Star Wars: Force Unleashed - X360 Review

[Originally published in Forge Press:Issue 2]
By Brendan Caldwell

To sum up the gameplay of Star Wars: Force Unleashed in three words: shit gets broken. Windows, spaceships, ribs. They all get smashed to tiny little bits. Sometimes they explode. Extensive research has shown that explosions are always cool, with the exception of those that actually happen. You will be pleased to learn that none of the explosions that happen in Force Unleashed are historically accurate. Ergo, every explosion in the new Star Wars game is cool.

Now that the rough science is out of the way, the game itself can be considered. SW:FU, aside from sounding like an insulting internet acronym, is a really enjoyable game. The story is set between the third and forth episodes and centres on the actions of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, the lovingly named Starkiller.

As Darth’s tea-bitch you’re sent on various missions to root out the last of the trouble-making Jedi scattered over the galaxy. They haven’t been paying their protection moneys or something and Mr Vader would like you to rough them up a bit. Like, until they die. But seeing as you’re no ordinary goon, you don’t have to use blasters or baseball bats. Starkiller gets his own shiny lightsaber and a collection of destructive force powers which you can use to cripple enemy soldiers and solve an occasional puzzle-ish thing.

If you’re a Star Wars fan you’ll probably have dreamed of wielding the powers of the force at some point in your life. If you aren’t a Star Wars fan, then you won’t be reading this and I can use this opportunity to insult your mum. She’s fat.

The force is presented incredibly in the game. Using force grip to hurl an enemy through a window into deep space is almost as satisfying as watching his comrades get sucked out after him by the loud, rushing vacuum that has been created. A blast shield closes and the window is sealed. Stormtroopers float off into the great black, spinning recklessly toward some distant star. You will giggle.

The level design is, in short, astounding. In shorter: wow. One level will see you explore the stomach of a Sarlacc, that thing what ate Boba Fett in Return of the Jedi. The detail of this huge monster’s intestines is just one of the many triumphs by the games design team. Unfortunately, there are a few platforming sections that feel like they belong in Super Mario 64. And some of the levels are recycled later in the game, giving a disappointing sense of déjà vu.

There are obviously other flaws. Boss battles can be stupidly frustrating on higher difficulties and the inclusion of quicktime events – where you have to press certain buttons in time with your actions – can be annoying when they pop up mid battle. And although the animation following this will look cool, you’ll get bored by the tenth time you see it. It’s a short game and it isn’t perfect but any game that lets you throw a spaceship at someone using just your mind is pretty damn solid.

[out of five]