Ahhh, yes, another entry into the ever-growing and seemingly endless canon of Star Wars related video gaming and all of its hit or miss nature. Although, that's where the true challenge in reviewing this game lies; for all its hits there are misses. It doesn't swing one way or another. It's kinda just
there.
The plot is actually the only driving force behind this game once you get past, say, the first five levels. Vader and his secret apprentice Starkiller (which was Luke Skywalker's original name surrogate son, anyone?) are continuing the work of Palpatine in hunting down and exterminating all Jedi under Order 66 post-Episode III. The reason you're a secret apprentice goes with what Yoda says in Episode I about "Always two there are, a master and an apprentice, no more, no less", and mostly because if Palpatine found out he'd kill both Starkiller and Vader Air-knee-way, Vader tells Starkiller he wants his help in overthrowing the Emperor so the two of them can rule the galaxy, yada, yada, yada and you are sent out on several missions to help train you in taking on the biggest baddest Sith of them all via many, many Jedi encounters.
You naturally start off with very little power and a whole lot less skill. But as with most Star Wars games, the more you play, the more you unlock and the more powerful you get. Force Lightning, Grip, Throw, Pull, Repulse, and so on are all very entertaining unlockables but the game seriously lags as soon as you play past the first few levels. It becomes samey all too soon. You find it too easy to simply blast away Stormtroopers and when it comes to finishing off the Jedi you are actually accompanied with on-screen hints on what buttons to press. Challenge? There ain't much of one.
Also, there are some God-awful levels/planets you visit which you are then sent back to at a later date. As if the developers were trying to make an amazing Star Wars game only to bail out and say "Here, go to this crappy psychedelic mushroom planet again, we can't be arsed." Now I am admittedly a Star Wars fanboy, but frankly I cannot even entertain the idea of picking up the controller again now that I've finished this. It drags on and as I stated before it's the plot more than the gameplay that you'll be interested in.
Given, the game looks beautiful. The graphics bring the Star Wars universe to life brilliantly and there are some great parts to this game such as the teaser trailer Star Destroyer sequence you get to play out, some of the more elaborate combo moves and Force powers, but at the end of the day this feels like a rushed draft more than anything. For what it could have been after all the hype and anticipation, The Force Unleashed is ultimately The Force Unrealised. Although the revelations in the plot which are canonical to the film series make it worth finishing just so you can enjoy some pleasant ironies on the Empire's behalf.
Apart from that, it's a one-play game.
The plot is actually the only driving force behind this game once you get past, say, the first five levels. Vader and his secret apprentice Starkiller (which was Luke Skywalker's original name surrogate son, anyone?) are continuing the work of Palpatine in hunting down and exterminating all Jedi under Order 66 post-Episode III. The reason you're a secret apprentice goes with what Yoda says in Episode I about "Always two there are, a master and an apprentice, no more, no less", and mostly because if Palpatine found out he'd kill both Starkiller and Vader Air-knee-way, Vader tells Starkiller he wants his help in overthrowing the Emperor so the two of them can rule the galaxy, yada, yada, yada and you are sent out on several missions to help train you in taking on the biggest baddest Sith of them all via many, many Jedi encounters.
You naturally start off with very little power and a whole lot less skill. But as with most Star Wars games, the more you play, the more you unlock and the more powerful you get. Force Lightning, Grip, Throw, Pull, Repulse, and so on are all very entertaining unlockables but the game seriously lags as soon as you play past the first few levels. It becomes samey all too soon. You find it too easy to simply blast away Stormtroopers and when it comes to finishing off the Jedi you are actually accompanied with on-screen hints on what buttons to press. Challenge? There ain't much of one.
Also, there are some God-awful levels/planets you visit which you are then sent back to at a later date. As if the developers were trying to make an amazing Star Wars game only to bail out and say "Here, go to this crappy psychedelic mushroom planet again, we can't be arsed." Now I am admittedly a Star Wars fanboy, but frankly I cannot even entertain the idea of picking up the controller again now that I've finished this. It drags on and as I stated before it's the plot more than the gameplay that you'll be interested in.
Given, the game looks beautiful. The graphics bring the Star Wars universe to life brilliantly and there are some great parts to this game such as the teaser trailer Star Destroyer sequence you get to play out, some of the more elaborate combo moves and Force powers, but at the end of the day this feels like a rushed draft more than anything. For what it could have been after all the hype and anticipation, The Force Unleashed is ultimately The Force Unrealised. Although the revelations in the plot which are canonical to the film series make it worth finishing just so you can enjoy some pleasant ironies on the Empire's behalf.
Apart from that, it's a one-play game.