Dom Robinson reviews

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THQ

Price: £44.99 (Xbox 360), £49.99 (PS3), £34.99 (PS2) Players: 1-4 (1-8 online) Widescreen: Yes 60Hz: Yes Dolby Digital 5.1 sound: Yes Xbox Live-enabled: Yes Supports Force-Feedback wheel: Yes To date, the only Stuntman game I'd played was on a mobile phone, but Stuntman: Ignition is a fantastic audio-visual experience. It's a game with a simple and effective premise. You're a stuntman trying to break his way into Hollywood movies and practice really does make perfect with the aid of the stunt co-ordinator telling you where to go (often in a not-too-polite way, but without profanities if you're that fussed about them), although his voice can be turned off if you're sick of hearing it on the umpteenth attempt at a scene.

When my 4x4 hit the truck, I thought, "What the fuck?" However, if you can follow the course and the instructions, hit the markers and you'll be home and dry. Do it well and you'll get points for each stunt completed, with the ability to go 'Stunt-Stringing' which is performing each one with no more than 2.5 seconds between them in order to boost the multiplier. You'll earn up to five stars during your performance, but if you get five strikes by mucking things up then it's 'game over' as the stunt guy calls a reshoot. Stuntman: Ignition allows you to drive 4x4s, petrol tankers, motorbikes and a car that's the spitting image in all but name to the Dukes Of Hazzard's General Lee. Once a scene is complete you can check back the replay - although I preferred the original footage recorded to the way it'll look in the 'movie' and you'll need to redo stunt sequences if you didn't make a great job of them, or if you just want to have another crack at it for more points. In fact, you'll need to have a go at each scene several times to get it right, but that does help you since it allows you to plan ahead once you know what to expect.

Stunt-Stringing - how to do it. Each of the six 'movies' you have to complete in the Career mode comprise of six scenes - the intros for each new movie being very inventive, the way the camera takes you round the scenes - but there's much more to this title than just that. The Multiclash mode takes you online if you have Xbox Live Gold and not only can you race against other people from around the world, but if you bash into them in such a way you can go 'String-stealing' and nick all the stunt points they've just earned! Quite nifty if you can pull that one off. If you don't want a long match then the Quick Fix option may, literally, be right up your street as you go for a handful of Freestyle of Instruction-led journeys that are all one-offs. Accomplishments are a standard feature of almost all Xbox 360 games and this one compiles a list of stats, awards, badges and leaderboards - even if you aren't an Xbox Live Gold subscriber, and for those you can still view free conten online without this disc in the form of the trailer for the game (in HD and standard-definition) as well as the demo.

Hitting a motorcycle up the arse! The Constructor mode gives you a free reign in a Freestyle Arena to create what you want, and then there's the Constructor Challenge which allows you to build a course, taking into account a couple of items already placed on the track such as a high-up marker and a 'swerve close to' marker and add to it to build a course that will gain you maximum points and run for no more than 30 seconds. The graphics in this game are colourful, detailed and very fluid and it's hard to find fault with them given how the game moves, as can be seen from the clips of footage. Similarly, the sound is also top-notch as you run through each scene with a load of crash-bang-wallop to accompany your game.

An unscheduled visit to the wrecking yard in order to stop the getaway armoured truck. For those who want more, you can unlock bonuses of all manner including film grain and color correction effects for your replays, slo-mo and thrill-cam options, and numerous other bits and pieces all unique to the race just run. Overall, Stuntman: Ignition is a wonderful game for the Xbox 360 where the graphics and sound are so much more up for it than the PS2, although I don't yet have a PS3 in order to be able to compare it with that. Whatever platform you'll play it on, you'll get to complete some fucking cool stunts!

The corkscrew makes this one of the most complex levels! In this review, I've uploaded a total of 12 clips including the ones above and to the right, which are as follows: When my 4x4 hit the truck, I thought, "What the fuck?" This is the way it plays for you, taking instructions from the stunt co-ordinator. Short but sweet motorcycle mayhem An unscheduled visit to the wrecking yard in order to stop the getaway armoured truck. Learn how to drive like my ex and then reach for the stars! When you're carrying a nuclear missile on your trailer, be careful! Stunt-Stringing - how to do it Evil Kneivel, eat your heart out! Head for the helicopter! When only accurate driving will do... Hitting a motorcycle up the arse! The corkscrew makes this one of the most complex levels!

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Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2007.