Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Review

[robwright]

Review by Rob Wright

LucasArts' highly anticipated Star Wars saga The Force Unleashed gives gamers the opportunity to play Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice and use the Force like never before. But design flaws and bugs threaten to derail the most anticipated Star Wars game in years.

http://www.tomsgames.com/us/2008/09/24/theforceunleashed_review/

 

[chomlee]

Rob, Your emotions deceive you!

Well, I agree with you on many points Rob. Targeting was not the greatest, some cut scenes were poorly transitioned, Bringing down the starship was kinda stupid, couln't tell if areas were non accessable or accessable which ended up making you waste alot of time (example: trying to jump on certain mushrooms etc.).

BUT...... it was still a fun game. I think you were too hard on the game because you were expecting too much. A couple of years from now, when I think back to this game I wont be thinking about the targeting or cut scenes or the starship takedown (ok, I may still remember that lame stunt). What I WILL be thinking about is how I had so much fun grabbing the stormtroopers and throwing them all over the place while they would grab on to another trooper and you would be now throwing both of them around. Impaling troopers with the lightsaber. And one of my favorites was to grab a simple crate and chase the trooper with it and making it a challenge to see how I could bring the crate up and down and up and down on the trooper slowly smashing him to death. I know that sounds sick but what game allows you to do that?

Anyhow, Rob I agree with your basic thoughts, I just think you were a little too harsh. It is still a fun game with a great story and great graphics and great acting.

Chom out

PS Rob, been a big fan. TF2 is my favorite game of all time, what is your screen name?

 

[jeverson]

I don't know if I'd say Rob was too harsh...

As usual this game was hyped up to the nines and only delivered about a 6 as far as the game play goes. The targeting was a pain at times. But I find that the norm for console games. I am a PC gamer at hart and only play a few games on my 360. Actually, I only got the 360 to play two games... Mass Effect (before they said they would actually port it to PC) and Force Unleashed. To be honest, the most enjoyable game I have played on the 360 was Star Wars LEGOS. Back to the topic though... I haven't finished "TFU" just yet but I have enjoyed the story and the voice acting very much. The game play wasn't terrible... but it could have been a little more fun.

Of course... I have to say what I'd like to see next... Mass Effect + Force Unleashed = Knights of the Old Republic 3! The best from both games would make an awesome followup to the first two KotOR, or prequel.

 

[clay12340]

I felt like the game failed a little harder on the Wii from what I played at a friends. I've got it unopened at home still, and I think I'm going to take it back. It just doesn't seem to have the oomph I expected for my $50.

The poor Wii just doesn't seem to have the juice to power this game. I didn't feel like the graphics looked very good at all, and so much of the hyped stuff like DMM was really limited on its implementation from what I saw. I'm guessing this isn't the case as much in the 360 and PS3 versions, but I've not played them side by side to compare.

 

[robwright]

I felt like the game failed a little harder on the Wii from what I played at a friends. I've got it unopened at home still, and I think I'm going to take it back. It just doesn't seem to have the oomph I expected for my $50.

The poor Wii just doesn't seem to have the juice to power this game. I didn't feel like the graphics looked very good at all, and so much of the hyped stuff like DMM was really limited on its implementation from what I saw. I'm guessing this isn't the case as much in the 360 and PS3 versions, but I've not played them side by side to compare.

The Wii version actually doesn't have Havok, DMM, or Euphoria. It was developed by a third-party developer and it uses its own physics engine. Do the Wii remote lightsaber controls work well? I'm skeptical after my experiences with Red Steel way back when...

 

[d_kuhn]

I've said it before and I'll say it again...

First Person Shooters that don't support KB/Mouse control FAIL for anyone who's played a proper FPS. Since the PS3 and 360 STILL don't support kb/mouse on FPS titles (even if they support the hardware), they are poor platforms for these games.

I played the Force Unleashed demo, I enjoyed the graphics but was so frustrated by the pathetic gamepad interface that I'd NEVER buy the game.

Just like the 360 fails at racing games for no G25 support... all the consoles fail at FPS games for no KB/Mouse support. Simple as that.

 

[d_kuhn]

Actually just checked out the demo again after thinking about this thread and was surprised to rediscover that TFU is really third person... but after playing for a while I remember why I thought it was an FPS, because that's what it plays like. Other third person games like MGS4 have gameplay that's significantly different than a traditional fps, so while MGS4 is annoying in places (mostly if you screw up and get into a firefight), for the most part a console controller isn't too bad in that game.

TFU on the other hand is really a FPS title in a third person package... so the aiming deficiency of console controllers quickly become a crippling fault. Too bad too because the game had huge potential.

 

[itadakimasu]

sounds like if i want to play this I should get it for PC ? (if it's availalbe for PC)

I'm intrigued by the story line tying into startwars but i'm too busy right now to fit another game title into my life. full time job + college coursework+ WoW = 5 hours of sleep per night.

 

[bornking]

Rob, you are right on. I played this on the Wii, and after about five hours of hoping and waiting and anticipating, I found that the game lacked anything 'new', anything worthy of hype, or anything worthy of the cash I spent on it.

I admit that the Wii graphics were disappointing for a game of this (supposed) caliber, but I also understand that the Wii is not a graphics-focused console. Nevertheless the game seemed too rigid, the force powers too predictable at some points, and totally unreliable at others, and the controls absolutely horrendous. Yes, you can wave around the remote, and figure out some of the combinations of moves, but the experience is an overall let down...sometimes with painful wrists as a result...feels like being punished for buying a game.

Voice acting, music, and sounds were great but they were great since the tie-fighter days, so I don't see anything to discuss.

The fact that there is no new Tie-Fighter (with mouse support instead of inaccurate and annoying joysticks), and that this game did not meet expectations is a sign that Lucas Arts needs to seriously rethink their business strategy.

Simple idea: reward your customers with value-added content, a refreshing story, and innovative game play.

By the way I can not believe you did not make a second take video on this because it would really help open the eyes of the execs at Lucas Arts, and in the end help us and them!
... my 2 cents.

 

[jeverson]

Well... I just finished TFU last night. Don't worry I won't spoil it for anyone... All I would say is don't get your hopes up for a great or spectacular ending. Of course the ending is something that anyone who has seen episodes 3 and 4 can probably piece together...

Now that I have finished the game I believe I can give a more precise review. The story is good. The acting is great. The music... well... nothing new. The Force... rocks! The controls... SUCK!.. well... mostly. But I think it is because it is a console game. The controls are as big a pain as they are with any game I have played on a modern console. The camera angles are bad. Movement is ok but frustrating at times.

I guess the question is... would I buy it again knowing what I know now. Yes! What can I say. I am a sucker for games that let me kick butt with the Force. I was able to get into the character and I enjoyed it. I will not hold the control issues against it as they are what I have come to expect from a console interface (a whole different discussion all together). I have already started playing through it again and will probably replay it several times. Could it have been better? Sure. There isn't a AAA title out there that couldn't be. If you have a 360 or PS3 I would definitely pick this up. If you have a console that does not use the new effects tech then I would leave it alone (unless you just have to know the story then you could always rent it).

Hope this helps anyone that hasn't picked it up yet and having a hard time deciding what to do.