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CHASE: HOLLYWOOD STUNT DRIVER (XBOX)
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Publisher: BAM! Entertainment.
Developer: I-Imagine Interactive. Released: September 2002. Genre: Driving. Posted 24th September 2021. By Shane Battams © 2021 |
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Launching within a month of the enjoyable yet frustrating Stuntman, Chase: Hollywood Stunt Driver would boast a remarkably similar premise, without the same punishing gameplay. I-Interactive’s debut is something of a missed opportunity, lampooning films and offering pleasing popcorn action but suffering from an incredibly brief runtime and the action becoming tiring even before its short campaign has run its course. As a result, this is only worth a look because of its novel premise, rather than the merits of its gameplay.
A very light backstory ties together the disparate film parodies, following the exploits of Chase Corrada who is a professional stunt driver following in the footsteps of her famous father, who was unfortunately injured on set. She works with Mr Chin, a director with a focus on high-octane action, and competes against Rick Bean who serves as a sort of rival to Corrada. Four films serve up 16 levels, from the prohibition-era “The Unchaseables” to a Mad Max-style “Chasing Survival”. Each set feels distinct, with some outrageous stunts along the way. Each level boasts bonus objectives such as finishing the scene with a certain amount of time left, picking up Film Markers dotted around each level and some individual objectives such as smashing up piles of bones. Though you won’t really glean much in the way of story from each of the films, their distinct motifs are welcome.
Chase offers some action-packed fun, but a lack of challenge limits its potential
Chase isn’t short on action, with brisk sequences stuffed with explosions, collisions with other cars and smashable objects like windows, crates and barrels. Cars prove varied and well-handled, from more basic vehicles to outlandish Noodles-on-Wheels stands, post-apocalyptic buggies and motorbikes. The physics hit just the right balance, highlighting crashes very well while avoiding feeling too floaty. Scenes provide short bursts of fun, at least initially, but you start to notice many objectives repeat throughout each scene. While Stuntman was brutal, Chase is on the other end of the spectrum, with only a couple of later levels really testing your skills. Most objectives are easily gettable at the first attempt. Once you start to feel this repetition, the game is finished, as it’ll only take around five hours to polish off all the objectives.
Outside of Career, there are some menial extras. Each level has a Bam! Trophy tucked away, collecting a bunch of these unlocks a slew of extra modes. Challenges open up, including Jump tests over buses, Stunt challenges under a time limit and a race challenge in hyper-fast F1 cars. Multiplayer for four players is also featured, annoyingly also requiring trophies to unlock, but these are identical to the aforementioned challenges, only with more players. The only unique mode is Hit & Run, a driving variant of Tag which forces you to avoid contact until a time limit expires. These modes aren’t harmful, but they add little substance to this paltry package.
Outside of Career, there are some menial extras. Each level has a Bam! Trophy tucked away, collecting a bunch of these unlocks a slew of extra modes. Challenges open up, including Jump tests over buses, Stunt challenges under a time limit and a race challenge in hyper-fast F1 cars. Multiplayer for four players is also featured, annoyingly also requiring trophies to unlock, but these are identical to the aforementioned challenges, only with more players. The only unique mode is Hit & Run, a driving variant of Tag which forces you to avoid contact until a time limit expires. These modes aren’t harmful, but they add little substance to this paltry package.
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Chase does benefit from good looks. It’s not pushing many polygons like some of the best of the system, but the attractively lit set designs, distinctive vehicles and anarchic destruction effects all fit very well with the game’s style. There’s a decent FMV that opens the game, though no cut-scenes outside of that, yet there’s also satisfaction gained from rewatching your scene runs with visual effects added in during replays. Impressively, performance is rock solid too. The sound is a little bare, with canned director lines coming across as irritating. Rick Bean’s dialogue is banal, his voice actor sounding like he’s come around after anaesthesia and basic music which doesn’t standout much, bar a Sum 41 song in the opening. The effects range from crisp and quality, to muffled and poor.
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Chase: Hollywood Stunt Driver had the potential to be a unique and enjoyable mission racer, but sadly its pros are undermined by repetition and poor longevity. There’s a charm to its distinct films, action-packed scenes and early 2000s tone, but you’ll start to groan at the same objectives coming up after a couple of hours, and the game doesn’t last much longer than that. It has a smidgen of appeal for multiplayer aficionados and if the premise catches your eye, it might be worth a deeper look. But for those looking for substance, variety and challenge to spare, you’d be far better off seeking out a copy of Stuntman. But even if the Driv3r tech demo didn’t exist at the time, you can’t help but feel the explosive adventures of Chase Corrada are a missed opportunity.
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VERDICT
"Chase: Hollywood Stunt Driver had the potential to be a unique and enjoyable mission racer, but sadly its pros are neutralised by repetition and poor longevity." OVERALL: 5/10 |