Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

"A game with lots of fun and an excellent story to tell."

Introduction

After glancing through my reviews on this site, I noticed a distinct lack of anything remotely recent. So, I sought to rectify this immediately and chose my most recent purchase to review.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is one of the most anticipated and over-hyped games in the last year, perhaps contending for a spot in the Top Ten of those two categories. Consequently, despite being a rather solid product in the least, many long-awaiting fans were sorely disappointed at the end result. Fortunately, those of us, such as myself, who put there expectations a bit more realistically (heck, I underhyped the game if anything) generally found themselves quite pleased with the final product. It wasn't perfect, but it was more than enough to create a satisfactory gaming experience.

A major premise behind the game is being able to do all sorts of nifty force powers and pretty much obliterate everything in your path. The game delivers on that mark. Or, at least the Wii version does. I can't speak for other versions, having not played them, so don't take anything I say as fact when it comes to the other consoles. Otherwise, you might find yourself quite surprised at a completely different experience than what I talk about here (though the PS2 version is supposed to be quite similar).


Gameplay

As should be obvious, the core aspect of any game is how it plays. In short, is it fun? Personally, I was able to answer a definite affirmative to that statement. Of course, that really doesn't tell you anything, now does it? Perhaps a more descriptive summary would be saying that the game is a sort of spiritual successor to the Jedi Knight series, intentional or not. If you enjoyed that, you'll probably enjoy Force Unleashed. But regardless, no proper review would be complete without an in-depth look at the gameplay, so here it is, broken up into smaller sections since it's so lengthy.

Combat

Considering that the game was meant to do crazy things with the Force, I'll start with it. If you're looking to just obliterate things with the force, you'll find yourself quite happy with this title. What Jedi Academy did for lightsaber combat, Force Unleashed does for the force. You have a large number of options at your disposal for eliminating enemies with the force. On the basic level, you can zap them with lightning, pick them up and throw them, push them into a wall, or throw your saber.

But that's merely scratching the surface. For example, when you pick up an enemy, there's lots you can do to them: throw him into a wall or another enemy, throw all the nearby objects and enemies into him, slam him into the ground, throw your saber at him, choke him, zap him with lightning, or maneuver him over a bottomless pit or a pool of lava and let him go. Cutting a swath of destruction in your opponents and the environment with the force never gets old since you have so many ways to do it. And, to make things better, you'll be able to unlock new force abilities as you progress, such as shooting balls of homing lightning or using Dark Rage.

Conversely, FU does with lightsaber combat as JA did with the Force. Your lightsaber is really more of a useful, but often necessary tool than the deadly weapon it should be. It's not as fun using the lightsaber, but it can still be amusing. You can chain nice, lengthy combos with a little practice and even work in some force powers into it, such as creating shockwaves or charging your saber with lightning for a powerful attack. The lightsaber will also automatically block some attacks, though you can do so yourself manually to block all of them from in front and most, if not all, from other directions as well.

Every so often, FU will send a boss to fight against you. This is either something big or a Jedi/Sith/wannabe. The former are the less interesting of the battles, since in these you'll often just be throwing objects at it and zapping it with some lightning while running away, since in melee range they have a tendency to knock you on your back a bit too much to make getting close worth it, and some will knock you down from afar anyways. The other opponents are much more fun and challenging to fight, since you'll be fighting another opponent who has both a lightsaber and the force (or in a couple of cases, just a sword). In these you can get into saber and force locks which, if you win, lets you get free, automatic hits on the foe, usually in a flashy manner, my favorite being when the Apprentice slashes an opponent with her own lightsabers using the Force. And regardless of which fight it is, there often is a flashy finishing sequence in which you have to move the Wii remote or nunchuck on demand. These are often fun to watch and make for a satisfying conclusion to a boss battle.

Level Design and Environments

My biggest gripe about the game is the lack of level select. Yes, this means if you finish a level, you'll have to either beat the rest or start all the way over from the first level to play it again. Aside from that, the levels are pretty darn good. While they are linear, they are quite lengthy, have lots of enemies for you to beat on, usually several boss fights, and sometimes carry a few puzzles. Aside from the constant fighting, they are quite varied within each one, so you're not running through some big, monotonous region. They also tend to have lots of little niches and out of the way locations where you can find some goodies, like boosts to your health or force meter, lightsaber crystals, and that unlock hidden content.

As said earlier, the environments are quite destructible and manipulatable. There is quite a bit you can use the force on to throw around, whether it be some small rocks, trees, or the top half of a statue you just ripped off from the base. And then there's some things that just break, like lights. Additionally, like any game where guns are involved somewhere, there's the infamous exploding barrels you can throw around (or, better yet, pick up and throw everyone into it).

Enemies and A.I.

Having all of these Force powers wouldn't be as fun if there were only things to break. To be a proper Sith, we need to smash some people too! FU offers plenty of foes to beat up on and adds a fair variety as well. Granted, most foes can be assigned to either range attackers or melee attackers, but either different type works a bit differently. One type of melee foe, for example, will just run right up to you and attempt to go toe to toe. Another will prove to be quite agile and will constantly be trying to slip to your sides or behind. Ranged attackers may bring in rifles, powerful beam rifles that require charge-up, rockets, or even turrets, the last of which can you can grab with the force and use against them. Some enemies, though not many are immune to some force powers. Enemies with jetpacks are typically immune to push and being thrown, though you can still grab them and choke them.

The A.I. is sufficient for the game. Standard enemies aren't particularly clever, but they're not dumb either (bosses, of course, are smarter). They will try to do things such as flank you and take cover. They'll also react to some of your attacks. For example, if you blast a group with Sith Scorcher, which is essentially uber-lightning that requires two hands to use, survivors may comment "How are we supposed to defend against that?" and try to put some distance between you and each other to minimize a second usage's effectiveness. Of course, with the large amount of Force powers at your disposal, any reaction they make you can handle easily.

In a few instances, some neutrals or allies may be running around. Allies fight just fine, though tend to die off because there's less of them or because you killed them, intentionally or not. Yes, if you're feeling particularly sadistic, you can turn your powers and saber on friends and innocents alike. Whether they go hostile or not, I don't know. I never felt particularly sadistic and tended to gently put down anyone who wasn't my enemy I picked up by accident. Not very Sith-like of me, I'll admit, but it made more sense considering the storyline.

Difficulty

Finally, before I move on to other aspects of the game, is the game's challenge. Force Unleashed is not that hard, but it's not easy either. It fits nicely between easy and difficult and drops an occasional (and manageable) spike to keep things interesting. Perhaps what keeps it from being harder is getting killed is more of a slap on the wrist than any real punishment. If you die, you'll come back up somewhere close by with brief invincibility. The only cost is you loose half of your force points, making it take longer for you to invest in new or improved powers.

The difficulty curve in general is quite gradual. Enemies will stay challenging enough for you that you can't just blast through them all effortlessly (on your first play at least). And like any good game, the curve starts out with things being pretty easy at the start and stops with it keeping you on your toes at the end. However, there's no difficulty settings. Those who happen to find the game too tough or those who want more challenge won't be able to adjust things to accommodate.

Oh, almost forgot...

Multiplayer. Can't say much on it because it requires two players (no you vs. A.I, sadly). I played one match against my brother and, as I've heard, it does feel rather tacked on. Of course, I don't feel I've tried it enough to develop a good opinion about it, it could be quite amusing in truth. Though Darth Maul not using a staff saber was disappointing...


Controls

Since this is a Wii game, a separate section for controls is pretty much mandatory. Some have called this game the most waggle-happy on the Wii, and they may be right. I'm not bothered by it, I expected motion controls. Anyone who doesn't want them, don't but the Wii version. In fact, if you don't like motion controls at all, I have to wonder why you own a Wii in the first place.

Anyways, the control isn't the 1-1 lightsaber action we're still craving, but it works just fine. The Wii remote controls the lightsaber and is nicely responsive. Swing in a direction the the Apprentice will swing that way as well. Thrust forward and he'll stab. To manually block or throw the lightsaber also requires moving the control (and holding the 'A' button).

Force related actions are handled on the nunchuck. Moving it does a push. Turning it upside down while an enemy is grabbed chokes them. Unfortunately, when you grab an enemy, you don't throw them with the nunchuck. A disappointment that can be got over, but being able to do that would be highly satisfying.


Story

This is the game's strongest point. The developers did a great job of crafting this game's tale, so much that if the gameplay isn't entirely to your liking, the story could carry you through to the ending. I've heard, but haven't confirmed, that the events are supposed to be canonical, so don't quote me there.

As you probably know, you play as Darth Vader's secret apprentice, doing his bidding. The events are supposed to fill the gap between Episodes III and IV, and they do an excellent job of that. I can't really say a whole lot about the story without dropping major spoilers, but I will say it does have some nice and unexpected plot twists. It also sports two endings, though one is much better than the other.

The characters are portrayed quite well. Vader acts as we expect him to, as does the Emperor. However, most worthy of note are the new characters, such as the Apprentice himself. Unlike the Sith and the Jedi who are typically too high and mighty or evil to human, the other characters do. The Apprentice actually shows some feeling and emotion, unlike his master. And, if you don't mind a minor spoiler (if you do, skip the rest of this paragraph), we even see a Jedi fall, consequently making him more believable than just about every other Jedi.


Graphics

Playstation 2 graphics on the Wii. Yet again. I'm getting sick of third parties doing that. The graphics are inferior to what the Gamecube could produce. I'm not a "graphics whore", I'm more irritated at third parties being lazy and not taking advantage of the Wii's power. Sure, it might not be as much as the XBox 360 or Playstation 3, but it can still put out some impressive visuals.

Small rant side, despite being inferior to what they could be, they are still serviceable. If you've just finished playing something like Metroid Prime 3, then the difference will, of course, be glaring. However, after you play for awhile, you'll come to find that they do work just fine and manage to pull off some nifty scenes. Aside from the Wii's power getting neglected, I was fine with the graphics. However, if you're looking for something with a seventh generation appearance, then you won't find it here.


Sound and Music

By now I'm sure you're quite familiar with the sound of Star Wars, both the sound effects and the music. As we could expect, FU uses these and a lot of them. However, to say that it does nothing new would be an inaccurate statement at best. One of the things I appreciate about this game is it actually takes a risk by coming up with some of its own music, whereas other Star Wars games tend to just reuse movie music (the music isn't bad, but we've all heard it before). FU's risk does pay off. The new themes mesh with the normal Star Wars ones quite well. If you're not overly familiar with the music, you'd probably never notice. And, if you are, you might not realize it right away that the theme playing wasn't in a movie.

While there isn't much to say on the basic sound effects, except they're largely Star Wars and, consequently, they work, the voice do warrant attention. The voice acting in the game is superb, especially the random enemies when they're reacting to your devastating attacks. I failed to notice any annoying voice or bad acting. However, for you hardcore Star Wars fans, do know that the characters from the movies aren't voiced by their actors. The voices are EXTREMELY close, but not exact. If you aren't being nitpicky, they're just fine.


Replayability

As you'll be unlocking stuff as you progress, and there's two endings, there's at least some replayability to be had. Subsequent plays on an old file lets you keep everything you have, making the start of the game extremely easy, but fun as you feel obscenely powerful. You'll also be able to use new costumes and lightsaber colors, so if you want to run through with traditional Sith robes, you can. Completionists will find more incentive in order to collect everything, though a lack of level select makes this a bit of a pain. And finally, there's always multiplayer to amuse yourself with.


Conclusion

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, was a heavily hyped game, up to a level that no game can live up to. However, it is still a great game to play. It is in no way perfect, but being able to just blast things with the force is great fun and stress relief. However, the big question still remains: buy or rent? If you plan on just making one or two runs through it and never picking it up again, then rent it. Otherwise, I'd suggest buying it. There's lots to unlock and, even if you don't want everything, there's quite a bit of fun to be had. This is one of those games that you'll be able to pick up again every so often just to experience the Force as you never could before.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/11/08

Game Release: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (US, 09/16/08)