if you mess up five stunts now, you have to start again from the beginning. The rather unloving implementation of the PlayStation 2 version is incomprehensible. Not only does it look like a first generation title, it also plays a little slower.
