Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter Update

It's been some time since we last checked on Warthog's first-person shooter Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter. The game has been in development for quite a while now, and it has undergone quite a few changes in terms of its content and its publisher. In fact, the only constant during the title's colorful road to release has been its unique gameplay, which balances first-person shooting with third-person space combat. We recently spent some time with an updated build of the game, and we're pleased to report that it's looking pretty sharp.

For those who haven't been keeping score, Mace Griffin is a bounty hunter on a mission. Once upon a time he was a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed member of an elite peacekeeping group called the Rangers. Unfortunately, Mace is the last surviving member of the group, as the other members of the group were slaughtered as a result of the machinations of a mysterious traitor. Due to a series of unfortunate circumstances, Mace was successfully framed for the mass murder and wound up spending some quality time in prison. When he's finally given his release, Mace is neither bright-eyed nor bushy-tailed. He's focused on finding whoever it was that slaughtered his colleageus and sent him to the big house. He chooses a career in bounty hunting because of the flexible hours and the perk of being able to pry information out of people by any means necessary.

The build of the game we played gave us a feel for some of the early levels, including the first level, which lets you play as a young Mace on the fateful day the Rangers were taken out by the mysterious traitor. The gameplay has been tightened up considerably since our last look at the game and feels about right. The control scheme is close to the Halo setup, which should be very familiar to Xbox owners who are fans of the genre. The action was fast and fairly fluid, allowing us to switch between the various weapons at our disposal smoothly and mow down enemies with impunity.

The graphics in the game are quite polished now, and they feature a solid amount of detail. Although Mace Griffin doesn't look quite as contemporary as it used to, the game is still pretty impressive. The environments are large and detailed, with plenty of interactive elements like breakable glass and crates. The various weapons feature a number of cool special effects that take advantage of the Xbox hardware. In addition, you'll see some very cool effects that simulate disorientation when a grenade is detonated near you.

Judging from what we've seen so far, Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter is still a promising first-person shooter. Although the game's graphics may not be as cutting-edge as they used to be, the gameplay certainly hasn't lost any of its luster. The different styles of gameplay and tight control make for a fun and engaging experience that should definitely be worth a look if you're a fan of the genre. Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter is currently slated to ship for the Xbox next month.