Summary

• Star Wars: Bounty Hunter gets a visual upgrade, but outdated mechanics hinder the experience.
• Bounty Hunter fills in gaps for fans but struggles to hold up against modern gaming standards.
• A nostalgic hit for diehard Star Wars fans, but not essential for casual players.

Jango Fett is arguably one of the most underrated characters in Star Wars' pantheon of heroes and villains so it's a good thing that Star Wars: Bounty Hunter provides some more insight into the Mandalorian's violent past. A forgotten title for the PlayStation 2/GameCube era, Aspyr's remaster is a win for preservationists and Star Wars fans alike, many of whom likely figured the only way they'd be able to play Bounty Hunter on modern systems was through emulation. While its fresh coat of paint is appreciated, the actual game hasn't aged well.

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is a prequel that introduction in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. An entirely linear game divided into levels, the story follows the anti-hero as he becomes embroiled in a plot to assassinate a Dark Jedi and bring down a strange cult known as the Bando Gora. A third-person action-adventure game in the style of classics like Ratchet & Clank, Aspyr has visually overhauled the experience to look significantly better than the original 2002 release while still retaining its charming retro jank.

Jango Has Never Looked Better

Even If He Still Doesn't Look Great

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter was never a game that boasted impressive visuals but Aspyr should be commended for elevating what was already there. Textures have been upgraded to ensure that not every stretch of grey plasteel looks identical and the improved lighting system certainly stands out in comparison to the original game. Everything's been upscaled to run on current-gen hardware and throughout the campaign very few bugs plagued the experience which is a relief after Aspyr's recent Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection debacle.

A small new feature that's certainly appreciated is the introduction of a flashlight which, as simple as it sounds, feels almost essential given the new lighting system. Bounty Hunter can be an incredibly dark game so having access to a light source at all times is essential to navigating some of its more convoluted maps. It's difficult to imagine playing it on the PlayStation 2 without such a feature and even though its implementation is basic (there's no actual device, light just blasts ahead of Jango) it's a welcome improvement.

A Very Minimal Remaster

A Few More Tweaks Would Have Been Nice

While Aspyr's visual improvements are certainly commendable, it's difficult to not feel as though Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is somewhat of a rushed remaster. Aside from the aforementioned upgrades, very little has been done to bring the game out of 2002; the lingering presence of several archaic systems makes one wonder if the remaster couldn't have done more. As a result, as fun as it can be to revisit the past and ensure that Bounty Hunter isn't lost to time, it can be a frustrating experience by today's standards.

First and foremost, the existence of "Lives" is tedious and adds an unnecessary level of punishment to even the most straightforward encounter. It was outdated back in 2002 so the fact that it's still present in 2024 is both confusing and annoying. Given that it can sometimes lead to players losing at least a half-hour of progress if they manage to run out of lives towards the end of a lengthy mission, it feels like something Aspyr could have removed to properly modernize Bounty Hunter.

Bounty Hunter's place in Star Wars' library of video games is important, but it's not an essential experience.

Other small improvements, such as the enemy AI, would have helped further improve Bounty Hunter. During his quest to track down the Bando Gora, Jango Fett will kill thousands of enemies (providing a decent explanation as to dying within seconds to Mace Windu) but their combat effectiveness ranges from lifeless to hyper-accurate deadeye. Enemies will either stand in one spot, charge at Jango with little sense of self-preservation, or somehow snipe him with a pistol from the other side of the map with little consistency.

Is Star Wars: Bounty Hunter Worth Playing?

It's Nice To Have But It's Not Necessary

Based on some of the above points, it should be clear that while preserving Bounty Hunter's place amongst Star Wars' library of video games is important, it's not an essential experience. The game is dated thanks to its clunky mechanics and controls, a byproduct of the hardware for which it was originally designed. Perhaps the most flawed aspect is the actual bounty hunting system which is a solid idea in theory but never amounts to much in practice.

Each level in Bounty Hunter is littered with NPCs that Jango can scan with his visor to detect whether they have an active bounty on their head. Once they're found, they can be brought in dead or alive for some credits that unlock bonus content. It initially sounds like a fun side-objective but since the visor is treated like an equipable item that replaces Jango's weapons, scanning always leaves him exposed and vulnerable in a firefight.

Jango Fett's prequel is likely better preserved in fans' memories than in this remaster.

Constantly interrupting the flow of combat to scan enemies becomes irritating quickly so one has to assume that most players will completely overlook the system. What makes matters worse is that fighting through the droves of enemies to reach Jango's objective is similarly tedious since most of his arsenal is ineffective. Flamethrowers and jetpack rockets are fun to use once but inevitably, the best way to deal with groups of enemies is with the standard dual-pistols.

Final Thoughts & Review Score

2.5/5 - "Almost Good But Not Quite" By Screen Rant's Review Scale

As much as one can applaud Aspyr for rejuvenating a classic game like Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, one has to question the point if so little has been done to bring it up to today's standards. The visual tweaks are appreciated but when so many other issues have been ignored, it's really only a game for diehard fans looking for a nostalgia hit. Coupled with the fact that there are plenty of better Star Wars games, Jango Fett's prequel is likely better preserved in fans' memories than in this remaster.

Screen Rant was provided with a Steam code for the purpose of this review.