Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter is a futuristic sci-fi shooter that diligently follows in the footsteps of the futuristic sci-fi shooters that have come before it. Though it touts a unique blend of standard first-person shooter action and space shooter action, the game continuously evokes either the general feel or specific elements of other recent futuristic sci-fi shooters. Mace Griffin doesn't quite match the level of polish or inspiration found in the games it draws from, but, on its own terms, the game succeeds in providing a straightforward, if somewhat familiar, experience.

The game kicks off with a fairly significant amount of exposition about the future history of the universe and Mace Griffin's specific situation. However, the picture it paints is of a pretty standard futuristic sci-fi universe where corporations squabble over deep-space mining rights and space crime is a constant problem. When we first meet Mace Griffin, the star of the show, he's a part of an elite force of space police called the Rangers, though shortly thereafter he's framed for the slaughter of his squad and quickly sent to space jail. By the time he gets out, the Rangers have been discredited and disbanded, and the only thing on Mace's mind is revenge against those who set him up. He'll need some cash, a ship, and some guns to exact his vengeance, so Mace goes into the bounty-hunting business. As he takes on a series of seemingly unrelated jobs, he begins to learn more and more about the conspiracy responsible for his incarceration and the scale of its nefarious plans. The story elements in the game feel like they're there for the sole purpose of justifying the action, and there's really nothing here that we haven't seen before.