A new hope for remasters?
The hunt begins. You are Jango Fett, the galaxy’s most dangerous bounty hunter, hired to hunt down the elusive leader of a mysterious cult–dead or alive. Through 18 action-packed levels across six diverse worlds, face off against galactic scum, fearsome beasts, and brutal competition that stand between you and your prey: a deranged dark Jedi. This hunt will lead you to the darkest corners of the Star Wars universe where no one else has dared to go, but you are the fearless, ruthless, and relentless Jango Fett. For the galaxy’s most wanted, there is no place to hide.
The original Star Wars: Bounty Hunter released on PS2, GameCube and Xbox back in 2002. It was well received at the time, though it didn’t escape criticism for its level design and camera issues. Aspyr have a mixed record with remaking these games, but usually it’s the original game’s flaws that show through more than Aspyr having done anything wrong. That seems to be the same case here.
While they have added modern controls and polished up the visuals, it still can’t take away the fact that the game itself is a mixed bag. Shooting and jetpacking around as Jango can be fun, but there are moments where it’s unclear where to go and the answer is sometimes an obscure metal fence that he can laser through, or you’ll have to shimmy across walls and jump towards the camera in an awkward fashion that usually results in you falling to the bottom and having to climb all the way back up to retry.
The camera itself is improved greatly from the original, but the core gameplay still remains a bit janky. If you can overlook this, then you’ll be in for a decent outing as the legendary Bounty Hunter. You can also unlock a skin to play as Boba Fett for completing the game, something that was never included in the original.
It’s not an easy game by any means either, I found myself dying a good few times or searching for health kits just to stay alive. The visual upgrade is a welcome one and the framerate seems to be solid throughout. Voice-acting and music is faithful to the original.
The Verdict
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is a decent remake from Aspyr. Having said that, the game itself was already janky back in 2002 and even with improved visuals and controls, the game is still much a product of its time, for better or worse.