Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Review

[InDaHoodie]

This game is not the best game ever made, nor was it EVER GOING TO BE. The real problem here is over-hype (again). That said, when any developer has so much money and resources at their disposal, some of the flaws in this game are unforgivable and SHOULD be looked at more harshly then in some other unknown title.
Also, like always, some Star Wars fans seem to have convinced themselves that what they thought was going to be amazing, IS amazing, and nothing will sway them otherwise. Well, whatever makes you happy guys, but you should expect (and deserve) more when you pour so much time, money and energy into this fanchise.

 

[sandmanH17]

I've played just about all of the console games of Star Wars, and I have to say that TFU was a very good try at what they're aiming for.Though I don't see why it's so difficult for them to get that.I do like the game though, the story is good.To me it felt like I was watching a movie.But like other people have said the controls are a little f'ed up.The targeting system is frustrating,and the combo system of attack was good but I feel it still had the potential of being more advanced and fluent.Shoulda gave us the control to change button layouts.Some kind of multiplayer woulda been nice but noooooo.I still wonder what they were really doing the past 4 years making this.I'm sure some drunken bondage orgies were amidst. All in all I do like it but it made want more you know. So yeah good job guys at Lucas Arts but next time you will have some feedback to work off of.

 

[Euno17]

after spending about 12 and a half hours in this game and enjoying just about every minute of it, i gotta say, this review is much too harsh. first off, i don't know how in the world this guy can say its an 8 hour title. unless you're playing on easy and neglecting to explore at all, theres just no way you're gonna beat this game that quickly. i wonder if he realizes not everyone is a professional gamer. i consider myself to be moderately skilled at this type of game and i'm just now to the final stage. the music is of course awesome, the voice acting is decent, and i happen to like the graphics. the story kicks ass and thats coming from someone who is only a casual star wars fan. tons of combos, crazy force powers, and quite a few secrets round out what i thought was a hell of a good time. untill you've seen a storm trooper cling to a railing (or his buddies leg) for dear life, completely at the mercy of your force gripping whims, you just can't understand. the demo was nothing. a flea fart in a hurricane. play the game.

Wait, wait wait . . . You spent 12 HOURS on THIS game?! LOL - don't tell me you wanted to find all of those holocons right? Look don't get me wrong it's a 'semi-cool' thing to go look for but seriously . . how can you spend 12 hours on this? ESP. with just one go through?

Whatever - I beat this game in 7-8 hours EASY on med. and it only took THAT long cus it took a bit to figure out at each 'blocked path' to use my jedi powers somewhere/somehow. Oh that as well as dying over and over becuase when you get off of the 'game path' and try ot 'explore' like trying to jump up on tubes etc throughout the game you end up sliding off and dying as you fall becuase you can't jump your way back up the tube etc . . . so . . . what exactly is there to explore?!This game is a linear/hallway game. You are only allowed to explore a 'few' parts mostly when you get to the last mission IMO.

This ign reviewer - touched almost on everything 'bad' about this game. He did leave out the really dumb 'tech-tree'. That and the customization in this game sucks.

this game should be selling for 30 bucks - 60 bucks is a complete ripp-off. I beat the game in 8 hours and well for me to replay the game again (finding all the holocons is simply not enough) I'd actually need a REASON to do so. I hate games with little-to-no replay value. It's a complete waste of money. Combine that with that fact that this game was pretty damn short . . well I guess LA has suckered us all again . . .

Damn you LA for allowing another crappy SW game to be released. Hey yea, 'who cares' about us fans as long as you guys keep deepenin your pockets with our hard earned cash.

 

[philouza]

The game really isn't that bad, it's in the same vein but imo much better than devil may cry 4. There are some problems here and there, but they are minor, the combo system and force powers are wicked. I'm not sure why everyone is getting so emotionally wrecked over it. It probably should've rated in the 8.5 area, destroying and killing with your souped up character is a joy.

Hopefully they add some glitch fix patches and downloadable levels.

 

[Neo61101]

I'm an avid gamer and a die-hard Star Wars fan and I have to say that, if you ignore all the hype, TFU is a solid action game with a few technical issues... which the story makes up for.

It's not the end-all of Force and lightsaber use; you can't slice through bulkheads to jump to the end of the level. In fact, like this review mentions, a lot of objects won't even bend or break when bombarded by your arsenal. Still, if you look at this title as an action game that also happens to use the Force in cool and more extreme ways (think the Clone Wars cartoons... the old Tartakovsky stuff), you'll be pleasantly suprised.

Are the combos as deep as Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden? Not a chance. Are there technical issues, such as slowdown, occasionally cheap enemies, and a finicky Force Grip? Sure. Is this still a must-play for SW fans? Absolutely.

As far as making this a PURCHASE, ask yourself this: Have you ever, even once, attempted to defend the prequels for more than 10 seconds? If the answer is yes, just buy it and enjoy it for what it is...

 

[gholesk8ta]

yo this review is fucked star wars is a fuckin sweet game despite some minor issues you can easily get past

 

[jrovc]

this game is amazing dont trust the review that person is obviously an idiot this game deserves a 9 score at least

 

[Shiraz93]

Stop being so biased everybody! Just because you're Star Wars fans doesn't mean that everyone else is. This game is rated on how fun it is and how it would appeal to everyone. I played the demo for PS3 and I must say that it looks rather boring. Maybe it's because the environment didn't appeal to me. But I'm sure that IGN's rating is reasonable

 

[maurom961]

I just beat this game. Hilary Goldstein is full if SHIZZLE. I did not experiance any Texture loading or tearing or screen popping or any of that crap. Also, the bosses are not hard. They just require a grasp of the combos, patience, and learning the rytham of each boss and when to attack. As for getting hit and then getting hit again before you can get up: This does happen, but if you are a skilled jedi you will recover quickly. This game is so freakin fun. My only gripe is that their is no co-op.

 

[atr9976]

This game is a good rental.. don't waste your money buying it unless you are the type of gamer that enjoys playing through shorter games over and over. You're not really rewarded for trying anything different.. so.. not much to look forward to during second, third, or fourth playthroughs other than the difficulty..

 

[legacyAccount]

I agree,

its a blast, but to short to warrant a purchase. I can't see myself playing through it 10 times, to make it worth 60 dollars

 

[yoshi996]

this game is amazing third time through all i have to do is find all the holocrons. its really annoying how the wii version has all these amazing costumes like dooku, maul, vader, anakin, qui gonn everyone! and the ps3 and xbox gets the emperor, bail organa and stormtroopers lol oh and proxy.

 

[legacyAccount]

I thought the gameplay was awesome but I wish you could influence the storyline more. I understand that they had to keep you going in one general direction but there is really only one time you have a choice. I also didn't care for the ending. I knew thats how it had to end but thought they could have capped it off better. Overall I would say it is worth renting, maybe buying.

 

[bartman61.Jr]

this game imp deserved a 8.5 or higher i bought it today from eb games (got it free cause i traded 3 got it free) and it's amazing yes the story is short the gameplay is good enough it makes you want to play more and more

 

[j90003e]

On a scale of 1-10 this game gets a 4

Graphics . 6
Story line 2
Control 3
Replay value 1
Purchase value 1

Comments

While most may be in to the hack and slash kill them all games.
That is this games only strong point, I was expecting more from Lucas arts.
Targeting is sloppy at best.
The story line … what story line
The run and jump routine is over done like most games .
The game is way over priced for what you get.
Replay value I will confess I got tired of playing it after 1 hour and took it back

In short I will keep playing KOR and hope that one day some one will make a
Game that is worthy of playing .. It is plane to see that Lucas arts cant or wont .

 

[Jettle1]

Personally, I thought the game was a huge hunk o fun. I agree with some of the problems mentioned in the review such as hits against you timed to keep you down sometimes but it saved like every two minutes so it was never really a problem. Anyway, I just finished it and it felt like it deserved better....the movies could have taken some points on some of the cool visuals in this game, and the game play was awesome. I kept forgetting moves I could do because there were so many and being able to customise your player was gravy. Anyway, a great game. Just an opinion from a random gamer.

 

[skyviolet]

I HATE IT!! Its started off with an interesting story then got rediculously annoying, if it wasn't for the Star Wars name, I don't think people would give it as good a rating, I have been in the gaming industry for over 20 years and I can honestly say, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A DECENT STAR WARS GAME!!! and this is proof.

 

[JimEthunder]

Awesome game....short, but awesome....

I'm not going to argue some of the pro's or con's of this game. But graphics 7.5? and ninja gaiden gets a 9? LOL. NG probably does deserve a 9 so the Force Unleashed get's a 9-9.5. IGN is a great site except for the reviews which are....ONE nerds opinion, and usually good for... well, not much.

Reader average as usual reads much more accurate to me.... 8.6, I'd give this game a 9.2

To each their own though.....

 

[Jettle1]

Never been a good Starwars game? Are you kidding? Outcast was from heaven.

 

[Luigi-Dusklite]

Bull mess. This game for WII is 9.2 at LEAST. Foolish Bot.

 

[flipside32]

Not impressed with this game. ive had it since release day and have had to many issues to recommend it to anyone. freezing, crashing, framerate drops, lvl glitches. i was personally expecting a kind of new jedi knight type game but i was let down. jedi knight series games were much better and years ahead of there time compared to this game... NEXT!! basically for a lucasart game i was expecting something more put together.

 

[Euno17]

What I don't understand is what exactly does this game bring to the table that warrants a buy?

It seriously is basically a 'one-run' through game and that's the end of it. You'll do all the same things on the first run through that'd you do on the second and third (only difference is at the end you can choose two endings that's it). You don't have any choices, no customization, of ANY kind (seriously that Tech 'tree' is one of the worst lol. . .) for a 'next gen' game I was hoping for a little more in that area.

yea the enviroment 'looks' cool so what? They didn't even fuly use the enviroment tech they said they would. hell most of the stuff you can't even go explore you just 'slide off and at some points you die becuase you can't jump out of the 'sliding' move of death.

Ask yourselfs this question when looking at this game - Is is worth it to waste 60 or 65 bucks to buy this game when you could easily do everything you'd want to do in one week's worth of gaming by renting it?

Hell you could rent it for 4 weeks in a row and it'd STILL only be taking 30 some odd dollars to do.

If any of you think you should buy it over renting it well then all I can say is - it's your money you are wasting. All I am saying is think about it. There isn't much to do in this game. When people say you can beat it in around 6 or 7 hours to 15 hours (depending on how you play) easily in a week you could beat it 2 or 3 times and return it. Hell renting it for 2 weeks in a row would let you do everything and then sum with only using 14 bucks or so.

 

[brucehawk08]

I think this game a amazing. The story is great the characters development is great and the cinamatography is awesome.

 

[kooltroy]

This is just a run and slash game,I waited all the hype for this PLEASE ! im glad i just rented the game...This wasnt worth it

 

[legacyAccount]

I agree with the review. Its a fairly simple game elevated by the use of the Force. The only real joy you get playing it is seeing what cool new force move you can do to next enemy that gets in your way.

 

[WolfForager]

Tbh i loved the game. I'm on my second run through now and am aiming to get all the bonus's. The first run through was a simple "GET THROUGH IT AS FAST I CAN TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END". But this time i'm taking the time to enjoy it, and it is still just as appealing as my first run through.

 

[CallOfDutyFreak]

@ Euno17

Hell... Hell, even hell, damn hell, hell, hell, and i mean hell, its just hell even hell.

Your vocabulary sucks ass.

 

[gripat660]

game was pretty good till the very last stage on the death star couldnt get all the holos at first said default text even though i didnt put in any cheat code so the fed me on my score on 75gamer score for holo collector

 

[Shankovich]

Discover punctuation

 

[Pimpminista]

I reserved it the day the demo came out, and I traded in some games at gamestop so I wouldn't have to pay full price. It wound up costin me bout $35(for the 360). And being a star wars fan, I thought the game was barely better than OK. The biggest problem I had with it was NO MULTI-PLAYER OR VERSES MODE!!! It really sucks that the Wi got the verses mode and the "Next Gen" systems got stuck with a game I'll only keep because I want it for my collection, but probally won't play it again for a while. A verses mode would have done a lot to save this game along with a few more stages (not replays of the same stages), and Better customization options (what...no dual bladed lightsabers!!!) So if they really want fan feedback...learn from this. This game should have been great... instead of just ok. Next time...think Jedi Academy Unleashed, and you may make a classic.

 

[yoshi996]

done everything you can on the game really in 4 days lol. all i can do is play it over again for fun now. i thought we'd get versus like the wii..how does the wii a piece of shit console get versus mode!! id love that.

 

[raineisdead]

@yoshi996 - because you underestimate the quality of the console. Sure it has a ton of shovelware crap, but the gems that it does have more than makes up for it. =) Buy a Wii and buy TFU for it or stop complaining.

 

[goneski]

They really should of made the force aiming on the right stick (camera control )instead of using the characters direction. (left stick)

 

[Jettle1]

Sounds like alot of the people who didnt like this game were the ones who dont have a Blockbuster nearby. I played the hell out of this bad boy for less than ten bucks, and I agree with most of the posts...this game rocked and deserved a better score.

 

[Euno17]

CallOfDutyFreak - ahhh the vocab police. . . I was wondering when one would show up.

it's good to know we'll always have these kind of morons around.

I mean lets just forget a moment this is the internet and that I could give a flyin fuck about how I TYPE around you tools.

Hey Professor - if you don't mind me callin you that. This isn't English class nor is it some class teaching me 'how to type'. So I'm not being graded by how well I fucking type or how I spell etc. . .

So either stfu or talk about TFU. . . I know, I know it's 'really hard'for you to look beyond grammar mistakes on the internet and you just can't help but feel the need to point it out.

Just try a little harder would you? I know you can do it =)

That and well damn - you didn't even comment on the things I pointed out about the game . . . I guess that comes with being apart of that damned 'vocab police'. You just go around and tell people that their vocab 'suxs'. Good job, you did your duty! Now run along professor, I'm sure there are many other message boards you need to hit up and say the exact same thing to thousands of other posters. Here - I'll even help you out! go to the ESPN message boards; there you will find plenty of people to say it to =) Have fun.

 

[ORIONSAINT]

The game isn't just being judged on it's technical merits. The reviewer takes everything into account. Price included. It's the entire package that is being rated. $63 dollars for a game you can beat in 2 days deserves that score.

 

[nbalivemaster]

this game is awesome...should of gotten at least a 8.5

 

[Jettle1]

Actually, if you look at the review summary where the score is derived, price is nowhere to be found. Let me guess, you were one of the ones who actually didnt see before hand that this was a renter? The game was a blast and the price tag they put on it should have nothing to do with its worth....turok wont become a better game in a couple months when they lower the price, it will just be a cheaper peice of crap.
Here, Ill help those of you who still need a crystal ball.... if you can get it on ps3 and its not an RPG, sports game, or RTS that is fun enough to want to try it again and again...then rent it. If you pay sixty bucks for an action game and then wonder why you feel silly four days later when you beat it, then you asked for it. (god of war kicked ass, the next one will kick ass.....it will also be a renter Im sure.)

 

[NickeeCoco]

I purchased this game the day it came out, hoping and expecting something a lot better than what I got. I've only put in about five hours into it (and the faculty at the university are on strike, so I currently don't have any school and therefore, should be spending a lot more time playing video games). It's fun to play, but it's a renter, not an owner.

I pretty much agree with this review. The way in which you can use the force is great. A lot can get accomplished with a simple wave of the hand.

The "RPG" elements of the game (the way you "level up") are complete trash. They might as well not even be there. They seem like a complete after thought in an attempt to gain the RPG gamer crowd. Unfortunately, it worked, at least on me. I should have done a lot more research on the game before I forked out 60 bucks.

 

[DaCaPn0045]

It's a good game. 60 bucks is too much to spend on almost any game. You should rent all action-adventure games anyway, they have no replay value. That doesn't mean it's a bad game (i.e. God of War has almost no replay value, but it got like a 9 or 10).

 

[Computergeek836]

....just the fact its star wars.. i gave it a bad rating but whatching game ply made me give it a 6.9

 

[jamahn69]

Can you play online in this game? cause im picking 1 up 2day

 

[BladedMattyB]

If ur a fan of star wars, buy or at least play this game...simple.

 

[Chim_Richulds]

Why is anyone still surprised that LucasArts is delivering half-assed games that are advertised as The Second Coming in video game form?

They have shown again and again and again that they could care less about the quality of their products.

 

[goateye11]

I actually really enjoyed the game. I think the thing that helped me the most is I didn't hear much about it till the week before it came out. So a lot of you who say it's bad is probably because you believe everything you hear.

 

[Go-Mer-Tonic]

This game is great if you weren't expecting the second coming.

I must have missed the ads that claimed it would be.

 

[cooperbarrelmaker]

well what can i say apart from i loved smashing stormtroopers together,chopping up anoying bomb throwing jowas, smashing tiefighters into each other yes i felt the force surge through my cinema sound incorporated with hd, this game was worth the wait every year of it. its like you are this wondering lost jedi looking for the right choice. if you havent bought it get it because you will enjoy it but dont go playing it on easy play it on the hardest as you will gain more from it in game play frustration and excellence....

ive owned every console computer on this planet going back to the days of 48k madness and wow do video games kick arse today..

hope to see more lucas clan...

money well spent!! now its time to return to take on the imperial hordes...

 

[spawn_of_apathy]

I'm finding most scores for this game far too high. I'm surprised so many lazy and uninspired game design choices are still allowed in gaming, and editors don't call the developers out on it.

The moment I got the concept Lucas Arts was going for I knew there was going to be an issue with balance in the game. And sure enough there is. I have all the force powers, but overall the only time I feel like I'm "unleashed" is during the Quick Time Events.

Everything else is a frustrating and archaic designed action game. I felt more like an all powerful Jedi unleashing the force in KOTOR.

 

[Go-Mer-Tonic]

Maybe you aren't figuring out how to combo your powers together?

 

[spawn_of_apathy]

Maybe you aren't figuring out how to combo your powers together?

No the problem is enemies that are immune to pain, and immune to *shock* force powers. In a game where I'm supposed to be this badass due to unleashing the force, making enemies immune to force powers is self defeating for the game.

In a QTE I can pick up an AT-ST and crush it. During gameplay I can't even knock it over. Best I can do is stun it slightly with a lightning blast. There's levels where you can pick up AT-ST heads and toss them. Add legs and suddenly I can't move it? What about those [hl=black]storm troopers[/hl] that are twice as tall as I am. That's not too large for the Apprentice to pick up and hurl, and yet I can't.

In KOTOR I could force lighting a large group of enemies at once. I could force push them all away from me too if I was surrounded. Force Repulse maxed out, won't even knock over those [hl=black]tall storm troopers[/hl] or the normal size ones if they have [hl=black]that energy shield up[/hl].

The apprentice in gameplay is so slow too. Many of his attack animations, his landing animation, ect take too long to do and allow me to transition into some kind of attack of defense.

The lock on targeting is garbage. I can stand right in front of an AT-ST and force lighting between its legs hitting nothing but air. I pick up an object and throw it in a direction, the game throws it in a different direction at another object instead of at an enemy or group of enemies. Sometimes it picks the right destination, but not always.

This game is another action game to try to impliment platforming and fail.