Review: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Game: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Format: Xbox 360
Developer: LucasArts
Publisher: LucasArts
Hello, newblings. You may remember that last month Crofterz wrote a nice, little review on Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed. Actually, said article was the first in a few (and by a few, we mean two) articles in a series that will now be tentatively known as “Games released ages ago that Crofterz has finally played for free”. Here’s the second (and final) instalment, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. This was kindly lent to him by another friend (the rest of us at The Newb Review office are just as amazed as you; that cynical, miserable b*stard has more than one friend!).
As a bit of a Star Wars nut I’ve grown up with some great Star Wars games (Knights of The Old Republic series etc) and some absolute stinkers (any of the film-game tie ins). So I was a bit dubious as to what The Force Unleashed would offer: a great game, or utterly forgettable? I’m happy to say, The Force Unleashed is actually one of the best.
First of all, what makes the game brilliant is the story. Set between the events of the Revenge of The Sith and the A New Hope films, you assume the role of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, Starkiller. Discovered as a child after killing his father, Vader trains Starkiller as a Sith. Soon enough Starkiller finds himself travelling across the Universe, hunting down the last remaining members of the Jedi order. You’ve got to hand it to LucasArts, playing about with their universe and it’s characters extensively seems to be paying off (you start the game playing as Darth Vader for god’s sakes! Back in 1997, the ten year old me would die of excitement at the prospect of playing Darth Vader in a game; it’s definitely the most bad ass thing ever).
Playing around with their universe is quite a risk, especially considering how touchy and volatile the hardcore Star Wars fans can be. LucasArts have managed to pull it off really well. I admit, the name Starkiller is a little bit… lame, but the story is true to the Star Wars universe whilst offering a fresh experience from a series that has already been done to death.
Lord Varder PWNS
In fact the only complaints I have about the story are that a) its far too short (There are quite a few plot holes in between levels. I want more goddamn it!) b) “Starkiller” sounds far too nice and namby pamby for a Sith (he should sound like a cold blooded killer, and less like someone who would help you get your cat down from a tree) which sort’ve ruins his character a little bit.
Finally, c) the inclusion of a choice between 2 different endings, a good one and a bad one. This inclusion in particular is irritating as it’s the only part where the story itself falters. Not only is it painfully obvious which ending is the “real” ending, but the other completely screws with the story of the Star Wars films. I’ll try not to spoil anything but let’s just say it completely kills off one its biggest characters, rendering all that’s meant to happen after the game as useless.
The game would be far better with the one, “real” ending; completely ridding us of the opportunity to ruin everything by selecting the obviously fake one.
Anyway, the sound and visuals of the game also help to immerse you within the compelling story. The soundtrack is not unlike the incredible, cinematic sounds found in the Star Wars films themselves. Because of this, the soundtrack itself helps convey the typically epic experience, making the story seem more authentic whilst helping the player connect more with the game. The voice acting is also equally as impressive; each actor giving a brilliant and believable performance. Again, this helps to immerse you within the universe of the game.
I hate to sound like a total graphics whore, but Star Wars: The Force Unleashed looks absolutely gorgeous. As Starkiller travels through a tonne of locations from lush jungles to barren wastelands to the interior of a space base. All of them look stunning. The cut scenes are very reminiscent of the Star Wars films (cinematic and epic; I half expected Ewan McGregor to storm onto the screen, armed with a lightsaber and a hunger for Sith pwning). I hate to sound like a broken record, but this really helps to immerse you within the story and by the end, you will believe that in the over arching Star Wars narrative, this actually occurred.
Perhaps I should stop masturbating over the game and get to the real crook of things to tell you what the game plays like… Well, in terms of gameplay this doesn’t particularly break any new ground (it plays like your typical action game), it’s still very solid and offers a few nice features such as an interesting upgrade system, spectacular force powers (that make you feel like a god), collectables and a combo system that feels achievable and intuitive whilst avoiding the feeling of it being too easy.
The only problem I have is the way in which you have to stop moving all together to deflect lasers back at enemies. This completely breaks up the flow of the combat and quickly starts to become annoying. It also takes a bit of getting used to, making the game quite hard to begin with. I really hope this is rectified in the upcoming sequel.
Force Unleashed is not only a nice way to get in your lightsaber swinging practice before Force Unleashed 2 drops, its also well worth checking out. The game is bound to be fairly cheap now (check out our Amazon shop below!) but it also boasts quite a lot of DLC, which goes a good way to extend the shortness of the story. Check it bloody out!
Review Round Up
Graphics: 4/5 – Graphics aren’t quite 5/5 but the game is still stunning.
Sound: 5/5 – The voice acting is utterly believable and the soundtrack is entirely like the soundtracks of the various Star Wars films, giving you an authentic Star Wars experience.
Gameplay: 3/5 – Gameplay is solid without being revolutionary. Force powers are awesome, however deflecting lasers kills the flow of combat.
Longevity: 4/5 – The story itself is far too short, however a host of DLC helps go some way to rectify this problem.
Overall: 4/5 – A great story and solid gameplay results in a score of 4 Jedi holocrons out of 5.
You can pick this up for a bargain price in our Amazon store and at the same time you will be supporting this site:
Related posts:
- Review: Assassin’s Creed
- Review: Mass Effect
- Review: Marvel Versus Capcom 2
- Review: Mass Effect 2
- Review: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Part 1)
What I can not believe is just how realistic these games are nowdays. Nothing like Atari when I was a kid! lol.