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Platform Filters:   All Platforms  Xbox   GameCube   PlayStation 2   PC   Game Boy Advance   Site Sections:   Updates  News   Games   Publishers   Developers   Reviews   Previews   Release Dates   Editorials   Glossary   Contact Us		Review:       11th October 2002: Chase: Hollywood Stunt Driver  Take on the role of daredevil Chase Corranda and try your hand at stunt driving. Posted by John Grothier - Xbox - UK and Europe The only great thing about Hollywood movies are the incredible stunts that seem to get bigger with each offering out of America. So it was only a matter of time before a game came into being that allowed you to become a Stuntman, or in this case a Stuntwoman, an incredibly brave Stunt Driver by the appropriate name of Chase. Now you can take on the role of daredevil Chase Corrada and work your way through four blockbuster movies, performing cunning stunts to please the director. After learning the basics in Stunt School you are sent to work on the first scene in your first film, The Unchaseables. Set in the gangster period with old-fashioned cars and Tommy guns, Chase must escape from the mob and jump through a train carriage filled with boxes, and only then can she sit down and watch the rushes. As well as getting valuable points by completing the scene goal, other objectives can also earn the points needed to unlock the next scene and the three other movies. These other stunts can be tricky to pull off in the first take, but thankfully the game remembers what stunts and objectives you have already completed, so you can go back to a scene and retry it to rack up the points. Objectives include finish with a certain number of seconds to spare, collecting the film markers around the set, destroying vehicles or other objects and performing flips, rolls and other stunts. Most are fairly simple to accomplish, but others can be very challenging and will require practice and patience to pull them off. Each of the movie scenes require Chase to drive a different vehicle, from old gangster cars there are also bikes, buggy's, and high performance sports cars. Each handles in it's own distinct way, and fortunately controlling the many different vehicles is very responsive. After unlocking all four stages in The Unchasables, and providing you have reached a high enough score, the next film will be unlocked - Chase of the Triad IV. Here Chase is working on an action film with a distinctly oriental flavour. The other two films are Chasing Survival, a post-apocalyptic Mad Max style of film, and The Spy Who Chased Me, with Bond inspired stunts. All four of the movies look very different, and each has it's own distinct style that matches the action perfectly. But while the game engine is good, it's not great. The levels in Chase look just about ok, but after you have played 'Wreckless', the Chase of the Triad IV level looks more at home on a PlayStation 2 than the mighty Xbox. Fortunately the game is fun, has a perfect learning curve, and as you are speeding around the many sets, you don't get much time to stop and look at the graphics anyway. As well as the main Career Mode there is a Challenge Mode in which your driving skills are put to the test with three different skill contests that naturally become tougher with each successful attempt. The jump challenge is the only one available at the start of the game; the others are unlocked by completing certain scenes and movies, and by also collecting trophies that are hidden in each of the move sets. The Multiplayer Mode features Hit and Run, Stunt Point Duel, and Stunt Race for split-screen fun with your friends. The graphics in Chase: Hollywood Stunt Driver are, as I have already said, good but not great. There are some very varied levels, and some superb reflection techniques used on the bodywork of the cars. But the biggest problem with the graphics is the replay system. The idea of the game is to perform stunts in an action film, and after you have accomplished the given goal you get to see a replay of the scene that has just been shot. Just about every one of these are just boring to watch, either the camera is not in the right place or the action is just not interesting enough. The scenes end up looking more like those 'straight to video' films you get in the bargain bin at your local video store. The sound in the game works fairly well with some good all-round effects for the vehicles, and Chase features the song 'Nothing on my back' from Sum 41. Thankfully you can also custom your own audio soundtracks, as the in game music becomes repetitive after take four or five. Overall Chase: Hollywood Stunt Driver is a good game that really could have been great. With a little more time spent working on the graphics, and a lot more time spent working on the movie scenes and devising the stunts, Chase could have been really worth chasing. John Grothier             Latest Images:		Review Scores:    Graphics:   Sound:   Gameplay:   Length:   Overall: Click here for our Review Score Guidelines.  Review Summary:  Great fun, a perfect learning curve - but the graphics for the different movie scenes could have used a bit more polish. Four movies, with four stages in each to complete. Challange and Multiplayer modes help to keep the gamplay fresh.  Related Games:  Chase: Hollwood Stunt Driver for Xbox  5  Screenshots  1  Review Click here for All Game Information.
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