A long time ago………..in a galaxy far far away (erh, well, not really) it was announced that Lucas Arts is secretly working on a Darth Vader based Star Wars game. Then certain tech demonstrations and concept/target CGIs were shown showcasing next gen technology like Euphoria and Digital Molecular Matter. The idea of using such impressive visual tools coupled with Force powers and the most confused Sith Lord at our disposal, we couldn’t help but get excited over this game. The development got a little silent and very little was shown of this Star Wars “working title” over the next year. We even wondered if the game has turned to the darkside (read: canned) but then information regarding game’s mysterious plot and central character started to flow. The game looked pretty close to its target renders and it started to become a must buy for SW fans. We were all curious about its plot, as to how it tied in with the trilogies and how come a Jedi/Sith is using lightning powers with a non-red lightsaber.
The primary attraction of this game was its plot and its connection with the first trilogy. Then, there were modern gizmos at work like Euphoria (which Lucas Art devs dubbed too power hungry to be ported to PC – duh) and Digital Molecular matter, giving objects physical properties. Metals bend, wood splinters and glass shatters…and that’s exactly what we’d want them to do when we unleash the force upon them. However, as its release came nearer, the journalists realized that the stiff controls haven’t been tuned yet which should’ve been fixed by then. By the time the demo went online, the game had started to get mixed reactions, very similar to Darth Vader’s emotions. Claims started to surface which suggested that Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has the most accurate abbreviation (T.F.U). And lightsabers STILL didn’t cut (T rating sucks).
So will I, in this review, tell you that all journalists are not bribed enough or are liars and this is the best game ever made? Well, not exactly.
All videogame aspects of TFU are mediocre. It seems like they got two discrete teams for this game. One got to make the whole game and others worked on its cinematic side. There’s a stark contrast in qualities between these two aspects of the game. Where the plot, script, characters and design (except for Senator Organa, who looks just like he did in Episode III even after 25 years), voice-overs, music, cinematics and story are wonderful and tie in beautifully with the original trilogy; the in-game visuals (inconsistent…varies from PS2 like to breathtaking) , menu system (loading in between menus?! THE HORROR), responsiveness, camera and aiming system are a total mess.
This might not mean much to some people, but I prefer cinematics to be rendered in real-time, no matter how bad they look compared to pre-rendered CGIs. This aspect is specially important in games where your character’s outlook can be customized. Darth Vader’s Apprentice (Starkiller)’s appearance can be altered in the game. His clothing can be changed (almost all his attires are pretty cool) and so can the color of his light saber (there’s that Sammy J purple lightsaber and a really cool Black Light Saber too…that’s uber elite) but alas, all these customizations mean nothing during cinematics since all the clips are pre-rendered. It kinda breaks up the flow of narration and continuity.
This actually is a really minute thing compared to what I’m gonna complain about now: The menu system. To put it simply, the menus are broken. There is loading…..5 to 10 seconds of SIGNIFICANT loading interval between different sections of the menu irrespective of whether you make any changes or not! Considering that the custom leveling up of force powers is done through the menu and it can be rather frequently used so it does tend to become a nuisance.
These two points aside and this game is bliss for die hard Star Wars fans. The voice cast are obviously not from the movies but they’re quite believable and get the job done perfectly. The cutscenes have been nicely directed and acted. The lip synch is believable but if they were going for pre-rendered, then they should’ve gone all the way (SquareEnix style) instead of using the in game engine to pre-render it. Perhaps they didn’t want the transition from cutscenes to gameplay to be really significant, but they failed at it IMO. The game’s story hold significant importance and a strong tie in with the movies, specially “A New Hope”, so much so that it gives meaning to the title of Episode 4 – which starts almost immediately after TFU. This is a reason alone for any Star Wars fan (specially fan of the original trilogy) to buy this game…or at least rent it.
Let's shift our focus on Digital Molecular Matter and Euphoria. Wonder wonderful pieces of technology that were supposed to be the highlight of this game. Executed poorly. Their introduction in TFU only made objects inconsistent. It would’ve been better if they had been left out completely because when one tree splinters and other is more solid than a rock wall, it feels utterly stupid. Same goes for Euphoria. Normally, things get so hectic and the force powers are so strong, havoc takes over before Euphoria is even implied though it did feel childishly awesome pushing enemies off over railings and cliff edges. And if you managed to push a trooper (or even the larger foes) near enough an edge….they’ll stumble, try to regain their balance and fall down into the abyss.
These two technologies can be extremely fun, that’s the least we could say. But they’re better off in sandbox environments. The main dislike for Force Unleashed shoots from the expectation of a sandbox style game, which TFU is anything but. The linearity and “scripted use” of force powers take away any sense of accomplishment. For example DMM is applied on a wooden checkpost which stands on wooden pillars. You’re BOUND to use the force powers to destroy it because it’s coolest that way. But for me, it would’ve felt a thousand times cooler if I could easily grab a big boulder and smash its base causing it to collapse. No, I can’t because there’s no DMM on its base pillars which are ALSO made of wood. Perhaps high grade wood or something. Whatever.
The environments and settings are lavishly detailed and extensively vary in their styles depending on which planet or star ship you are. The ambience animations and “life” around you truly makes you feel a part of the Star Wars universe. This is expansively aided by the aural exquisiteness of your surroundings. Most of the sound samples appear to be taken straight from the movies, which is a great thing. The lightsaber static, the swishing sounds and humming are unmistakable for their movie counter parts. And the dynamic music feels extraordinary and well scripted for the scenes, both in game and cut scenes. Wonderful stuff and a tribute to the brilliance that is Star Wars.
Gameplay is the core of any videogame. You can throw in a Shakespeare class story and Shrek class graphics but if moving a ferret feels like moving a tank, the videogame fails. The Force Unleashed is a mixed bag. At times, the level of entertainment it delivers is exhilarating and other times, the frustration is beyond measure. Whenever you try to be specific about performing a certain action, you’re bound to get frustrated. You may blame the targeting system (no aim cursor here), or the camera system or the lack of connection between them. I think it was the game’s design. The devs probably didn’t want us to be very precise with our actions. So that makes it a button masher, right? Correct. You start running and jumping and start using your powers at random and you’ll end up doing mind blowing stuff. That’s entertaining but that also leaves this game with a lot of lost potential. Then the biggest issues come in: the parts of the game where your actions have to be precise. That’s where frustration might kick in. The higher the difficulty level, the greater the frustration because every time you fail you’ll feel that if you had more freedom, you could’ve easily owned the bastard who caused your death. For me, the most frustrating sequence of the game (ironically dubbed “The Force Unleashed” by the devs) was where I had to bring down an entire Star Destroyer single handedly (using both hands though). That sequence should be renamed as The Frustration Unleashed. Honestly, I had thought of giving up playing the game at this point. However, I was finally able to bring it down. The game only got insanely difficult after it.
The focus was primarily on force powers in this game. No wonder this is called the Force Unleashed. Perhaps they’ll make another game and call it “The Lightsaber Unleashed” in which they’ll emphasize more on the Jedi’s weapon of choice. Not in this game though. The coolest uses of lightsaber came during boss fights and boss fights were, thus, the most enjoyable parts of this game for me. Specially the one on one force locking, light bursting, saber burning head to head mega duels with the purest of the Jedis and evilest of Siths. I won’t talk about the bosses here, for the sake of spoilers but the finale was outstanding. The challenge was up there as you’d expect from a final fight (actually, the fight before the final one) and you had to rely on every single skill you had learnt throughout the course of the game to survive it. But again, if you ever tried to be specific about anything, you’ll feel frustrated. There were a couple of lame bosses as well which were less fun than the mini bosses. All boss and mini boss fights came to an end with a sequence of QTEs which felt stiff and extremely punishing but then again, you just need these QTEs when you want something extremely dramatic to happen and maintain user interaction. Again, nothing extraordinary here. All these systems have been done before in a much better way in other games.
Conclusion:
Let’s make it simple. Try to answer the following five questions:
- Why do Sith have red lightsabers?
- What signifies the color of a lightsaber?
- Name of Han Solo’s ship?
- What’s the Order 66?
- The Clone Wars were fought between which two factions?
Presentation: 7.5
The game had fantastic Star Wars caliber presentation, only to be ruined by the loading and menu system.
Graphics: 8
At times it looks unbelievably gorgeous. But the bar's been raised. AAA games look better than this.
Gameplay: 7.5
The technology used in this game is best i na sandbox style game. Try to be precise about your actions and you'll give in to the dark side.
Sound: 8.5
Nothing new here but the sequencing of original Star War scores and sound library made it above average.
Lasting Value: 7
This game is an ultimate rental and even that for Star War fans. It's nice mindless fun for button mashers, kids would love it and Star Wars collectors will keep it just for certain moments of the game.
Overall: 7.5
I felt drawn to the game and once the Star Wars theme kicked in with the crawl leading up to me controlling Darth Vader, I though all reviewers are gone made. By the time I was through this game, I realized how right everyone is. You may fall in love with certain parts of the game, but the sum of all parts is a mediocre experience.
May the force be with you.
(Mighty awesome wish for someone who’s suffering from constipation)
Last edited:
