Score
Gameplay:	8
Graphics:	8
Sound:	9
FunFactor:	8
PlasmaFactor:	8
Overall:	8.2

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Review
September 30, 2008 by Jereme Puik

When Star Wars and video games come together, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Star Wars Battlefront, right? Another item to add to that long history of games is now Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. With 1.5 million copies in its first week, it’s amazing how much of a stronghold the Star Wars name still has on the populous. What you see is what you get with Force Unleashed. A Star Wars movie in a video game; sure, it may not have the greatest control scheme created, but its effort to bridge the gap in canon between Episodes III and IV is commendable.

The Force is Strong with This One

As mentioned, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed takes on the big task of filling a major gap between Episodes III and IV of the movies. There is a large time period here with a lot of ground to cover. Force Unleashed starts you off just right by giving you the chance to take control of the dark lord of the sith himself, Darth Vader. You’re force powers are maxed and into overdrive so don’t hesitate to use everything at your disposable, as you are only given one level to play around with this.

There are plenty of force powers to use and no matter what you may think of the game, it’s still fun to force choke some Wookies or even Stormtroopers. Some of the force powers include, Force Lightning, Force Grip, and Force Push. All of these can be used in an extremely destructive manner that gives you a good feeling.

The story begins with Darth Vader still hunting for the remaining Jedi that may have escaped from Order 66. Vader lands on Kashyyk, the Wookie home world as last seen in Episode III. This is where the first true use of your force power is given. As you guide yourself through the level and blast your way through countless wookies in your way, you’ll eventually encounter a Jedi that survived Order 66. After witnessing his father’s death, the young boy is an ant to the towering dark lord. The one iconic moment of the game, seeing the young boy take Vader’s lightsaber out of his hands and into his, gives Darth Vader an idea. Fast forward to the present time of the game and you will see Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice being knighted as an official Sith.

The targeting system creates one of the biggest issues in The Force Unleashed; you could be trying to hit that stormtrooper who’s only 10 feet away and the item you’re using goes flying in the other direction. The camera for instance is not the greatest when dealing with a large grouping of enemies and this hurts the targeting system more than your skill in defeating them. Why LucasArts, why can’t I just hit that guy over there without having to throw 3 different barrels before finally hitting him?

The camera can’t seem to adjust it right at times and it provides a weird angle for boss battles. The camera zooms back so far to the background so that you see both you and your enemy in the same room except suddenly the level just got ten times larger. This makes it hard considering you’ll have to try and find your Apprentice at certain points during the battle and you may find yourself jumping all over the place. There are about 4 difficulties to master during the game and an achievement for each one, so choose the difficulty that’s right for you.

The extra content that’s available is a nice plus; as you level up you’ll be able to upgrade your force powers given the amount of experience you gain during battle. Much like that of Too Human, you have to go to the menu screen and purchase with Jedi points what force power you want to increase in power that’ll prove useful to you.

Graphics

I was quite surprised at the amount of effort put forth with the graphics in The Force Unleashed. However, during certain levels you could notice a bit of graphics tearing when the camera pans around looking like the Xbox was trying to catch up with what was being displayed on screen. This isn’t a major problem as it gets itself worked out once the level begins and you’re bombarded with countless enemies to take down. The cut scenes are probably the most enjoyable part of the game and really make you feel like you’re watching a Star Wars movie. The quality production rivals that of a new Star Wars movie, which everyone wishes there was another release of.

Sound

There is nothing too surprising at this point, considering all Skywalker Sound had to do was use John Williams’ epic soundtrack in the mix and maybe create a new theme or two. The voice acting is about as top notch as you’re going to get and I do commend the voice actors for doing an excellent job at sticking with the Star Wars lore of the emotion and the connection between the characters. Proxy is quirky just like C-3PO and provides a bit of humor in there as well. There are a few surprises you’ll notice with that droid, so keep an eye out for it.  There are some classic tunes that play through each level straight from the movies, and it feels even better when you’re cutting down stormtroopers with the Imperial March in the background.

Plasma Factor

I’d say the highlight for me was the remarkable story. Yes, the game has its flaws here and there but beyond that it’s still a solid entry into the Star Wars canon. I was extremely excited when I first heard the announcement of the game because I am a Star Wars fan but I kept my fanboyness to a low when reviewing the title. The characters won me over and were really able to convince me that this was a great Star Wars game effort. The high production value of the game is a testament in itself providing the first use of the Euphoria engine with the force which works. Anyone with half a brain will be able to have fun just blowing people away with the power of the Schwartz…err…I mean force!

Conclusion

This is an automatic buy for any hardcore Star Wars fan despite its flaws and short campaign. The script is one of classic Star Wars lore that will really attract anyone to either playing it or watching someone else play it. As I played, I was really looking forward to each cut scene to see how the story folds out. At 60 bucks, this may be a hard game to swallow for some. For the crowd that’s concerned about spending their hard earned money on this, give it a fair rental. You should have no problem completing this in a weekend’s work at least, as that’s how long it took me to finally beat it on straight play through alone. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a commendable effort into the Star Wars saga and in my belief really fills the gap between Episodes III and IV and brings back the lore of the force.