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Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Publisher: LucasArts
Developer: LucasArts
Genre: Action
Release Date: September 16, 2008
Platforms: Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Playstation Portable, Nintendo
DS, Wii, Xbox 360
Reviewer: Eric
 Is this the Star Wars game to end all Star Wars games? That is what we were
told and the videos lead us to believe that as well. Star Wars: The Force
Unleashed is one of the most disappointing games of 2008. From the shifty camera
to the bad target system, is there anything in this game that is worth your
money?
When I first played The Force Unleashed I was ready to experience one of the
best Star Wars games of all time. I am a huge fan of the LEGO Star Wars games so
this game had to impress me a lot. It turns out I was let down by the start of
the game. Instead of getting excited playing as Darth Vader I was wishing this
part of the game was done. How could this happen?
Let’s put the breaks on full force for a minute. The Force Unleashed does have
one good thing and it is the story. Without ruining anything in the story (it is
a key point to the game) I will give you the basic tidbits. You control Darth
Vader’s Apprentice and your goal is to rid the Universe of all Jedi. Simple,
right? Wrong. The Force Unleashed has as many twists and turns as any good Star
Wars movie. Not only that the voice acting cast does a phenomenal job as
creating a game that feels like a movie, which is something all games stride for
now-a-days.
Now let’s get back to the gameplay. I could not get over the targeting system in
this game. You are fighting with the game during key points to try and achieve a
victory. Trying to defeat some of the games bosses can be a real chore when the
targeting system is being as anal as a baby trying to eat a t-bone steak. One of
the games later boss battles will have you in rage mode. It is nearly impossible
to go through this game and not get frustrated with the targeting system!
During the games four to five hour length you will come across some of the Star
Wars Universes best locations. Everyone should be glad to know that the graphics
in the game are fantastic, some of the best I have seen in any Star Wars games.
I wish I could say that the game is the best looking next generation game, but I
noticed a few flaws here and there that made it rank at a close fifth or fourth
place. Enjoy everything as you play it though, there is no reason to go back and
replay this game. Once those few hours are done you can either collect a few
more achievements or go back and beat it on a higher difficulty. Even as a
higher difficulty the game still takes no time to beat. All those modern third
person games that take eight to ten hours to beat look a lot better when The
Force Unleashed is done.
 A lot of the little things in this game pissed me off. If you replay levels to
gain experience for your character you’ll have to see the cut scenes again. True
you can skip them after awhile, but about the time the game lets you skip them
it seems like the damn video is over. I never wanted to not level up in a game
so much before. The Force Unleashed developers must have known the story was the
best part so they constantly remind gamers of this.
If you can tolerate all the cut scenes then you can build up one powerful
character. The Apprentice comes packaged with so many skills. It is up to you,
if you choose, to max out those stats. Most of the skills you learn seem to do
nothing at first; towards the end (when maxed out) they will become powerful.
This goes for the same for everything else in the game, at first it stinks and
then later one it’s good. Good replay value mechanics or poor programming?
You get to learn a good amount of force abilities. All of these attacks seem
real cool at first, but the longer you play the game you’ll be using your
lightsaber more than anything. The lighting is a great way to get the first
strike, but the force grip looses its touch after an hour. If the game were
longer then that wouldn’t be a problem, but The Force Unleashed is not a long
game.
The button sequences in this game occur during boss battles and a few normal
enemies. If you mess up during those few normal enemies that make you use these
sequences then you have to knock them out again and try again. The bosses on the
other hand will have you start all over. What makes this annoying is the fact
that the game gives you no time to figure out which button to hit. You almost
have to fail to see which button is going to be next. During those rare
occasions where you seem to get more than a second it won’t matter too much
because the next button will come up right away, faster than a speeding bullet.
 To expand on the enemy aspect of this game it seems like all of them get the
best of you during those tough situations. Stormtroopers will always hit you
with their weapon and the flying characters will be able to fly away even before
you can attack them. Trying to battle with the camera to be able to kill one
simple enemy is a real chore. This happens way too often in the game.
Other than the mindless battles in the game The Force Unleashed throws some
puzzles at you. None of these puzzles will cause you looking for a hint guide or
your computer. It is all trial and error. If you screw up the first time then
you will be able to guess what to do the next time. It really helps out a lot
that the stages in the game are as boring an episode of Saturday Night Live.
There is no online play nor is there any way to play with a friend. This is
strictly a solo game. So you either better play this with nobody around or give
your friends something else to do, but then again you might be able to beat this
game during a long night with your friends.
Final Verdict
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a huge disappointment. For years now we have
waited for this game to come out and now that it is here I am wishing the
developers took a little longer to polish things up. If you are a Star Wars fan
then you need to check this game out. Everyone else might as well wait for the
pile of used copies that will soon plague stores.
Rating
6 out of 10
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Trailer
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