The Ultimate Stuntman
System: NES
Release Date: 1990
Developer: Codemasters
Publisher: Camerica
Genre: Action
Put yourself at a terrible level of risk as the Ultimate Stuntman! The New York Blurb shows that Jenny Aykroyd has been kidnapped! As the Ultimate Stuntman, it’s up to you to put a stop to Mr. Evil’s… evil plans. You’ll have to enjoy that stogie quickly, because 32 levels of various levels of action are in store for you!
There are several different types of levels that you have to go through. There are car driving levels that have you all over the road, shooting enemies and dodging obstacles. Pickups give you more time, stronger weapons, and more. You’ll need well timed nitro boosts to make it over water. A boss at the end requires you to drain their health before they kill you. There are variations of the car, including a hang gliding stage, where you alter your altitude to less than stellar results. A boating level is very similar to the car, but you can move backward when you don’t have enough forward momentum. Unfortunately, not getting enough air on your jumps will lead to an explosion!
A side scrolling action scene requires you to collect keys. Here you jump and shoot, with a higher jump possible by holding up. Again, there are many pickup for you to grab. They all do the same things. You have to watch out for obstacles on the ground and enemies jumping at you. If you can grab all the keys before time runs out, you can exit the level, otherwise, head back to keep searching.
There’s even a side scrolling shooter level, where you’re on a hang glider blowing everything you can up. A climbing level comes next before the boss. Here you need to climb, while pressing the A Button to move the target around and shoot enemies. If you take too much damage, you fall to your doom. But if you make it to the top, you take on the boss android. Once you figure out the pattern, they are easy to drop, but prepare to spend way too many tries figuring it out.
In order to move to the next set of levels, you have to diffuse a bomb. I wish I could say it was minesweeper, but it isn’t. You have to clear each numbered block by moving over it. Each time you touch it, the number counts down by one. This, coupled with arrow squares that can only be touched in one direction can give you fits. But reaching the goal shows you with your next set of instructions to do the same thing again.
Graphics: 3.0
Graphic quality runs the gamut, but honestly, it looks better than most NES games I’ve played.
Sound: 2.5
The music is pretty banging,
Gameplay: 2.0
Honestly, each mode is competent, but none of them are extra good.
Difficulty: 2.0
You need to learn patterns and stage layouts before you can be successful, so I can’t say it’s totally fair.
Fun Factor: 1.5
I got really bored with this one after a few stages and walked away.
Overall Rating: 2.2
The Ultimate Stuntman earns a C+. Color me surprised, but this isn’t a bad game. I’m pained to say it’s good, but it’s playable. Give it a shot.