Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

"Quick review(no spoilers!)"

Hey guys, I bought the game today and I have to say, it's good. But that's just the thing, it's good. It's an all-around pretty solid platforming game. I think that it is an above average game, obviously for the characters and the story but also for the gameplay and mechanics and effects.

Sound: 9/10

The sound in this game was really smooth and nice. It was noticeable, but not in a bad way. It kept to the original feel of the game the way a star wars game should, but also included a few custom tracks that still kept the star Wars feel to it as well.

graphics: 8/10

The graphics were really good in my opinion. The textures were great, and the effects of watching the fungi swerve and the metal bend was pretty neat. I did however find a few flaws, like Personally the faces of a few characters, like the apprentice, could've been improved. Also there were a few instances where I noticed metal objects bending in more of a clay-like way, but not very many times.

Story: 10/10

With an engaging Story of an untold Star Wars tale, the story is pretty epic in itself. The tale of a young Sith's path towards, well, his future ;) If your a Star Wars fan the story is great, and even if your not an avid fanboy, the story is still engaging and pretty cool.

Controls: 7/10

I really wish there was a camera option that kept your character facing forward, like an auto cam, but there's not. It's not a huge problem but could help since I use my thumb for both X button, A button and right analog stick. The melee controls are pretty fluid, but could've been cleaned up a tad more. The aiming for the objective use of the force is pretty good, not perfect but it's not really noticeable either. It really couldn't have been done better(So far where we are technology-wise).

Replay Value: 8/10

The objectives are fairly linear, with slightly open environments but fixed objectives, this can get tiresome. However alternate costumes, beefed up force and melee powers, different colored sabers, alternate costumes and cheat codes make it aaall worthwhile. Definitely fun for a few playthroughs.

Difficulty: 9/10

The difficulty for the game is perfect. On normal, I die enough to slightly frustrate me... but what's a game without a challenge? and if I want it to be easier I could always change the setting. Also, for those who think it's too easy, there are four levels of difficulty, and I'm contempt with the second one right now, leaving lots of time to get better and play through on the hardest difficulty later.

Overall: 8/10

A beautiful game and great story help this game and make it above average, although slightly awkward controls, and a little bit strange character models also bring it down a bit.. Frustrating at times as well on the normal difficulty, I give this game a solid 8. If you love star wars, as I do, this game is a buy or at LEAST a rent. However if you just want a decent platformer, its still a rent, which I would recommend to anyone questioning whether or not they should buy it.

FINAL WORD: RENT FIRST, THEN DECIDE.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/17/08

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