If this is the life of a bounty hunter, sign me up.
Third-person 3D action-adventure spans 18 levels on six huge worlds, including Coruscant, Tatooine, as well as a maximum-security asteroid prison Intense action driven by a compelling story that explains how Jango Fett was chosen to be the source for the clone army seen in Attack of the Clones, told through gameplay and cinematic sequences created by Industrial Light & Magic Overpower enemies with Jango's deadly arsenal including his trademark dual blaster pistols, missile-equipped jetpack, flamethrower, toxic darts, sniper rifle, and more Door's locked? Burn through with your wrist-mounted cutting laser and kick it down! Use your scanner to locate bounties, then chase down, corner and snare them with your wrist cable - or blast them into space dust. Encounter over 100 unique characters, including familiar Star Wars aliens, droids and creatures, plus a fearsome Krayt Dragon and a host of new additions to the Star Wars Universe Sweeping orchestral soundtrack includes music from John Williams' Attack of the Clones score, as well as original music composed exclusively for the game Rich, atmospheric sound design by Skywalker Sound Featuring the voice talents of Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones stars Temuera Morrison as Jango Fett and Leeanna Walsman as Zam Wesell. Also featuring TV and film star Clancy Brown as Jango's brutal arch-nemesis Montross Runs in progressive scan mode and surround sound Gameplay
Bounty Hunter drops players into the questionable lifestyle of Jango Fett immediately following the events of The Phantom Menace and it tells the story of how the anti-hero became the model for the Clone Army. The story flows through a series of nicely woven cut-scenes that move the levels of the game along, and as we advance we discover more about the main character and his many enemies. It turns out that though Jango may be out for his own gain and in cahoots with the Dark Side of the Force, he's still a likeable fellow. It's interesting that the game does a better job, hands down, of recreating a realistic personality out of Fett than the movies ever did. Chock that up to smart storytelling on the part of LucasArts or just the opposite by Lucas himself. Either way, gamers will be happy to become the bounty hunter as he advances through all sorts of beautiful locales in search of reward, and falls smack dab in the middle of plot by Sith Lord Dark Sidious to eliminate a deadly cult called the Bando Gora. There are twists and turns along the way and they're brought to life through vividly detailed FMV cut-scenes and in-game work, both of which feature top voice acting talent and smart, believable dialogue. Jango Fett is a complex being capable of a variety of moves and able to use a wealth of weapons and gadgets. With that in mind, the control scheme used to manipulate the character may initially cause some trouble for those unfamiliar with traditional styled 3D adventure setups, but anybody who has ever played Zelda, for instance, and understands the intricacies of lock on targeting (R button) will feel right at home. The bounty hunter is manipulated with the analog stick and moves fluidly and fast, is able to duck and roll (X button) or grab onto ledges and trigger panels (Y button), while the L button is utilized solely for jetpack boosts (an integral part of the game), B jumps and A shoots. Some may find cycling through weapons and gadgets with the D-pad cumbersome, especially in the heat of battle, but it's possible to have this execution pause the gameplay so that Jango isn't left defenseless. The process of marking and capturing a bounty, on the other hand, truly is drawn out, as Fett must first find and label a suspect (D-Pad up), then mark (A button) and capture them (Y button). Minor gripes aside, the configuration gets the job done better than most, and it triumphs during intense battles when Jango automatically targets two enemies at once as gamers strafe him around and dodge other unfriendly fire. Jango Fett is a bounty hunter, that's true, but in this particular title bounties take a backseat to brutal battles and occasional platforming. The character makes his way through 18 unique levels that include everything from huge alien skyscrapers to back alley bars, swamplands, and more, and though the scenery is consistently different, the mechanics remain for the most part unchanged: explore, aim, lock-on, shoot, kill, and move on. There are occasional locked doors which must be triggered open via data panel, caged passageways that Jango can cut through with his torch, and some well placed platforming elements too, but the meat and potatoes of the adventure involves hordes of enemies and lots of gunplay. There's no denying that there's a whole lot of the same thing to do in this game. Were the enemy fights badly implemented, we'd be in trouble, but they're balanced and enjoyable and keep the pacing of each level flowing. Still, gamers looking a real emphasis on the challenge of tracking and capturing bounties are likely in for a disappointment as many of the levels ignore this facet of the game altogether and those that do allow Jango to bring in a few bad seeds usually do so as an optional secondary function and not as the main objective. It's as if the development team at LucasArts had originally intended the project to be a full blown chase of Star Wars bad guys, but couldn't realize that version of the game in time. The final product is still a good one, but perhaps not as complete or deep as was initially conceived. Bounty Hunter is dented by some notable technical issues. First is the camera system, which is imperfect at best and troublesome at worst. The camera, when cornered into a tight corridor or through a doorway, for instance, will sometimes bounce and jitter, which is not only disorienting but also dizzying, and the view will occasionally clip through walls. These are commonplace shortcomings of 3D adventures and they would probably be less of a concern were it not for some of the circumstances thrust upon Fett. Gamers will often need precision movements to progress through a series of platform challenges and occasionally the bounty hunter will meet his death because of a poorly realized angle of the action. Sure, we have some complaints, but we've still awarded the game solid marks for what it does right. Tight control mingles well with fresh level design for an ultimately entertaining ride through Jango Fett's daily grind. The worlds are often enormous, bigger than we expected, and Jango can thrust upward and outward in every direction with his jetpack, explore far away ledges, or simultaneously glide through the air and target enemies underneath. The setup works with few flaws. Later, as the character advances to high-rise cities, he can and must hover across dangerous gaps between buildings, climb upward and take out groups of troublesome enemies, balance across tiny walkways, or grab onto poles and shimmy out of harm's way. The scope is immense and believable, without doubt, and gamers are sure to feel as if they are really playing in the Star Wars universe, which is a detail that can't be said about so many of LucasArts Episode I and II projects. And meanwhile, the gunplay -- the core of the experience -- is also entertaining, if repetitive, and the character has enough gadgets and weapons to keep the experience fresh and satisfying. Is Bounty Hunter going to change the world? Definitely not. But will Star Wars fans love it? Yes. And do we recommend it as a solid action-adventure for anybody seeking one? Yes. Graphics
GameCube owners have something to cheer over: Star Wars: Bounty Hunter for Nintendo's console looks noticeably better than the PlayStation 2 version. The framerate has been considerably smoothed out so that several of the levels run at a full 60 frames per second and others only show minor drops. It also runs in progressive scan for televisions that support it, which of course always brings a smile to our faces. The game does a solid job of recreating the worlds and locations from Episode I, including the Outland Station, a dark and seedy underworld from the Star Wars universe; Coruscant, an almost Blade Runner-like night environment; Oovo, a maximum security prison; Malastare, a gigantic swamp world; Tatooine and more. Each area has its own unique style and look, realized through an impressive amount of geometrical additions -- buildings, organic life, and others. People and aliens fill the worlds, and in some cases if players look up they will be treated to skyscrapers that stretch forever into the distance, interrupted only by a steady flow of traffic by flying vehicles. It looks great. Jango Fett is recreated to look exactly like his movie counterpart complete with realistic animation and movement. The character can flip sideways and forward while blasting at enemies, which is for some strange intangible reason supremely cool and satisfying. Meanwhile, each gun he fires reveals a different explosion, or laser, and he has all sorts of gadgets from sniper scopes to netting, each realized with a certain elegance. What's perhaps most impressive of all, though, is the complete package -- everything together. The sheer size of the worlds, which have enough detail to impress, mixed with lots of enemies on screen, particle effects, and a mostly silky smooth framerate to boot. The game does this by cutting down on some extras, though, including advanced lighting effects, bump-mapping, specularity, and more. Eye-candy pros will probably find that some of the textures in the game are unnecessarily dithered, too, which is disappointing. Sound
Excellent. Encoded by the guys at Skywalker Sound, the surround sound-enabled track borrows heavily from John Williams' Episode II score, with a few original tunes composed specifically for the game by videogame music legend Jeremy Soule. The best soundtrack since The Empire Strikes Back, the Attack of the Clones score is a great addition for Bounty Hunter and adds extra pizzazz to the already well-represented visuals. The voices too are just as powerful, with Jango Fett and Zam Wesell being voiced by the same actors that portrayed them in the last film: Temuera Morrison and Leana Walsman. To add further credibility to the cast, former Highlander bad guy and Minority Report star, Clancy Brown has also been brought in as Jango's chief rival Montross. Professional voice actors and eerie sound-alikes have made the cut as well, and provide an excellent backup to the already strong vocal talent. Just as expected, the usual round of Star Wars sound effects are in there too. From the classic slap of a laser blast to the ominous buzz of a lightsaber, the authentic Lucasfilm sound samples have rarely sounded better in a videogame. LucasArts went all out with the production values of Star Wars Bounty Hunter, and the sound in particular could be its strongest performer. Even without a high-end receiver and collection of speakers it sounds great
Closing Comments
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is a surprisingly well-done action shooter that no Star Wars fan should pass up. It has some flaws, namely an imperfect camera system and some repetition where gunplay is concerned. But the strong presentation and story coupled with a tight control scheme, satisfying platformer elements and huge worlds to see and conquer, more than make up for any shortcomings. GameCube owners in particular in for a treat as Bounty Hunter runs much better on Nintendo's console than it does on PlayStation 2, and it also supports progressive scan mode. I've read some competitive reviews that have really slammed into this game and I just don't get it. Try it. If you're unsure, rent it. But definitely give it a shot and see if it's for you.