[Again, late to the draw, but Gamefly sent it out, I finished it, and again feel the need to post my opinion. The results are as follows. Fanboy disclaimer: I love Star Wars, but I think that’s mostly a prerequisite for playing this game, so I feel that kind of bias is necessary for this type of review. Also, I’ll be downloading the new content for it tomorrow, and I’ll post some impressions on that.]
Here we are, roughly months before the events of Episode IV, or, as the cool kids know it, Star Wars, and those inundated with George Lucas’ constant revisions of minutiae know it, A New Hope. Taking the role of Starkiller, Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, the player is set out on a quest to do the dark lord’s bidding, and ultimately discover himself along the way. The experience shows how the galaxy has begun to shift after Order 66 was sent out, and how things begin to shake up as the galaxy becomes uneasy under the rule of the Empire.
It was tough for me to condense the entire story of the game into a few lines, and avoid spoilers. Simply put, this game is driven by the story. As a mode for explaining how the galaxy begins to rise against the Empire, the Force Unleashed excels. I am probably not going to check out the game on other consoles or read any of the novels that have also spawned with this “product line” they’ve plastered TFU onto, but I’d gladly re-watch all of the cinematic sequences from this game all over again. In fact, even as I replayed levels for achievements, I found myself watching the story cut-scenes that I had already seen just because they were enjoyable enough.
Sam Witwer as Starkiller was a great move for casting, as he provides an emotional, believable response to the game’s actions. One moment sticks out in my mind, after he rescued someone from a prison and exclaims “I just saved his daughter!” in annoyance with his master’s comments. Nathalie Cox, playing the role of Starkiller’s pilot, Juno Eclipse, also played her part well. Her accent made the first level amusing: as you approach the chamber of Rahm Kota, she pronounces it “Kotar”, which made me think of (a) KotoR – Knights of the Old Republic, and (b) Liam Gallagher of Oasis singing “Champagne Supernover in the sky-y”. I also laughed a little to myself whenever I heard Darth Vader speak, because of the fact that he was voiced by the guy who did the Chad Vader short, and the correlating achievement on the 360. At this point, I think it’s just worth it to say that across the board, the voice acting is great and appropriate for every character, and it makes the story much more believable.
Alongside the voice acting is the graphical quality of the game. The graphics looked great on my TV (1080i 32’ LCD), and the likenesses of some of the actors as their in-game counterparts helped to make it more believable. While we’ve all seen enough of the Havok engine and the wonderful ragdolls it throws around, the inclusion of Lucasarts’ Euphoria technology to make the AI act more realistically as they flail about mid-air in the throes of your Force grip, or attack differently every time you approach a platform makes the experience of playing the game very interesting. It was pick up a stormtrooper and watch them flail and reach for any nearby ledges or railings. It' was a shame though that most of the particle physics were stuck in the introductory level, as most of the wood in the Kashyyk introduction would break. However, Starkiller spent most of his time trapped inside cold, metal hallways, so we did not get to see as much of that in action as possible.
Oh, right, this is a game so I should talk about the gameplay. So, to recap: Story stands tall. Voice acting stands proud. Gameplay, standing, but weak at the knees. You can perform the standard array of action-adventure game moves, such as run, jump, dash, attack, block, etc. However, you gain, as the title implies, the powers of the Force, which you are able to unleash. Controlling the Force is a truly awesome premise which every Star Wars fan has dreamed about since seeing the movies. However, with only a couple of thumbsticks and a few buttons to control the force, it does not always go the way you planned. Targeting is awkward, as the game sometimes has a difficult time deciding whether the large metal crate or stormtrooper with a laser is more important in any situation. Granted, there are options for either one, and with all of the force powers and combos, you are never out of options at any point, but if you just want to throw your lightsaber at a dude, sometimes it’s harder than it seems. Providing you are able to target the right thing, controlling it once you’ve picked it up is a task in itself. Usually the best option seems to be to throw it straight ahead, but if you want to control it and launch it at a precise location, you’re usually stuck with guesswork. The controls come to be an impressive spectacle of impossibility during the awe-inspiring Star Destroyer scene, during which, Starkiller is forced to pull a Star Destroyer right out of the sky with the force. Sounds well and awesome, until you realize that the Star Destroyer has to be at a specific angle before you can pull it down, and you are constantly being assaulted by respawning waves of 8-10 TIE Fighters.
This brings up another issue with the game: Inconsistent difficulty. The game spends a lot of time being a Star Wars game that wants to be a God of War game (God of Wars, anyone?). However, it decides to randomly make the game “challenging” by tossing you in with a bevy of troopers armed with gatling guns, or a large quantity of troops that are constantly assaulting you. Whichever the issue is, you’ll find these moments more frustrating than challenging, as you wonder why the developers left eight snipers in one area while you’re trying to fight a boss. I felt bad when I had to take the difficulty down a notch, but it made the game a whole lot more enjoyable.
Overall, a Star Wars fan would enjoy the story. A Star Wars fan who is a gamer will be able to look past the flaws of the gameplay and find a fun experience in the Star Wars universe on top of it. A gamer who is not into Star Wars will see it as a glorified tech demo for Euphoria and particle physics.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is GOOD.
[SW:TFU was played on an Xbox 360 for 13+ hours, to completion. Ratings subject to personal impressions and experiences and are not to be taken as an objective statement. Ratings scale consists of (1) Not recommended, (2) Mediocre, (3) Alright, (4) Good, (5) Highly Recommended]
