Game Reviews

Stunt Star: The Hollywood Years

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Stunt Star: The Hollywood Years

"I'm the unknown stuntman," chirps Lee Majors in the theme tune for TV series The Fall Guy.

Alas, to remain anonymous is the fate of all who choose the career of stunt work. But just because nobody knows your name that doesn't mean you can't have a massive amount of fun - at least, that's the ethos behind this physics-based action title.

Bedecked in Evel Knievel's jumpsuit and strapped to a wide range of highly unsafe vehicles, your objective in Stunt Star: The Hollywood Years is to complete the scene and make the star of the movie look good - just like Lee Majors did all those years ago - while avoiding any nasty crashes or bumps.

And...Action!

The game contains over 70 stunts spread across three Hollywood productions, each with a different theme. These death-defying events start off small enough - for example, you may have to jump some parked cars or cross a ravine.

However, as the stature of the production grows, so too do the risks involved. Later stunts include leaping over larger gaps, or even jumping over helicopters in mid-air.

As the complexity of the challenge increases, you'll find that you need to make use of special items to aid your performance - parachutes to improve your braking, for example.

With your control limited to acceleration and braking (both of which also influence the direction your vehicle spins when in mid-air), Stunt Star: The Hollywood Years keeps things simple.

The only other element of interaction you have is drawing platforms within designated areas of the level, usually to create a ramp or bridge. This initially seems like quite a novelty, it soon feels closer to a distraction.

Pulling a stunt

The humourous visuals and audio give Stunt Star: The Hollywood Years a knockabout quality that enables it to quickly draw you in, and the challenge of the later stages ensures that you won't finish it in a hurry.

In fact, it's arguably a little bit too difficult - some stunts require absolutely perfect timing and a precise selection of special items, and finding the right balance can take quite some time. If you've got a short temper you'll become frustrated very quickly.

Fans of physics-based action titles will definitely find enjoyment here, but Stunt Star: The Hollywood Years is possibly a little too demanding for casual fans of the genre.

As it stands, it's a little too easy to hit a roadblock and become hopelessly stuck - which, as Lee Majors will no doubt agree, is almost as frustrating as having Burt Reynolds steal the leading lady after you've performed the stunt of the century.

Stunt Star: The Hollywood Years

Funny and challenging, Stunt Star: The Hollywood Years will prove a worthy download for fans of the physics-based genre, but the intense difficulty of the later levels limits its appeal
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Damien  McFerran
Damien McFerran
Damien's mum hoped he would grow out of playing silly video games and gain respectable employment. Perhaps become a teacher or a scientist, that kind of thing. Needless to say she now weeps openly whenever anyone asks how her son's getting on these days.