That car chase scene? Yeah, that was all me.

Until I've finished the first three Metal Gear Solid games (more than halfway through the third installment), free demos have been the only other source of quick entertainment on my PS3. I just love how something that is clearly only a small portion of the actual game can create hours of enjoyment, without any of the guilt that you actually paid for it. One of these was Stuntman Ignition.

I've never played any of the previous installments, but often heard of how they were constricted mini-games of following commands and nailing tricks and jumps to a T, as well as all the negative press about all the trial-and-error and repetition that goes into each game. There's much truth in this, as I experienced first hand last night when struggling to hitting all the tricks in one "scene" without striking out on too many missed attempts. In that half hour, I must have restarted the game 25-30 times before I got a complete run out of it, all the while slightly frustrated and peeved at every missed turn or jump.

But in the end, the real payoff is when you select that "instant replay" option. From there, you get to see a movie-like clip of yourself literally doing your own stunts. Thing that sounded asinine when the director tells you to perform them, like the small "hit the jeep" call while you're turning suddenly becomes wicked cool when you see it as a movie. "Holy crap, that car just knicked that jeep and knocked the guy off while he was turning! Awesome!!"

I couldn't help but play that replay 4-5 times after that. After all, it's a demo, so no record of this was being saved to my system anyways.And just recently, I saw the game in the bargain bin. To be the star of your own movies at a cheap price is something I'd pay for!

I understand that most people don't like the constant trial-and-error method that this game constantly pushes onto its players, but to have a final output comprised entirely of your own control gives you a satisfaction knowing that you did all that, without the risk of losing life and limb.