Star Wars
Force Unleashed is a straightforward bash-em up
lightsaber fest, played from the bad guy’s perspective. It is pure fighting
action from start to finish; no sissy lever platform game elements present.
The fighting is exciting and works pretty well most of the time, but
unfortunately, there are some camera issues and a few graphical glitches that
take away from some of the enjoyment. And, it is a short game. However, it
still has a lot to offer anyone wanting to try their hand at taking down the
elite Jedi.
The action
begins immediately, with Darth Vader personally undertaking a mission to wipe
out some rebel forces. This is a tutorial of sorts, with explanations of the
moves that are being introduced. The basic moves in the beginning of the game
are variations of slashing movements, along with some cool moves that allows
the player to lift objects and enemies, carry them around in the air and then
throw them, and also to push objects and enemies out of the way. Other moves
are implemented as the game advances. These moves can also be practiced in the
tutorial mode.
The main
story plot is introduced in this first level. Darth Vader destroys a Jedi
fighter, only to encounter the Jedi’s young son, who tries to defend his
father. Darth Vader spares the son’s life and takes him with him. Years later,
we see the young son now grown and the apprentice of Darth Vader.
The rest of the game deals with this young man’s (now
named Starkiller) journey of self-discovery, while
he is allied with Darth Vader and the dark force. This story is
compelling and is the best part of the game, especially toward the end. The
story is very effectively integrated with the fighting sequences.
Force push
and force grip are the two main force attacks. When they work as expected,
they are really what this game is all about: dispatching enemies with the
lightsaber in a spectacular fashion. It is very satisfying to shove and fling
enemies all around with the saber using the nunchuk
and remote, and watch them wiggle while being carried around. When things
don’t work as expected, though, it’s not nearly as fun and is just
aggravating. The controls aren’t tightly designed in this
Wii version and are undependable in execution. The combos that become
available later in the game will require quite a bit of movement and button
pushing, making this a very motion-intensive game. Using the more complicated
moves will help boost Starkiller’s fighting skills
and stamina during these battles, too.
These battle
elements are mostly exciting, but there are a few issues in the main battles
that detract from the gameplay a bit. Some of the
boss battles with the sub bosses like the rancors
and AT-STs can be troublesome, as it is too easy
to get caught in a weird close-up view under their feet. They’re stomping
around the player’s head, and all the player can see are metal legs smashed
against Starkiller’s face. By the time
Starkiller can get out and regroup, it’s cost some
health points. The main boss battles with the Jedi are better, and can be
quite involved. It will require a combination of force moves, saber slashing
and some Quick Time Events (control matching movements). It’s pretty awesome
to follow the Jedi around the battle location and deliver successful hits. The
QTE hits are really fun to watch! There is a bit of difficulty involved in
staying in visual contact with the Jedi boss, though, as he will often
disappear and then begin hammering Starkiller from
behind. No amount of camera swinging can find him; players will have to move
away and then come back to see him. It is not clear if this is intentional or
not in these battles.
The main boss
battles involve lock-in abilities which are unpredictable, as most of the time
they work, but sometimes they don’t. The QTE parts are fairly easy, though.
And, even if some of these battles degenerate into "die, die, and die again"
battles, the game will save during the battle and keep the health scores of
Starkiller and the Jedi boss. Eventually,
Starkiller will prevail. There are lots of
difficulty levels to choose from, which is nice.
Force
Unleashed looks okay generally on the Wii, but the
environments are somewhat boring. There’s not much in each area to see,
except for the myriad enemies. The ships and backgrounds are minimally drawn
and animated. The best visuals are in the boss battles. The characters are
animated very nicely in those. On the other end of the scale, the scattered
objects lying around the locations are not very detailed and thus not very
interesting to view.
If you are a
Star Wars fan who has a burning desire to kill off droves of
stormtroopers, then this is your game. Despite the
sometimes problems with the camera and controls, overall this is a fun game to
play. The strong story helps, as well as the plentiful health points to keep
things going. The different force moves are fairly well-implemented for the
most part and fun to execute. When not playing, it is still amusing to watch
others play, due to the constant need to flail around with the
Wii controls. This game is short, though, and thus
is probably best for families with more than one potential player. There is a
multi-player dual mode for off-line play which is somewhat fun for two
players, as well.
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Gameplay: 7.5
The fighting is intensive and engaging, which is
good, as this is the focus of the entire game. The story is interesting and
involving and really helps keep interest high. The goal of improving fighting
skills by gaining more points through great battle moves is a plus. However,
the bad camera angles and sometimes unresponsive controls detract from the
experience as a whole. These problems could have been fixed with more
development time. And, the graphics could have been better.
Graphics: 7.0
The
graphics are a mixed bag. Good fighting visuals, bad environments.
Sound: 8.0
The
music is very Star War-ish.
Difficulty:
Medium
The
fighting is as easy or difficult as wanted, due to different difficulty
levels. The main difficulty is mostly found in the long boss battles where
the boss disappears and can’t be found.
Concept: 7.0
There’s not a whole lot of new ideas here, but the
implementation is fairly well-done. The use of the
nunchuk for the force push is well-designed and fun to utilize.
Multiplayer: 7.0
The duel mode is fun to face off with friends.
Overall: 7.5
This
is an above average action game with the added bonus of the Star Wars theme.
The fighting is mostly good and the story is compelling. The controls could be
tighter and the camera viewpoint better designed. And, the graphics could
really have had more detail. It’s a bit short, too. Still, Star Wars fans who
like action games will probably enjoy playing this game over the weekend with
some friends.
