Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Review - Leia or Binks?

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is one of the most well written and well presented stories set in the Star Wars universe, but it still makes for a relatively short game, and one which falls quite far from the mark of a classic. This is a shimmering trophy game which you will want to show off to your friends and will enjoy occasional moments of extreme pleasure from, but it doesn't come close to the longevity or depth of KOTOR; and doesn't embrace the perfectionism which was once associated with the Star Wars universe.

The game delivers well on the advertised premise of tearing through the world a torrent of destructive Force-power. At the press of a button you can hurl people around, impale them on your light sabre, smash barricades, throw objects, et al. The game does a good job of making you feel like the full thrust of the dark side power is available to you. You're a badass, and you tear the world apart with your violent magic.

The story is set between the events of episode III and IV. You play Galen Marek, also known as Starkiller, the secret apprentice of Darth Vader. The narrative is well told through a combination of cleverly written twists, and extremely high quality voice acting. The game also offers a revealing and emotional twist at the very end, a piece of information which almost makes the whole thing worthwhile in its own right. That would be if you couldn't just Google for it of course.

The first mission allows you to take control of Darth Vader, the full range of dark side powers at your disposal. You tear through the environment around you, barely blinking an eyelid as hoards of Wookies are beaten to death by your Force powers. In a Metroid Prime-style takeaway, once this sandbox level one fun has been had, you take your role as Galen and almost all the godly powers available to you are stripped. You've had a taste of the carrot, and now it's dangled in front of you.

Hold no delusions about the level of sophistication found in the combat of this game. This is a gush fest, a rain of death, a mass explosion of player power. You will largely button mash your way through environments of enemies. Coordination is barely necessary for anything other than aesthetic pleasure.

As you kill enemies and earn points you level-up and are able to upgrade your Force powers, combos and talents. The RPG-like progression system allows players a decent level of flexibility in how their Starkiller will evolve. Towards the end of this progression is when the game is at its most fun, when you move through the world like a raging torrent of death on the petty insects surrounding you: this really is what TFU is all about.

The graphics may well be pretty, the physics are well suited to mass destruction, and some of the environments are frankly quite huge. However, the game suffers from occasional frame-rate problems which really is just not acceptable for a console game. Additionally, the animation is clunky at times, and the overall look just seems to generally lack that next-gen finish in places.

There are a few challenges in the game which aren't combat related, but they are largely insignificant. Most puzzles involve moving a few objects around with your mind, and there's also some hidden collectables to encourage extra exploration.

Boss fights are frequently disappointing, not even touching on the level of complexity found in the likes of Ninja Gaiden; and the targeting system is massively frustrating occasionally - this is a game where you would expect to quickly be able to choose which enemy to impale with your light sabre or which object to rip off the wall, but unfortunately it requires a little more concentration and tinkering around than it should. Also, to be honest, TFU is relatively easy. Most of the time you find yourself taking an overkill approach - firing off everything you have at everything around you.

Nevertheless, this is both an enjoyable flash in the pan, and a memorable and officially approved Star Wars story. The general cinematic quality of the game is very high, and for enthusiasts it is a must just for that. For everyone else, you might want to just think about it. If you want complexity and challenges, look elsewhere; but if you want to smash up a few melons with a sledgehammer then give this one a shot.

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