Post by SeraphMazrakiel on Sept 24, 2008 3:12:05 GMT -5
At the end of last week, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was released here in New Zealand. Following is my review of the PlayStation 3 version.
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It goes without saying that The Force Unleashed is one of the games that Star Wars fans have been looking forward to for a long time. I'll admit that, with every Star Wars game that comes out... all we really wanna do is kick ass with The Force. We just wanna blow things up and ruin Imperial faces. And, for the most part, that's what The Force Unleashed is about.
As has been stated on numerous game sites the world over... you control Darth Vader's secret apprentice, during the time period between the Prequel Trilogy and the Original Trilogy. And if you'd think that the story wouldn't fit into the main canon as set forth by the movies... you'd end up being wrong. If there's anything that definitely deserves praise in The Force Unleashed, it's the storyline. It fits so naturally into the main Star Wars storyline, I'd recommend playing through it if you end up doing a Star Wars movie marathon. I'd even go so far as to class it as Star Wars Episode 3.5... The Force Unleashed is definitely the missing link the series has been waiting for. The way the plot comes together from the is just... satisfying. Completely, and entirely satisfying.
Gameplay-wise... the game is pretty fun, but unfortunately marred by bugs and glitches; not to mention other gameplay exploitations that at times seem unfair or irritating. Controlling your character is easy enough, and using your Force powers is fluid. Your Force powers are directly assigned to numerous buttons... so Force Grip is one button, while Force Lightning is another, Force Push is another, etc. It's a system that works well - as opposed to selecting what Force Power you want to use and pressing a 'Use Force Power' button, for instance. The controls for moving things around with the Force are natural and work well - most of the time. There's nothing more satisfying than gripping a Stormtrooper with the Force and flicking him mercilessly into the sky... or detaching a TIE Fighter from it's hangar and hurtling it at your foes, bowling any poor troopers out of the way. With numerous things to pick up, there are usually many ways to beat your foes - limited only by your imagination... and the poor targeting system.
While the game's camera system works 90% of the time, you'll find yourself in occasional targeting hell. This also happens when using your Force Grip power - you'll flick the analog controller in one direction, thinking it's going to hit a particular target... when, much to your dismay, you end up flicking it at something else VERY CLOSE to what you were aiming for (or, in some cases, at absolutely nothing entirely). Moments like these break the absolute joy that is to be found in hurtling oversized rocks at your foes - especially when all you want to do is unleash the Force.
Also, targeting most objects that are slightly far away... is not a happening thing. It's a bit unfortunate, because when the system works it's absolutely fantastic.
One of the other issues is that, as you progress through the game... most of the Force powers you use for 'fun' become unusable. In particular, the large Purge Trooper (based on the Dark Trooper Project from Dark Forces) is invulnerable to your Force Grip and Force Push abilities. Some of the other troops you fight later on in the game are also armed with shields that nullify Force attacks. The majority of the game's fun revolves around the creative ways you can deal to your foes... and when you toss in foes capable of resisting your powers, it inhibits that freedom; that creative aspect of the game that makes it so cool. Sure, you can run up to these guys and lay waste to them with your lightsaber, but wouldn't you rather charge up the Force and unleash it in a wave of fury, sending your foe flying face first into a cliff?
More than anything, the game suffers from numerous glitches. During one portion of the game, you take on three rancor beasts, along with other numerous little creatures. The first time round, I got a bit wasted. Fair enough. The second time 'round, I managed to defeat all three but still had some of the little guys to take care of... but unfortunately, when I attacked, the game glitched and stranded me in one position. I couldn't move, nor attack, use my Force powers... or BLOCK. I basically had to sit there and wait for the AI to kill me. This happened a couple of times, surprisingly. Other times, I've gotten stuck while jumping to other ledges - I didn't quite make it and got stuck in the falling motion. Another time I fell into some lava and didn't actually die like I was supposed to - but I couldn't get back up either. Unfortunately, the game doesn't have a "Restart from last checkpoint" like God of War does... so I had to quit the game (which meant waiting for it to load the main menu) and then reload it from the last saved point (more loading times).
I also had to fight one boss five particular times. Not because he kicked my butt; I right and royally pwned him. But the game was always suffering glitches when I got him down to half health or something else. Really frustrating.
Not to mention, sometimes the game is just unforgiving. Especially in the later levels, you'll find none of your attacks land, while you're getting knocked over every two seconds. Furthermore, while you're lying on the ground, you're completely vulnerable to all other attacks. That's not usually something I'd complain about... but in this game, it just seemed unfair that one attack hits you and then all of a sudden you get pummelled by a wave of laser blasts and, hello, your health is half-drained.
The game also suffers from some long loading times. If you want to upgrade your Force powers, it takes a fair chunk of time to do so, because it has to load your Force Powers menu and then, once complete, return you to your game. This also applies for changing your lightsaber characteristics and other small things that, let's be honest, shouldn't require loading at all.
The last thing, while only a minor thing, is with some of the larger kills. Destroying the likes of AT-STs and Rancors can ONLY be accomplished through those button mini-games action games are so renowned for now. Even if you get their health down to absolute zero, a pitiful AT-ST HAS to be destroyed by a mini-game; you can't just electrify it into submission. While some of the ways you deal with AT-STs are cool... there's no freedom as to how you might want to dispose of it - I've always been partial to crushing them into a ball with the Force. But you HAVE to do what the minigame says... which is usually slicing the thing in two. I don't mind it... sorta... but it just, there's no freedom as to how you want to finish these things off. Surely, they could take a cue from the God of War handbook and start a 'throw' on it, but then allow you to choose whether you want to crush it into a ball or slice it cleanly in two?
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When the game behaves, The Force Unleashed is great to play. It just, feels very unpolished, unfinished. It all started so well, without any glitches and promising a fun ride. Towards the middle, though, the game reared its ugly side. The game is pretty short too... to be quite frank, it's probably only worth a rent.
However, the fun parts are extremely fun. Nothing beats clearing out a corridor of Stormtroopers with a single wave of the Force (which of course, sends them flying into all manner of destructible objects too!). Most of the time, the controls are fluid and the game responds as you'd expect. Plus, with the ability to replay any level you please (the first level is so much fun when you're a super Sith of doom!), the game is more fun the second time around (though the replay value is limited to about that). Star Wars fans should definitely add this to their collection, while those simply waiting for God of War III to be released should probably hold off until it gets cheaper... or perhaps give the game a rent.
I rate this game 7.6/10.
-------------------
It goes without saying that The Force Unleashed is one of the games that Star Wars fans have been looking forward to for a long time. I'll admit that, with every Star Wars game that comes out... all we really wanna do is kick ass with The Force. We just wanna blow things up and ruin Imperial faces. And, for the most part, that's what The Force Unleashed is about.
As has been stated on numerous game sites the world over... you control Darth Vader's secret apprentice, during the time period between the Prequel Trilogy and the Original Trilogy. And if you'd think that the story wouldn't fit into the main canon as set forth by the movies... you'd end up being wrong. If there's anything that definitely deserves praise in The Force Unleashed, it's the storyline. It fits so naturally into the main Star Wars storyline, I'd recommend playing through it if you end up doing a Star Wars movie marathon. I'd even go so far as to class it as Star Wars Episode 3.5... The Force Unleashed is definitely the missing link the series has been waiting for. The way the plot comes together from the is just... satisfying. Completely, and entirely satisfying.
Gameplay-wise... the game is pretty fun, but unfortunately marred by bugs and glitches; not to mention other gameplay exploitations that at times seem unfair or irritating. Controlling your character is easy enough, and using your Force powers is fluid. Your Force powers are directly assigned to numerous buttons... so Force Grip is one button, while Force Lightning is another, Force Push is another, etc. It's a system that works well - as opposed to selecting what Force Power you want to use and pressing a 'Use Force Power' button, for instance. The controls for moving things around with the Force are natural and work well - most of the time. There's nothing more satisfying than gripping a Stormtrooper with the Force and flicking him mercilessly into the sky... or detaching a TIE Fighter from it's hangar and hurtling it at your foes, bowling any poor troopers out of the way. With numerous things to pick up, there are usually many ways to beat your foes - limited only by your imagination... and the poor targeting system.
While the game's camera system works 90% of the time, you'll find yourself in occasional targeting hell. This also happens when using your Force Grip power - you'll flick the analog controller in one direction, thinking it's going to hit a particular target... when, much to your dismay, you end up flicking it at something else VERY CLOSE to what you were aiming for (or, in some cases, at absolutely nothing entirely). Moments like these break the absolute joy that is to be found in hurtling oversized rocks at your foes - especially when all you want to do is unleash the Force.
Also, targeting most objects that are slightly far away... is not a happening thing. It's a bit unfortunate, because when the system works it's absolutely fantastic.
One of the other issues is that, as you progress through the game... most of the Force powers you use for 'fun' become unusable. In particular, the large Purge Trooper (based on the Dark Trooper Project from Dark Forces) is invulnerable to your Force Grip and Force Push abilities. Some of the other troops you fight later on in the game are also armed with shields that nullify Force attacks. The majority of the game's fun revolves around the creative ways you can deal to your foes... and when you toss in foes capable of resisting your powers, it inhibits that freedom; that creative aspect of the game that makes it so cool. Sure, you can run up to these guys and lay waste to them with your lightsaber, but wouldn't you rather charge up the Force and unleash it in a wave of fury, sending your foe flying face first into a cliff?
More than anything, the game suffers from numerous glitches. During one portion of the game, you take on three rancor beasts, along with other numerous little creatures. The first time round, I got a bit wasted. Fair enough. The second time 'round, I managed to defeat all three but still had some of the little guys to take care of... but unfortunately, when I attacked, the game glitched and stranded me in one position. I couldn't move, nor attack, use my Force powers... or BLOCK. I basically had to sit there and wait for the AI to kill me. This happened a couple of times, surprisingly. Other times, I've gotten stuck while jumping to other ledges - I didn't quite make it and got stuck in the falling motion. Another time I fell into some lava and didn't actually die like I was supposed to - but I couldn't get back up either. Unfortunately, the game doesn't have a "Restart from last checkpoint" like God of War does... so I had to quit the game (which meant waiting for it to load the main menu) and then reload it from the last saved point (more loading times).
I also had to fight one boss five particular times. Not because he kicked my butt; I right and royally pwned him. But the game was always suffering glitches when I got him down to half health or something else. Really frustrating.
Not to mention, sometimes the game is just unforgiving. Especially in the later levels, you'll find none of your attacks land, while you're getting knocked over every two seconds. Furthermore, while you're lying on the ground, you're completely vulnerable to all other attacks. That's not usually something I'd complain about... but in this game, it just seemed unfair that one attack hits you and then all of a sudden you get pummelled by a wave of laser blasts and, hello, your health is half-drained.
The game also suffers from some long loading times. If you want to upgrade your Force powers, it takes a fair chunk of time to do so, because it has to load your Force Powers menu and then, once complete, return you to your game. This also applies for changing your lightsaber characteristics and other small things that, let's be honest, shouldn't require loading at all.
The last thing, while only a minor thing, is with some of the larger kills. Destroying the likes of AT-STs and Rancors can ONLY be accomplished through those button mini-games action games are so renowned for now. Even if you get their health down to absolute zero, a pitiful AT-ST HAS to be destroyed by a mini-game; you can't just electrify it into submission. While some of the ways you deal with AT-STs are cool... there's no freedom as to how you might want to dispose of it - I've always been partial to crushing them into a ball with the Force. But you HAVE to do what the minigame says... which is usually slicing the thing in two. I don't mind it... sorta... but it just, there's no freedom as to how you want to finish these things off. Surely, they could take a cue from the God of War handbook and start a 'throw' on it, but then allow you to choose whether you want to crush it into a ball or slice it cleanly in two?
---
When the game behaves, The Force Unleashed is great to play. It just, feels very unpolished, unfinished. It all started so well, without any glitches and promising a fun ride. Towards the middle, though, the game reared its ugly side. The game is pretty short too... to be quite frank, it's probably only worth a rent.
However, the fun parts are extremely fun. Nothing beats clearing out a corridor of Stormtroopers with a single wave of the Force (which of course, sends them flying into all manner of destructible objects too!). Most of the time, the controls are fluid and the game responds as you'd expect. Plus, with the ability to replay any level you please (the first level is so much fun when you're a super Sith of doom!), the game is more fun the second time around (though the replay value is limited to about that). Star Wars fans should definitely add this to their collection, while those simply waiting for God of War III to be released should probably hold off until it gets cheaper... or perhaps give the game a rent.
I rate this game 7.6/10.