Star Wars Bounty Hunter

"Killing aliens has never been so boring."

In a sentence, a bounty hunter is somewhat of a vigilante or assassin who searches for criminals in which rewards are offered for their capture. Like an “Old West” movie from the 70’s, our hero, Jango, faces gangs bent on protecting their leaders from being taken “dead or alive”. However, what makes this a genuine Star Wars game is the addition of aliens, lasers, jetpacks and ‘droids. As interesting as it sounds, playing hide and seek with the galaxies most wanted criminals does tend to get somewhat tedious.

Graphics: 8/10
The saving grace for Star Wars: Bounty Hunter. Watching spaceships and hovercrafts glide through the air is quite breathtaking. In several of the levels, large skyscrapers and other buildings are decorated with ridiculously good detail and texture. Many of the aliens, humans and ‘droids you encounter throughout the game are quite interesting to look at, but regretfully, many of the scenarios and areas Jango enters are bland, brown and gray warehouses which definitely do not flatter the PS2’s graphic capabilities.

Sound: 5/10
There are not too many varying sound effects in this game, which results in unintentionally funny audio bloopers throughout the entirety of the game. For example, an elevator will make the same sound as a small door opening, and Jango will make the same grunt when he struggles to climb a wall as he does when a grenade is blowing him up. Some of your enemy’s weapons sound like a parrot’s squawk. However, one must admit that the screeching yelp the little R2D2 'droid makes after you smack it around a couple times is extremely amusing!

Contols: 4/10
Due to the horrible weapon cycling system, Jango will often attempt to defend himself from a dozen laser wielding aliens using his binoculars. Likewise, while attempting to stealthily view a potential criminal from a distance, it is not rare that Jango will accidentally fire his noisy blasters through the brain of a passer-by, resulting in an entire mafia of galactic scum kicking his ass to no end. Players are not given the option of using the D-pad to move Jango around, which may be annoying to most gamers who do not prefer the joystick.

Gameplay: 7/10
Who doesn’t love jetpacks and laser guns? Flying through the air and blasting bad guys is Jango’s specialty. However, as fun as this sounds, none of your enemies are granted the same capability to fly, making the game all too easy. Some of the intergalactic troublemakers are given rocket launchers, while others are given nothing but sticks. Jango is given two laser pistols and a flamethrower, with the opportunity of collecting rocket launchers and machine guns. This typical assortment of weapons makes Star Wars: Bounty Hunter the average, bland video game. On the plus side, you are granted the opportunity to beat up androids, such as C3P0 and R2D2 look-alikes, who amusingly scream and fall over like broomsticks after a quick jab to the head.

Replay: 1/10
Once you know where all the bounties are hiding, there’s no point playing. The only reason you would ever want to put this disk back into your PS2 is if you wanted to try out the jetpack once more, or slap C3P0 n the face again.

Overall: 4/10
Definitely a game to rent, but not to buy. While the graphics are pleasing, this can’t make up for the repetitiveness of the game. Although the idea is quite original, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is no more than your typical “run around shooting stuff” game.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 03/01/03, Updated 03/01/03