Gaming Target - Xbox: Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter

Written by Nick Doukas on June 06, 2003

First Impressions: A spaghetti western in space? Sign me up Clint!

Thanks to the new generation of videogame consoles, FPS fans have much to rejoice about. Starting with Red Faction on the PS2 (which took many of its cues from Half Life, the groundbreaking PC FPS, recently ported over to Sony's dream machine) and continuing on to the Xbox's flagship title Halo (not to mention the latest slew of FPS adventures to hit the market), First Person Shooters have achieved a level of excellence that can only be described as astonishing. Solid control, ever-increasing AI (for allies and opposing forces) as well as scripted events straight out of a big budget action movie that seamlessly advance the plot have become de rigueur these days. Not to mention the ability to commandeer and pilot vehicles throughout the adventure. The bar has been raised and gamer's expectations have risen right along with it. As Xbox players everywhere await Bungie's sequel (and Doom 3, and Half Life 2) it appears we have a title on the way that may be just what the Doctor ordered- Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter. Published by VU Games and under construction at this very moment by British developer Warthog, Mace Griffin holds tremendous promise as the next enthralling FPS.

Taking place 400 years in the future, the story involves man's colonization of new solar systems, where disputes over mineral riches and other natural resources have created an environment rife with corruption and betrayal. The Talon Corporation, in an effort to protect its interests, has created the Enforcers, a quasi police force that rules the outer rim worlds with an iron hand. Since the Enforcers, with their Gestapo tactics that are as brutal as they are ineffective, are a constant thorn in the side of Earth's High Senate, the Rangers are created to handle the increasing crime, as well as watchdog Talon's storm troopers. Unfortunately, due to Talon's smear campaign, the Rangers are soon disbanded. Now all that's left to fight for justice (and keep some semblance of peace) is the Guild of Bounty Hunters. Composed of ex-Rangers, criminals and others, they are the last hope for order in the lawless wasteland. As you assume the role of Mace Griffin, who has recently come off of a 10 year stretch in prison, there is only one goal: revenge- against Talon, as well as the traitor who brought down the Rangers and framed you for a crime you did not commit.

The origins of the game grew from developer Warthogs appreciation of old westerns. To quote producer Paul Chapman УWe've always liked the idea of spaghetti westerns, and we tried to incorporate those themes into it. Early on in the development of the game, we had some real obvious things, like guys flying around on mechanical horses. A lot of those things have been really turned down because it just didn't sit too comfortably with science fiction.Ф However, Mace continues to exemplify character traits of an Eastwood style heroЕstoic, brooding and charismatic. What may really take Mace Griffin to the next level however, is the game's seamless transition between traditional FPS elements and Space combat. Chapman continues, УGiven its ground breaking capabilities and architecture, the Xbox game system is the ideal platform to enable this type of advanced game technology. With sprawling space landscapes and vast indoor environments we are creating immense new worlds for this game.Ф To accomplish this, Warthog has created the Tusk engine, which utilizes scene graph principles that enable movement between different environments, something that's not currently possible in other games. Imagine the following scenario: after an intense ground battle with enemy forces, you hastily retreat to your ship and instantaneously take the flight controlsЕ.with absolutely no load time, you lift off and break the planets atmosphere, then chart a course for a Jaldari space station. As you approach your destination, you are attacked by a battle group of alien fighters. After destroying every last one of them in a mind-blowing engagement, you turn the attention of your ships cannons to the stations orbital guns. After making short work of them, you taxi into the nearest docking bay, where you make your way off the ship to battle ground troops in an tactically impossible standoff. Sounds good, huh? Yeah, I thought so too.

This is the kind of innovation one can expect from the folks at Warthog, who put the ratio of FPS and space combat at around 70:30. The developers have also simplified the control scheme, to allow the similarities that exist between both styles of play to translate into an easier switch back and forth for the gamer. Equitable functions will be mapped to the same buttons. To insure realistic behavior in enemies and NPCs during combat, the team is using an advanced movement system called Rag Doll IK (Inverse Kinematics) which insures proper physical properties will be displayed by the characters at all times. For example, shooting an enemy at close range will send him into death spasms that closely mimic real life, while launching a grenade into a group of opponents will send them flying (as well as crashing to the ground) with realistic impact. Warthog is also employing skinned, deformable skeletal characters with skeletal snapping. Rounding out the graphical goodies are refractive transparency, dynamic reflections and phong lighting.

Mace Griffin's main campaign contains 20 diverse missions, which are blended together to create one tremendous, seamless adventure. According to Bounty Hunter's External Producer, Mike Arkin, early builds of environments required Уthree or four Half Life levels stitched together, because they just weren't big enough.Ф Much like Halo, this game will drop you into the middle of a hostile situation that requires you to think strategically and change tactics on the fly to accomplish mission goals. Environments are slated to include space stations, Ice planets, enemy strongholds, laboratories and underwater bases. Missions will include escort duty, seek and destroy, as well as assaulting enemy firebases. Of course, a soldier is only as good as his weapons, and FPS fans won't find themselves lacking firepower. Although the team is keeping many of the armaments under wraps at this time, the Sonic Shock Cannon, which fully adapts to suit the situation, seems to be the weapon of choice when you absolutely, positively, have to kill every Alien scumbag in the room!! Various screenshots depict the rifle as nicely modeled, with a realistically scuffed and weathered stock and barrel. All in all, it seems players will find themselves thoroughly equipped for the tasks at hand. In-game footage reveals detailed ship models, as well as gorgeous starfields and Nebulas. Well-designed, flawlessly textured characters and backdrops are also evident. In-game sounds, including the roar of your starships engines and the hellacious pounding of your weapons help create a dynamic sense of realism throughout.