Attack of the clones
There used to be an absolute abundance of Star Wars games. Around the time the prequel trilogy was all the rage, it felt like there was a new game every week. Anything from kart racers to strategy games, Star Wars was everywhere in the gaming world. A lot of those games have gotten second chances in recent history with the obsession with porting older games to newer consoles. Bounty Hunter is the latest to make the transition, and it hasn’t even been that long since we got that PS2 port to PlayStation 4 just a few years back. Still this version drops in with some new features and a refined control scheme, which make it worth checking back in with.
For those that don’t know, Bounty Hunter was a game dedicated to Jango Fett, who should probably be more popular than the other Mandalorians, simply because he was the template for the clones and of course the father of Boba. Another interesting tidbit about this game is that it was a PlayStation exclusive, making this release the first time it has appeared on Xbox and Nintendo consoles.
Death from above!
MSRP: $19.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $14.99
As with most Aspyr re-releases of these old Star Wars games, Bounty Hunter aims to deliver the original game as it was designed with a few additions and quality of life upgrades. The most notable with this release is the addition of modern controls. These give it more of a twin stick aiming mechanic that works…OK. Moving the camera with the right stick works fine, but the constant snapping back to center gets confusing. Combined with the lock-on mechanic, it can feel twitchy at best.
Sadly, this is about the only thing Aspyr decided to add to this port. Much like games of that era, this game is broken down into levels. Each level has a set number of continues, and if you run out, it is doing the whole thing over again. Some of these levels are not short either and oftentimes confusing to navigate. A save state would have done wonders for this game, but alas most of these ports don’t offer these. There are also no navigation points in this game and this port doesn’t add any. The second level had me lost for a long time until I remembered the age-old rule of gaming, where there are enemies, is the way to go.
This level is super confusing.
Visually the game retains the same look and feel of the original, and the designs have aged well enough. The performance is rock solid, and I loved some of the level designs. The music is ripped out of the movies, much like all the games of this era. There is nothing offensive about the presentation of the game outside of maybe the clunky menu system. Aspyr did a good job bringing this game into the new generation from this aspect at least.
The biggest issue with Bounty Hunter is that it is a game of its time. The level design and navigation are frustrating, levels are too long, and the lack of save anywhere can get tedious at times. I did enjoy the added content such as the Boba Fett skin, but it just wasn’t enough to make this feel like a proper remaster. This is a hard game to recommend if you don’t have massive nostalgia for it. It wasn’t heralded when it came out, and that hasn’t changed with this re-release.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
