The Farce Unleashed
With a very promising concept, a presumably gargantuan budget and a great license, it’s hard to see how Lucasarts could possibly fail with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. On paper it seems like the epitome of Star Wars games, yet somehow, it falls a little short.
The Force Unleashed takes place right in the middle of the two trilogies (the good movies and the not-so-good movies). The player takes the role Starkiller, a Sith apprentice who after being adopted by Lord Vader becomes a secret agent of sorts. He’s sent out across the galaxy to kick Jedi ass accompanied only by a sassy female pilot (who knew the Empire even had female staff!). But not even a blonde with a British accent can save Starkiller from the horrible gameplay he’s about to suffer through.
While I must admit that the demo left me craving for more, nothing could’ve prepared me for the chaos that is The Force Unleashed’s gameplay. The controls are strange and uncooperative, you’re constantly thrown back and to the ground by all kinds of weird bastardizations of the good ol’ Storm Trooper and I even grew so frustrated that I took every chance I got to just dash through the levels. Here’s a tip, Lucasarts: if your players prefer to avoid the combat over spending time to learn combos and play around with force powers, something’s horribly wrong!
I was almost prepared to just drop the controller, return the game and punch the store clerk in the face, but something kept me playing. Yes, the good thing about The Force Unleashed is the overall quality of the story and the cutscenes. While the graphics aren’t top notch, the cinematics make with what they have and deliver some competent acting with pretty good directing. What you have is a pretty decent Star Wars story that kind of makes you wish that the rest of the game was as good.
It’s a shame, really, but I’ll leave this review with a word of encouragement: Lucasarts, you’re not fully there with this game, but please keep trying.
