Ultimate Stuntman

Ultimate Stuntman
Developer: Codemasters Publisher: Camerica Platform: Unlicensed NES Released in US: 1991 This game has unused graphics. This game has unused music. This game has debugging material. This game has regional differences. This game has revisional differences. This game has a bugs page

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Bugs

ROM/RAM Test

All NES games developed by Codemasters are based on the same stub library. As a result, all of these games, including those on multicarts, include a "smiley test" that verifies the integrity of the PRG ROM and CHR RAM chips.

To activate the PRG ROM test, hold Up + Down + Left + Right + A + Select + Start and press Reset. To activate the CHR RAM test, hold Up + Down + Left + Right + B + Select + Start and press Reset. (These tests can also be run simultaneously by holding both A and B, and the results will be ORed together in RAM.) If the PRG ROM checksum matches with the internal value or the CHR RAM chip has no bad cells, the program will display a happy green face; otherwise, it will display a sad red face. The code also attempts to write the test results to an unknown device at $4400, possibly an automated cartridge tester.

Note that the tests cannot be performed with an unmodified controller, as the design of the directional pad prevents more than two directions from being pressed at once.

Passed	Failed

Unused Jingle

This jingle is not used anywhere in the game. To play the jingle on the continue screen, use Game Genie code TEUUVIIA.

(Source: Unknown (Original discovery), Camtronic16 (Game Genie Code))

Unused Font

This font is loaded into the PPU during the boss intro screen, but the text there is displayed using different, much larger characters - see the screenshot in the revisional differences section below.

European Version

Although the original USA release already detects whether it's running on a PAL system and applies timing corrections accordingly, the game was revised for its official release in Europe. Like other Codemasters NES game revisions of the time, most instances of the unsafe color value $0D for black were replaced with $0E, yet $0D still appears all over the title screens.

"Pegasus Golden Five" / Asian Version

This game was also available on the "Pegasus Golden Five" famiclone multicart (also known as "Złota Piątka", or "Pegasus 5 in 1"), which was sold primarily in Poland. It was released in 1994, and it included five Codemasters games:

• Big Nose Freaks Out
• Micro Machines (first release)
• The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy (Blue version)
• Ultimate Stuntman
• Big Nose the Caveman

Although this version could be purchased in stores (in a Genesis-styled box with a manual), it's currently unclear whether it was actually licensed. According to the Oliver Twins, a similar famiclone release of the Quattro Arcade (also known as "Złota Czwórka" or "Pegasus 4 in 1", with a different menu system and selection of games compared to the official NES version) couldn't have been licensed straight from Codemasters. However, the polish importer (BobMark International, sellers of the Pegasus line of famiclones; the company later renamed to AGES s.c.) could have obtained the rights either from Camerica, or from Realtec/BIC, who produced some - if not all - of the Codemasters cartridges. It might have been a similar story with the "Golden Five" multicart, but this can't be easily confirmed.

Of all of the games included on the "Pegasus Golden Five" multicart, only Ultimate Stuntman seems to be notably different. These changes make the game considerably more difficult.

• This multicart release omits the "Codemasters: Absolutely Brilliant!" intro screen. All other Codemasters and Camerica logos and copyright info remains intact. (other games on this compilation show this intro screen)
• The NES version fails to boot on famiclone (Dendy-like) consoles, hanging on a grey screen, apparently due to a bug in the video system detection routine. It works properly in the Golden Five version.
• Music tempo is not adjusted when run on a 50 Hz console.
• Many background scrolling effects are broken when this version is played on a standard PAL NES, flickering to black or incorrect graphics in cutscenes and stage introductions, while also suffering from an extreme slowdown. These portions of the game will appear correctly on both standard NTSC consoles and Dendy-style famiclones.
• The original release has unlimited continues, while this one has no continues at all.
• The high score is not shown on the continue / game over screen. The "Continue" and "Quit" options are missing completely. The score display is positioned higher to better fit the vacant space. This screen doesn't timeout, unlike the NES version which returns to the title screen after some time of user inactivity.

Original	Golden Five / Asia

• The level demos, which should play after waiting long enough on the title screen, are absent.
• The boss intro screen (displayed at the start of each world) shows some garbage graphics in the top row.

Original	Golden Five / Asia

• The original has 8 worlds, while this one has 9. The extra world has new level layouts, but no new graphics. The NES release's World 8 has been moved to World 9, with the "new" world taking its place.
  • Stage 8-1: Microlight Pursuit
  • Stage 8-2: Microlight Combat
  • Stage 8-3: The Human Fly (climbing a tree)
  • Main boss: Sand Yeti Mk3 (green palette)
• In the original release, your health is refilled between stages (except the main boss fights). In the "Golden Five" version, your health is only refilled at the start of each world.
• Some of the enemies have more hit points. It's especially evident in stage 1-2, where in the original version every enemy had one hit point - for example, in this release the blue robots take five hits to defeat.
• Dying on a main boss sends you back to the previous stage, instead of just restarting the boss fight.
• Surprisingly, some of the glitches don't seem to be present - either they were fixed for this release, or somehow introduced in the NES version. Refer to the bugs page for details.

Both versions show 1990 as their copyright date in-game, but the Codemasters intro screen (present only in the original) shows 1991 instead. It might be interesting to note that the 1990 date makes it (possibly) the earliest Codemasters NES game.

This version of the game was also present on at least some of the Asian market releases, and this might be where it originates from.