Star Wars: Bounty Hunter

THE BAD:
The ID Scanner and Secondary Bounties.
Slightly repetative.
Non-"Star Wars" fans will switch off before completion.
In-game graphics only just scrape through.
Suspect camera.
Simple targetting system.
Lack of multiplayer.

SUMMARY:
Games that follow a movie series or integrate themselves within a universe created by the cinema always need to convey the feeling of cinematic quality, something that recent games such as "James Bond 007 - Everything or Nothing" have managed to capture well. So, the offering from the far, far away "Star Wars" galaxy needs to be able to hold it's own in the market with an interesting and diverse storyline. It does this well.

Bounty Hunter Jango Fett is the most notorious Mandalorian in space. When mysterious Sith Lord Count Dooku contacts him and offers him a bounty he cannot refuse, Jango sets off to capture a deranged former Jedi Knight and infiltrate a dark and dangerous cult. However, his journey will not be simple, as his old adversary Montross is also on the case, rookie Zam Wessel wants a piece of the action and the target has a strong link to the eradication of Jango's people...

A wonderful, and some might argue unnecessary, set-up for "Star Wars: Bounty Hunter", an interactive 3D action/adventure that soaks up the dark underbelly of George Lucas' movie series very well. You control Jango Fett and his one-man arsenal of weapons, gadgets and battle armour that includes flamethrowers, missile launchers, wrist-mounted darts, whip snares and THAT famous jetpack. With all this hardware at the player's disposal, the hoards of galactic scum and villany that pour towards you don't stand a chance and your goal is to survive the onslaught and collect your money with as much brutal style as possible. Despite the battle armour, Jango is quite nimble, being able to roll, sommersault, sidestep and flip through any location available.

And the locations require all the flipping and rolling moves available, instead of some questionable titles that provide you with multiple moves only to give you linear, flat levels to explore. The missions see Jango scaling the wall of a Coruscant skyscraper, leaping across jungle chasms and rolling through booby-trapped conveyor belts, and are packed with detail. Unfortunately, the in-game graphics are not the best ever seen, but given that this game is a year old you can almost forgive LucasArts. They are functional and everything is accessable, but they meerely get the job done and leave without adding that special touch.

The combat is done very well, with Jango using two blaster pistols and being able to target two enemies at once in the middle of a firefight. The opportunity for stealth is present, but only if a player is extremely careful as "Bounty Hunter" is designed for the Rambo-inclined gamer. Missions are well-paced and provide many moments of impressive, explosive action, including the multiple Boss Battles that each offer a unique challenge - where one Boss will encircle your location in a hovering speeder, another will duck and dive behind cover on foot and your final task, defeating the ex-Jedi who weilds two lightsabers as Jango does blasters, is where all your skills must culminate to be met with success. However, the targetting system is basic at best, simply locking on to a target and allowing you to shoot them until they die. Add to that an unresponsive camera that is generally good but will let you down at the worst moment and some of the combat will leave you slightly frustrated.

To add a second layer to the repetative gunfights that run from the beginning to the end of "Bounty Hunter", the game allows you to hunt Secondary Bounties using a device known as the ID Scanner, built in to Jango's helmet. This device plunges you into a first-person view that gives you the chance to look at some unsuspecting member of the public and see if they have a bounty posted on their head. Some of the descriptions of the targets are genuinely funny, like the criminal who ruins public toilets, but the ID Scanner breaks the gameplay, making you stand still and scan through a crowd while a gun-totting maniac shoots at your helmetted visage from a balcony. It could have worked better, despite adding definate replay value and diversity.

Overall, "Star Wars: Bounty Hunter" offers fans a chance to plunge themselves into a giant world of seedy criminal aliens and corrupt organisations and provides a frantic, well-paced action/adventure for the PlayStation2. Despite the numerous niggles, they are mainly either cosmetic or easily ignored, especially the lack of a multiplayer since the single player storyline will take you long enough and offer a rewarding experience. A slightly repetative, but incredibly addictive "Star Wars" game worth completing.

THE BAD:
I woulda liked to see some stealth moves but hey, they can't all be snakes now can they. Glitches sometimes come out of nowhere, and the game is a little short but it's got a pretty good replay value.

SUMMARY:
This is an awesome game, evyone should have it. Even if you don't like star wars it's an awesome game. Weapon galore is probly my favorite part. Even though I would have liked to see some stealth moves, it doesn't take any value away. the cut scenes are a pretty cool and some parts of the game take some ral thinking. I like the fact that one level you wouldn't need to use your jetpack but in other levels you would, the same with weapons. Again, you don't really need to be a star wars fan to enjoy this game. They really should come out with a sequel to this game with boba fett.

THE BAD:
Some parts of some levels are really just agrivating when part of the level is just jumping from one platform to another but other than those couple of levels it's a great game.

SUMMARY:
this game rocks. I think it is one of the best games I've played in a while. If you see that anyone badmouths this game just ignore them they are messed up, this game is just sweet!! It could use some more length and a few more weapons but thats about how every game goes. If your looking for a good game get this one it's sweet!

THE BAD:
Some ridiculous situations like going down 12 stories over an endless gap by jumping from crate to crate. I don't like how in some parts, one wrong move and you will fall to your death. I also don't like the ID Scanner. It sucks that you have to stand there and scan a bunch of enemies for a bounty while you are being shot at.

SUMMARY:
Overall, this is a great game. It didn't take long to learn the controls and dive right into the game. I like the idea of the secondary bounties, but I don't like having to scan for them, they should already be marked. I also like the secrets (feather), it adds to the replay value of the game and gives me an excuse to play some levels over again. The cinematic sequences are well done and it seems like a Star Wars movie. The story never lags and fits in perfectly in between Episodes 1 and 2. I look forward to other Star Wars games.

THE BAD:
Blocky characters, aiming system is poor...

SUMMARY:
Cool game. I have beaten it twice and both times, I enjoyed playing it. It had loads of extras, all of which were really really cool and fun.

There are no multi-player modes in this game which is its main fault and why I didn't purchase it. Other than that, its a great game that people of all ages can and should enjoy.

Overall Outcome: Rent It!

THE BAD:
Blocky characters, aiming system is poor...

SUMMARY:
Cool game. I have beaten it twice and both times, I enjoyed playing it. It had loads of extras, all of which were really really cool and fun.

There are no multi-player modes in this game which is its main fault and why I didn't purchase it. Other than that, its a great game that people of all ages can and should enjoy.

Overall Outcome: Rent It!

THE BAD:
Oh my god! I don't know how many times I was about to beet a level... then right there it glitches up like hell! I think it's because this game is so *bleep*ing huge, but that's probably the only reely bad part about this game aside from some of the fact that you get realy know sort of map or scanner at all and it takes you an hour to complete 1 objective in this game... but, if it wasn't as hard as it is then I think it would be a bit too easy but... that's about it!

SUMMARY:
over all this game ROCKS! And who ever likes star wars and cool looking rpg's will be drooling over this one! Don't bother testing it out first... the name says it all!

THE BAD:
Scanning for bounties is difficult at times, especially when there's other baddies around blasting at you while you're trying to mark your target. Sometimes parts of the game are "almost" too challenging (I put "almost" in quotes because if there weren't those very difficult parts, I'd probably be complaining that the game's too easy...however, sometimes you're to the point of ripping out your PS2 and chucking it out the window...but not quite)

SUMMARY:
I've been playing the game on and off for about two or three weeks now (I'd probably be playing it more, but my wife got me Vice City for Xmas...so I've been playing that a bit more lately)...and I still have a ways to go to beat the game. As mentioned above, some parts are very challenging (like flying/falling down through the death stick factory), but make the game playing value last longer.

If you're a Star Wars fan...this one's a "gotta have".