Stunt Driver was a milestone game when it was released back in 1990. Published by Spectrum Holobyte Inc, the game starts off as a standard racing game where you can race for time trials by yourself or against computer controlled opponents. Where the game gets interesting is that you are racing a classic 1966 Shelby Mustang on a stunt track that had an amazing amount of crazy obstacles for you to overcome. There were Evel Knievel style jumps, barricades, loop de loops, oil slicks, water spots and barrel rolls, banked curves and bridges.
The graphics weren’t much to write home about, but that didn’t matter so much because the game play and driving feel of the game were fantastic.
Stunt Driver also took stunt track driving to the next level, and allowed you to create custom tracks that you could race on. This was one of the first games I played that had such customization, and many a night was spent making that perfect track to challenge your friends with. It was an art form to match up the jump ramps properly, or make that bit of straight away track just long enough to get sufficient speed in order to make the loop de loop, all the while staying on track properly to hit that banked curve right after
you come out of it.
What made the game more interesting was the “video playback” after the race had finished. One could use a VCR style control to playback, fast forward, or rewind your last race, and watch it as a spectator. You were also able to select from a few different camera views, in order to better see that amazingly long distance ramp jump and the equally amazing crash and burn on landing. Coupled with your own custom tracks, this was one of the best features of the game: you could design a track to make the biggest crash possible, and watch it over and over again with the playback.
The “feel” of the game was excellent as well, and there were good physics in the game. The car felt solid while driving and not float or as if you were driving a Mario go-kart. In my mind, this is one of the better racing games out there. This game had it all: simple graphics, pre 8-bit sound, track customization, race playback and an addictive quality that hasn’t faded from memory.
