Saber Interactive is resurrecting the long-dormant Stuntman collection with Stuntman: Hollywood, which is at present in growth for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. What’s extra is that it’s being injected with actual films and TV reveals for the first time thanks to a partnership with Common Footage.
Current in the trailer have been segments based mostly on Fast & Livid, Back to the Future, Knight Rider, Miami Vice, and 2008’s Loss of life Race. This primary glimpse of Stuntman: Hollywood reveals it’ll function a variety of automobiles from these TV reveals and movies, from Brian O’Conner’s rides from The Fast and the Livid and 2 Fast 2 Livid, to the armoured Mustang pushed by Jason Statham’s character in Loss of life Race. The large tanker truck from the latter additionally makes an look; right here’s hoping we get to drive it. The huge crash of The Dreadnought (which was filmed virtually) is probably the most spectacular and memorable shot in that movie.
Not all the automobiles seem to be licensed (as an example, the Miami Vice car is an apparent lookalike based mostly on its distinct lack of the iconic strakes of Sonny Crockett’s white 1986 Ferrari Testarossa), however Ok.I.T.T. from Knight Rider and the Time Machine from Back to the Future are professional fashions and namechecked in the official announcement.
“The basic Stuntman recreation was so memorable for me, it’s all the time been a dream to recreate such a legend of gaming historical past and evolve it into one thing new,” stated Saber Interactive Chief Inventive Officer Tim Willits in a press release alongside the announcement. “At Saber, we love working with basic IPs, and we’re excited to crew up once more with Common to convey again a real adrenaline rush for followers.”
However what’s Stuntman? Nicely, should you’re below 30 you would most likely be forgiven for not having a lot of an thought.
The authentic Stuntman was launched manner again in 2002 on PlayStation 2, and was developed by Reflections Interactive (now Ubisoft Reflections) – a studio that, right now, was nonetheless using excessive on the success of Destruction Derby, Destruction Derby 2, Driver, and Driver 2. Whereas Driver was by no means shy about its big-screen inspirations – and was all the time meant to make you’re feeling such as you’d been thrust behind the wheel of a basic, Hollywood automobile chase – Stuntman made this its total premise. That’s, it took Driver’s chic dealing with mannequin and injected it right into a recreation that actually solid you as an expert stunt driver.
Whereas Stuntman grew to become a cult favorite action-driving recreation, it’s famously tougher than a woodpecker’s lips and attracted a level of criticism for the degree of perfection required to nail all of the required stunts in a single take.
Stuntman didn’t function any actual movies as a part of its profession mode, nevertheless it was very straightforward to interpret the films it was paying homage to all through. These included a Man Ritchie-inspired London crime caper, a pair of off-brand Indiana Jones and James Bond movies, and a transparent riff on The Dukes of Hazzard known as A Whoopin’ and a Hollerin’.
Outdoors of the regimented movie shoot ranges, Stuntman featured a development mode the place you would construct and carry out your personal wild, freestyle stunts. Experimenting with the superior destruction system and physics was an enormous quantity of enjoyable.
A sequel would comply with in 2007, however not from Reflections Interactive. The rights to the Stuntman model had as a substitute shifted to THQ, which enlisted the companies of now-defunct Paradigm Leisure to put it collectively. Because of this, 2007’s Stuntman: Ignition had a considerably completely different really feel to the authentic. Paradigm’s driving pedigree was not fairly as strong as Reflections, though it did develop the 2001 SpyHunter reboot for PS2, as nicely N64 racers F-1 World Grand Prix and Beetle Journey Racing (referred to as HSV Journey Racing in Australia).
Stuntman: Ignition featured six extra pretend movies to velocity by way of, together with shoots impressed by Dante’s Peak, The A-Workforce, Batman, and Bullitt, plus one other Bond parody, and the satisfying return of A Whoopin’ and a Hollerin’ II.
Sadly, Stuntman: Ignition underperformed commercially and THQ introduced it will not pursue any additional instalments of the collection.
For almost 20 years, that was all she wrote for Stuntman – however now it’s again, courtesy of MudRunner and SnowRunner writer Saber Interactive.
A launch date for Stuntman: Hollywood has not been confirmed, however right here’s hoping it feels good behind the wheel – as a racer requiring the precision of Stuntman will dwell and die on the power of the dealing with mannequin.
Right here’s additionally hoping it’s not the final Reflections racer to obtain a long-awaited comeback.
It has been 5,391 days since the launch of Driver: San Francisco.
Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN evaluations crew. You possibly can monitor him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him issues about stuff.(*20*)