[Perfect Stu]

...ctd

Other rewards in the game belong more to the realm of simple eye candy, but they're fine specimens thereof. The main bonus for completing an entire movie is the chance to watch a trailer for the film, which blends voice-overs, pre-rendered scenes, and excerpts from the stunt sequences. Thus, each trailer every player comes up with will be a little bit different, depending on how they pulled off the included stunts (and it, too, can be saved for posterity). Even without the added cool factor of seeing yourself in the film, the trailers are fun to watch -- Toothless in Wapping has some particularly entertaining moments, and Blood Oath starts off with a hilarious sendup of the Golden Harvest bumper (the shootouts are fun too, but that goes without saying).

In comparison to the Arena, the Training Games mode seems a little dull. Those challenges are also set in the stadium (save for Speed, which is on city tracks), with five tests each in the areas of Precision, Speed, and Stunts -- respectively, they test detailed maneuevering skills, straight point-to-point speed, and stunt mastery. Of the three, the Stunt tests seem the most interesting, presenting challenges along the lines of Tony Hawk where you have to read a stunt course properly in order to grab a set of floating tokens, but all round, the lack of crashes hurts the intensity level of Training. To add some spice back to the mode, though, Infogrames will be running an online competition where players can register their best test times. Completing training produces a clear code (as in Metal Gear Solid 2), which can be entered in the Stuntman website. The best drivers will be rewarded with neat stuff to be named later, so keep an eye out for more detailed news along those lines.

Also impressive, but not yet finalized, is the DVD Extras section of Stuntman, which follows in the steps of better movie productions and games like SSX Tricky by packing in a set of documentary pieces and trailers. The complete selection of extras isn't decided yet, but several possibilities are being considered. A making-of documentary is almost certain, with a look behind the scenes at Reflections and the research the game's artists put into building the environments, as is an interview with Vic Armstrong, the famous stuntman and action director who consulted on the game's production (his credits include Charlie's Angels, Terminator 2, the Indiana Jones pictures, and some recent James Bond productions). To show off the roots of the game, there may also be some documentary footage on stunt driving throughout the ages, featuring intentional crashes all the way back to the Model T. Some music videos are likely, featuring the licensed tunes of acts that appear in the game (including Yvonne and Overseer), as are a couple of teaser trailers. No guarantees as yet, but Stuntman may include a first look at V-Rally 3 and Driver 3.

Before you get all hot and bothered about a game that we probably won't see for a year or more, though, remember to keep focused on the subject at hand. Stuntman may not be quite as instantly compelling as Driver -- it's based on a more unusual premise, and its gameplay isn't quite so easy to pick up and grasp -- but it looks like it has the same qualities that gave Reflections' breakout game such unusual intensity and longevity. Pulling off the perfect stunts in Career mode is a real challenge, and gearheads should be able to do all kinds of things with the Arena once they get their hands on it. And even the less dedicated, though they may not appreciate the game to anywhere near its fullest, should get a kick out of gawking at gamedom's finest car crashes.

-- David Smith

*PHEW*