Chase: Hollywood Stunt Driver
Score: 90% ESRB: Teen Publisher: bam! Developer: bam! Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Racing/ Mission-Based Driving
Graphics & Sound: In an effort to give you the Hollywood stunt driving experience, bam! Entertainment has brought to you Chase: Hollywood Stunt Driver. The game's levels consist of everything from cityscapes to post-apocalyptic-style outdoor areas. And although the graphics of Chase are consistently nice looking, complete with explosions and destructible objects, the game does suffer from some severe slowdowns that will plague gameplay at certain times. When it comes to the game's background sound fx, the standards are decent, but there's really nothing special. On the music front, however, you'll be treated with a nice variety of background tunes, including "Nothing On My Back" by Sum 41. But don't expect a wide list of musical talent in Chase, as this is the only 'brand name' band. On the plus side, however, the game does allow you to not only use custom soundtracks from the Xbox hard drive, but it also gives you the ability to select individual songs from your custom sets, creating your own personalized in-game music soundtrack. Cool!
Gameplay: If you've played Stuntman, then you'll immediately know the basis for the new game, Chase: Hollywood Stunt Driver. You are a stunt man (or woman, in this case) on scene in sunny California, and the object of the game is to complete each of the tasks set out by the director of the films you are working on. Unlike Stuntman, however, Chase doesn't necessarily require you to accomplish every single goal set forth. Instead, progression through the game is based on 'Reputation Points' that are accumulated after successfully performing each task. Earn enough points, and you can move on to the next scene. If you don't earn enough points to hit the next scene, you will be able to re-attempt to hit the other goals on the head. The nice thing about Chase in this regard is that once you accomplish a goal, you won't have to do it again, even if you go back and re-play the level. This adds a certain amount of replay value to the game, but it doesn't take long to finish each scene, so this replay value is very superficial. Game modes on the disc include the aforementioned Career Mode, as well as a 1-4 player Multiplayer Mode (three different sub-modes), and the Challenge Mode (also with 3 different sub-modes). In order to access all of the options included, you will have to play a Career and unlock many of the extras. Along with unlocking modes by earning Reputation Points, there is also a hidden trophy in each of the scenes. Again, this adds to the immediate replay value, but in the long run, Chase just doesn't have a lot of substance to it. It is unfortunate that Chase's Career Mode is so short, because it really is a good, quality game at its source. It has enough variety in the vehicle types to keep things fresh as you progress through each movie scene. But as it is, Chase consists of only 4 movies, each with only 4 scenes (for a total of 16 different movie sets, or game levels). The thing is that since you don't need to perform all of the tasks in each scene, you can actually finish the game very, very quickly. And even if you do have enough patience to re-play the scenes over and over, it still won't take all that long to complete the game fully. The only thing I can guarantee is that it will be frustrating at times.
Difficulty: For the most part, Chase is actually a very easy game. There are times, however, that will get you so frustrated you will probably toy with the idea of just putting your controller down and quitting. But then there's that tugging feeling... that feeling of "I'll try just one more time..." It's because of this feeling that I'd say Chase has a nice balance to set the bar a bit higher for those who want to challenge themselves. But with a little persistence (and a lot of stress), fully completing the game is not all that difficult.
Game Mechanics: The use of the controller in Chase is limited, which keeps everything simple, and yet is very effective. While in-game, each vehicle you drive (whether it be a car, truck, motorcycle, four-wheeler, etc.) has its own unique physics that have to be taken into account while trying to navigate through each movie set. Had it been twice its length, and included more Challenge and Multiplayer Modes, Chase: Hollywood Stunt Driver would have had the potential to be a must-buy game. But while the game is certainly the best of its kind (yes, better than Stuntman), Chase should most likely be a rental for all but the die-hard fans out there. bam!, hear our cries... we want more. Well, there's always next year.
-Woody, GameVortex Communications AKA Shane Wodele
Blade 2 2002 FIFA World Cup