Star Wars: Bounty Hunter

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter
Promotional North American PS2 cover art
Developer(s)	LucasArts
Publisher(s)	LucasArts
Designer(s)	Jon Knoles
Platform(s)	GameCube, PlayStation 2
Release date(s)	November 19, 2002 PlayStation 2 NA November 19, 2002 PAL December 6, 2002 GameCube NA December 7, 2002 PAL February 7, 2003
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	ELSPA: 11+ ESRB: T
Media/distribution	Gamecube disc, DVD-ROM

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is a Star Wars video game developed and published by LucasArts for the Nintendo GameCube and Sony PlayStation 2, released in 2002. In the game, players play as the bounty hunter Jango Fett, featured in the 2002 film Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. In the game, Temuera Morrison reprises his role as Jango Fett from the film.

The main objective of Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is to hunt Dark Jedi Komari Vosa. During the game, the explanation as to why Jango Fett is chosen as the template for the Grand Army of the Republic is revealed, as well as how Boba Fett, his cloned "son" is born. 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

There are wide array of weapons in this game. Weapons range from blaster pistols to flamethrowers to jetpack-mounted missiles.There are a number of moves Jango can perform. Jango can jump, crouch, roll, and even somersault. There may also be pickups, powerups, and items to help you along the way. In the game there are main objectives to accomplish to beat or advance further in the game. There are also bonus objectives as an option to the player such as hunting bounties and finding a secret feather in each of the levels.

Plot

The game takes place shortly after the events of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Jango Fett is hunting a criminal, Meeko Ghintee, for his friend Rozatta, the Toydarian owner of Outland Station. After the capture, Jango 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. Jango reluctantly agrees to the hunt despite Roz acknowledging the danger in attempting to defeat such an adversary.

There are rumors that the Bando Gora are behind some strange narcotics shipments (referred to as 'death sticks'), and Jango decides to pursue a low-life death stick dealer named Jervis Gloom, wanted by the Coruscant police. Jango captures Gloom in the Entertainment District, and coerces him to reveal his sources. This leads Jango to a nerf processing plant in the Industrial Sector, run by a gangster named Groff Haugg. When Jango arrives, however, he encounters Montross, who has already tortured and killed Haugg, and learns that the both of them are pursuing the same prey. Jango fights Montross, who flees, before finding a message on Haugg's computer terminal from the gangster's co-conspirator, the corrupt Senator Trell. Jango then fights his way through Trell's heavily-guarded apartment tower to the Senator's penthouse, and learns from Trell that the death sticks came from a Malastare crime lord named Sebolto, before he throws the crooked politician off a balcony to his demise, ensuing a battle with one of Coruscant's police gunships.

After Roz's advice, Jango proceeds to the asteroid prison Oovo IV to break out Bendix Fust, with the idea of delivering him to Malastarian drug lord King Sebolto, to gain an audience. 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 the lockdowned prison. Jango's ship, Jaster's Legacy (Jaster being a commander of Jango's regiment and father figure in the Mandalorians), is destroyed; he then proceeds to commandeer a Firespray class police ship, naming it Slave I.

Fett and Wesell travel to Malastare to deliver Fust to Sebolto. Wesell delivers Fust while Jango goes in the "back way", trekking through the dense jungle. Wesell escapes from Sebolto, and heads down the compound to where she has to call a Skiff hover vehicle for Jango to cross the Chasm separating the Compound from the Jungle. They then go back up the compound to Sebolto's Palace, and the drug king escapes down a pipe. In the next level, Sebolto is seen sliding down the pipe and down into a Death Stick Factory, crashing into a wall and falling down a chasm, at which Fett murmurs, "It'll be a sour batch..."

He 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. Then Montross comes with a Skiff hovership, and the two of them battle again, ending in a draw. Wesell brings the ship and the two of them escape.

Not knowing which Hutt is involved with the Bando Gora, the pair split up to question the two Hutts, Jabba and Gardulla. Finding Jabba clean, Fett proceeds to Gardulla's palace, and finds Wesell captured in a holding cell. Fett tries to leave her there to avoid sounding an alarm, but Wesell compromises his position, and Fett is apprehended. After escaping detainment (and discovering that Wesell is a changeling and had lied to Fett), Fett reaches Gardulla, who refuses to give up Vosa's location. Fett then feeds Gardulla to her own Krayt dragon (to which Gardulla had previously ordered Fett to be devoured by upon detainment), before finishing the Krayt dragon off himself. Out of anger for her betrayal, he leaves Wesell on Tatooine to continue searching for Vosa.

Fett contacts Rozatta, who had helped him throughout his journey, and tells her the system, but Montross had been listening in and attacks Rozatta, rigging her space station to explode. Montross then taunts Fett, telling him that his friend is in danger. Enraged, he temporarily abandons his mission to help Rozatta. She is fatally wounded, and gives Fett a guidance device to help him track Vosa, who Rozatta managed to locate on Bogden, a small moon of Kohlma. Her dying words are for Fett to pass on his legacy, and not to live for nothing. She then dies, and Fett escapes just before the station explodes and vows to make Montross pay for Roz's death.

Fett arrives on Kohlma, a moon of Bogden and the hideout of the Bando Gora. After fighting his way across the planet's surface, Fett arrives at Vosa's castle, where he finds Montross is already waiting for him, and they duel a final time. Jango finally defeats Montross, who wishes to have a warrior's death, but Jango (as a means of revenge) lets the Bando Gora tear Montross to pieces as he walks away. Jango is finally able to proceed to Komari Vosa's lair. He enters the outer rooms, but is soon overwhelmed and taken prisoner by Bando Gora slaves. He is tortured, both physically and mentally, by Komari Vosa. Zam Wesell appears, and frees him from the restraints before being injured. Fett grabs his blasters, and drives Vosa out of the room. After tending to Wesell, Fett follows Vosa through the castle and fatally wounds her. As she dies on the ground, Darth Tyranus steps from the shadows and greets Fett. Tyranus explains that the entire ordeal was a test, of which Fett had proven to be the best. 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 (passing on his legacy), whom is later known as Boba Fett. The game ends with Fett carrying the wounded Wesell to Slave I.

Reception

Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine gave the game an above-average 7 out of 10, complimenting the core shooting and production values, but criticising its repetitive nature. The summary read: "A Star Wars-themed 3D shooter with some optional bounty hunting. Good fun, but it promised more."

External links

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