Stunts (video game)

Stunts (also distributed under a title 4D: Sports Driving) is a racing video game developed by Distinctive Software, Inc. (DSI). The game was published by Brøderbund in 1990 computer and video games for the United States and published by Mindscape for the United Kingdom in 1991. The influence of the classic game Test Drive (also by DSI) is easy to spot because of the similar graphics and game structure. The game was also similar in style to Geoff Crammond's Stunt Car Racer. The game was originally made for the PC and then ported for Amiga. The Amiga version is quite slow on the most common Amiga models if all graphical details are used.

Description

In Stunts, players may race laps, with the aim of completing each race as quickly as possible. However, laps in the game may also feature special track areas such as loops, jumps (including those over tall buildings), slalom roads and corkscrews. Players may race on a track (or off the track), within a large square area defined and surrounded by a fence. Players can either race against the clock or choose between six different opponents. Stunts features 11 different drivable cars, with either automatic or manual transmission. Replays of races may also be saved, and reviewed using a selection of camera views. In addition, there is a built-in track editor that lets players design their own tracks with different track parts easily.

Stunts included a primitive form of copy prevention. Each time after running the program, players had to complete a specific phrase found in the game manual before being allowed to race. If the player failed to complete the phrase three times, the race was loaded, but shortly after, the player was told that he or she did not deactivate the car's security system, and the car crashed. After this, the player was returned to the main screen.

Stunts today

Although the game is more than 15 years old, it has a large fanbase worldwide. There are many web sites that increased public exposure by providing information and copies of the game. The compact size of Stunts, which is only 1MB when zipped, may also had contributed to the game's popularity. Online Stunts competitions, in which the competition master would receive race replays on certain tracks per e-mail, is also booming.

At present, worldwide Stunts communities remain strong and active. Forums and websites dedicated to the game remain operational, several Stunts competitions are still organized and the first World Stunts Meeting took place in Budapest, Hungary on August 2004.

The games TrackMania, TrackMania Sunrise and TrackMania Nations are widely considered to be the spiritual successors of Stunts. GripShift for the Playstation Portable also draws heavily on Stunts. Each of these games feature a track construction kit, allowing players to create Stunts-esque courses, with the option to race against other competitors or play in a time trial mode. Both games offer loop-de-loops, spirals, and banked curves in addition to allowing the player to create courses that utilize the third dimension much more than Stunts was ever capable of.

There is also a free software game called Ultimate Stunts, an attempt to create a modern Stunts-like game from scratch.

Crashday is a stunningly similar game to stunts, with track editing, and a large fanbase.

Cars

Acura NSX
Audi Quattro Sport Coupe
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Ferrari GTO (Not included in Stunts 1.0)
Jaguar XJR IMSA Race Car
Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition
Lamborghini LM002
Lancia Delta Integrale
Porsche 962 IMSA Race Car
Porsche Carrera 4
Porsche March IndyCar

Opponents

In addition to racing against the clock, there are six opponents of different skills available. By increasing talent, these are:

Squealin' Bernie Rubber
Herr Otto Partz
Smokin' Joe Stallin
Cherry Chassis
Helen Wheels
Skid Vicious

Additional screenshots

External links

The Stunts Racing Portal
The Stunts Forum
One of the oldest and most famous sites, with information downloads for Stunts. Includes a free download of Stunts.
Official Ultimate Stunts website. Includes a download of the incomplete game.
Crash Day, a racing games adopting several elements from Stunts
Stunts at Home of the Underdogs
GameBytes review

Brøderbund games | 1990 computer and video games | Amiga games | DOS games | Racing computer games