Bounty Hunter
starts well before the events of Episode II when Darth Tyrannus is
searching out the perfect specimen upon which to build his clone armies.
He has put out a bounty on a "deranged Dark Jedi" and intends to use the
man (or woman) who takes him out as his template. In walks Jango, the
baddest of the bad, to see the job through. I have to admit that I
really liked how the story was woven into the events of the films. Too
often, the plots of the Star Wars games are virtually unrelated to the
events of the film, or they simply reenact scenes that weve watched a
million times. This is a game about the origins of Jango Fett. It is his
back story. The character has more significance in my mind because of
the events of the game, and I think that is a significant
accomplishment.
Bounty
Hunter adopts the fairly conventional 3rd person adventure
format that weve seen in the literally dozens of Tomb Raider knock offs
of the past few years. There is a lot of shooting, jumping, and
navigation through mazelike locales. As with most 3rd person
games, the camera work is a little tricky, but rarely does it hamper the
gameplay. The controls are very intuitive and quite responsive. I
particularly enjoyed how effortless the targeting system was in the
game. As an added bonus, when multiple enemies are attacking you, Jango
will pick off both of them at the same time. The graphics are perfectly
adequate, but having played Metroid, they already feel dated. I hate how
a fantastic game can ruin pretty good games for you.
Jangos got
more weapons than you can shake a fist at. The jet pack missiles were
great, the Kamino darts, flame thrower, and lasso line almost made this
game feel more like James Bond than Star Wars. The inclusion of the jet
pack was a must, but youve actually got very limited movement with it.
It functions more as a jump boost than a license to fly. Jangos also
got a cutting laser to open grills and get into sewers. This could have
been a beautiful touch to the game if it had been used to give you a
backdoor into a given area. Unfortunately it functions as little more
than a door switch.
Apart from
the driving narrative of the game, Jango has to option of making a
little extra cash on the side by scanning for potential bounties running
about the place. It was a nice addition to the game that really keeps
you from rushing things too much, but I would have liked it to be a
little more integral to events rather than seeming like an afterthought.
I cant help
but feel that this game was a little rushed. The environments, although
spacious, felt sparsely filled. I would have liked to have seen more
civilians running around with their hands in the air when Jango comes
tearing through. Also, collision is a real issue in this game. I lost
track of how many times Jangos head or arm got buried in a wall or
ledge. My other gripe has to do with how Jango grabs his pistols. When
he changes weapons, I expect him to holster his pistols. Instead, the
pistols just disappear. I know its not a big deal, but I think a lot of
games are made or broken in the details. These are minor issues, but
its the small details that make an otherwise adequate game great.
This is a
game that is being touted as a synergistic product of a number of
fiefdoms in Georges kingdom. Not only do we have the project being
overseen by LucasArts, but the cutscenes were developed at one of the
premiere special effects houses in the worldIndustrial Light and Magic.
The sound for the game was done at Skywalker Sound, a legend in its own
field, and this is one area where the game really shines. Bounty Hunter
makes aggressive use of surrounds with Dolby Pro Logic II. I
particularly enjoyed the clank of Fetts armor as he rolled around. It
was a nice touch to hear voices from the film, but the cutscenes arent
really anything to write home about. I would have thought that with the
ILM stamp on the back of the package that the cutscenes would have been
jaw-dropping.
As I stated
above, Star Wars Bounty Hunter feels a little rushed, and there was
really no need to rush it. Weve had more than enough Star Wars stuff to
keep us occupied over the past few weeks. Both Clone Wars and Jedi
Knight II were more than enough to satisfy Gamecube owners. They could
have taken a little more time with this game and really seen what was
possible. I expected a little more; let me correct that, I hoped for
more. The Star Wars games, much like the acting or plotting of the
recent Star Wars movies, are adequate. This could have been a great game
with a little more time. It should satisfy most of the fanboys out
there, while true gamers will have to find innovation somewhere else.
Im tired. I need to take a break from Star Wars. I never thought there
could be such a thing as too much Star Wars, but Im learning that
excess, even when it comes to nostalgia, is never a good thing.