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RC Stunt Copter review

Game: RC Stunt Copter
Platform: PlayStation
Genre: Simulation
Developer: Shiny Entertainment

Reader review by falsehead

March 09, 2004

Remote control things are cool. Remote control cars are the best toys in the world and so are remote planes and boats and trains. It is baffling then to consider that the majority of ''hobbyists'' who indulge in the serious pursuit of all things radio controlled are without doubt some of the most humourless, beard-obsessed control freaks on the planet. Heaven forbid you should turn up to a flying or driving area with your cheap and cheerful radio controlled dragster. You'll be laughed out of the place and reduced to mournfully driving round the garden. It's a shame.

R/C Stunt Copter manages to take the anal control freakery of radio controlled helicopter flying and reproduce it very well in the ''game'' R/C Stunt Copter. That's not meant to be a compliment either. It's is without doubt one of the most annoying, frustrating and downright pointless things ever to appear on the poor old psx.

Your task is to take the titular Stunt Copter and learn to control it using the dual analogue sticks, one to raise the copter up and down, the other to bank left and right. Once mastered you must perform many cunning stunts to unlock new stunts to perform and win some medals. In theory the elegance of the dual shock twin sticks should have ensured mastery of the copter to be simple. Unfortunately it's about as much fun as trying to pull a zeppelin out of a cat's bum and just a painful.

The Copter seems to have ideas of its own and reacts with ludacrisp sensitivity, banking, rolling and alas crashing at the drop of a hat. You find yourself having to repeat the simplest of exercises over and over as you try and land or fly through a hoop only to over steer by the tiniest amount and end up a smoking wreck. Gradually you will get the hang of it, but it's not as if the game rewards you with some interesting tasks. Just an endless succession of two-minute patience tests, flying through hoops, bursting balloons and landing on helipads.

The graphics are pretty feeble, plain and repetitive environments of garish green grass are all you tend to inhabit. The helicopter itself is reasonably animated, but since you will spend most of your time screaming in frustration as it up ends itself over and over again, it wouldn't have mattered if it had 10000 polygons and state of the art texture mapping. It still controls like a flying cow. In fact it's surprising their isn't some kind of secret unlockable flying cow in this game as the creator is Dave Perry of Shiny. A man notorious for the Earthworm Jim games which were very cow-obsessed and also MDK which didn't have cows in it, but did have a flying janitor called Kurt. Anyway, those games are pretty good, but R/C Stunt Copter is not, it's a terrible idea poorly executed.

Saving the worst until last, let us talk about the sound. Most specifically the commentator. Yes, Shiny felt that it was time to add insult to injury and the game would really benefit from a smart mouthed American commentator who would make a sarcastic remark EVERYTIME you crash or screw up. Which is a lot. So not only do you steer your over-sensitive copter into the ground by accident you have to endure the commentator saying ''Ha ha you suck more than a sucky Hoover set to full suck''. Or words to that effect.

So R/C Stunt Copter, manages to be very complicated to control, while being simplistic and repetitive in structure. Offers no reward for prolonged play and tries its very best to put you off playing with its combination of garish graphics, moronic commentary and rage-inducing gameplay. There is nothing good to say about this game. Save up and buy a real Stunt Copter then use it to buzz your neighbours. If you find yourself growing a beard and tutting at those who don't know their Tamiya from their Ronco then return to this game, its only then you'll be shrivelled and bitter enough to enjoy it.

Rating: 1/10

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