out by the director in each scene. The way in which players complete tasks is set out differently from the first installment. The basic player will be able to drive through all the levels completing all of the director's stunts to progress to further levels. However, more advanced players will try to link or "string" stunts together to increase their stunt multiplier. To achieve a high score the player must string the director stunts with other maneuvers as well such as getting close to objects, drifting around corners, or being airborne. Players are scored for their performance on each stunt sequence, and then assigned a star rating based on that score. Players can earn up to five stars if they manage to 'string' an entire scene. Achieving stars also adds this to the player's 'rank', which is used to see how far the player has progressed through the game. The top rank the player can achieve is 'The Greatest'. New to the Stuntman series is the "strike" system which is more lenient than the scoring system in the original stuntman. A certain number of strikes means the director automatically calls the entire scene to be shot again. 'Easy Mode' can be activated to allow for more strikes (resulting in the player's final score being halved) and regardless of getting all strikes, players can carry on the scene. Also, by completing certain sequences, the player will be nominated for a certain scene in the Taurus World Stunt Awards. Multiplayer There is also a multiplayer mode, which features two different race types. Backlot battle focuses on performing as many stunts as possible within a set number of laps, while the backlot race mode is a more straightforward race where players can earn bursts of nitro by doing stunts. There is also a split-screen mode that goes up to four players. Development At the 2005 Tokyo Game Show, Atari confirmed to an IGN reporter that a sequel to Stuntman was in the works for the then-upcoming PlayStation 3. On February 17, 2006, the company announced they would sell off their development studios, with IGN revealing that Paradigm Entertainment would be developing the Stuntman sequel. On May 10, 2006, during the E3 2006 expo, THQ announced they would purchase the Stuntman franchise and Paradigm Entertainment from Atari, officially confirming that the sequel was indeed being developed by Paradigm. On September 29, 2006, THQ spoke