The quality of Star Wars games has ranged from downright-abysmal (Rebellion) to absolutely-spectacular (Knights of the Old Republic). The franchise is so flexible that games set in the Star Wars universe have been made in virtually every genre. We’ve had shooters (Republic Commando), Space Sims (TIE FIGHTER), RPGs (KOTOR), RTS/4x titles (Empire at War) and even, um, board games (Star Wars Monopoly). It’s pretty difficult to go wrong with Star Wars, so LucasArts has taken the franchise to true next-gen, so to speak. With The Force Unleashed, they’ve put together a decently crafted title with all the Star Wars prerequisites like epic story, tight voice acting, force powers, Jedi, Wookies and general George Lucas-style pwnage. Fortunately, the writing in The Force Unleashed is far superior to the drivel we were all subjected to in the latest trilogy. Now, if only the game didn’t make the local neighbourhood nerd go ‘lol’ on multiple occasions.
Story is almost always the
focus in Star Wars games, and The Force Unleashed is no different. Set between, Revenge of the Sith (episode III) and A New Hope (episode IV), the game follows the exploits of Starkiller, Darth Vader’s secret Sith apprentice. The game begins with you controlling Vader (who is voiced convincingly by Matt Sloan) who is on the Wookie home planet of Kashyyyk in search of a Jedi who is hiding there. The Star Wars: Battlefront games have already given us the awesome feeling of playing as Darth Vader, and he’s just as powerful in TFU. It’s too bad some of the vegetation on Kashyyyk, in spite of being
destructible, look rubbish. In fact, the entire level feels
unpolished and forced. Hopefully, Vader’s awesomeness will overshadow the really lame opening stage. So Vader essentially makes the Jedi ‘one with the force’ and finds baby Starkiller. Vader intends to train him as his secret apprentice with the ultimate aim of assassinating
Emperor Palpatine. During the course of the game, the story unfolds seamlessly with Starkiller travelling across the galaxy, performing Vader’s deeds and hooking up with a motley crew of typical Star Wars characters including a Jedi Master, hot babe-cum-pilot Juno Eclipse, Princess Leia and Jimmy Smits. Er, I meant to say ‘Senator Bail Organa’. The cast includes Sam Witwer (Starkiller’s character model is also based on Witwer), Jimmy Smits (who plays Bail Organa in the films), Matt Sloan (voicing Vader) and pro video game voice actor, Catherine Taber (who did voices in The Clone Wars animated series/film as well). There’s no disputing the quality of voice acting — it’s top notch.
The gameplay, on the other hand, is a mixed bag. Let’s talk about the cool stuff first. There’s an incredible amount of
interaction possible with the game’s environment. It doesn’t matter which level you’re playing — you can pick up stuff like debris, barrels and metal and just fling it around or at your enemies using the force. You can pick up stormtroopers and throw them at other stormtroopers or down enormous chasms — it’s all incredibly satisfying. Unfortunately, the accuracy of the object — throwing is all over the place, and when it really counts, the game will let you down. This is sure to lead to a lot of frustration. Starkiller is stronger and more skilled at using the force than any other Star Wars video game character, but he’ll still fall off bridges with no sense of balance whatsoever. Some of the more precarious bridges and pathways are very poorly designed to accommodate the style and pace of The Force Unleashed’s gameplay.
You would have fought and killed some fifty baddies only to plunge to your death because you double-jumped to get to your objective a little faster. It’s pretty ridiculous. On the other hand, the game has a preposterous number of force powers, combos and talents that you can ‘purchase’ when you level up. Each of the abilities can be upgraded each time you level up as well. The force powers all sound and look very cool, but most of them require a ‘lock-on’ before you can unleash it on an enemy, and unfortunately, the game’s targeting system will once again let you down. But on the bright side, your lightsaber is an immensely powerful weapon and you’ll find it useful in
almost all situations when you can’t get that lock-on.
Verdict
The gameplay isn’t very tight and there are a number of
annoyances, but The Force Unleashed is quintessentially Star Wars, with a great story, top quality presentation and great voice acting.
— videep@gmail.com
