Star Wars: the Force Unleashed Review

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... you assume the role of Galen Marek, a young human gifted in the ways of the Force. Taken by Darth Vader during the Jedi Purge of Order 66, you are secretly trained as Vader's secret apprentice (referred to as Starkiller) in the hunt and slaughter of surviving Jedi. Massacre all who stand in your way- wookiees, the Rebel Alliance, the Empire's own cannon fodder Stormtroopers- even the Emperor's own Royal Guard. In Star Wars: the Force Unleashed, you hone your powers and pledge your allegiance to the Empire.. or the Rebel Alliance.

The Good:

- Force powers. Every Star Wars geek has dreamed of attuning with the Force and mastering it to do their bidding. In the Force Unleashed, players have the opportunity to finally throw down Force Lightning, Push, and Grip, and so on as they have witnessed in movies. Those who have dreamed of walking down a crowded hallway and throwing everyone against the wall, or reflecting blaster shots back at cannon fodder Stormtroopers, dream no longer! Furthermore, should the situation arise, you may even find yourself grabbing hold onto Tie Fighters.. or even Star Destroyers. Additionally, for those of whom aesthetics are important, this game easily wins the award for the best looking renditions of Force powers at work seen to date in a Star Wars game.
- Lightsaber combat. Lightsabers are easily up there on the list of most distinguishable weapons, in this galaxy and I reckon any other. Trained in the lightsaber, you can do a wide variety of standalone or chain-able combat maneuvers to kill enemies. Keep in mind you're not just fighting stormtroopers, but you are hunting Jedi- and you will utilize all your skills, physical and mental to stay alive.
- Customization. For most fanatics, choosing the color of your lightsaber is a huge factor. You understandably start with red, but as you collect holocrons you can unlock additional lightsaber colors, costumes, and points that add to your skills.
- Action RPG..ish. While definitely an action game, the Force Unleashed has somewhat of a "leveling-up" system. You are just an apprentice, afterall. While you won't find a need to grind for levels, you will progressively be allowed to learn new skills should you have the correct skill points to learn them.
- Play as Vader. In the first level, players assume the role of Darth Vader during the Order 66 Jedi Purge. This is a much more enjoyable experience than the one offered in Soul Calibur IV. You are not as agile as Starkiller, mind you, but you definitely get to throw down as a Sith Lord for a while. Personally, I chose to do Vader's slow villain walk and throw bitches around method, complete with the mechanical breathing.
- Quicktime events. Strange that I would put quicktime events here in the Good, but bear with me. Sometimes during battles, like say.. with a Rancor, AT-ST, or a Jedi, you'll have the opportunity to perform some neat kills via quicktime event. Which basically consists of pressing a particular button when prompted (or taking damage if you don't). While yes, it would be nicer if we could actually perform some of these complex movements on our own, it's very nice to see new, fresh ways of killing people, machines, and local.. animals? Can I call rancors animals?
- Story. Last on the Good list, but definitely not least. Officially recognized by Lucas Arts as the bridge between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, the Force Unleashed offers a storyline that doesn't include the terrible acting of Hayden Christiansen. While it isn't exactly fulfilling, it is better than the first three episodes.

The Bad:

- Targeting woes. Sometimes, you just mean to grab a guy and fling them out a window into space, but the targeting system is sometimes frustrating in a way that you'll find yourself with a crate in hand (metaphysically speaking). Beyond that, stuff just doesn't go where you want it to. For example: This can be very annoying when you're stomping a group of soldiers, or when you're right under an AT-ST and need to send a bolt of lightning through it (but miss, and get stepped on instead).
- Length of play. Short length of play, and relatively little replayability. This is par for course on most action games, but when you're finally doing the Jedi/Sith thing, you kinda don't want it to end.
- Pales in comparison, sometimes. While the Force Unleashed allows for some cool shit, this really isn't a Knights of the Old Republic or Star Wars Galaxies (pre-NGE) kinda game. Customization and skills pale in comparison, among other things.

Overall:

Star Wars: the Force Unleashed offers an aesthetically pleasing experience for those who are fans of the Star Wars Universe. For those who played SWG pre-NGE, and had to master ridiculous quantities of professions to unlock Jedi (for which I unlocked on #24), it was nice to jump right into the action. Storywise, it fills some gaps, and is somewhat enjoyable- but as I mentioned, is not entirely fulfilling. The Force powers available to you are nice, but I don't recall being able to choke someone to death (perhaps I didn't hold on my grip long enough, since I was busy throwing people out windows and down shafts). But overall, a fun experience for a short period of time. Collectors, feel free to buy. But I believe for most players, a rental here will suffice. Until next time, may the Force be with you.

- Jack