Star Wars: Bounty Hunter was offered by Aspyr for assessment. Thanks!
I keep in mind after I was a younger lad worshipping my Nintendo GameCube. To today, it will likely be my favourite console that I’ve fond reminiscences taking part in video games like Tremendous Smash Bros. Melee, Naruto: Conflict of Ninja, and One Piece Grand Journey. I keep in mind going to EB Video games close to the place I grew up to take a look at new titles to purchase, and there was at all times one which caught my eye: Star Wars: Bounty Hunter. I used to be an enormous fan of the sequence and I assumed it was so cool to play as Jango Fett and fly round, although sadly, I by no means received to expertise it for myself. Quick ahead to now, I lastly get the prospect to play the sport I had been inquisitive about, and whereas it was satisfying, I feel previous gamers will really feel essentially the most fulfilled taking part in this once more.
For some context, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter was initially launched on the GameCube and PS2 in 2002. The brand new remaster, which we’re reviewing, comes with improved texture and lighting results, in addition to a flashlight for darker areas in ranges. There’s additionally a neat easter egg that permits you to play as one other character from the sequence when you beat the sport and get 100% completion, however I will not spoil who that’s.
The story of Bounty Hunter takes place in between Episode 1 and Episode 2 of the Star Wars motion pictures. You play as Jango Fett, a Mandalorian bounty hunter in his prime, who has been employed by the Sith to remove the Jedi Komari Vosa. He’ll race towards time and different bounty hunters to realize his purpose and get the thousands and thousands of credit for finishing the job.
The story is nice, and in case you are a fan of the Star Wars sequence, it solutions some questions and gives background details about Jango Fett’s character. For instance, we find out how he acquired his iconic Slave 1 ship and uncover why he was chosen because the genetic template for the Republic. I like video games which are half of a bigger sequence and inform smaller tales to fill out the lore behind well-liked characters, and Bounty Hunter does simply that! Jango Fett is a extremely cool character, and with the ability to see extra of him and study his previous earlier than we meet him was nice.
The visuals are additionally getting a pleasant improve with this model of the sport. In comparison with the unique model, the whole lot has gotten a pleasant improve, with visibly higher textures, lighting, and a decision bump. It nonetheless has the extent design and total really feel of the unique, so newcomers taking part in this model should really feel prefer it’s dated, however it does look higher total.
Then we’ve the gameplay, which will certainly really feel dated, however it’s nonetheless very playable. You play in a third-person view with a behind-the-model digital camera, as an alternative of the standard off to the facet that we see in most third-person titles these days. At its core, the purpose of every stage is to get to search out your method by the extent to get to the tip, or typically beat a boss. You’ve an arsenal of weapons on you, starting from twin blasters to flamethrowers, and you may swap to every at any given time. Enemies are sprinkled all through the degrees as nicely, so you’ll have to shoot and kill them along with your arsenal as you run by.
The gameplay loop is fairly normal, and it may be satisfying, however there are some facets that make it really feel dated. The digital camera view is the most important one, and even if you zoom in to shoot enemies, it goes straight behind your head as an alternative of to the facet. It is not the tip of the world, however it nonetheless feels awkward at instances. The enemies are a bit bullet spongey, and when you do have some auto aiming when operating round and taking pictures, it’s a must to be persistently wanting within the route of the foe, or else you’ll shoot away from them.
Even with all of that, I nonetheless loved the gameplay. I had fun operating round and taking pictures the enemies, even when it was a bit of monotonous at instances. It wasn’t as partaking as different present titles, however going into this as a remaster of a basic recreation made me preserve my expectations in examine and never hoping for extra fashionable mechanics.
The degrees are designed with each vertical and horizontal motion being thought-about, so when you can run round, additionally, you will use your jetpack to fly upwards or over longer distances in entrance of you. Utilizing the jetpack as a strategy to transfer round is good, although it does have a cooldown and you may’t use it ceaselessly. I like utilizing the jetpack, although because of the digital camera placement, it may possibly typically be onerous to see sure angles for the spots it’s a must to fly to, particularly in case you are hanging on a ledge. This did not occur typically, however it was nonetheless there.
Bounty Hunter additionally has a strong quantity of collectibles to get. You will discover a feather in every stage that unlocks buying and selling playing cards, you possibly can unlock a full comedian in-game the extra ranges you full, and you may get idea artwork by capturing or killing totally different bounties throughout each stage. To seek out out who has a bounty on them, you possibly can put in your viser to scan folks, and use a rope to seize them alive or simply shoot them. As soon as carried out, you possibly can declare the bounty and get credit, which can routinely unlock idea artwork. It does give a cause to return and play by ranges once more, which I did take pleasure in, and having the easter egg be unlocked for getting 100% on the sport is superior.
However irrespective of the way you slice it, there is not any higher strategy to play this than on the Steam Deck.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter – Steam Deck Efficiency
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is almost good on the Steam Deck, with implausible 60 FPS efficiency irrespective of the way you select to play it. There are some graphical settings we will change, which does affect the battery drain, however even nonetheless, it by no means goes too excessive. However, since there’s some distinction, I’ve two totally different teams of settings to make use of and make it easier to benefit from the recreation:
Advisable Settings
This was a troublesome determination to make, however ultimately, I went for further battery life over the utmost high quality. I did not see the minor particulars that had been not there with the diminished settings, and with an additional hour added to battery life, it was onerous to not decide it. The largest draw on battery is Ambient Occlusion, which offers with shadows that mission from one object onto one other. Preserving it off, and setting Anti-Aliasing to FXAA, we will get an amazing image with a median 7W battery drain.
The change is a bit apparent with some shadows lacking, however total, it does not really feel essential to benefit from the recreation.
High quality Settings
Then, we’ve the standard settings. The sport goes look barely higher total, principally because of the Anti-Aliasing, however it does elevate the battery drain to round 10W – 11W. This does take away an hour or so of battery life, however it is not the tip of the world. In order for you the most effective wanting model of the sport, that is the way in which to do it!
Accessibility
There are some small adjustments you can also make within the recreation like toggling vibration and subtitles, in addition to inverting digital camera controls, however there is not far more for accessibility. You can too change your controls to reflect the older type, however the present/fashionable one feels a lot better for present instances.
The sport helps 16:10 resolutions, so no black bars for us, and has each cloud saves and controller help. There are not any HDR settings.
Conclusion
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is a visit down reminiscence lane. It is an effective way to expertise the basic in its glory with up to date visuals and different high quality of life enhancements, like the brand new controller scheme, and a brand new easter egg to unlock. Not a lot else has modified although, which does imply the gameplay loop and mechanics really feel very dated, together with the visuals usually. The story nonetheless holds up although, and for the value, I did discover myself feeling glad with this contained journey. I feel this can enchantment primarily to those that performed this previously, however it’s nonetheless a pleasant title to take a look at.
It helps that it runs extraordinarily nicely on the Steam Deck, irrespective of the way you determine to play it, so I’d suggest it as an amazing transportable recreation to play!
Our assessment relies on the PC model of this recreation.
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