snickothemule
October 3rd, 2008, 04:34
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
A long time ago….
Star Wars games of the past have come in all different shapes and creeds, from the brilliant Dark Forces series which truly gave the feeling of being a Jedi Knight through the majesty of third person action, to the legendary X-wing vs Tie Fighter flight sim, and to the mediocre Obi Wan adventures. All of these games give us the chance to play in this fantasy world but never really giving us the freedom to do what we really have wanted to do ever since we first saw the awe inspiring light saber battles of Episode 5 – and that is to swing that light saber with reckless abandon and to throw stuff around using the full extent of the force and after what seems like mountains of games to sift through to find that experience, the Force Unleashed is the first game to really allow us to let our hair down and do what we have always wanted.
It’s on!
The setting takes place between Episodes 3 and 4 of the movie timeline where Darth Vader in all his evilness is sent to eradicate any remaining Jedi who has escaped the Order 66 protocol set out by the Emperor. With old Darth being sent to Kashyyk to exterminate a hiding jedi he comes across a little boy with a keen yet unaware sense of the Force. Noticing his power Darth takes the boy and is set to make him his secret apprentice, unbeknownst to the Emperor. Training him in the ways of the Sith, Vader now sets out his apprentice named ‘Starkiller’ to do his bidding, to kill all those who oppose him so that Vader can begin his plans to overthrow the emperor.
Time to flip out and kill people!
Initially the apprentice has a rather bare bones array of force powers and melee attacks at hand and these are all upgraded through experience gained when slicing and dicing enemies to ribbons. When he does power up though (around halfway through the game) then it’s on like donkey kong. All three major force powers are controlled through three buttons (with block adding a further array of stationary attacks), force grip, force push and lightning. In previous iterations of Jedi games these attacks are used sparingly and separately which is in no way fun at all. All three major force powers can be combined to create some truly magnificent attacks. Feel like picking up a storm trooper, throw him around a bit, zap him a few times, stick a saber in him and throw him into the cosmos all simultaneously? Too easy and too fun to do and the best part is, that force powers are regenerated quickly and almost immediately giving the feeling of being truly unleashed and unstoppable.
http://forums.ngemu.com/attachments/game-reviews/200785d1233290371-star-wars-forced-unleashed-360-ps3-wii-psp-ds-933155_20080716_screen007.jpg
Lawdy me...
The ability to just muck around is frightfully fun. Not even the extreme linear nature of the levels can hinder the fun factor. If killing wookies isn’t your thing though then the first level will leave you wincing and not enjoying the game. If slaughtering Jawas keeps you entertained then you will absolutely love the rest of the game, as zapping the little creatures gives some hilarious results. Likewise manipulating some stationary objects to be used as weaponry or to solve (basic) puzzles or to reach higher areas is relatively easy.
Sexy and smooth.
The visual department must have had a field day with this game, as everything is truly shown in the spirit of the Star Wars universe. The cold. stark, lifeless nature of the spaceships is represented with remarkable detail, in contrast with the junkyards, where twisted metal and floating debris litter the landscape giving a gritty feel mixed with the lush vibrant worlds of a jungle which is inhabited by beautifully coloured fauna. Character models are finely detailed, however the lip synching is nice, the textures of the players faces are often stretched giving a very unnatural look and reducing the spectacle of the cutscenes. The lighting of the worlds is rich and believable, with special effect s from the light saber and lightning standing out tremendously. This game is very nice to look at, not even the screen tear and slowdown are enough to dampen the visual impact of the game.
Likewise, the audio is truly authentic, the low hum of the light saber is oddly calming and the impact of lightning and saber strikes give a solid representation of how a jedi should sound. At no point do the sound effects ever hinder or cause any problems. The music is traditional Star Wars which love it or hate it is gives quite a presence for the settings of each level. The main downfall is that the legendary James Earl Jones is absent from voicing Vader and although the fill in actor does a nice job, nobody could ever replace the timber and sexiness of the man himself.
It’s not all peaches and cream.
Lucas arts have spared no time in the hype of this game to inform us that the new gaming engines DMM and Euphoria were the keys to the uniqueness of the game, in that the AI will act naturally and the environments will be real as they can be. Although this is implemented to a good degree, it never really gives you the feeling that the environment is completely at your mercy as the main objects used in manipulation are a few scant rocks, some foliage and some breakable doors. Throwing storm troopers into walls does leave a mark on the surface, however the impact promised by Lucas Arts is somewhat lessened in the final version.
http://forums.ngemu.com/attachments/game-reviews/200786d1233290371-star-wars-forced-unleashed-360-ps3-wii-psp-ds-933155_20080716_screen009.jpg
Gon practice ma stabbin....HA HAAAAA!
Additionally some of the design elements really screw with the player royally, some storm troopers are immune to force attacks (boo!) and at times when fighting the dark troopers, they will often knock you down and as soon as you are on your feet again you are immediately knocked down again, forever trapped in an endless cycle destined to kill your character and to frustrate you no end. Starkiller will often get stuck, unable to move and the auto targeting system is incredibly frustrating. Load times for option menus and when upgrading force powers is also confusing and frustrating as it slows down the flow of the game. If only one element of the game could be fixed then the camera and targeting system should be it as it is the games major detractor of being a true masterpiece.
Being evil is awesome.
To sum up this game, despite the linear nature, sometimes bland level design and shoddy camera work is incredibly easy as this game is truly fun and incredible to play and definitely warrants further replay time. Additionally Lucas Arts have announced extra levels and players with new downloadable content which is nice to see. Here’s hoping they fix the auto targeting while they are at it.
Here’s hoping that Lucas Arts’ Indiana Jones can play as great as the force Unleashed. Bring on a sequel and a movie I say.
Visuals – 91
Audio – 94
Gameplay – 88
Overall – 92
Apart from a few odd design choices, a truly fun game.
Reviewed on PS3 at 720p (max resolution) on Sony Bravia over HDMI.
A long time ago….
Star Wars games of the past have come in all different shapes and creeds, from the brilliant Dark Forces series which truly gave the feeling of being a Jedi Knight through the majesty of third person action, to the legendary X-wing vs Tie Fighter flight sim, and to the mediocre Obi Wan adventures. All of these games give us the chance to play in this fantasy world but never really giving us the freedom to do what we really have wanted to do ever since we first saw the awe inspiring light saber battles of Episode 5 – and that is to swing that light saber with reckless abandon and to throw stuff around using the full extent of the force and after what seems like mountains of games to sift through to find that experience, the Force Unleashed is the first game to really allow us to let our hair down and do what we have always wanted.
It’s on!
The setting takes place between Episodes 3 and 4 of the movie timeline where Darth Vader in all his evilness is sent to eradicate any remaining Jedi who has escaped the Order 66 protocol set out by the Emperor. With old Darth being sent to Kashyyk to exterminate a hiding jedi he comes across a little boy with a keen yet unaware sense of the Force. Noticing his power Darth takes the boy and is set to make him his secret apprentice, unbeknownst to the Emperor. Training him in the ways of the Sith, Vader now sets out his apprentice named ‘Starkiller’ to do his bidding, to kill all those who oppose him so that Vader can begin his plans to overthrow the emperor.
Time to flip out and kill people!
Initially the apprentice has a rather bare bones array of force powers and melee attacks at hand and these are all upgraded through experience gained when slicing and dicing enemies to ribbons. When he does power up though (around halfway through the game) then it’s on like donkey kong. All three major force powers are controlled through three buttons (with block adding a further array of stationary attacks), force grip, force push and lightning. In previous iterations of Jedi games these attacks are used sparingly and separately which is in no way fun at all. All three major force powers can be combined to create some truly magnificent attacks. Feel like picking up a storm trooper, throw him around a bit, zap him a few times, stick a saber in him and throw him into the cosmos all simultaneously? Too easy and too fun to do and the best part is, that force powers are regenerated quickly and almost immediately giving the feeling of being truly unleashed and unstoppable.
http://forums.ngemu.com/attachments/game-reviews/200785d1233290371-star-wars-forced-unleashed-360-ps3-wii-psp-ds-933155_20080716_screen007.jpg
Lawdy me...
The ability to just muck around is frightfully fun. Not even the extreme linear nature of the levels can hinder the fun factor. If killing wookies isn’t your thing though then the first level will leave you wincing and not enjoying the game. If slaughtering Jawas keeps you entertained then you will absolutely love the rest of the game, as zapping the little creatures gives some hilarious results. Likewise manipulating some stationary objects to be used as weaponry or to solve (basic) puzzles or to reach higher areas is relatively easy.
Sexy and smooth.
The visual department must have had a field day with this game, as everything is truly shown in the spirit of the Star Wars universe. The cold. stark, lifeless nature of the spaceships is represented with remarkable detail, in contrast with the junkyards, where twisted metal and floating debris litter the landscape giving a gritty feel mixed with the lush vibrant worlds of a jungle which is inhabited by beautifully coloured fauna. Character models are finely detailed, however the lip synching is nice, the textures of the players faces are often stretched giving a very unnatural look and reducing the spectacle of the cutscenes. The lighting of the worlds is rich and believable, with special effect s from the light saber and lightning standing out tremendously. This game is very nice to look at, not even the screen tear and slowdown are enough to dampen the visual impact of the game.
Likewise, the audio is truly authentic, the low hum of the light saber is oddly calming and the impact of lightning and saber strikes give a solid representation of how a jedi should sound. At no point do the sound effects ever hinder or cause any problems. The music is traditional Star Wars which love it or hate it is gives quite a presence for the settings of each level. The main downfall is that the legendary James Earl Jones is absent from voicing Vader and although the fill in actor does a nice job, nobody could ever replace the timber and sexiness of the man himself.
It’s not all peaches and cream.
Lucas arts have spared no time in the hype of this game to inform us that the new gaming engines DMM and Euphoria were the keys to the uniqueness of the game, in that the AI will act naturally and the environments will be real as they can be. Although this is implemented to a good degree, it never really gives you the feeling that the environment is completely at your mercy as the main objects used in manipulation are a few scant rocks, some foliage and some breakable doors. Throwing storm troopers into walls does leave a mark on the surface, however the impact promised by Lucas Arts is somewhat lessened in the final version.
http://forums.ngemu.com/attachments/game-reviews/200786d1233290371-star-wars-forced-unleashed-360-ps3-wii-psp-ds-933155_20080716_screen009.jpg
Gon practice ma stabbin....HA HAAAAA!
Additionally some of the design elements really screw with the player royally, some storm troopers are immune to force attacks (boo!) and at times when fighting the dark troopers, they will often knock you down and as soon as you are on your feet again you are immediately knocked down again, forever trapped in an endless cycle destined to kill your character and to frustrate you no end. Starkiller will often get stuck, unable to move and the auto targeting system is incredibly frustrating. Load times for option menus and when upgrading force powers is also confusing and frustrating as it slows down the flow of the game. If only one element of the game could be fixed then the camera and targeting system should be it as it is the games major detractor of being a true masterpiece.
Being evil is awesome.
To sum up this game, despite the linear nature, sometimes bland level design and shoddy camera work is incredibly easy as this game is truly fun and incredible to play and definitely warrants further replay time. Additionally Lucas Arts have announced extra levels and players with new downloadable content which is nice to see. Here’s hoping they fix the auto targeting while they are at it.
Here’s hoping that Lucas Arts’ Indiana Jones can play as great as the force Unleashed. Bring on a sequel and a movie I say.
Visuals – 91
Audio – 94
Gameplay – 88
Overall – 92
Apart from a few odd design choices, a truly fun game.
Reviewed on PS3 at 720p (max resolution) on Sony Bravia over HDMI.