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Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter
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Graphics & Sound:
I first had the opportunity to check out Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter about a year ago at E3 2002. At the time, Interplay was at the helm of the game, and although it showed promise, the goofy looking character design (which was supposed to make him look like the 'High-Plains Drifter', but instead made Mace look like a futuristic Mexican stereotype) kept the game off my wish list. Fast-forward a year, and the game's development is now in the hands of VU games. After spending time with the game, the only thing I can say is, 'What a difference a developer makes'. When it comes to looks, Mace Griffin won't win any awards in terms of pushing the genre, or the system, forward. The visuals are great, but nothing the Xbox hasn't already seen. One of the more striking aspects of the game is its dark, gritty atmosphere. Instead of presenting the sleek, clean environments of most sci-fi games, Mace gives players a dirty, more realistic version of the game. The effect is executed so well, in fact, that there are times when you can almost smell the musty, lived-in environments (think that smell that only old battleships seem to carry). The character designs are fun, and thankfully Mace has been totally reworked to look more like a hard-nosed ex-soldier. The actual animation of characters comes off rather stiff and bland. Even during the game's well-voiced cut scenes (which feature the voice of Henry Rollins), the characters show little emotion. Special effects, especially lighting, play a big part in the game's visual appeal and are used to good effect. As I alluded to earlier, the voice work is very well done, as is most of the game's audio presentation. Music is moody, and helps to set the game's murky tone, while weapon sounds are all appropriate. An interesting aspect of the sound is how it worked into the gameplay. Though some of the more common 'audio clues' were nowhere to be found (such as noisy footsteps alerting guards) a few unique ones are present. During a few missions, Mace will come across enemies wielding stun grenades, which can cause him to become disorientated. Not only does this cause the screen to blur and all of his actions to slow down, but Mace's ears also begin to ring so you can't hear surrounding gunfire or if people are behind you. |
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Gameplay:
The setup for Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter is rather good, although a tad clich at times. The game opens with Mace's Ranger Corps, who act as the galaxy's police force, investigating a suspicious freighter. As these things tend to go, the ship is a trap, the team is killed, and Mace is blamed for everything. After a 10-year stint in the cooler, Mace is bailed out and brought into the world of bounty hunting, which has since replaced the Ranger Corp as the police force. Since Mace is an ex-con, law prohibits him from making money off bounties, so he must instead work for weapon and ship upgrades instead. For the most part, Mace Griffin follows the typical FPS layout, only with a slight twist. After taking bounties, Mace travels through levels blasting enemies and generally kicking ass. The weapons selection is varied and interesting. Your primary weapons consist of a stun stick (which can be charged up to provide lethal zapping fun) and a pistol (with both single and multi-shot settings). Over the course of the game you'll discover new weapons to expand your arsenal, such as a combat shotgun and sniper rifle. >From time to time, characters will pop-up in levels and alter your mission objectives a slight bit, causing the mission to change. Puzzles are kept to a minimum, but there are a few scattered around missions, most of which translate into having to find new ways around obstacles in your path. The game's twist is that you have the ability to fly Mace's ship and engage in space combat. I was a tad leery of this at first given that very few FPS's have ever successfully married vehicle- and ground-based styles, but I was impressed with how well things turned out. After the initial shock, I found the space combat areas interesting and entertaining. Make no mistake, the system is far from flawless (such as the lack of explanation and the confusing docking features), but it's still manageable and a fun change of pace. |
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Difficulty:
Chief among Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter's flaws is that it is incredibly easy. At times, the enemy AI exhibits all the genius of a blade of grass and can easily be outsmarted. For example, there were times where I would walk up to an enemy, guns blazing, and he wouldn't even recognize I was there (at least, not until I began shooting at him). Mace Griffin also uses a recharging shield system. While this system worked extremely well in Halo, it is not as successful here since the recharge time is extremely short, and at times it can seem like you have infinite shield power. Also, in the rare cases that your shields fail and you are hit, health packs are in ample supply.
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Game Mechanics:
The more I played Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter, the more I realized that the developers not only studied the schemes of other successful games like Halo and Morrowind, but have managed to subtly improve upon it. Players who haven't had the chance to play many FPS's on the Xbox will likely find the controls a tad alien at first, but will find themselves shooting and dog-fighting like pros in a matter of a few missions. FPS vets, on the other hand, will find the setup fits like a glove, and will only have to glance at the on-screen help guides that pop up doing the first mission. The analog sticks handle all movement, while the primary and secondary fire options are on the triggers. The face buttons handle most other actions like jumping and opening doors, and the D-pad allows you to select weapons. After a quick browse through the game, I was only able to find two blunders which ultimately translate in to personal preferences. Casual players will likely bemoan the lack of an Auto-Aim feature (which I admit, should have been included) and I really saw no point to Auto-Camera Lock feature, which should have been mapped to an analog stick rather than being an option. Controlling Mace may take a little adapting for some players as well since there's no stick sensitivity setting in the options, meaning you can't set how quickly/slowly Mace turns. Controlling your starfighter is a different experience, but nothing that can't be figured out after a mission or two. For the most part, the system works almost identical to the FPS layout, only with a few differences, mainly in the analog sticks. Perhaps the only thing that takes getting used to is the fact that instead of having to just watch your back, you can now be attacked from any direction. Overall, Mace Griffin is a fun adventure. It may not be the next Halo, and the AI may be a tad on the slow side, but there is still a lot of fun to be found in the game, especially for players who are looking for something just a little bit different in their FPS. |
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-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker |
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