Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

"Star Wars Force Unleashed; more like somewhat –leashed."

Intro:
To begin, I should admit that I am somewhat of a Star Wars junkie. My favorite PC game of all time is still Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy…well after 4 years of initially playing it. In fact, I've enjoyed most (keyword most) Star wars games that have come out on various consoles. (Battle Front I and II, KOTOR to name a few.) So when I found out that Star Wars Force Unleashed was coming out to abridge the time between Episode III and IV, I was considerably excited. If only I had known…

Basics/Story: 10/10
Without giving away any spoilers, Lucas Arts promised an exciting story line to help tie the series together. They offered a new, very interesting character-Starkiller, Darth Vader's Apprentice. (What!? I didn't even know he ever had an apprentice!). In the previews, we catch a glimpse of Star Killers extraordinary abilities in the force…from destroying loads of storm troopers and rebels alike, to pulling a Star Destroyer out of the Sky. This, when you consider how Yoda could barely pull an X-wing out of a swamp, is a pretty amazing thing. Needless to say, the promise of an incredible storyline, with amazing game play to compliment it, was a temptation no Starwars fan could ignore.

Gameplay: Camera: 4/10
This is where this game should pick up all the points…but it doesn't. The gameplay is passable. Your force powers are assigned to particular keys, and the lightsaber attacks are pretty much straightforward. But the camera is terrible and game breaking. During the boss battles, it was not uncommon for me to completely lose my character as the camera chooses to “fix” itself in place. In other words, during normal game play, you are used to typical third-person viewpoints: directly behind the character, or off to the side if you choose to move the stick. You would expect the game to hold this position throughout the entirety of the game play, but not in this one! During the most important parts, you get to enjoy a “cinematic” view from the sideline as you attempt to control your character with less success than you might hope for. As it turns out, the most important battles that should be pretty amazing are nothing more than annoying and nonsensical. What a disappointment! The camera destroys the game in this area. But in normal game play, it doesn't really affect it much.

Graphics: 5.5/10
Utterly disrespectable for a new X-Box 360 game. I was really disappointed. Don't get me wrong, the cut scenes are well done…nothing special, but not bad. But the in game graphics are downright shameful in many instances. Sometimes, Starkillers robes “disappear” into his leg. In addition, the backgrounds a pretty shoddy. In many instances, I found myself just looking around at the area and thinking “hmmmm, this is pretty bad”. Also, the graphics are bit buggy. Sometimes, it will cut through a bit and run the frames a bit choppy. Bottom line: Nothing special in the realm of graphics. Passable, but not eye pleasing.

Sounds: 9.5/10
Pretty much typical Star Wars music, which I love. Most of the music showcases excellent melodies and pleasing sounds. Not too much to comment on. The repetition got old after awhile, but the Star Wars theme is pretty much the most recognizable theme in the world.

Conclusion: 6/10
Buy it if you are a big Star Wars fan. Otherwise, it would be in your best interest to invest your $60.00 into a 6 month CD and buy another game that comes out in the near future.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 09/29/08

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