This is a big accomplishment for me. Graev can (and undoubtedly will) attest to the fact that I rarely, if ever, finish console games. I’ve gotten 3/4 of the way through some console games and set them down without a second thought. Today I finished Star Wars: The Force Unleashed! It was AWSOME! I’m a big Star Wars fan – have been all my life. This game brings the story full circle through officially approved story dubbed canon by George himself.
The gameplay is excellent although frustrating at times. Through upgrades that you gain when leveling and collecting holocrons you are able to learn more combos, upgrade stats, and improve your force abilities. You get everything from force lightning to force repulse (an ability where you send out a force wave in all directions). There’s saber throwing, force grip, throwing people, breaking doors, and all sorts of physics. The story is, by far, the best part in my opinion but this gameplay is definitely capable of sustaining someone looking for great saber fights and action. The boss fights are fantastic, the cutscene-like combat makes finishing off a boss really fun, and entertaining beyond just a simple slash n’ kill.
A few downsides are the camera, which can be funky at times, and some of the enemies that can be frustratingly intelligent. Yes, I admit it, there were some mobs that I had to knock down with a force push and sprint away from. While still upgrading my abilities I found the dark trooper looking guys (the bigger stormtroopers with blue rockets) to be absolutely intense when they get in groups of 2+.
That’s all I’m going to say about it. Get it if you haven’t and enjoy! Oh, and I played the Xbox 360 version.
I agree the story was good and fit in really well if you did the light side ending. I do, however, think the apprentice looked cooler in Soul Calibur IV though. There were also some annoying parts, but overall, the game was solid. I’m like you, barely finish a console game.
Keen, do you know when the pc version is going to be released?
Nah, I think I’ll give this a miss rather play Dead Space or some FIFA 09.
No clue on the PC version, and yeah the light side was definitely the best. You don’t know what you’re missing DM!
so you like the fact that light sabers cant kill worht shit in that game and that you can pick up a storm trooper, toss him at a tie fighter and the tight fighter explodes like it was made out of c4? 😛 personally i thought the game was a bad joke. true the CG and story is the only good thing. now if they could have just removed the game play 😛
My saber killed plenty! I used my saber lightning combos to kill most everyone. As for the Storm Trooper killing a Tie… I believe it, but I never saw it. I never had to thought to try it. *shrug* I usually threw lightning charges chunks of metal at them.
‘You don’t know what you’re missing DM!’
I think I do, played the demo & it was a drab affair. With it taking 3/4 hits with a lightsaber before a stormtropper can be stopped, I knew the game experience had been wasted on poor development.
well i perfer Outcast and Academy. Atleast when my light saber high a arm they loose the arm 😛 i ddidnt have to wack at a enemy 20 times with a light saber just to make them fall down… Ha! Funny how a light saber can cut into doors but flesh is so much harder ;P
I watch people play this at my work all the time (work at a gaming cafe), I also have it at home but haven’t tried it out yet myself. It’s really cool looking and I’ll play it eventually but with Fallout 3, Silent Hill Homecoming, Dead Space all hitting me last week/this week plus WAR on top of them all I can’t see myself playing it anytime soon.
@DM Osbon: My saber always killed Storm Troopers in 1 hit – always. Now, the more advanced storm troopers with armor and power shields took more. I don’t know what demo you played.
@Elspath: If they had dismemberment then the game would be Mature and not capable of reaching the audience.
The game wasn’t meant to be ultra realistic… this is Star Wars guys. It’s a GAME! C’mon now. I’ve played Jedi Academy and it takes several blaster shots to kill a guy – heck even multiple rockets. I’ve played Fallout 3 and you can shoot a guy six times and he’s still up and moving. In MMORPGS it takes dozens of sword swings and even dozens of direct hit arrows to bring down a boar, or a snake, or an orc. That’s because these are GAMES. They’re meant to provide entertainment. Killing everything with one swing of your lightsaber would have you guys coming back here saying “the game is too easy I can kill everything in one hit!”. 😉
What I’ve been wondering is if you acquire the same skills every time you play through the game. Is it like Oblivion or other RPGs where you have to choose a focus (lightsaber, force push, etc)? Even if it was only the order in which you acquire skills in the game, that would add replay value.
I think if you find every secret holocron you’ll be able to get every upgrade but that would be by the end of the game. There’s definitely replay value in that regard because the order that you get your skills would determine which ones are worth using.
For example, this time around I went heavy force lightning for most of the game. Not until the end were my saber combos purchased/upgraded. If I replayed next time I would go mostly sabers. Then there’s the force pushes, knockbacks, grips, etc.
There’s also replayability in the difficulty modes. Several of them that I can’t imagine playing on the hardest difficulty. Then there’s the storyline ending.
Overall, it doesn’t have amazing replay value but it has some.
Remind me how old the star wars movies are again? 😛
4-6 came out in 77-83 and 1-3 came out 99-2005.