Power of 'The Force Unleashed'

Fun fact: part of the reasoning behind my gamertag (F0RCEFL0W) was so I'd look cool playing "Star Wars" games online. Haven't had much of an occasion for that, so I'm left with a cool and mysterious name that implies either "The Force Flows", "Forceful rapping technique", or "Heavy urination/menstruation".

"The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition" was a Christmas present from my brother. It came in a classy tin with two discs and art prints. Real classy stuff. Disc one contains the original game, while disc two holds the bonus levels and downloadable content. This is pretty much everything ever released for TFU for only $30. Impressive... most impressive.

TFU is a third-person hack-n-slash. There are combos to memorize, upgrade points to spend, and boss patterns to memorize. Simply running into a room full of stormtroopers may seem like a blue milk run for the galaxy's most powerful Force user. However, this isn't the "Star Wars" you know from the movies. Every enemy has more hitpoints than they should and will make you pay for every missed saber swing.


The Light Side
Excellent cutscenes, and by extension, excellent acting overall. My only problems were inclusion of veteran "Star Wars" voice actor Tom Kane, who always sounds like Tom Kane no matter who he portrays (ala Seth Green). The voice of Darth Vader wasn't quite right, either. Seriously, you can't digitally add some bass in there postproduction?

The game doesn't ground itself too heavily in the reality of the "Star Wars" universe. As a fan, I found this refreshing; it's pure escapist fun, and you don't have to worry about it screwing up the "Star Wars" canon (which it would, very badly, if you took it literally).

You get to show Old Ben Kenobi what's up. What's your certain point of view now, you old fossil? Who's the more foolish now, huh?! And yes, he does become more powerful (though not more than I could possibly imagine) after death. You can still mop Docking Bay 94 with his non-corporeal butt, though. And Boba Fett finally gets to shine as a badass, instead of getting whacked by a blind dude with a pole. RIP, Boba and Obi-Wan.


"I'll book your flight to Alderaan... on the Asswhoop Express!"

The Dark Side
Quicktime events are plentiful, but are pretty forgiving. At best, they serve as a mediator between gameplay and cutscenes. At worst, they do all the cool moves for you. It's like the game doesn't want you to feel left out. Still, I'd rather do without them.

The gameplay broke in three key locations: first, the section where you pull a Star Destroyer out of the sky is such a bitch that I had to switch to Easy just to beat it. Second, rapidly pressing the B button to counteract a Force power simply wouldn't work no matter how rapidly I pressed it. Third, I had to restart the Darth Vader boss fight because he just stood there and wouldn't take any damage.

The bosses are challenging, but almost too much so. I've had my ass whooped by Luke Skywalker one too many times on Hoth in the "What If Alternative Dark Side Expansion Mission."

The Verdict

Is the "The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition" your destiny? That depends. Gamers who aren't fans of "Star Wars" will likely find it boring. Fans will notice the flaws, but enjoy the overall experience. The price is right, and you'll find more to enjoy than hate in TFU. If not, there's always the sequel...


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