Customer Reviews
Flawed but still worth it... - By: Troy Zanatoes, 16 Nov 2008 
Personally i bought this game purely & simply because i love star wars & i especailly love the games. With thatin mind i still love the game. The idea behind it is good the story isn't too bad(though its not the awe inspiring link between EP III & IV that people tote it as). The graphics could probably be better for the console power behind it but the locales are still gorgeous to look at especially the wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. To be honest its everything i expected it to be though which is good.
The bad part is though that its still fundamentally flawed by the same things that make many close combat games annoying. The fiddley close combat is made all the more worse by the fact that you can't block properly if your getting hit & there are several enemies within the game that are designed with one thingin mind & thats to swamp you with hand to hand weapons & just take itin turns to hit you with combos you can't block. I died several times playing this game from the most simple of things as i just couldnt possibly escape the corner id been pushed into. Exploding ranged attacks always seem to knock you over & then just the split second before your completely up again you get hit & knocked over again. And the targeting system for the force grip seems to only work when the game wants it to i spent valuable secondsin several fights waving the camera back & forth jsut trying to get a lock on a box to help my fight out a little & usually ended up dead for my sins. The camera system itself is annoying as nine times out of ten when firing lightening at an enemy it misses at the crucial moment because the camera is at a slight angle & doesnt adjust quickly enough.
However when these things do work & don't getin the way as they all seem to only a the most important moments this is a brilliant game. I'm literally playing my second play through as i write this & once you have all the powers the early levels are definitly a lot more fun overall.
This is definitly a hit or miss game, you either love it or hate it im afraid.
Not scruffy looking, but definitely a nerf-herder! - By: Anthony Reeves, 11 Nov 2008 
From screenshots, this looked like the star wars games were getting their mojo back. And for the occassional few minutes whilst playing the game, those beleifs were justified. However, this game isin no way represented well by its graphics. The graphics themselves are amazing, with character models looking spot-on & some really interesting textures appear throughout the game. However, the actual gameplay feels less like star wars & more like dynasty warriors with telekinesis. The ligtsaber itself, despite being able to 'cut' through walls like qui-gons, this is simply another graphical flourish & lightsaber combat feels more like hitting people with a baseball bat than slicing through them with one of the most powerful weaponsin the galaxy. This probably has something to do with making the game playablein terms of not killing every enemy within 2 seconds, but it still feels just plain wrong! The force powers themselves are the highlight of the game, & once you get some of the later upgrades, you feel more powerful than the Emperor himself...Well, at least you would if the enemiesin the later missions weren't invulnerable to your force attacks. Again, this will be because of the difficulty, butin a game thats greatest strength is the force, it feels wrong for them to be completely redundantin the final half of the game. This then leaves to resort to hitting people with your glowing baseball bat. One strength of hte game, however, is its story. I am not exagerating when I say that it is infinitely better than Episodes I & II combined, & includes some great twists & characterisation, even giving quite a fair amount of insight into Vaders & the Emperors dealings between Episodes III & IV. In fact, the storyin this game sets up the original trilogy & a hugely significant way.
To sum up, this game is generally fun to play but fails to deliver on alot of its early promise, although the story makes this an essential purchase for any Star Wars fan
Straightforward, but challenging - By: Pablo, 07 Nov 2008 I see many of the people's main criticism of this game is based on the linearity of the game. They tag this as a downfall of the game. That is an unfair review.
You cannot compare this game to kotor. It is NOT an rpg. It's an action game. And if you grade it as an action game, it actually fares pretty well.
Agreed, the plot is at times cliched & predictable but it is so well meshed into the movie's line without distorting the same while involving major characters that I couldn't repress a nod of respect for the writer.
As for the action, the controller problems are complete bogus on my co-reviewer's part. It takes getting used to, but the degree of liberty you are given implies a degree of complexity.
And the cutscenes, special events & boss fights are all pretty challenging. The combo moves to advance boss fights, while not original are still entertaining & well executed.
Allin all, this is a game for those who seek to have some fun whilst using a lightsaber & force powers to wreck the opposition. It doesn't go deep, & it's pretty straightforward but that is how the game is presented so it shouldn't be held against it.
Far from perfect but still enjoyable - By: Mr. N. Stevens, 02 Nov 2008 The Force Unleashed follows the story of Starkiller, the secret apprentice of Darth Vader (in the years between Episodes III & IVin the Star Wars universe). The game opens with Vader hunting a rogue Jedi on Kashyyyk. This search yields more than the destruction of this Jedi, revealing a much more powerful being who becomes Vader's apprentice.
The game's story is one of its strong points. Starkiller begins his career (some years later) as a Jedi hunter. He carries out Darth Vader's will to locate rogue Jedi around the galaxy, along with his pilot Juno Eclipse, & his training droid PROXY (who also acts as a sort of walking holo-communicator). But Starkiller soon develops misgivings about his orders, & leaves the dark side behind to rally the Empire's enemies...but not before layers of deception unfold. The voice acting is good, & each character's physical appearances & mannerisms are the best I have seenin any game before. The plot is a worthy addition into the Star Wars universe (although the hard-core fan would probably disagree). You'll also encounter some familiar characters along the way, including Princess Leia, & the Emperor himself.
Those who have played gamesin the Jedi Knight series will find that TFU has a very familiar set up, with the exception that the only weapon available is a lightsaber (and let's face it, it's the most fun anyway). You can also throw you lightsaber, with it boomeranging back to you (taking out a few enemies on the way), & unleash a variety of different combos.
But although there are similar force powersin the Jedi Knight series, what sets this game apart is the magnitude of which the force is used. TFU allows you to grab objects (like a barrel, for instance) & shift them aroundin any direction you desire. You can use this to build platforms, or them it into a flying weapon. The system isn't perfect, however. There are a few targeting issues, & things won't always go where you want them to. A flying object is great, but it's highly annoying when it goes completelyin the wrong direction. Regardless, using this force grip talent on enemies is highly amusing - but make sure you them move them away from other objects while doing it, or they'll try to grab on!
If you have a large army converging on you, use force push to send them flying, or use it to blast open a door. Electrocute your enemies with force lightning, or send everyone & everything flying with force repulse. You'll also need the force to bend, distort or shape objectsin each levelin order to advance beyond them. TFU puts the forcein your control, but keep an eye on the amount of force power you have left. This will replenish over time.
The levels themselves are the recognisable Star Wars style, with a few locations from the movies making appearances (Bespin, Felucia & a pre-constructed Death Star). The game is completely linear, (which has been criticised, but who said it was going to be an RPG?) but completing bonus objectives, collecting force points, & using the force itself increases your level (which enables you to upgrade Starkiller's skills) The Jedi "Holocrons" dotted around the levels might grant you a new lightsaber crystal (changing the colour or effect of your lightsaber) or a new costume for Starkiller. One thing I'm not a fan of is respawning enemies, & this is a common occurrencein a lot of levels. Though the advantage of this is that when you defeat an enemy, your heath is increased. However, this is the only way of increasing your health, unless you happen to stumble upon a Holocron (there are also Sith Holocrons that can replenish your health, increase damage, unlimited force power, etc).
Boss fights, however, can get a little bit frustrating. With no enemiesin sight, there's no way you can replenish your health, & there doesn't seem to be any respite when you get knocked down or get back onto your feet either. After defeating a boss you must press a sequence of buttonsin order to finish them...quite cool if you're fighting a Jedi or Sith. This can be done also with recurring bosses (Such as an AT-ST or Rancor) when they have only a little bit of energy left.
TFU is far from perfect. It's a lot of fun, but there are some frustrating parts (including the Star Destroyer sequence...oh God), & it's evident that not all the bugs have been ironed out. But a lot was expected of this game & it has delivered somewhat with a decent effort. So while this could have essentially been a spin-off to the Jedi Knight series, TFU is probably a good indication as to what is to come, & serves up a respectable gamein the mean time.
It's good, but it's no KOTOR. - By: Ian Tapley, 30 Oct 2008 THE STORY:
Darth Vader has secretly been training an apprentice & now unleashes him against the few Jedi remainingin hiding throughout the galaxy. However, betrayal is the way of the Sith & the apprentice mayin fact be the catalyst which destroys Vader & his own Master.
WHAT'S GOOD:
This game has lots of elements which are great. The graphics are brilliant & the physics engines used (the programming of which led to the game's 12-month delay) are even better. A lot of effort has been taken over the story here too, as well as the characterisation & animation of the main characters (General Kota remains a favourite of mine). Combine those elements with lightsaber-based violence & the sound of Darth Vader's mechanical breathing & you've got something special.
WHAT'S BAD:
Sadly the game is just too damn short. I completed itin just two days. It is also robbed of replay (and therefore financial) value by the fact that there's really only two endings, despite the 'dozens of possible endings' we were led to expect, & that choice only comes on the last level. Also, the action is, ultimately, very repetetive & this once again reduces the replay potential. The final annoyance is that you don't even get the lightsaber duel mode or the Jedi Temple levelin the 360 version (which is supposed to be the definitive version).
OVERALL:
An enjoyable romp through the darker side of Star Wars, but lackingin both complexity & sustainability. My advice? Stick with KOTOR all the way baby!
