GAMINGtruth

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has been hyped for a long time promising us to the use the Force like never before. I will say that LucasArt mostly delivered on that promise but this game is far from perfect.

In the Force Unleashed story which is officially canon you play as Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice Starkiller as you set at to do your master’s bidding. I won’t spoil any story but one of your main reasons to beat this game will most likely to finish the story which is really good especially if you weren’t a fan of the prequel trilogy. The game isn’t that long you will probably finish in 8-10 hours. You might play it again to see the “What If” ending which is pretty shocking.

On to what really matter, the gameplay which has a few issues, mainly the targeting. The lock-on system is mostly useless and you most likely won’t use it during the game. You’re better just pointing your character in the general direction of your target which the game gets right but there will be a lot times when you won’t get what you want.

The combat is good although a little more lightsaber combos would have been nice. With all the combos in arsenal you can mix and match them together according to your play style. The Force powers themselves all work good, the best in any Star Wars game to date. You won’t get tired of lifting up, electrocuting, force pushing and impaling people with your lightsaber as you play.

LucasArts also added slight customization and upgrade options. You spend points to upgrade your Force powers, get new combos and upgrade your stats for things like more health, rate at which you deflect blasters, etc.

What I really liked about the game are the many costumes you get playing the game and the lightsaber crystals you get which adds more colors to use and special abilities. This adds some replayablity since you can only get crystals and some costumes by finding golden holocrons found in each stage.

Another issue the game has is some of the cheaper enemies you fight in the game especially the Purge Trooper which is going to piss you off in the higer difficulty when the damage you take increases. Some enemies have shields to repel your force powers like your Force Grip or Force Lighting but a simple hit from your lightsaber usually takes the shield down and you can have fun as always.

Some enemies glow red meaning physical attacks won’t work at all meaning the Force is your only friend here. LucasArts does a nice job of not making the game too cheap by making you think a little. Some enemies are just annoying like boss fights but it shouldn’t get in the way of you enjoying the game.

Add in a few glitches I encountered which whisked the world away, falling but never touching the ground, bosses freezing during fights and you can see why this game is far from being perfect.

Despite these problems this is still a fun game. Using the Force never felt so good and the story that bridges the gap between Episode III and IV will take you for a ride. Any game that lets you punt Jawa’s like footballs can’t be all bad.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a good game and not as bad as many of the reviews you read make it out to be. Is it perfect, not by a long shot but no other game lets you use the Force like this and make you feel as good when you do.

I recommend this game to anybody but before you put down $60 I suggest you rent it just in case it isn’t your cup of tea.