
	Platform PSP Genre Action Publisher Namco Developer Namco ETA Spring 2006
Newsletter
Be notified of site updates. Sign-up for the Newsletter sent out twice weekly. Enter E-Mail Address Below: Subscribe \| Unsubscribe

Bounty Hounds

In a further attempt to expand the selection of games that involve running around and blowing up aliens, as the human race begins to colonize deep space in the distant future, Namco is currently putting the finishing touches on Bounty Hounds for the PSP. With a large arsenal of weapons at players’ disposal, head-to-head wireless play, and purportedly highly advanced enemy AI the company hopes they’ll have a hit on their hands when the game is released later this Spring.

As with a number of games set in the future, Bounty Hounds sees the human race setting forth into the stars acquiring new planets to call home, mine for minerals, and so on. Unfortunately, these planets often times are inhabited by various creatures that are far from pleased with the fact that a bunch of humans have decided to hunker down on their planets. With that the Extraterrestrial Intelligence War broke out and mankind found a need for a force capable of meeting this new threat, and thus the Bounty Hounds were born. In the game, players will take control of Maximillian, the leader of these mercenaries, as they travel from one world to the next in order to battle these aliens.

Advertisement

These conflicts will be presented in a fairly traditional 3D action game setting. Players will have about 500 different types of weapons and armor at their disposal, as they fight 40 different types of aliens over the course of 40 missions set on 4 different worlds. In order to acquire all of the different weapons in the game, players can either buy them between missions or sometimes find them as enemies drop them during play. However, players can’t just whip out any of these several

Advertisement

hundred weapons willy-nilly during a mission. Instead they will have to select six to equip before heading out into battle. Weapons can range from those that are melee oriented like swords and axes, to those of the ranged variety like rocket launchers, flame throwers, and laser cannons. On top of this there are several types of armor and miscellaneous high tech gadgets that players can use as well. As such, one needs to think carefully as to what items they wish to use.

These weapons and armor selections can also impact the game’s enemy AI, as the aliens will react differently to players depending on what Maximillian has equipped at any given time. This AI is also affected by player health as well as the strength of their weapon.

Players won’t always have to go it alone in Bounty Hounds either, due to the game also having a head-to-head multiplayer mode available via the PSP’s wireless capabilities. At the end of the day, though, the game is shaping up to be centered on a “Bad Ass in Space” vibe considering Maximillian’s appearance and the sheer number of weapons at his disposal. Players can decide for themselves whether the game lives up to this when it is released later this year (or read our review, of course!).

Mr. Nash

February 14, 2006