STAR WARS: Bounty Hunter impressions — The good, the bad, and the very, very ugly

As I’ve stated in previous reviews, previews, and impressions I’ve done for Star Wars games; I’ve played a lot of Star Wars games. While going through a list with a friend for a podcast, we found I had played all but four Star Wars video games total. I’ve been disappointed before by Aspyr with the release of Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords being broken upon release and then never receiving the updates announced, and then later all updates being officially canceled by Aspyr. Now, Aspyr takes a crack at Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, one of my favorites from the 00-05 range of Star Wars games alongside Republic Commando and Knights of the Old Republic I and II. Sadly, the jetpack misfired here on quite a few levels, leaving me to a fate worse than a head-removal at the hands of Master Windu… I had to play it.

Let’s start with the good of this game, which was there from the very first version: the voice cast is wonderful. Jango Fett is played by the original actor, Temuera Morrison, who does a great job bringing back Jango in video game form. Meanwhile, you get the amazing Clancy Brown as the antagonist, Montross, the nemesis of Jango during this time period. You also have the return of Leeanna Walsman as Jango’s partner in crime, Zam Wessel, and the voice that would end up voicing Count Dooku for the Clone Wars and Tales of the Jedi series’, Corey Burton. The cast does a great job bringing these characters to life.

The story is the same as previous versions of the game as Jango is on the hunt for a target sent to him by Darth Tyranus (Count Dooku). However, Jango is not the only one on the hunt for the target as Tyranus sent multiple Bounty Hunters on the hunt including Jango’s nemesis, Montross. The story isn’t too long, clocking in around seven hours for six chapters. It’s a fun time, but these are all things in the original versions of the game, let’s discuss the additions to Bounty Hunter from this new version by Aspyr.

The game definitely looks like it’s taken a slight step up graphically, but it’s still a game from 2002 and it looks and feels like it. Don’t expect any type of remake level of quality, but the overall game looks better on PlayStation 5 than the Gamecube and PlayStation 4 versions I’ve played. There are a lot of moments where character models are inside other character models, I clipped through quite a few areas where Jango should have grabbed on, and multiple times enemies would get stuck behind things and not find their way out. These could all be excused by the fact it’s a game from 2002, but I would have liked to have seen these issues fixed.

There are three main things that should set this version apart from the previous iterations I’ve played including the Nintendo Gamecube and PlayStation 4 versions. The camera got an update to match with modern controls. We got a new controller scheme to make things “easier.” Finally, the lock-on targeting system using R3 or RB depending on the control scheme. Sadly, only one of the three are actually helpful to a more streamlined experience.

The camera did get easier to use, allowing you to use Left-Stick to move while Right-Stick directs you. No longer having to use the C button on the Gamecube controller. It makes moving around with Jango Fett so much easier to make sure you’re not taking unneeded damage just trying to move your head.

Added in for this version is a new set of “Modern Controls” including some additions that sound good, but in practice, are not fully fleshed out. The biggest thing I got excited about was the addition of the Triangle button (for PlayStation 5) to switch to the scanning mode to track bounties throughout the game. However, the issue here is you still have to cycle back to get to your weapons and the cycle only works half the time. Most of the time it comes up for a second and then goes away creating weird moments timing wise, since it stops time to get into the weapon menu. I found myself getting stuck in scanning mode desperately trying to switch back to my blasters, meanwhile, taking damage I would not have taken otherwise. It just felt like a good idea that never got fully thought out. The one addition to modern controls I really liked was the addition of the Zero button (for PlayStation 5) being the dodge / roll. It made traversal much more fluid when it was working properly.

Sadly, the thing I was most excited about just doesn’t work more than half the time. The targeting system is something extremely needed in this game with the sheer number of enemies you’re facing and some being of higher priority than others because of the weapon types. However, I found myself walking backwards, sideways, flying in different directions, as the targeting locked on to something random and would not move away. As stated earlier, the game has a lot of enemies and getting stuck on a bad lock is deadly as you have almost no real control. The only way out is unlocking (which only works sometimes) or dying (which I’d rather not waste lives on this kind of death). Through four chapters, I died more from bad locks and changing weapons than I did from a lack of skill in dodging and combat, and that doesn’t make for a fun time.

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter by Aspyr has a few good ideas that didn’t get fleshed out, and the rest is easily ignored due to simply getting frustrated by the parts that don’t work. It’s never fun to get frustrated at a game due to dying unfairly, and with the broken aspects of the game, that happens more often than one would like from a port you’re paying for from a game from 2002. While the story is fun and the voice actors are top tier, I would rather play the older version on Gamecube and at least have nostalgia for the weird controller scheme at the time.

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