Stuntman: Hollywood was the best 15 minutes of my Summer Game Fest

My hands-on demo of Stuntman: Hollywood was only 15 minutes long, but it was the best 15 minutes I spent at Summer Game Fest. I've never played the original games, but even without the rosy tint of nostalgia this is a fantastic arcade driving game that already has me eager to revisit its stages again and again to complete the perfect run.

As the name suggests, Stuntman: Hollywood puts you in the driver's seat of a car performing stunts for various action blockbusters. Your director shouts out instructions to you alongside visual indicators along the track, prompting you to, say, drift around a corner, launch off a ramp, and narrowly squeeze past an oncoming car. It's a bit like having a rally co-driver warn you of upcoming turns, just with a lot more explosions along the way.

Stunt on these bros

Each run is just a minute or two long, which prevents repeated attempts from getting exhausting. None of the five levels I play are difficult to complete, but getting perfect marks on every stunt along the way is a real challenge, and one that keeps me hitting that restart button over and over. (Producer Tim Lohrenz, who was overseeing the demo, jokes about how glad he is that current-generation consoles have effectively eliminated loading times.)

It's the excellent controls that really put Stuntman: Hollywood over the top. The car physics are by no means realistic – this is an arcade-style driving model through and through – but that just means you have a lot of leeway to get your drifts and corners just right. On the first run through a level, I feel like I'm just on the edge of control of my vehicle. By the second or third attempt, I'm already starting to build my flow toward that perfect run.

The big gimmick with Stuntman: Hollywood is that the game now features an array of courses licensed from actual car-focused action films and shows, ranging from Fast & Furious to Miami Vice – with more unannounced collaborations to come, Lohrenz teases.

I play through one of the Back to the Future stages, recreating the scene where Marty McFly escapes the terrorists in the mall parking lot. It's not exactly a one-to-one match for the scene as it's shown in the film – there are a lot more terrorists here, for example – but it nails the vibe, especially with the original soundtrack blaring in the background throughout the ride.

But honestly, I think the original courses might be even better. My favorite came at the end of the demo, featuring a collapsing stretch of highway covered in falling boulders, ruined cars, and even crashed airplanes. The undulation of the broken road creates a great sense of verticality, and drifting through the danger is even more exciting when you're sliding across a 70-degree slope.

Even the simpler tracks are still thrilling, however, thanks to the precise controls and fast-paced action. During my brief demo, I was already getting the urge to go back through each one to perfect my line and nail every stunt, and I can only imagine that urge growing once I've got the final game and all its checklists and trophies.

If you like to put the pedal to the metal, check out our guide to the best racing games.