Star Wars: Bounty Hunter

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter
Promotional North American PS2 cover art
Developer(s)	LucasArts
Publisher(s)	LucasArts
Director(s)	Jon Knoles
Producer(s)	Joe Brisbois
Designer(s)	Jon Knoles
Programmer(s)	Priamos Georgiades
Artist(s)	Ian Milham
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2 GameCube PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4[1]
Release	PlayStation 2 NA: November 19, 2002 PAL: December 6, 2002 JP: June 19, 2003 GameCube NA: December 7, 2002 PAL: February 7, 2003 PlayStation 3 (PS2 Classic) EU: October 8, 2014 NA: April 28, 2015 PlayStation 4 (PS2 Classic) NA: November 17, 2015, EU: November 19, 2015
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Single-player

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (released in Japan as Star Wars: Jango Fett) is a Star Wars video game developed and published by LucasArts for the GameCube and Sony PlayStation 2, released in 2002.^[2] The game was re-released on the PlayStation Store on November, 2015. In the game, players play as the bounty hunter Jango Fett, featured in the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, to which this game serves as a prequel.

The main objective of Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is to hunt Dark Jedi Komari Vosa. During the game, it is revealed why Jango Fett was chosen as the template for the Grand Army of the Republic, how Boba Fett, his cloned "son" was born, and how Jango acquired Slave I. Players also fight many "bosses", such as Montross and Longo "Two-Guns". There are also side objectives, such as collecting secondary bounties, that open special bonus items in the game. When the player beats a chapter, blooper reels - comedic machinima productions - are unlocked.

Gameplay

Bounty Hunter allows players to target an enemy and then move without losing target lock. This allows for maneuvers such as circle strafing.

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is played in third person. Jango Fett has access to a wide array of weapons in the game; from his trademark blaster pistols to flamethrowers to jetpack-mounted missiles. In game, Jango can make use of his acrobatic abilities by somersaulting and jumping to the side to backflipping to avoid enemies. He automatically targets enemies, and holding a button allows Jango to move around an enemy while keeping them targeted. If the player is using Jango's pistols, up to two enemies can be targeted at the same time.There are also many pickups, powerups, and items to help along the way. In every level, there is a primary objective and several secondary objectives, relating to the capture of several bounties; bounties are found and marked using his ID scanner, which switches the game to the first-person perspective.

Amassing enough credits unlocks concept art. Each level also has a secret feather, which unlock Wizards of the Coast cards; if all feathers are found, bonus footage is unlocked. After every level, pages of the comic Open Seasons are unlocked for viewing, and after completing chapters, "blooper reels" for the cutscenes in that chapter are unlocked.^[3]

Plot

Bounty Hunter tells the tale of Jango Fett that begins as he receives a transmission from Darth Tyranus inviting him to participate in "a special hunt... for a special prey." The reward is five million credits for the capture of the deranged leader of the Bando Gora, Komari Vosa, a Dark Jedi. The Bando Gora are a group of Force-worshiping criminals who are proving a thorn in the side of Tyranus and Darth Sidious' plans. Jango agrees to the hunt despite his friend Rozatta acknowledging the danger in attempting to defeat such an adversary.

The Bando Gora are behind narcotics shipments of a substance known as death sticks. Jango pursues a death stick dealer named Jervis Gloom. He captures Gloom and coerces him into revealing his sources. This leads Jango to a processing plant run by a gangster named Groff Haugg. When Jango arrives he encounters Montross, a fellow Mandalorian bounty hunter, who has already killed Haugg. Jango learns that they are pursuing the same prey. Jango fights Montross, who flees after finding a message on Haugg's computer from a co-conspirator, Senator Trell. Jango fights his way through Trell's heavily guarded apartment tower to the Senator's penthouse where he learns that the death sticks came from a Malastare crime lord named Sebolto. Jango kills Trell by throwing him off the building.

Jango then proceeds to the asteroid prison Oovo IV to jail break Bendix Fust, who he will deliver to Sebolto to gain favor with the gangster. Deep in the prison, Jango is surprised when another bounty hunter, Zam Wesell, reaches Fust before him. The two meet at gunpoint, but are forced to work together to escape. Jango's ship, Jaster's Legacy is destroyed, so he commandeers a new ship which he dubs Slave I. Before leaving, Fett destroys the hangar. Montross, across the galaxy, realizes that Haugg gave him a false lead. When he hears of the prison riot, Montross follows Jango to Malastare.

Fett and Wesell travel to Malastare to deliver Fust to Sebolto. When Sebolto realizes Jango's plan he flees, but perishes when he falls down a pipe into his death stick factory. Jango ventures through the factory, and eventually comes to a cave crawling with members of the Bando Gora. Once he gets past them, he reaches a supply ship. On further inspection, he finds Huttese markings on it. Montross again reappears and taunts Fett about the death of his adoptive father Jaster Mereel and the disastrous battle at Galidraan when the Mandalorians were wiped out by a Jedi ambush. Jango battles Montross, with Wesell providing cover fire and allow the two to escape.

Not knowing which Hutt is involved with the Bando Gora, the pair split up to question the two Hutts, Jabba and Gardulla. After killing Longo Two-Gun and his gang and collecting Jabba's bounty on them, Jango questions him and finds Jabba to be uninvolved, with Jabba asking for Jango to kill Gardulla. Fett proceeds to Gardulla's palace through the Jundland wastes, battling Tusken Raiders and Gardulla's guards, before finding Wesell in a holding cell. He tries to leave her there to avoid sounding an alarm, but she compromises his position, and he is apprehended. After escaping detainment, Fett reaches Gardulla, who refuses to give up Vosa's location. Fett then feeds Gardulla to her own Krayt dragon, before finishing the Krayt dragon off himself. Out of anger for her betrayal, he leaves Wesell on Tatooine to continue searching for Vosa alone. Fett contacts Rozatta, but Montross is listening in and attacks the station, rigging it to explode. Montross then taunts Fett, telling him that his friend is in danger. Fett temporarily abandons his mission to help Rozatta. He arrives to a fatally wounded Rozatta, who gives him a guidance device to help him track Vosa before she dies. Fett leaves Outland Station, with it exploding moments later.

Fett arrives on Kohlma, the hideout of the Bando Gora. He arrives at Vosa's castle, where he finds Montross waiting for him. They duel a final time with Montross wearing his Mandalorian helmet and jetpack. Jango finally defeats Montross, who wishes to have a warrior's death. Fett, as a means of revenge for his murder of Rozatta, lets the Bando Gora tear Montross to pieces as he walks away. Upon entering the castle, he is taken prisoner. He is tortured both physically and mentally by Vosa. However, Wesell then arrives, but is injured by Vosa. As Vosa moves to kill her, Wesell blasts Jango's restraints, freeing him. Fett follows a fleeing Vosa through the castle and ultimately fatally wounds her. As she lies defeated she is force choked by Darth Tyranus, who then steps from the shadows. Tyranus explains that the entire ordeal was a test, and that Fett has passed with flying colors. He offers Fett a considerably larger sum to go to Kamino, to be the template for a clone army. Fett agrees, on the condition that he gets the first unaltered clone for himself. The game ends with Fett carrying the wounded Wesell to Slave I.

Development

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter began life when LucasArts was asked to make an Episode II-based game which featured Jango Fett. In March 2001 game design documents were presented, and development began shortly after.^[4] The GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions of the game feature two different, in-house graphic engines. Core engine elements such as features which relate to gameplay elements are common for both platforms. The PlayStation 2 version features full screen anti-aliasing. The Gamecube version has higher polygon counts on characters due to its faster CPU. Both versions feature progressive scan for HTDVs, and both feature Dolby Pro Logic 2.0 sound.^[4]

Level design began with what designer Michael Stuart Licht referred to as spatial studies. Design began with paper cut outs of various rooms. Licht would rearrange these rooms until he found a design that he felt worked. The papers had design ideas written on them so that other developers could understand the overall flow of each level. Bubble diagrams were then created which represented main ideas for each space. This was followed by various stages of overview drawings and other drawing studies. 3D level design began after such studies were completed.^[5] In-game cinematics were created by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), and marked the first collaboration between LucasArts and ILM.^[6] Composer Jeremy Soule wrote music for the game, including both cut scenes and gameplay. The characters Jango Fett and Komari Vosa have their own leitmotifs.^[7] Both Temuera Morrison and Leeanna Walsman reprise their roles from the film as Jango Fett and Zam Wesell, respectively.^[8]

Reception

Reception

Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings (GC) 71.06%[9] (PS2) 69.26%[10] Metacritic (GC) 67/100[11] (PS2) 65/100[12] Review scores Publication Score EGM 6/10[13] Eurogamer 6/10[14] Game Informer (PS2) 5.75/10[15] (GC) 5/10[16] GamePro (GC) [17] (PS2) [18] Game Revolution (GC) C−[19] (PS2) D+[20] GameSpot (GC) 6.5/10[21] (PS2) 5.4/10[22] GameSpy [23][24] (59%, GC)[25] (57%, PS2)[26] GameZone 9/10[27][28] IGN (GC) 8.3/10[29] (PS2) 8.2/10[7] Nintendo Power 3.5/5[30] OPM (US) [31] Entertainment Weekly C[32] Playboy 72%[33]

Bounty Hunter received average to positive reviews. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 71.06% and 67 out of 100 for the GameCube version,^[9][11] and 69.26% and 65 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2 version.^[10][12]

PlayStation Official Magazine gave the game an above-average 7 out of 10, complimenting the core shooting and production values, but criticizing its repetitive nature: "A Star Wars-themed 3D shooter with some optional bounty hunting. Good fun, but it promised more." IGN awarded the GameCube version of the game 8.3 out of 10,^[29] and the PS2 version 8.2.^[7] Praising the graphics, sound, length and level designs, they criticized the implementation of the bounty hunting system; "The whole process is pretty clunky, and there should have been a way to streamline this to make it more fluid - especially in the heat of a battle when your mark is mixed in with four or five other opponents. It works the way it is for sure, but it certainly could have been fixed to be more intuitive than it currently is." In the end, however, they found the game to be one of the better Star Wars tie-in games; "Star Wars Bounty Hunter is a solid, if not technically challenged third-person action/adventure. Successfully combining our favorite aspects of the Star Wars universe with a clever stage design and a fantastic presentation, LucasArts has done a great job in suppressing the myth that games based on the Skywalker universe aren't any fun. A definite recommendation for Star Wars fans, Bounty Hunter isn't necessarily built for everyone, but for those of you out there who just can't get enough of this stuff, it's one of your better choices for this or any holiday season."^[7]

Less impressed was GameSpot, who awarded the GameCube version 6.5 out of 10^[21] and the PS2 version 5.4.^[22] They found the technical issues of the game to be too significant; "Bounty Hunter suffers from an array of technical problems that have plagued other third-person action games. You can move the camera perspective using the right analog stick, but the camera will still cause you some major headaches when in tight corridors or when trying to draw a bead on a specific enemy. Often it'll automatically swivel to point you in entirely the wrong direction. Clipping and collision-detection issues also abound." They also criticized the graphics and the overall gameplay, concluding that "Star Wars Bounty Hunter may have all the basic ingredients needed for a solid third-person action game, but it falls flat in the execution and is far too often cumbersome, confusing, or in some other way un-fun to be recommendable on its own merits. Serious Star Wars aficionados should enjoy the game's story, but they'll be forced to slog through a lot of tedious action to see how it pans out."^[22]

References

External links

• Press release
• Star Wars: Bounty Hunter at MobyGames
• Star Wars: Bounty Hunter at Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki