…Or how to use Force Lightning to fry Jawas*. *note - no Jawas were hurt during the making of this blog
I finished Star Wars: The Force Unleashed yesterday and was overall pretty happy with the game. The plot is very straightforward but adds more depth to the already impressive Star Wars canon. The timeline for this game takes place between Star Wars III and Stars Wars IV. Vader has decided to train a secret apprentice and is using him to hunt down enemies of the empire, all the while promising him that they will destroy the emperor and together rule the galaxy (sound familiar? Like the end of Star Wars VI, maybe?).
The graphics for this game were very impressive, with very well fleshed out environments that just help to add to the feeling of being on an alien world or running along the decks of a star ship. The cut-scene cinematics were fairly impressive with a wonderful attention to detail, e.g. stubble on the main characters face removing a level of plasticity usually seen on computer animated humans. Once again though, the main problem with the cinematic cut-scene comes from trying to have the lips move to match the words being spoken. Computer generated graphics and motion captures have come a long way, but we’re still not quite able to capture the nuances of the human face.
The gameplay was very fluid, with the action flowing quite nicely during fights. The combos were easy to execute and easier to remember, allowing the user to use his lightsaber effectively to mow down enemies in front of him. I’d personally classify this game as a platform/action adventure game (with some role-playing elements) and as such I do have some problem with the platform aspect of this game. At times, the appropriate platform on a wall or bit of rubble won’t be as apparent as it should be, especially if it is necessary to advance further in the level. While the double-jump and dash is helpful for trying to fix mistakes made while reaching the next platform, it takes some practice to get used to, and ultimately use it effectively. Compounded with this problem is the issue of missing a jump and hitting an invisible barrier that prevents you from performing a double-jump and/or dash to salvage the situation.
Another technical issue that bugged me was the camera for this game. The user has some measure of control over the camera using the right analog stick, but at times this makes little difference as items in the foreground block your view or worse, become only partially transparent leaving thick lines that still impede vision while somehow becoming more distracting.
Finally, throughout the game are various achievements, like collecting “holocrons”, objects that either give you items that change your lightsaber or contain costumes. While playing this game I decided to make it my mission to finish all the objectives including getting all the hidden holocrons. I was looking forward to the last level, because it contained the famous “Black Lightsaber Crystal”. Needless to say as soon as I picked it up, I equipped it…and was very underwhelmed. Maybe I had built it up in my mind too much, but honestly, it just wasn’t as cool as it should have been. The costumes were nice but quickly lost their novelty.
In the end, I don’t think that this game has a high replay value, but idea of being able to run around and use Force powers at will is definitely appealing. If nothing else, I’d get the game for the ability to play the first level as Darth Vader. It is just the coolest thing on earth. Fun Fact: He only has two speeds while you play as him – walk, and walk with more anger! He never runs. Ever. And I’ve got to say that there is nothing better than Force grabbing a wookie who’s leaping toward you and throwing him back at his fellow wookies. One of life’s greatest pleasures.
Next time: A retro game review – Secret of Mana.
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