SOFTWARE REVIEW

Communications Report:

Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter

Category:
First Person Shooter

Players:
1

Type/#:
DVD / 1

Graphics and Sound:

When I envision a character such as a bounty hunter, I'm not necessarily picturing some schmuck who wears bright, primary colors. I'm thinking a dirty, gritty, character, whose surroundings match that same personality. That's exactly the feel I got from Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter. The graphic texture seems very gritty to me, whether it's a character or a background. Sadly, that's the best I can say for this part of the game. The backdrops for each level tend to look like the same old, same old after a while. Plus, the animations and character models look a little too robotic and stiff to me. However, if you're sick and twisted, and like seeing blood splattered on the walls, then maybe you'll be able to look past all of these flaws.

Despite the fact hardcore vocalist Henry Rollins provides his voice as Mace Griffin, the actual dialog seems rather bland. I mean seriously, the cut scenes need MORE DRAMA! They're animated quite well, but I couldn't give a crap about what's going on in the scenes. Meanwhile, the sound effects are just as generic as they can be. Imagine any artillery sounds you may have heard in other war games, and that's about the same thing you'll get with this one. The good from this section is, like the graphics, the music is very dark, and fits the mold perfectly. But then again, you're not playing the game for the music.

Gameplay:

Let's see, where do I begin? Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter basically gave me the impression of a bad combination of Doom and Halo. I really got tired of walking down a hallway, opening a door, and then shooting the bad guys. At times, it almost felt like I was playing the same levels over and over again. The monotony was broken up with the space shooter action, but it wasn't so great that it made me want to come back and play the game later. And unlike Halo, there's no Multi-player mode. That alone can sometimes make or break a game. In this case, I don't think it would've helped, but it wouldn't have hurt, either.

The storyline goes as follows for Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter: Mace is blamed for the deaths of his Ranger Corps, later learns the ways of a bounty hunter, and you go from there. It actually sounds better reading it than playing it. The premise for the game isn't bad, but the repetitious levels are.

Difficulty:

If you haven't gathered it so far, things are a little too repeated for me in Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter. This goes for the enemies, who basically wait around for you to shoot them. Honestly, there are times you can walk up to an enemy and just unload your whole arsenal on them, and they will just sit there and take it. Yes, of course they die in the meantime, but the point is they don't react fast enough. Plus, even if you are shot, your recharging shield replenishes your power lickety split, so it's almost as if you are invincible.

Game Mechanics:

I wasn't too fond of the controller configuration for Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter, because I had problems controlling where I was aiming and turning. Don't get me wrong, firing a gun wasn't my problem. That was pretty easy. But I'm used to FPS's where I can turn to the left or right with cat-like reflexes, not turtle-like slowness. And speaking of slow, there is no way to avoid the dragging loading times. This turned me off from the game almost immediately. Meantime, the missions tend to be a little longer, so if you're big into saving every five or ten minutes, this game ain't for you, since there is a limited amount of save points.

If you're still seriously able to look past the flaws and consider playing Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter, I recommend you rent it first. The science-fiction FPS feel works for about five minutes, then the repetitive gameplay and AI-lacking opponents set in.