Island Xtreme Stunts
| Island Xtreme Stunts | |
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| Developer(s) | Silicon Dreams |
| Publisher(s) | Lego Software |
| Distributor(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Platform(s) | PC, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Distribution | CD, DVD, cartridge |
Island Xtreme Stunts is an action-adventure computer game, and the sequel to Lego Island 2 The Brickster's Revenge, making it the third game in the Lego Island series, despite dropping the original "Lego Island" title and logo from the name.
Plot
Pepper Roni has been cast as the lead stuntman in an action movie being filmed on Lego Island (appropriately titled "Xtreme Stunts"). After performing a motorbike jump through a large poster as a publicity stunt, he is then taken to the first scene where he performs a high-speed freeway car chase after the Brickster, who has been ironically cast as the main villain of the film. Upon completion, Pepper is given free roam of Lego Island, allowing him to explore and complete side missions as he continues the film in other locations throughout the island. As the player makes more progress in missions, it becomes more and more apparent that the Brickster has plans of his own, and later he kidnaps the Infomaniac and reveals his tower that his Brickster-Bots have built. Pepper naturally comes to the rescue and once again outwits and imprisons the Brickster, allowing the film to be completed and released on schedule (which the player is able to view upon completion of the game). In the end Pepper has access to all areas of the island, allowing him to redo scenes of the movie and different tasks.
The game also gives a bit more canon (e.g. explaining why the Legondos broke up).
Gameplay
Like Lego Island 2, the player controls Pepper throughout the game, exploring the island in a non-linear style. Players are able to control and ride various vehicles throughout the city (only once they have obtained their driver's licence). There are various collectible items scattered throughout that will rebuild animals composed of large Lego pieces, and there are also minigames in some parts of the city, such as helping one of the grocery store owners arrange and organize crates for storage.
When filming stunts, the player is briefed by the director on how to perform the stunts within the scene, followed by a "practice room" where Pepper can practice controlling the vehicle used in front of a bluescreen (as various Brickster Bots control the mechanics for him). The player is then taken to "perform" the scene by playing the minigame within it. Upon its completion, players are taken to the screening room to see a "take" of the scene, which includes some humorous and unintentional event taking place behind the scenes (different difficulties play different takes). Players are then graded on their performance, based on how quickly objectives were completed and how many bonus stunts were performed.
Characters
The majority of the original Lego Island and Lego Island 2 cast return. Pepper Roni remains the star of the game, while his adoptive parents Mama and Papa Brickolini continue their career running a pizzaria. The Infomaniac's role has been reduced from the player's guide to a simple cameo. Others retain their roles, such as Ed Mail the postman, Nick and Laura Brick the police officers, Mrs. Post the grocer, and others. The studio director is introduced, serving as a guide for the player through the stunts and giving him various objectives throughout the game itself.
Unlike Lego Island and Lego Island 2, Pepper does not speak any dialogue in the game aside from grunts and one-word exclamations, making him a silent protagonist. When doing stunt work, however, he can give comments that are more than one word.
Merchandise
From 2002 to 2003, an official Island Xtreme Stunts series of Lego sets was released as promotional merchandise, ranging from replications of the characters to semi-canonical sets such as skateboard parks and various vehicles used in the game. However, these did not financially impact the success of either the game or the Lego series itself, and was thus discontinued after the first year and are now collectors' items.
Performance
Island Xtreme Stunts faced many performance issues under all supported Windows platforms, with the exception of Windows 98 Second Edition. The main issue was a scripting error with the game's graphics. This error would cause, commonly when loading mini games, the game to crash resulting with the The Blue Screen of Death, which required a subsequent reboot. The game's instability was a much larger problem for Windows ME users, mainly because of the disappearance of DOS. A patch is available to fix this problem, but some distributions have either been modified that worsen the problem or have been infected with Trojan horses. Because downloads are no longer available on LEGO.com, it is not recommended to download the patches. A version, named "legoxtreme2045291484.tvf" (which is a Trojan Virus Format) can affect system files, and cause the motherboard to become unstable.[citation needed]
See also
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