Easily our best time (see fun) with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed had to come during the basic light saber attack sequences. This was our main reason to anticipate a Star Wars game and in this one it actually paid off, whether or not everything was perfect. We do have our gripes when it comes to the gameplay section of this review. The targeting system is easily one of the most flawed, under-developed, sections of any next-gen game of this caliber out right now. The problem arises when the player is approaching multiple enemies and the game’s targeting system goes haywire causing the player to die more than a few times. This situation reared its ugly head more than a few times during our first play through of the Force Unleashed, especially during the “Star Destroyer” level. Fortunately this flaw really only affects the use of Force powers and not so much when you are playing with the light saber itself, helping the game to actually be completed by most fans with little trouble (it took us about ten hours the first time through).
The level design really took us by surprise, in a good way, during the first couple of stages at least, each one being more original and exciting than the previous one. Unfortunately once we got about half way through the game levels began creeping up on us that were just rehashed versions of earlier levels, this is something that is just not acceptable considering the high budgets that are given to next-gen video games. At the end of each level comes a boss, some being more exciting than others but for the most part we had a good time fighting the bosses. There was a certain amount of strategy that went into each boss fight, giving us that “only one way to win” old-school feel. There are even a couple surprises when it comes to the characters you get to fight in The Force Unleashed.
The most impressive aspect of the game are the graphics and what the developers have done to re-create the Star Wars universe on this entertainment medium. Lighting effects look so good in the Force Unleashed that more than once we had to ask ourselves why more developers are not using this engine, or why LucasArts has not offered it to them. The Euphoria engine is perfect not only for use of the Force powers, but when it’s used to showcase the ultimate destruction aspect of the game it really shines. Bodies fly around like ragdolls and wood splinters like something we have never seen before. Metal crumples as it would if the actual universe existed, helping the Force Unleashed catapult into our “top 5 list” of Star Wars games. This is one of those games that can be used to show off the power of next-gen systems even though the gameplay is nowhere near perfect.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has an excessive number of different enemies to battle, ranging from the measly storm trooper to the massively huge AT-ST. This is one of those games that doesn’t meet all the technical makeup’s of a great game but at the end of the day is one hell of a good time to play through, specifically for fans of the Star Wars saga. The targeting system is whacked and some could call the level design uninspired but never once did we have trouble wanting to keep player, and that fun factor is more important that anything else. Remember that our final score is not an average but a simple number meant to represent our overall experience with a product. We are certain that there are people out there who will not enjoy The Force Unleashed as much as we did but this review is our opinion, and we can only hope that the developers have a chance with a sequel to polish some of the issues and create the perfect Star Wars gaming experience; something that has not been done to date.
