Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Reviews

• Loads of fun, beautiful graphics, and a paper-thin plot: It's Star Wars!

  
  By AGJ0NQD5T6WFG on 2008-09-17
  First of all, you should know that this game is kind of short. I received it yesterday and it took roughly 10 hours on standard difficulty to complete.
  
  Yet the fact that I didn't move the entire 10 hours is testament to this game's ability to be loads of fun to play, regardless of game-length.
  
  THE GOOD:
  The opening level places you in command of Darth Vader, giving you a preview of the absolute power of the force... that you realize you can't match at first with the apprentice. As the developers have stated, this is to give you a chance to realize what you can become.
  
  The absolute awesomeness of this level really sets the tone for the game. Marching down and eliminating Wookies while ATAT's walk down below from the cliff and Star Destroyers, troop transports, and TIE Fighters fly all around left me feeling like this was really Star Wars.
  
  The leveling in the game gives you a chance for character customization once you take control of the apprentice. Want your force-grip to be able to grab two enemies instead of one? Spend your force points in upgrading force-grip. Also - you can wear various costumes, make your lightsaber one of nearly 20 colors with various special effects, and really make your character your own.
  
  The gameplay is solid, with a few questionable level designs toward the end of the game.
  
  THE BAD:
  The story is 'good' but as I gave the writer of the novel a hard time for not delving deep enough - I have to say that the cutscenes were chopped down to the point where you really can't grasp the full impact of the story which was more clear in the novel.
  
  The Romance:
  The love dialog/romance is worse than George Lucas if that gives you any indication. These characters develop feelings for one another despite Juno Eclipse being little more than a 'professional imperial' who forgot to button the top 5 buttons on her uniform and having no dialog really outside of a few sentences in the cut scenes.
  
  Then again - if I saw a woman dressing like that I suppose it wouldn't take much romance for me to develop feelings for her either.
  
  Multiple Endings? There is a dark side ending and a light side ending, but this isn't Knights of the Old Republic. 99% of the game is the same regardless of what you choose to be/wear/do. The final 'choice' is made 30 seconds before the final boss fight. Regardless of how you play the game - it comes down to what you do 30 seconds before you fight the final boss. I was hoping for a variety of missions or at least a change in objectives.
  
  Frustrating objectives:
  Sometimes your objective is very vague. I spent more than one level wandering in circles and jumping off cliffs trying to figure out what to do because the mission objective was something like "Pick out the hydrospanner from the flexoregulator" which is probably something you would know if you were an uber-geek who knew what either was. Guesswork and trial and error. Also - in the second Raxis Prime level the force controls at the end LIE to make you die quicker.
  
  Bugs:
  Few and far between, but I had some ATST decide to despawn (which was good for me) and a few hiccups. For the most part the game was solid.
  
  
  OVERALL:
  Despite the flaws, I sat through the entire 10 hours and couldn't stop because it was extremely addictive. The game is simple - but it works and is fun. You can tell a lot of love went into this, but you can also tell that the cutscenes feel disconnected from the rest of the story in terms of dialog because of spotty editing which leaves you wanting more.
  
  This is better than anything else LucasArts has had in a while, and you really feel like this is Star Wars.
  
  Bottom line: A step in the right direction. A+ Gameplay, C- Story.
  
  
  
  

• Just the action game that the Star Wars franchise needed

  
  By A2CB0DNKYCIQE8 on 2008-09-17
  It took me no time at all to become a fan of The Force Unleashed. The game starts you as Darth Vader himself, fighting your way through the Wookie planet to eliminate a rogue Jedi in hiding that the empire has discovered. Vader lets you experience what some of your force abilities will be throughout the game as you later play his apprentice. And while is was very entertaining, I found something a little disturbing about killing dozens of wookies. They howl at you as they die and everything...
  
  Soon you are playing Vader's apprentice, trained by Vader himself in the Sith arts. Your abilities are much more limited from what Vader himself had; I'm guessing to leave Vader as a benchmark to what you can aspire to become. Still, TFU doesn't waste any time and throws you right into the action. The force abilities you are given are incredibly fun to use against your enemies: foring pushing them into walls, picking them up and chukcing them like dolls, picking them up and chucking them like dolls into TIE Fighters, lightning, force repulse and the good old fashioned hack and slash with your lgihtsaber. You think that killing dozens of rebel and storm troopers alike might get old, but it really doesn't. The more of them you kill, the more force points and combo points you build up and you get all new ways to eliminate them. And even though you seem to be an unsoppable killing machine, the game is still challenging in spots, and I'm only playing it on the medium difficulty. Battling other force users is one point where the game can get challenging and also more fun. Matching wits and strengths jedi to jedi is a very fun gaming experience. Upgrades also add a nice element to the game, collecting points for new force combos, upgrading your abilities and upgrading your character's stats. This adds an extra addictive element to the game in a mild RPG fashion.
  
  And then there's are the visuals. They are amazing. The character designs, the lighting, the action; they are all flawless. The backround settings and environments are also gorgeious and have an almost painted look, like a mural. This might sound out of place but it actually looks really amazing. You might see what I mean when you first arrive on the junk planet. My only complaint here is that some of the close up textures look a little bland, mostly on the fungal world that I've noticed.
  
  Audio is great too. Much of the score is old John William's classic, so there's no complaint there. A lot of the affects seem to be taken right from the movies, which is also fine. Sound affects for explosions and force sounds seem about as good as I could expect. And I especially like how the troopers plead for their lives as you pick them up with the force and wave them around.
  
  The story itself is also very well done. It bridges some of the gap between episodes 3 and 4 and actually explains some of the continuity. It also manages to do this without recycling old Star Wars stories and themes which is nice.
  
  So I enjoy this game a lot. One complaint I've read in reviews that I only partially agree with is slightly clumsy controls. There is some room for improvement there (when using force grip, throwing an object and getting it where you want it to go can be difficult.) But every game for me has something about the controls or gameplay that I don't like, and I usually look past it. Another complaint of mine is lack of multiplayer. This could be an awesome game multiplayer.
  
  To reiterate:
  
  Pros: Mostly great graphics, fun and addictive gameplay, awesome force abilities, good story
  
  Cons: Some clumsy controls, graphics could use work in some areas, no multiplayer
  
  The Force Unleashed is a great game for the Star Wars fan or otherwise and I recommend it.
  
  

• Despite some flaws, Force Unleashed delivers

  
  By AJKWF4W7QD4NS on 2008-09-16
  The eagerly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is finally here, and Star Wars fans will find plenty to admire and enjoy here. Others however may find a certain degree of disappointment to be found with Force Unleashed thanks to some noticeable flaws and glitches, but if one overlooks these, a good time is to be had. Featuring one of the best and most compelling stories you may ever find in a video game period, Force Unleashed also features some thrilling and jaw dropping moments that will make even the smallest Star Wars fan squeal with joy. You play as Starkiller, the secret apprentice to Darth Vader, and you are charged with eliminating the last remaining Jedi in the universe. Interacting with your pilot Juno Eclipse and a droid named PROXY, Force Unleashed also features some compelling and inventive characters to boot; so much so that you'll actually be caring about what happens to them as the game progresses. As said before, Force Unleashed is loaded with thrilling moments, but a good amount of these moments are few and far between, and some technical and gameplay glitches really hurt the game as well. Including times when the camera seems to want to work against you, the targeting system is frustrating in in every sense of the word. Force Unleashed also comes off at times as being too epic in scope to fit the final product of what you're playing; it just feels as if something is missing here that shouldn't. Still though, the game looks wonderful, the music is superb, and the art design is simply spectacular. All in all, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed isn't a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but despite it's flaws, the game delivers the goods that Star Wars fans will be looking for, and it is definitely worth your time and attention.
  
  

• continues the tradition of bad star wars game

  
  By A3R6FCM3IRXPS0 on 2008-09-22
  pros:
  great graphics and sound
  that's about it
  
  cons:
  repetitive, overdone gameplay
  cheap, mindless enemies. especially the bosses.
  perhaps the worst controls scheme i've ever seen on a xbox360 game, and i own about 50 games.
  
  How bad? 9 out of 10 times i pick up an explosive barrel to fling at my enemies with my jedi powers, it lands at my feet and knocks me over. Its nearly impossible to select the object you want to force grip since there are crosshairs. Often times i would stand literally next to the object i want to levitate, and i would basically start throwing stuff that's OFF camera.
  
  Most of the puzzles are non intuitive. There are ledges that you can jump off and die, even if the floor is 10 feet beneath you. The storyline is ridiculous and the acting is flat and boring. The enemy AI is virtually non-existent - they have a set pattern. There's too many jump puzzles which is not fun to figure out when the wonky camera gets in the way.
  
  Overall this game had tremendous potential but the designers severely jump the shark on the basic gameplay. The game looks and sounds great, but i think they spent too much time making it look like a star wars game versus playing like a great game.
  
  
  

• Star Wars Epidsode III, 2...

  
  By AVF3WCRQMB81R on 2008-09-16
  If you've ever played the Star Wars Revenge of The Sith game, you've pretty much played Force Unleased, just another button mashing action game. Its not really bad, but it isn't anything special.
  
  Pro's
  Fun for about 2hours, a pretty solid story, AMAZING Graphics and Sounds, lots of good cameo's with great voice acting, force powers are actually pretty cool. Leveling is kind of cool, but would have like to have seen a more dynamic system. Clothing and saber options that rival Jedi Knight Academy.
  
  Con's
  Fun for about 2hours, Story felt dumbed down and shorted, it feels like an insult, like we don't care about a good solid story we just wanna kill stormtroopers in a thousand different ways. Saber fighting is combo based (yuck, I was hoping for more of a Oblivion or Jedi Knight Academy style) No Multiplayer.
  
  Overall I'd say that it is about a 7/10, but it feels like a lot less cause the expectations were soooo high.
  
  
• DISAPPOINTING
  By A2XQVC2UWC4FJF on 2008-09-17
  I was really looking forward to this game and the demo was good on live but the overall game play is just bad. The story is good but the game play and level up are bad. There's alot of spots where you just get stuck and can't find where to go or how to shut off laser fields. I'm sick of buying strategy guides so my advice is to wait and buy a used copy and get the guide or save your money there are alot of cool games coming out this fall.
  
  
• Great potential, but frustrating gameplay
  By A18PMVTXM9T7MK on 2008-09-23
  I played this game on normal difficulty, and have a considerable amount of gaming experience.
  
  Pros:
  
  - Fantastic visuals; every level has a lush and unique feel
  - Very enjoyable 'arena' combat, using objects and the environment to defeat groups of enemies
  - Great level-up system; use points to purchase new powers and combat combos
  
  Cons:
  
  - Very buggy enemy AI
  - Poorly tuned abilities
  - Extremely poorly tuned boss fights
  
  Perhaps the most frustrating thing about this game is how good it could have been, if the developer had put a little more effort into play-testing it. So many parts of the game deserve four or five stars: the graphics, animation, music, sound effects, character development system, and even the cheesy (but fun and appropriate for Star Wars) story. All of these are fantastic.
  
  Unfortunately, the game is simply not fun to play. Occasionally you'll encounter a more open area with several enemies. Those are rare times when you can enjoy yourself, lifting enemies, throwing things around, and generally wreaking havoc.
  
  The rest of the time, you are:
  
  1. Fighting enemies who literally just stand there doing nothing while you kill them. I assume this is some sort of bug, but it was happening constantly.
  
  2. Fighting enemies that are so 'smart' that they can always block and interrupt your lengthier combos. No matter what you try, you will get interrupted, until you finally give up and switch back to alternating the same two over-powered dash attacks that you know will let you win without sustaining damage. This works, but not being able to use other abilities is no fun.
  
  3. The boss fights are much like this, but taken to the next level. The third boss, for example, spends much of the fight completely invulnerable to any damage, while attacking you. The remainder of the time, she is incredibly effective at blocking all attacks, and can easily interrupt any of your lengthier combos. She occasionally uses an instant attack that is un-blockable, and has the potential to remove roughly a third of your hitpoints instantly, if you are knocked in the wrong direction.
  
  What could have been fun ends up as a long, boring, obnoxious fight where you spend most of your time jumping around like crazy looking for a half-second of weakness every minute or so.
  
  The other boss fights and cinematic sequences are pretty much the same. One sequence in particular, involving a star destroyer, could have been an incredible moment in the game. But, due to the way it was tuned, it will frustrate you so much that you may just throw the game away before completing it.
  
  This game could have been fantastic, but the developer just didn't spend enough time testing it with real gamers, to tune the fights.
  
  
• The Force is strong with this one.
  By A21PGS6U7L3E58 on 2008-09-16
  This has to be the best game I've played for the XBox 360. The graphics look great (best on an HDTV). The sound is just like listening to any of the six Star Wars films. And the gameplay is very enjoyable. Finding different ways to use The Force to destroy your enemies can be very satisfying.
  
  And now... the story. One word. Awesome. The best Star Wars story since The Empire Strikes Back.
  
  I highly recommend this great game to anyone that owns a 360.
  
  
• Freakin' great!
  By A19HTMTWT76U1L on 2008-09-18
  I got it yesterday, and I was just blown away. Graphics, sound, everything. The story is fine, i just wish that you could have more say in what you do when like KOTOR 1-2. But apart from that it's a great game, force powers are great. A healing ability would be nice, during most boss and mini-boss fights you'll be hard up for health if your not careful.
  
  Playing darth vader in the first level rocked! wookies zero, darth about 4,000.
  
  It works on a very simple level up, boost your force powers system. But trust me the game will kick your butt even on the easy setting.
  
  
• sweet but way too short (Rent)
  By A2B13XL3FVZNRD on 2008-09-27
  The game play is good. The story is great but the game is way too short. 6 - 10 hours. Rent it.
  I was in shock that it end so soon.
  
  
• The Rise of Starkiller
  By A27XZS1UKWJY7F on 2008-09-16
  In The Force Unleashed, we finally see Lord Vader in his prime. This game bridges the gap between both movie trilogies. We not only see why Vader is a symbol of the Empire's might, we experience his wrath firsthand. Vader is playable only for the first level, and although our time under the mask is brief, it is a study in Force-powered brutality. Vader is an unstoppable killing machine and his control over the dark side pushes the Force far beyond anything we've seen before.
  
  At the conclusion of this level, control is passed from Vader to his secret apprentice, codenamed Starkiller. With Vader as his instructor, Starkiller is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. He's agile, amazingly aggressive, and firmly in control of the dark side. Through a beautifully sculpted control scheme that allows the Force to flow smoothly through your fingers, Starkiller is one of the saga's most talented combatants. As the game progresses, his Force powers evolve and give way to an even more impressive move set. Lightsaber and lightning become one, rancors are a minor inconvenience, and star destroyers can be taken down with the wave of a hand.
  
  The gameplay is electric and fun, and the plethora of awesome new enemy types will make Star Wars action figure collectors salivate. You know what a royal guard can do, but what about an Imperial incinerator trooper? You will also be pleased to hear that this dark tale takes us to new planets and areas of familiar facilities I never thought I would see. All of the levels are loaded with highly destructible structures and sights you'll take a second to marvel at.
  
  It's an amazing game, but there are disturbances in this Force-powered experience. Targeting difficulties make some battles troublesome, and blocking inconsistencies lead to some absurd deaths. The game offers a generous helping of checkpoints, so a death won't set you back too far. Still, it's hard to believe that enemies (especially some of the later bosses) can block anything you throw at them, even when you clearly have the jump on them. Some fights, especially on the higher difficulty levels, come down to dumb luck.
  
  The story will also leave Star Wars fans puzzled. I won't spoil the plot's twists and turns, but there are some serious leaps in logic that don't add up. Why am I on this planet? Vader did this why?
  
  The Force Unleashed clings to the classic video game design of book-ending gameplay segments with short cutscenes, which doesn't allow the story to grow in the ways it needs to. I'm not saying the game should feature Metal Gear-length clips, but more content is needed to tell a cohesive tale. Starkiller ends up being an underdeveloped character; you know his mission, and you periodically see his emotions flare, but you never really get an idea of who he is.
  
  The Force Unleashed isn't the ultimate Star Wars game -- KOTOR is still king in my book. But, as advertised, it amplifies this mystical power in new ways to delivers exciting gameplay and unforgettable Star Wars moments. It'll leave you wanting more, but take my word for it, it's worth playing just to see Vader Force-throw wookiees.
  
  
• This game is to short to be worth 59 bucks!!!!!
  By A333VCJIP2C10K on 2008-09-19
  This game was good, but it was way to short. I was expecting at least 20 hours of game play, and instead got 8. Best thing to do is rent it out and just play it. Anyone could pass this game in about 8 hours or less. There is no depth once you pass it; that is it nothing special about it. Hope Knights of the old Republic makes a comeback, because that is the only star wars game (besides lego star wars) that was worth any $#@t.
  
  
• The Force is your Ally
  By A2U2J33PW0IA4L on 2008-09-19
  Right from the beginning, this game produces. The opening level sees you as Darth Vader as he hunts down a rogue Jedi on the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyk. Playing as Vader gives you a small taste of the destructive capabilities using the Dark Side of the Force and what you could expect later in the game while you play as the Apprentice.
  
  I'm going to break this game down into several groups to better explain the beauty of it.
  
  CONTROLS: 8/10
  
  Using your force powers require very little from you as the controls are easily placed on the control scheme. Your fingers will not be doing a dance over the controller to execute your moves. However, while using Force Grip it seems I'm not the only one who has problems with accuracy when it comes to tossing objects at enemies.
  
  STORY: 9/10
  
  For a bridge between episodes III and IV, TFU does a pretty good job developing the story and it never leaves you thinking "That doesn't make sense." The plot has a few twists and turns that keep it from getting one dimensional and keeps you interested in the outcome of the characters.
  
  SOUND: 10/10
  
  Obviously no Star Wars game would be complete without the beautiful music of John Williams.
  
  GAMEPLAY: 9/10
  
  The overall gameplay is great. It never gets old when you Force Grip an Imperial soldier and fling him across the room to smash into the wall or explosive barrels. There are soo many ways to kill someone that it never gets too repetitive. The graphics are outstanding, and the environments are very interactive making you feel a real part of the Star Wars universe.
  
  Bottom Line: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a must buy for all you Star Wars fans out there. Remember, the Dark Side of the Force is with you.
  
  
• the only thing that was released was my fury at this game
  By AHJROFU034QT9 on 2008-09-23
  i bought this on launch day because it seemed like it was going to be a decent game. i saw the videos of the gameplay, and they looked pretty cool, and i heard good things.
  then i played it.
  the plot was terrible, and further pushed me towards leaving starwars behind altogether. i saw the new starwars movie (the animated one) and if you have seen that, you should know that that had GOOD writing compared to the storyline of this game. the love part only kicks in at the very end of the game, and basically consists of "hey. we survived stuff. lets be in love", so basically George Lucas's idea of love. it amazes me that he is married.
  the graphics were ok, some were better than others, like the in-game maps were decent, but then you find that you can walk through most objects that arent walls and it kind of ruins it for you. the character models are horrendously done, and they remind me of the facial graphics in Final Fantasy X (remember how they were groundbreaking, but completely unlike any human face and the eyes look like plastic puppets with animatronic cardboard cutouts of eyes?).
  the gameplay wasnt as bad as it could have been, but nowhere near as good as it could have been either. some enemies have an attack pattern that is just fast enough that by the time you get knocked down and start to get back up again, they have already started a new attack and knock you down again, so you cant do anything about it. the "cinematic" finishes make you look at the bottom of the screen for button cues, so you can either watch the part of the cinematic that corresponds to the first button, and then the failure caused by the fact that you missed the next few buttons, or get all of the buttons correct and see the cinematic out of your peripheral vision. bosses were all easy. all you do is figure out its weakness and get it to low enough health to do the final button cue combination, which keeps popping up until you do it right. the one hard part of the game (i played through on the next higher difficulty to normal) is force-crashing the star destroyer (that was a spoiler, so watch out) because just when you get it angled the right way, tie fighters get close enough that you have to stop and kill them before re-positioning it and try to bring it down again.
  overall, this was a poorly made game that was over-hyped, and you will probably still buy it no matter how many bad reviews you read because hat is how the starwars franchise works. let me just leave you with the knowledge that YOU WILL GET NOTHING OUT OF THIS GAME.
  
  
• The Forced Release
  By A1GGYWO9XKQNAG on 2008-10-05
  I'm really sorry I decided to purchase this one. Right now, I'm not even sure if I'd recommend renting it. It's one of the worst Star Wars games ever. The Force Unleashed is defiantly not the game I thought it would be after playing through the demo.
  
  The least LucasArts could have done was to play the game themselves before shipping it to the public. It should have been better tested and debugged. There are too many glitches to distract from the game. I've been stuck and forced to restart the game numerous times so far. And when I say stuck, I mean really stuck. Like I couldn't make my character walk or move at all. Or Kazdan would just sit there and not attack while I could not damage him, despite my hitting him. Or the inconsistent HP system, where damage is assigned in a very unusual way. Sometimes a fierce light saber combo would do almost 0 damage to a boss, other times a single swash of the saber would do significant damage to the same boss in very similar circumstances. And I'm not talking about him blocking my attack.
  
  The levels are too easy to walk through, with unexciting and fairly boring boss battles. I did not find much cohesion to the game at all. It just felt like a bunch of Star Wars references thrown into a game with bits of a decent storyline to glue the whole thing together.
  
  The game save system is not too good either. You are limited to check points instead of having the ability to strategically save anytime. There were some points in the game where my progress was saved right before a cut-scene that could not be skipped. Yup, I had to watch this scene every time I died on this difficult part of the last level.
  
  I am very disappointed with the sad Star Wars games we have been given these last few years. After playing good games like KOTOR, Jedi Knight 2 or even Republic Commando, The Force Unleashed was a BIG disappointment. I know I'm just dreaming now, but a full rebuild of the original X-Wing would be sweet and probably fun too.
  
  To sum it all up, this game could have used an additional 3 to 6 months of development time before they shipped it out to the public. It could have been a great Christmas release instead of this terrible end of summer dud. Seems like Lucas Arts is suffering from the same sort of issues as EA. Previously, a great game company that doesn't seem to care much about the quality or fun factor of the games they release.
  
  
• Horribly glitchy game
  By A1NJ2GWURL2ONB on 2008-10-27
  I really can't believe some of the high marks some people have given this game. It glitches out so many times; at least two or three times I had to manually turn off my x-box and restart because of a glitch. Many other times I got stuck on some invisible wall. The AI is horrible and does not live up to the hype.
  
  It's not all bad - it's always fun to kill storm troopers with a lightsaber. The cutscenes look pretty, and the voice acting and music are good.
  
  This game tries to follow the God of War formula and apply it to Star Wars: slash and hack and level up with new combos. It's not a bad idea, but it's so poorly executed, you'll wish you were playing the old wire-frame x-wing game.
  
  
• Oh Well
  By A2EYPZTQKZ378F on 2008-09-16
  I had pretty high expectations for this game. After the last one being so bad I was sure they'd realize that the Jedi Knight games were the benchmark. Nope, it plays like Ninja Gaiden, which I personally find annoying, and the camera leaves you wondering just what's going on half the time. Beautiful game, bad controls, bad cameras. I wish they had concentrated more on the gameplay rather than the look and all the things you can do that aren't actually all that fun when the execution is sub par. Too bad, maybe in another 5 years...
  
  
• So worth the wait
  By ADIY3IXY2FDJQ on 2008-09-17
  With this game being delayed for so long, it meant they were either making it better, or had no faith in it. Luckily for us gamers, they made it better. A lot of the gameplay reminds me of the XBOX (original) game, Obi-Wan. This game also has a free control where anything you can throw at your enemy, as well as destroy almost anything as well. I'm just starting being a few levels in, but as I keep upgrading my power, the game just gets more and more fun. Totally worth the 60 dollars and I'd recommend it to any of the Star Wars fans sick of the good side of the force, this is the dark side, baby!
  
  
• One of the best SW games ever
  By A2XEFWN9KXOBFO on 2008-09-18
  All of the graphics are great. It is a very smooth game, even though it has so much going on it does not have frame rate issues. It is by far one of the most entertaining games I have played this year.
  
  
• Good game despite the lukewarm reviews!
  By A92C5VO4UDJZP on 2008-09-22
  After reading many lukewarm reviews of the Force Unleashed, I was very hesitant to plunk down $60 to buy the game so I decided to rent it first. I have to say that I really enjoyed the game! Sure, there are places in the game (particularly during some of the boss battles) when the camera placement makes it difficult to follow the action, but 95 percent of the time I had no trouble with the camera. Also, I didn't mind that some of the enemies were immune from the force, since that just gave me more reason to improve my light saber skills. The story is excellent and I enjoyed it far more than episodes one through three. Once you beat the game, it also lets you start a new game with the same upgrades in force power and skill you accumulated in the previous game. There's nothing quite so satisfying as using the advanced force powers against the hapless storm troopers in the early levels!
  On the downside, the game is very short -- depending on the difficulty level, the game can be beaten in about 10 hours. There is also no multiplayer and the higher difficulty levels are insanely difficult. Finally, the game is very linear and the player's choice between two possible endings is rather perfunctory.
  In sum, I'm totally glad I gave the game a chance despite the reviews. I'm not certain whether the game is worth the full retail price, but I'll definitely purchase a copy at a used price.
  
  
  
• Amazing gameplay and story
  By AYBU7P8D4T5NU on 2008-09-17
  I just got this game today, I had previously downloaded the demo. This game is just amazing, all the powers of the force have been implemented flawlessly. The story, animation and gameplay is great and the new technology let's you see real physics and reactions from the dying opponents.
  
  Definitely a great move for Lucas and 1000 times better than those lego star wars!
  
  
• rental
  By A2FOZVHA7922QG on 2008-09-17
  George Lucas raids our pockets once again. The Force Unleashed looks incredible graphics-wise, but that's the best thing you can say about it. The controls are horrible, awkward, and unresponsive. Like the Clone Wars and random novels, yet another unwieldy and questionable story is somehow jammed in between the movies whether it fits or makes sense or not.
  
  
• Great Buy
  By A22N8KY2LH7RXX on 2008-09-18
  Great overall game. Very fun to play and upgrade your character. The story is pretty short providing about 8-10 hours of gameplay, but even if you are used to playing a game only once through you may find yourself going through the story multiple times trying to unlock all the extras like costumes and different sabres.
  
  The great feature of allowing you to keep all your force upgrades, costumes, and sabres, even after you complete the game the first time for your future go rounds on harder difficulties is very nice.
  
  The inability to skip cutscenes though can make future runs a bit of a long task.
  
  
• Apparently Cesar Milan was a QA tester for this game because The Force Unleashed is in fact quite leashed
  By A2MRHSZE1JNZVW on 2008-09-19
  Grabbing a stormtrooper with the Force, turning him into a Lightning Grenade by hitting him with Force Lightning, and causing him to explode by hurling him at a group of stormtroopers is incredibly satisfying. LucasArts highly anticipated next chapter in the Star Wars saga does a good job of making you feel like a Sith. It's hard not to feel Sithish when you flippantly toss someone off a cliff. It's hard not to geek out when you throw a TIE Fighter at somebody. These are all things the Force Unleashed does very, very right.
  
  You don't start off all-powerful. You've got to train, and by train I mean kill lots of people. The more flamboyant you're killing style, the more points you earn to level up. As you level up you choose how you wish to better yourself. Do you earn the ability to grab two enemies with Force Grip, or wait a level or two and power up your Force Lightning to damage multiple enemies. This is made even easier because when you die you go back to the last checkpoint but your points stay the same; so if you die repeatedly you'll gain more force points.
  
  The Force Unleashed has been touted as the next part of the Star Wars saga, and I'd consider this to be as canon as the Clone Wars cartoon and Shadows of the Empire. I thought the feel was right for a Star Wars chapter. The story takes place between ROTS and ANH and you do find out what some characters have been up to. As a Star Wars fan, I geeked out at some of the twists and plot points. The story makes playing through the game to completion worth it.
  
  As satisfying as killing stormtroopers and jawas is that could have been the whole game, but sadly it's not. You've got an assortment of abilities at your disposal with which to dispatch of enemies with. This makes killing the basic troopers and enemies a joy. Do you use a flurry of lightsaber attacks, throw your saber, bowl them into one another, or use the scenery, the possibilities are almost endless. The problem comes in with your more advanced enemies. Many of them are resistant to one or more of your Force powers for some reason (seriously, how does a Royal Guard block my Force Push?) so there's generally only one way to weaken them and when they show up it turns from a Vegas buffet (the Rio's buffet is my favorite) to airplane food choices. You just don't get those fantastic "Oh snap!" moments that make the other enemies so much fun.
  
  The bosses and mini-bosses are just cheap fights generally. Your awesome powers are pretty much negated and they block nearly all your attacks. They really just are battles of attrition. Most of them take place in two stages, so if you die on the second part you restart there while they're left with half health which makes them really easy and pretty much inconsequential. They all end in quicktime events with some fantastic action, but you've got to sit and watch for which button to press in a short window of time meaning you can't really watch them.
  
  It took me about eight and a half hours to beat this game over two days. The first day, I kept telling myself I'd quit after this level and just keep right on playing and couldn't put it down. On day two, I couldn't wait to get home from work to continue playing, but I learned that the second half of the game gets repetitive and more of the flaws start to show up. You start to deal with more and more advanced enemies and the level design really starts to wear on you. With the interior levels, being shuttled through corridors make sense, but it's 2008 and I've got a lightsaber how is a mushroom holding me back? The outdoor levels all feel the same and there's nothing of interest in them. The camera works for the most part. Except when fighting the larger enemies the camera is never back far enough to see them entirely. So get used to seeing the legs on an AT-ST, because that's all you can see unless you jump up. Most of the time you can't see these enemies health bar because of it so you don't know how much longer you need to keep whacking away at them. A lot of the enemies have ranged attacks that knock you back. They just happen to timed in such a manner that a lot of times you get knocked into a wall and as soon as you get up again, they're firing at you before you get a chance to move (I'm looking at your Purge Trooper).
  
  In the end I enjoyed my time with The Force Unleashed. They do a lot to keep you on the leash though. As much as they hyped DMM, you can't really destroy a lot of stuff. I can charge my Force Push up and bend a steel door, but a fully charged push won't defeat a stormtrooper. It's things like this which really lessen the "kick butt with the Force" ideal they had. When you're killing stormtroopers the game shines, but beyond that, it's very tame. Non Star wars fans probably wouldn't be as engrossed with the story and find the gameplay repetitive. As an action game it's above average, it doesn't have the polish of a God of War, though it does have the Force. You never know what you're going to get with Star Wars games and I thought this one was one of better ones. I fully admit my affinity for Star Wars probably made me enjoy this more than it was worth. I'm okay with that though because I grabbed a TIE Fighter and threw it at another TIE Fighter; and like so many moments of this game it was freaking awesome.
  
  
  
• Absurd Expectations!
  By A1BJQ04LDU8V97 on 2008-09-19
  The negative reviews were wrong. This game is amazing! The story is engaging. The graphics are superb. The action is top notch. I just can't understand how some could rip on this game. The story line for TFU blows all of the newer prequel movies out of the water. It's great to have that " original trilogy " feel again. I was a liitle disapointed that the game was short but I quickly got over that. There are sooooo many more pro's to this game than con's. I am really pleased that I decided to own it rather than rent it. This is a game that I will love to play over and over again. This game is definately worth the purchase. Enjoy!
  
  
  
• Another mediocre game with the Star Wars name.
  By A17SUUAXJQUH6T on 2008-09-16
  A long long time ago ...
  
  George Lucas created Lucas Arts, and from the moment of inception has produced some really lack-luster games. Of course, they have also produced some real gems - The Knights of the Old Republic and Tie Fighter come to mind, but The Force Unleashed is just another shovel ware produced by the studio - and this is truly a disappointment. In fact, knowing that most Star Wars games are bad, The Force Unleashed is really disappointing. After several delays we finally get to play as Darth Vader's secret apprentice. The story is classic Star Wars - Darth Vader discovers a young boy that has Force sensibility that mirror his own as a lad and trains him as an apprentice to over throw the Emperor. It takes place after Revenge of the Sith and before A New Hope and fills in all the details between the two films.
  
  The game isn't entirely bad. The effort put into the surroundings will place you squarely into the Star Wars universe with a genuine feel. But the gameplay sinks the game fast. The controls are sluggish and you'll find yourself falling into the dark abyss more often than not. The camera is jittery and makes it almost impossible to accurately use your force powers. You'll also notice that no matter how you build your character you'll never be able to simply overpower the enemy - and this is bad, since being a Sith you should be able to crush at least minor opponents. Speaking of which, the AI almost acts like no one is home ... I mean, you can literally stand in front of them and they'll do nothing.
  
  The game is also loaded with glitches that will hinder your advancement. The boss battles don't fit in with the story and more often than not, they're just pumped up enemies. The game has some ridiculously tedious aspects in it as well and you'll end up getting bored with them rather quickly. With so much hype surrounding this game, a gamer expects a game that utilizes the Star Wars franchise, not just bits and pieces from other areas pulled together and shoveled out.
  
  
• FOR KIDS
  By A2JZPBQCSRM92G on 2008-09-22
  My 3 boys could not wait for this game to come out!! I liked that it is easy enough for my 5 year old to play but it is also very repetitive which does get boring after awhile. When you fight the big bosses you'll find yourself pushing the same buttons over, over and over, to were my kids got bored with the fighting part and asked me to finish the game for them, just so that they could see the reset of movie.
  
  Even I got frustrated with many of the glitches, the screen would lock up, I would get stuck behind something were I couldn't move, and the controls are so slow!! Also they have the camera (were you can look around) on the right thumb stick, which is also the same thumb you use your light saber and force button was annoying. It was hard hitting someone then trying to turn around at the sametime.
  
  Other then the glitches, My kids ENJOYED the movie and they also Like the training area because they can try all the different techniques very easily and they really liked how they can change his light saber color and costume; stuff adults don't care about, but kids do.
  
  And after getting them through the entire game and seeing the whole movie they now enjoy playing the game. Because they don't have to do same thing over and over to get to the next level, they can now just jump to any level they want, it's a good game for kids once you past the glitches.
  
  
  
• Extremely Frustrating !!!
  By A7W3R6HDQD411 on 2008-09-24
  I only play a couple of hours a week, and enjoy games such as the Halo series, Gears of War and Mass Effect and this is what I have to say about this game. Cool force powers, good graphics and you get to see characters from the movies thats about it. The story is weak, the game play is repetitive and boring,the camera is horrible, fix the damn camera!!!!. I keep getting jumped from behind, I have to run in circles to see who is attacking me. Fix the damn Camera or add a Radar that makes sense. When you get to fight in enclosed spaces the camera gets so close you cant even see yourself, your attackers or what you are doing and then you end up killed or at the bottom of a cliff. Its really hard for me to undestand how can it take years to develop a game and still miss the basics this game in my opinion is garbage. I was looking forward to the release of this game and even pre-order it, so like the previous reviewer I am pissed !!!
  
  
• fun starwars, but way too little game for a lot of money.
  By A1ON2SNV0NCO72 on 2008-09-25
  I think this game is a good buy at 29.00. or less, but not $60. The reason is that the game is nothing really detailed or depth to it. It is running around killing anything that moves and moving on to the next mission. Although you can customize the abilities, they do not seem to make that much of a difference. As you go you unlock more abilities that make for more fun ways of killing the opponents, but even then, it is just more of the same. The game is very linear, and not that imaginative for a star wars game. You really just do not feel your a jedi any more than you feel your the god of war, since they both feel much the same, except this one has a light saber, and only half as good.
  
  In short, your money is better spent buying God Of War for less than half the price, and get more game.
  
  
• Another could have been great if ....
  By A1KKKLWV3I5RKT on 2008-10-07
  This game was a great Star Wars experience with too many moments of excruciating game play frustration. If it wasn't for the story cliff hangers to keep me going, I would have walked away from this game several times. Too many times I wanted to throw my controller. I would only recommend this game to a Star Wars fan. Assassins Creed had the sword fighting mechanic down perfect for me.
  
  The good: The art direction was great. The levels were dramatic and captured the Stars Wars atmosphere beautifully. The story was good and I enjoyed all the cut scenes. The QuickTime events were over-the-top once I could stop staring what button to press and actually watch it. Some the battles you get into are extremely fun when you can pull off some combos and use the light saber. The mini-boss fights were some of the favorite battles for me.
  
  The bad: The game play was enjoyable only about 60% of the time. It seemed to me that the actual game play was an add-on to the story/movie portions. The 40% part was frequently a tedious exercise in frustration. Why?
  
  1. Targeting, especially in a short range fight. It always picks some piece of junk instead of the enemy that your fighting or one that is about to attack you.
  2. Most of the levels, while beautiful, are just boxes. When they have an unfair amount of enemies/snipers so you end up using "glitch" behavior to get through them. There is no strategy only your ability to quickly kill them off to build your health faster than they can wear it down. Too much luck involved for survival.
  3. Once you get knocked down every enemy hits you just as you about to stand and you are soon dead. The sequence timing is terrible.
  4. Many times you re-spawn in front of enemies without your light saber ready. They get a couple shots in at you before you can defend yourself.
  5. The end-boss Jedi fights are in an exercise in tedium and frustration. I cruise along having a good time and then the end boss battle shows up and ruins everything. These should be the best and they are NOT. The fixed camera approach is terrible. The QuickTime events are the only good thing.
  6. Too many combos to remember and there is a long learning curve for the appropriate situation for many of them because you just use the ones that work for you. Rinse repeat.
  7. Looking for holicrons etc around the level is lame.
  8. Not enough save points.
  
  In summary this game is similar to Bioshock for me. Good story, beautiful design, and a variety of tools to fight with. It has many unique and enjoyable small events, but Jedi fails in the big picture - game play. I can't believe all these frustrations got by their game testers or they ignored them.
  
  I did finish it and I am working on the second try at the highest difficulty to see how more effective I can be with my fighting style and to pick up things I missed first time through. The only reason I continue to play is that there are not any other game out that interest me.
  
  
  

• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides)
• The Art and Making of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Star Wars)
• Lego Star Wars Death Star II
• LEGO Star Wars Imperial Dropship
• LEGO Star Wars Rebel Scout Speeder

• Fable II
• Gears of War 2
• Fallout 3
• Fable II, Limited Collector's Edition
• Call of Duty: World at War