''The Ultimate Stuntman'' is a 1990

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed by

Codemasters The Codemasters Software Company Limited (trade name: Codemasters) is a British video game developer and former publisher based in Southam, England, which is a subsidiary of American corporation Electronic Arts and managed under the EA Sports ...

and published by Camerica for the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...

(NES), featuring

action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, rhythm games and ...

elements. ''The Ultimate Stuntman'' is one of 14 video games published by Camerica for the NES without proper licensing. The company had to create their own cartridges that would bypass

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

lock-out chip In a general sense, a lockout chip is a chip within an electronic device to prevent other manufacturers from using a company's device to perform certain functions. A notable example is the lockout chip found in Nintendo's Nintendo Entertainment S ...

and break the

10NES The Checking Integrated Circuit (CIC) is a lockout chip designed by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) video game console in 1985; the chip is part of a system known as 10NES, in which a ''key'' (which is stored in the game) i ...

"code". In virtually all of Camerica's games (including The Ultimate Stuntman) there is a switch found on the reverse side of the cartridge, this allows the user to switch between

NTSC NTSC (from National Television System Committee) is the first American standard for analog television, published and adopted in 1941. In 1961, it was assigned the designation System M. It is also known as EIA standard 170. In 1953, a second ...

and

PAL Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a color encoding system for analog television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25 ...

compatibility. Another unusual aspect of Camerica games released for the NES is their distinctive color cartridges. The Ultimate Stuntman, like all Codemasters games, was released as a gold cartridge in the U.S. and a black cartridge in Europe.

Gameplay

The player is Ultimate Stuntman, a rogue mercenary who is called into duty when Jenny Aykroyd is suddenly kidnapped by Dr. Evil. Following in the footsteps of

side-scrolling A side-scrolling video game (alternatively side-scroller) is a video game viewed from a side-view camera angle where the screen follows the player as they move left or right. The jump from single-screen or flip-screen graphics to scrolling grap ...

action games An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, rhythm games and ...

such as the ''

Contra Contra may refer to: Places * Contra, Virginia * Contra Costa Canal, an aqueduct in the U.S. state of California * Contra Costa County, California * Tenero-Contra, a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerla ...

'' and ''

Mega Man ''Mega Man'' (known as in Japan) is a video game franchise developed and published by Capcom, featuring the Mega Man (character), protagonist of the same name. The Mega Man (1987 video game), original game was released for the Nintendo Enter ...

'' series, ''The Ultimate Stuntman'' gives the player access to a variety of levels with different concepts. A basic recurring theme in the game is the concept of three levels, a

boss fight In video games, a boss is a significantly powerful non-player character and computer-controlled enemy created as an opponent to players. A fight with a boss character is referred to as a boss battle or boss fight. Bosses are generally far stro ...

, and then a "bomb disposal". In most cases, the first level in the sequence involves Stuntman chasing down Dr. Evil in some form of vehicle such as a

car A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

hang glider Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised, fixed-wing heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...

dune buggy A dune buggy — also known as a beach buggy — is a recreational off-road vehicle with large wheels, and wide tires, designed for use on sand dunes, beaches, off-road or desert recreation. The design is usually a topless vehicle with a rear ...

, etc. The second series of levels has Stuntman fighting evil on foot with the help of a firearm. The third series of levels uses a concept where the player controls Stuntman who needs to climb a structure, similar to ''

Crazy Climber is a 1980 vertically scrolling video game developed by Nihon Bussan and published by Nichibutsu for arcades. In North America, the game was also released by Taito. Ports for the Arcadia 2001 and Atari 2600 were published in 1982, followed b ...

s gameplay, but at the same time, the player acts as a sniper in Stuntman's aid by shooting down objects and creatures that threaten him while he ascends. During these levels, only one action can be conducted at any given time (i.e. the player can move Stuntman, or snipe enemies on his behalf). Once a Boss has been defeated, the player is confronted with the daunting task of disposing a bomb before the fuse has been entirely burnt. The player must use the

directional pad The D-pad (short for directional pad) is a compact input method developed for video games, designed to translate thumb movement into directional control through a flat, cross-shaped surface that rests on four internal switches. Each switch corres ...

to move the cursor from block to block keeping an eye on the number on each one. Every time the cursor moves to a certain block, the number on it decreases by one. This creates a

puzzle A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to find the solution of the puzzle. There are differe ...

-like scenario, where if the player makes a mistake they must reset the disposal and try again with less time. One cannot advance in the game without completing the bomb disposal in the given time.

Music

The music by Gavin Raeburn is universally praised and coined the style and term of "bubblegum music" that was typically associated with Camerica's NES releases. The soundtrack is also known for being the only Codemasters game in which Gavin Raeburn used a 7-Bit PCM drum sample for the sample channel, as he would then make more creative use of it in his music by using a digitized synth which was sampled from a Casio CZ-101.

References

External links

Reprint of the original game manual
at ''Atari HQ''

at ''The Warp Zone'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ultimate Stuntman 1990 video games Action games Camerica games Codemasters games Nintendo Entertainment System games Nintendo Entertainment System-only games North America-exclusive video games Single-player video games Unauthorized video games Video games about bomb disposal Video games developed in the United Kingdom