S.T.U.N. Runner Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
126Game Info
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Developer: Atari Games
Publisher: Atari Games
Year of Release: 1989
Game Review & Impressions
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Ever since Battlezone and Star Wars, Atari had been a pioneer in terms of bringing real-time 3D graphics to the arcade space. Hard Drivin' had put the company back on the coin-op map the previous year, boasting impressive real-time rending of flat-shaded polygons at playable speeds, and S.T.U.N. Runner would use the hardware to take things to the next level.
The game is relatively simple in concept. The player pilots a form of hover-ship along 3D highways and through tunnels at blistering speeds, shooting enemy vehicles and ships for bonus points while attempting to reach the finishing line before time runs out. Coloured stars line the course and tunnel walls, marking the most optimal racing line, which you'll want to adhere to whenever possible to maximise your speed. Collecting sufficient stars and completing the course will result in the player being awarded a 'Shockwave', which is essentially a screen-clearing smart bomb that's designed to get you through sticky situations. The real draw was, of course, the real-time 3D polygons, which must have looked mind-blowing back then.
The original arcade unit came equipped a with a special flight yoke controller. The X-axis controls movement and banking, and the Y-axis adjusts the vertical aim of your craft's onboard cannon. Trying to control both of these at the same time as driving is extremely tough, especially when the only modern equivalent is a joypad with analogue sticks.
And it wouldn't be an Atari game without an absurd level of difficulty. In fact, I don't think it's possible to 1CC because I think the game is pulling levers and fiddling with variables behind the scenes based on your performance. I'd had a perfect run up until stage 20, but no matter what I tried, I couldn't beat it on the first attempt. I was consistently able to beat it after coughing up for another credit, which started to raise my suspicions.
Intrigued, I performed a frame-by-frame comparison of the launch sequence from the first and second attempts of stage 20, and noticed some subtle differences. The first speed increment on the speedometer is 15 MPH in attempt 1, yet 16 MPH in the second. By the 100th frame there's a noticeable difference in my position, despite having not even touched the controls. Reaching max speed took 148 frames on attempt 1 with 46.4 remaining on the timer, yet it took only 145 frames on attempt 2 with 46.6 on the timer - for whatever reason, I seemed to be accelerating faster on the second attempt! I also did frame checks to see how frequently the timer values change, and it's not consistent. The units displayed on the timer definitely aren't seconds, and the fractional value decrements on inconsistent frames. My take on this is there's some BS going on designed to force the player off the machine or make them cough up to continue playing, which is, after all, what the arcade operators want. I've seen this kind of thing in other Atari games, so it's not exactly surprising.
S.T.U.N Runner is pretty addictive, and still looks great, but the thought of it actively working against the player sours the experience somewhat.
Chapters
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00:00 Attract mode
01:38 Stage 1 - Cakewalk
02:19 Stage 2 - Boost Boulevard
03:09 Stage 3 - Blood Alley
04:06 Stage 4 - Roller-Coaster
05:24 Stage 5 - The Boost Challenge
06:38 Stage 6 - Outer Drive
08:00 Stage 7 - Ramp-Alot
09:18 Stage 8 - Split Decision
10:20 Stage 9 - Close Call
11:31 Stage 10 - The Bonus Star Challenge
13:14 Stage 11 - The Labyrinth
14:23 Stage 12 - The Coat Hanger
15:27 Stage 13 - The Clover-Leaf
16:48 Stage 14 - McNamara's Revenge
18:05 Stage 15 - The Kill Challenge
19:45 Stage 16 - Knee Jerk
21:03 Stage 17 - 3-Ring-Circus
22:29 Stage 18 - Probot Hell
23:39 Stage 19 - Satan's Slalom
24:33 Stage 20 - The Death Spiral (Attempt 1)
25:44 Stage 20 - The Death Spiral (Attempt 2)
26:50 Stage 21 - Figure 8
28:04 Stage 22 - The Jigsaw
29:10 Stage 23 - The Ultimate Challenge