In August 2003, the first Stuntman game launched on Game Boy Advance, arriving a full year after its PlayStation 2 counterpart. It remains the only entry in the series to appear on a Nintendo platform, which always made it feel like something of an outlier in the franchise's history. After 2007's Stuntman: Ignition, I never really expected to see the franchise return at all. So you can imagine my surprise when Stuntman: Hollywood appeared during the recent State of Play showcase.
The flashes of set pieces based on Back to the Future and Miami Vice are a pure shot of joy to my heart. Stuntman thrives at turning you into both the driver and the film crew, constantly chasing the perfect shot under pressure, repeating scenes until everything clicks. It's the same kind of juice that makes acing every challenge in Tony Hawk games addictive. I yearn for that feeling of flow state.
Some games seem like a perfect fit for certain consoles from the get-go, and I was certain I'd see that Nintendo Switch logo appear at the end of its trailer. Sadly, that moment never came. But why is that? Despite launching a year ago as a major leap forward over its predecessor, it seems that developers are still treating the Nintendo Switch 2 as a last resort in some respects. Of course, there are logistical factors to bear in mind.
This absence is probably less about whether the game fits and more about where the Switch 2 still sits in the industry pipeline. Developer kits for the Nintendo Switch 2 weren't easy to acquire before and after its launch, leaving plenty of studios in the cold when it came to porting releases. High-profile cases of this include the Warframe Switch 2 port, as Digital Extremes simply had to wait to get its hands on the hardware. And in most cases, Nintendo releases often end up positioned later in the development cycle rather than day one.
Those obstacles aside, the handheld can handle Stuntman Hollywood. I'm sure of it. If it can support Hitman World of Assassination, Cyberpunk 2077, and an upcoming iteration of 007 First Light, then I'd say it's possible. The bigger picture here, though, might not be Stuntman Hollywood specifically, but how third-party publishers are approaching Nintendo's current hardware cycle. Developers will want to prioritize established platforms first, like the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, then reassess Nintendo ports once performance targets and optimization become clearer. It's less of a risk if you know it won't run like garbage.
For me, it's a curious chapter in Nintendo history, as the first Stuntman title is actually quite an ambitious Game Boy Advance title. It feels like it's cut from the cloth of early OutRun games, rather than the PlayStation 2 iteration. It joins Max Payne and Everything or Nothing in the land of surprisingly decent GBA ports. However, because it's altered to suit the GBA's needs, it's often tough as nails. The original version is charmingly janky, but Stuntman on the GBA can be punishing. I wouldn't change that; it's part of the fun.
Despite the lack of Stuntman: Hollywood on Nintendo Switch 2, I remain very hyped for it. It absolutely stole State of Play for me. Yes, even above God of War: Laufey and Marvel's Wolverine. I'm looking forward to seeing how it fares on my ROG Ally Z1E, a proper workhorse of a handheld. If it gets Steam Deck verified, then that could be the cherry on top.