Stuntman: Ignition

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Stuntman: Ignition - hands-on

The explosion-dodging, cardboard box-ramming thriller makes the next-gen jump

Words: Simon Bramble, PlayStation World UK

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As we went on, however - restarting scenes after the director stamped his feet a bit at our inept driving - it began to come together. Once some of the major stunts had been committed to memory there was a satisfying rhythm to proceedings, as the scene flowed from action sequence to action sequence. Ignition does err slightly towards a trial-and-error approach at times, but thanks to the new “five strikes” system, it looks to have rid itself of the old game’s stubborn obnoxiousness.

Whereas before you had a strictly limited amount of time to attempt each stunt, you’re now allowed to screw up an impossibly generous five times. And get this - should you be ordered to restart the shoot you can do so instantly, rather than watching your own hair fall out as the action r-e-l-o-a-d-e-d at an arthritic sloth’s pace. While the game might at times feel tough and uncompromising, getting back into the action won’t be nearly as frustrating as it once was, which is a very good thing.

Key to success is aggression combined with learning from your mistakes. The ultimate goal is to achieve a maximum rating of five stars for your performance, so as to secure more work for yourself and gain prominence in a list of 150 other stuntfolks. For all the talk of Ignition’s newfound laid-back attitude, getting the top rating is a hefty challenge which basically means you need to rattle through your stunt sequences in a particular scene in one flawless chain of action: explosion, jump, flip, powerslide, swerve, dodge, handbrake turn, throttle, ram… and cut, that’s a wrap and so on.