Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (PS2)

In addition to Jango's trademark dual blaster pistols, your armour bristles with gadgets and weaponry: darts, flamethrower, blowtorch, scanner, cable snare and--of course--a missile-launching jetpack. Utilise this arsenal to battle hordes of uncooperative guards, fend off rival bounty hunters, scale precipitous skyscrapers, and capture fugitives--dead or alive. The basic controls are surprisingly easy to master, and you've got enough armament at your disposal to fight your way out of almost any situation. Still, some finesse is required: as fun as it is to walk into a room and blast everything in sight (and it is fun--especially when you're the one wearing the jetpack), you may discover when the smoke clears that the guy you just fried was worth twice as much alive. Oh well...

The complex storyline is unravelled with extended cut scenes that let you rest your thumbs while Jango follows up the next lead (Star Wars fans will appreciate the quality and detail of these scenes, as well as the fidelity of the story arc--namely how Jango is chosen as the model for the clone troopers in Episode II). And anyone familiar with the LucasArts suite of games will not be disappointed by the superior graphics, music, sound effects and fully realised characters and locations. The pace of the game is up to you: methodically seek out the secrets of each level, or ruthlessly blast your way to the big payoff. --Maile Bohlmann

WHAT'S GOOD:
This game is all about having fun. It's no in-depth thriller and for that I'm grateful. Too many games these days sacrifice sheer fun and replace it with a deep and meaningful plot, but here we get the fun left in and a reasonably good plot as well! The locations, sound effects and cut-scenes are all perfectly created to instantly transport you to that Galaxy Far, Far Away and LucasArts have gone as far as to get the actors who played Jango Fett and Zam Wesell in Episode II to voice those characters in the game. There's a good array of weapons to unleash (blaster pistols and rifles, whipcord, rocket launcher, flame thrower and others) against an even bigger array of enemies (including a giant dragon, a vicious Mandalorian warrior and Dark Jedi who wields two lightsabers!). The gameplay is nicely capped off by the opportunity to capture additional bounties and the introduction of the jetpack (which is great fun to use!). For Star Wars fans, we get to see how Jango meets Zam, how he becomes the Prime Clone and how he aquires his kick-ass ship, Slave I. A cameo appearance by a certain 'vile gangster' weaves in a bit more Star Wars flavour too.

WHAT'S BAD:
I couldn't fault the game on much, but I'm constantly irritated by the inclusion of the Tatooine level. It's silly, I know, but it bugs me that Tatooine is supposed to be a backwater and yet almost every single Star Wars characters goes there sooner or later. Also, if they were to make a sequel, I'd like to see some interaction with other in-game characters that doesn't involve you killing or capturing them (ask them for clues, that sort of thing).

Certainly the best Star Wars game on PS2 (it is, after all competing with the dire 'The Clone Wars'), 'Bounty Hunter' will have you blasting criminals (and torching innocent bystanders -HAHAHA!) for hours on end.


A Very Underrated Game   April 3, 2005
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

It's surprising the low key release this game had, because it is excellent and much better than the awful Starfighter and Clone Wars games. The graphics still look very good, obviously not up to the same standard as the latest games, but still they have aged well and certainly do not take away from the experience. As usual from Lucasarts the sound in the game is flawless, terrific John Williams score and kosher original Star Wars SFX from Skywalker Sound itself. But it's the gameplay where this game excels, giving surprising and great freedom with the jetpack, which you receive with and stick with very quickly, this isnt a game which is hard on its audience; it give unlimited ammo on the blaster pistols and generously gives ammo for everything else and there availiability of health is also thoughtful and well judged. The controls are very effective and means you'll be blasting enemies while hovering with your jetpack/ somersaulting in no time. Another plus is the camera system, the idea of such freedom with the jetpack was ambitious and a poor camera system would have instantly killed the game, however I have to say I was really impressed with the camera with very few occasions where it was frustrating or incorrectly placed.


the best star wars game for ps2   February 2, 2004
 4 out of 7 found this review helpful

the use of a fantastic array of weaponry and long gameplay means this game holds many surprises and hours of fun!!!!


THERE IS NO PLACE TO HIDE!   March 27, 2004
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

Star Wars Bounty is the best star wars game for PS2. In fact, it's probably the best of them all! The graphics are absolutely amazing! The controls are great! All the action and fun is perfect, and the sound quality is outstanding!
I think the whole game is just fantastic. It is both entertaining and challenging, especially the last two levels - they are solid! I love it when Jango has a series of amazing weapons that James Bond or Indiana Jones couldn't possibly imagine. But I think the only bad thing is the ending (when Jango faces the dark Jedi to complete the game) is just too easy. And I think it would have been cool if there had been a secret level, like Jango Fett fighting Obi-One, or Jango fighting Windu. But over all, the game is great and worth getting, and you could just keep playing on it over and over again until you think the hunt ends!


rip-snortling action adventure   January 6, 2003
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I purchased this title because of the Star Wars logo on it and thankfully wasn't disappointed, as I had been with Star Fighter.
A glorious opening sequence drops you straight into the action pistols blazing, as you are forced to somersault around a pit-fighting arena, dodging the attacks of a lumbering fighting beast, from a third person view.
The controls are remarkably easy to master, intuitive and dynamic. And the graphics are (as you would expect with other titles like LOTR The Two Towers on the market) gorgeous. The environments are highly detailed and you recognize many familiar alien and droid species and models (respectively).

So, why not five stars?
Because, like The Two Towers, the game is very linear, and although you can freely roam quite large levels there are specific paths through each of them that must be taken if you want to advance through the game.

As a film spin off? Beautiful.
As an all round, fun, third person shoot 'em up? One of the better ones.