Customer Reviews

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(66)
3 star:		(44)
2 star:		(26)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

So, I just couldn't resist. Bought the game on release day (at BestBuy) and now have played through a bunch of missions. The good:

The concept of the game is fantastic -- who doesn't love running around with a lightsaber and force pushing stormtroopers?
The graphics are more than adequate -- I'm sure not as good at the 360/PS3 but the game still looks pretty darn good.
The purchasing of new force powers with force points works well.
The story line is very good, as is the voice acting.
The actual control motions are well thought out, and pretty natural.

The problem is that the mechanics just aren't there.
The big problems with the game are:

1. Too easy -- there's really no consequence to dying. You just are resurrected and go about your merry way.
2. The camera -- I think that the camera angles are what really hinder the game. This game would be ideal from a first person perspective, but is played entirely in the third person. As a result, the camera angles are critical, and LucasArts' coding is just not up to snuff. The camera often looks in directions you don't want, especially in tight spaces and with lots of enemies. Also, since the commands/combos are all dependent on moving the Wiimote/Nunchuck in a particular direction IN RELATION TO YOUR CHARACTER the controls become confusing when the camera is not oriented over your shoulder. If you're fighting a boss it's not a big issue as you can lock the camera on your target. This doesn't really apply in a room full of stormtroopers, though.
3. Saving - the game saves as you go past checkpoints (ala Halo, and most other FPS games), but when you come back (after turning off the Wii) you start back at the beginning of the chapter as opposed to at the last checkpoint that you encountered. I fail to see the point of the checkpoint system. Further, it makes it difficult to pick up and play for a half hour -- you really want to continue until you're done with the chapter.

As a result you wind up with a beautiful looking, intuitive game with a great storyline that's just more difficult to play than it should be.

Save your $$ -- rent.

The story behind this new entry into the Star Wars universe starts with Darth Vader being sent to Kashyyyk by Palps in order to track down a Jedi that survived Order 66 and the Jedi purge. Vader lands on the planet in his shuttle, and you proceed to kick some serious Wookie butt. The Stormtroopers you see are a nice blend of the Clone Trooper outfit and the newer Storm Trooper outfit, you can see the progression. From their sound, I think the clones aren't in use anymore by this time. The main reason I say that is that they sound a little scared when they status Vader on things, but the whole difference in the Clones and Storm Troopers is a discussion for another geek day. Vader finds the rogue Jedi, and you get your first real battle. Once Vader defeats him and is about to deliver the final blow, the lightsaber is Force Pulled out of his hand and he turns around to see . . . a little boy, maybe 5 years old I would say. Vader feels that the Force in the kid and stands there for a minute thinking of what to do and takes back his lightsaber. The Stormtroopers come up with their guns trained on the kid, and Vader turns around to face them. Cut to the kid's scared face as you hear Vader's lightsaber fire up and takes out everyone - rouge Jedi and Stormtroopers alike. With no witneses, he leads the boy away to become his Secret Apprentice. As the Apprentice, you'll go on missions to find other rouge Jedi, and see how the Rebellion came to be. That's about all I know on the story so far, it's as far in game as I was able to get tonight.

First off, as expected, the graphics aren't anywhere close to what I'm hearing the PS3 and XBox 360 are. That's ok, because I think the graphics are still pretty impressive on this game. Cutscenes are rendered well, the action is pretty fluid, and I didn't really notice any distracting frame drops like I've seen in other titles. There were some graphics glitches, though, but I hear that those are showing up on the other consoles as well - characters sliding through objects/walls, capes and costumes cutting through figures, that kind of thing. But, it's not that bad, really. From my gamer perspective I'd say it looked pretty good.

I was initially disappointed to hear that the Havoc and DMM physics engines weren't going to be in the Wii version, but they do manage to pull it off pretty well. Your victims squrim around when you've got them in a Force Hold, they scream and grunt realistically when you toss them around like ragdolls (I'll get to that in a minute, by far the most awesome part of this game), and there is some rudimentary A.I. being implemented here where they will at least display some level of self-preservation once they realize you're going to squish them like a bug with your Force Slam. I had a few Rebel Militia guys running away after I grabbed a flaming barrel, so that's always fun. There are so many things in the environment that are breakable or throwable, it's really amazing to see. Again, I know the PS3/XBox 360 versions make this look silly with their DMM physics, but the Wii is immersive enough for me in this aspect.

The controls are what sets this game apart. When a game implements a good control scheme for the Wii, it just feels right. You get a lot of games where the controls do feel tacked on, it's just not that exicting to play. Not this one, the controls are incredible. The recently shown Motion+ 1:1 controls would have been great, but honestly, how many of us can realistically wield a sword or lightsaber in a fluid manner anyway? My Apprentice onscreen would look like a flailing idiot, just like me. The limited motion recognition is fine with me, lets me look like a fool while the Apprentice is still fun to watch. Contrary to some opinions, it's much more than just "waggle" (most of those opinions are voiced by PS3 of XBox360 snobs . . . saber-envy, I guess). You swing left-to-right, so does the Apprentice. You swing right to left, so does he. An upward swing? He throws and uppercut-like strike. Downward? Overhand slice. Thrust forward? Lunging stab. You get the picture. You can string together some pretty cool combos with this and, coupled with the force powers, open up some serious Sith whooping.

The Force powers are controlled with the Nunchuck. Push it forward, and you do a simple Force Push. If an object on the screen is highlighted, you can Force Grab by holding the Z button and use the control stick to move it out of the way or throw it at a whimpering target . . . who screams satisfyingly when it hits. The C button gives you your Force Lightning. One of my favorite moves in stringing together attacks is to grab the target soldier, hoisting him up in the air with the Force, and throwing the lightsaber to impale him. I threw a lot of guys into walls, off cliffs/catwalks, into each other. The Force Grab/Throw is by far the coolest and most natural attack I've ever experienced in any of the Star Wars games I've played. And I used it. A lot. And was grinning ear to ear the whole time. Does that make me a Sith?

There is a great training mode, for use with the young Padawans to help get the controls and attacks down before trying out the game. Very interesting use of first-person style showing both hands onscreen using a Wiimote and Nunchuck.The Apprentice's droid is facilitating the training, telling you what to do to get what effect. Well done, overall, and does a great job of introducing the controls, explaining their use, and giving you ample time to experiment with combos and the like.

Lastly, I want to spend a little time on the voice-over experience. So far, Sam Witwer is great in the voice-over acting. Apparently, the cut scenes were actually recorded by the actors on green-screen, interacting with each other, then captured and animated in the game rendering, so there is actual chemistry between them. I haven't heard much from Juno Eclipse yet, the Apprentice's pilot for his ship, the Rouge Shadow, but what I've heard from her, voiced by Nathalie Cox, has been pretty good. Matt Sloan did the voice for Darth Vader, and I'll tell you what, at first I thought it was James Earl Jones, he really nailed the voice. It looks from the cast that they have Jimmy Smits reprising his role as Bail Organa, but I haven't gotten anywhere near his part in the game, I'm guessing. The story is acted wonderfully, and I don't see (yet) any heavy handed influence from George Lucas, which is a good thing. At least, if he throws a Jar Jar Binks or Ziro the Hutt in there, at least let me be able to kill it mercilessly. It really has an older Star Wars feel to it, could even be compared to the Knights of the Old Republic game and it's storyline, and I'm really enjoying it so far. I'll report more as I get deeper into the game, and especially as I try out the Wii-exclusive Duel Mode, which really looks to be amazing. I'm sure my Padawan daughter will wipe the floor with me, but that's just good parental bonding, right?

I don't want to echo what a lot of other reviewers have already said. Yes, the graphics in this game are definitely inferior to the 360 and PS3 versions BUT I can't imagine the other versions of the game being nearly as satisfying an experience as this one. Pushing a button to do execute a force push just can't feel the same as actually doing a pushing motion with your hand and seeing your enemies fly back on the screen. The camera is definitely an issue, a lot of times you will find yourself waving your light saber like a madman at enemies you can't see because the camera is out of position. You definitely DO feel powerful in this game as a Sith Lord but at times it seems like you loose a lot of health for just a few blaster hits but this could just because I'm still in the early stages of the game.

The game play is very scripted with premade vitory and battle cut scenes. The camera is slow, but you can change the camera's turn rate in the settings.

The force controls in the nunchuck are fantastic. You buy updgrades to your force powers as gain force points by killing your enemies. You can also find upgrades hidden throughout the levels.

I picked up the game on release day and played for a couple of hours. My arms hurt. It's just about impossible to sit down while playing this game, your arms are so involved in the game play for the Wii version.

If you're looking for the best grapics, try the XBox 360, or PS3 version. If you want the most interactive play, grab the Wii version, you won't be dissapointed.

I'm only a casual gamer, but I've played almost all previous LucasArts titles (mostly on the PC) and loved them. My favorite games have been in the Jedi Knight series. Force unleashed gives that first-person gameplay style a new dimension on the Wii. You can really get immersed in the game by using the nunchuk to push/toss/fry stormtroopers or pick up objects to toss at your enemies (great stress relief). There are enough force powers to try to master, also. The lightsaber control is decent with the Wii remote. The game has a slight learning curve, so don't get frustrated initially. The storyline is great, and I feel the graphics are adequate enough for me (didn't buy a wii for graphics). The sound is good as well. A nice addition to my limited Wii collection.

Let's sweep the negatives first so they're not ignored:
- The camera is ridiculous. You'll wish you could do to the camera what you can do to your opponents. I routinely found myself running away from enemies just to get the camera in an angle where I could see them. With some of the flying troopers, I never was able to see them no matter what I did. There is the ability to lock the camera on boss opponents, but that was only a little less useless. If LucasArts were pioneering the chase camera paradigm with this game, I'd be more forgiving, but they've got plenty of functional games (even from their own library) to use as templates for how this should be done.
- Like most LucasArts action games, this one is excessively linear. The only way to make it more linear would be to implement "Wrong Way" warning flashers, but that would be bad in this game because you're probably only running back so you can reset your camera view. I don't personally have any real problem with this but some might.
- Part of the "Star Wars" legend has always been that a lightsaber cuts through anything except another lightsaber blade, with notable exceptions being Vader's suit as seen in ESB, the electrified sticks wielded by the droids in RotS, and the limited-application cortosis from the EU and other LA games. This game changes all that. Now lightsabers are stopped by Stormtrooper suits, skimpy leather outfits, and even bare skin. A design goal of this game was to really focus on the Force, but a side effect is that the lightsaber is nearly reduced to a novelty item.
- When I first saw Episode 1, one of the things I did like about it was the raw speed at which the combatants moved during lightsaber battles. That aspect got better and better and hit a major high point in Ep3. Conversely, the apprentice, with all his amazing Force powers, moves like a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter. Most of the damage you'll take in this game will be while waiting for him to finish a lightsaber move.
- The AI is pathetic. I'm getting just old enough that I like my games a bit on the easy side, but this was a bit much. The enemies don't get smarter as the game progresses, they just get beefier statistics.
- I've long felt that LucasArts uses frustration where other game developers use difficulty. For instance, the Rancors aren't particularly tough to beat, but their continual knockdowns needlessly drag the fights out and make them more frustrating than fun or challenging. Some of the AT-ST encounters are like that too.
- The repetitiveness in places gets tiring. I was thoroughly sick of fighting Rancors by the end of the Felucia levels. Fighting multiple Rancors across the spread of an entire game isn't bad, but "take six steps, fight Rancor, rinse/repeat 5 times" is bad game design. Add in how needlessly long they are and it can be enough to make you switch off and do something else for a while.
- The grunts are plentiful, which would be a whole lot more fun if the lightsaber hurt them. Because they're all but immune to lightsaber damage, you have to use the Force powers on them. In concept, that's great, especially since this game is meant to highlight the Force powers. However, what you'll find is that the individual unit types can be incredibly difficult to beat... until you find that one Force power they just can't defend against. Then you just spam that Force power (and it's almost always one of the one-button or one-motion ones) until you get to the next boss. Putting in any variances might result in you getting overrun and killed by silly little grunts that should be running in fear just from the sound of an activated lightsaber, but instead stand their ground no matter what is happening.
- As is mentioned by other reviewers, the biggest threat of actually dying is doing so far from a checkpoint, which at worst usually means a 45-second run. You do lose some Force points, but I wasn't especially good at this game and died more than most people probably do, and I still had more than enough to upgrade my Force powers sufficiently to finish the game with relative ease. I didn't try, but I imagine you could use the "return to Rogue Shadow" command to get fully respawned enemies on a level and rack up all the Force points you need.
- Having the + button bring up the menu caused me troubles. It was flat-out horrible when I used it with the Glow Saber unless I just consigned myself to not using the A button, but I still had a few troubles when I put the remote back into the jacket.

As formidable as the above list may seem, it doesn't stop this game from being a ton of fun to play, especially on the Wii. Let's look at the reasons I rated it well:
- I'd imagine I'm not the only person who's waited a long time for the ability to use something besides a joystick or a mouse to wield a lightsaber. This game really gets you into that. I did note that I don't like how weak the lightsaber is, but I don't want to be overly critical of that because this isn't a Wii-specific title. They could easily have made the Wii remote's uniqueness as near meaningless as they did in Lego Star Wars. LA put forth a good effort to make the Wii remote motions translate directly into saber moves without requiring the player to be a swordsman, and they worked in the nunchuk to control Force powers in a meaningful fashion. That they did so in a title not specific to the Wii is a bonus to us as the players. I'd still like to see something like Jedi Academy released specifically for the Wii, but this is good for now.
- Overall control of the character is pretty fluid and intuitive. Getting the camera screwed around means you might have to perform your moves in an uncomfortable direction, but as I said before, I'm not especially good at this game and I only had trouble with this a few times.
- I always place gameplay above graphics, but this one is extremely visually appealing as well.
- This isn't my favorite storyline of all the LA games I've ever played, and certainly not among all games I've ever played. However, it's not to be forgotten that this story is dealing directly with major characters in the Star Wars universe and in the middle of an established timeline, not before or after. I think they did a great job working within their constraints of not violating the storylines of any of the movies (at least not in the story as I uncovered it).
- The multiple storylines and the unlocking of the harder mode (which I haven't tried yet but I'm holding on to a tiny glimmer of hope that it makes the enemies smarter, not just beefier), as well as the Wii-specific duel mode give this game a good boost in the replayable department.

A comment I'd like to make regarding the saves as read from other comments: It's true that the automatic saves only work if you continue immediately but send you back to the beginning of the level if you reset your Wii. However, if you manually save, you'll pick up right where you left off.

If you love Star Wars and you love the Wii, you will love The Force Unleashed. I bought a Wii wishing for a Star Wars game where I can wield a Lightsaber with the Wii-mote and use Force powers with the Nunchuk. Well that dream has come true! Thank God Krome Studios didn't copy the next-gen versions, because this version feels more like Star Wars. The Wii version gets more film accurate powers like Choke and Force Telekinesis! There are a few other moves that are Wii exclusive as well including Force Maelstrom and Force Slam! There are directional attacks for the Lightsaber, so where ever your enemies are swing the Saber in that direction. You can even block Blaster shots back at enemies by holding the Wii remote horizontally! All the Force powers come from controlling the Nunchuk in various ways. This game actually lets you duel wield a Lightsaber and The Force! In this regard, controlling your character on screen is very satisfying. The real fun begins when you face characters that wield Sabers and Force powers like you do. Your Lightsabers will lock up just like the movies! Using Force powers on these foes will initiate their own lock ups. There are a few counter maneuvers that your character can perform in the heat of a Jedi/Sith battle.

The story is absolutely amazing. They brought in George Lucas himself to help write the story, and as a result you have a top notch tale or good versus evil. This story could very well be a film in itself.

The graphics are great. Your character looks exactly like Sam Witwer, the actor who plays Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice! Your Lightsaber sparks against other Lightsabers creating an awesome clashing visual effect! Force Lightning casts its own light in the environment. Smoke and explosions are left behind by your path of destruction. The Physics Engine is superb. There are many things to destroy besides your opponents.

The sound is great. Ben Burtt's Star Wars library is hard at work in this game. The voice acting is award-winning. The music compliments John Williams score and sets the proper mood.

The Wii gets a couple of exclusives beyond the extra moves. Krome decided that Wii owners needed more Unleashed for their buck and added a few levels. The Wii version includes a jaunt to the Jedi Temple, A visit to the seedy entertainment district of Nar Shadda, and finally a side adventure through Cloud City itself! To teach you the finer points of being a Force user, Krome has included an extensive training program. The training is not only fun, but informative. The Wii also has a Duel Mode, in which you and a friend/or enemy can battle each other using characters from the game and movies! All the moves and powers are present in the Duel Mode. There are nine different arenas to battle it out in, so the Duel Mode will extend the replayability after your finished with Story Mode.

No this game does not look or play like the next-gen versions, and it's more fun that way. There is no DMM or EUPHORIA, and it really never needed it. You can't push enemies through walls, but you can push them through statues and columns. The Wii version of The Force Unleashed is a must-own title on the console. If you ever wanted to rip debris off the walls and hurl it at Stormtroopers using the Force, this game is for you! The Force Unleashed is the definitive Star Wars experience on the Wii. Buy it!

I admit, I'm not a big gamer, however every once in a while a game comes around that appeals to my interests and makes me want to try it out. TFU was one of those very games. Here are the pros and cons to my experience with the game:

Pros:

Great use of the Wii controllers: This was probably by far the best way to actually PLAY and CONTROL the game. I tried to use the PS3 controller when I played that version but it did not compare to the experience on the Wii. During battles, icons come up to tell you when to use the remote or nunchuck for a final hit/kill which is fun.

Storyline: Now why couldn't have this been a movie? Seriously! This particular story arc closed more gaps than I think the third movie did (even at the end of the third film, there were still some things needed to be closed). The voice acting was great and believable which added to the overall story.

Duel Mode: Awesome! THe more you play the game and pass the levels, the more characters you unlock which is a plus (and to not spoil anything for anyone, the characters unlocked are not all from this game..)

Cons:
Graphics: I really wish the Wii could play 720p or even 1080i. Then I think this game would be worthy of a 5-star review. Some of the graphics look a little fuzzy, like some graphic-heavy wii games. The graphics on the PS3 are excellent and it was hard going from that to the Wii.

Inability to save: There is an autosave feature that lets you save your progress, however, don't expect to just pick up EXACTLY where you left off. Once you turn off the wii and turn it back on, you start over from the beginning of the saved chapter. Not cool especially if you are towards the end of a chapter and you decided to stop. This was something that confused me from the LucasArt team.

Overall, I thought the game was great with the exception of those few things. I believe it is a fun game and exciting at most parts. If you are an avid gamer or star wars fan, then it may disappoint you. For the average joe like me, it was a great game to purchase and play.

Got the game today and I love it. The graphics are probably not as flashy and polished as on the PS3 or X360, but the fact that you swing the wiimote to swing the lightsaber more than makes up for it. Yep, you swing the wiimote and the lightsaber does the same thing... want to to a left slash, right slash and a spinning twirl on the end? You can do that. Also, it has a great storyline that instantly hooks you. I won't spoil it, but it makes you want to keep playing just to see what happens... kinda like a book you can't put down. The force powers are quite cool too... you can pick up and throw lots of things, including people! I highly recommend this game. Its a lot of fun and you'll be very glad you bought it.

Ok.. So I'll start saying that I dont own this game, I rented it 'cause I wanted to try it first...

Having said that, I also have foud the key strong points are:

- Adequate Graphics. I own a Wii so I bet the xBox or PS3 are far better, but this one looks very ok.
- Great sound. Nobody pays attention to music, but this game has a lot of it and you feel like youre actually on a movie.
- You are on the dark side!!! At least! I mean I have played a lot of Starwars games, including KOTOR 1 and 2 and beleive me, it always is easier if you're good. But in this game you start as a really bad guy. In fact, u get o play Darth Vader!.
- Beside the "force points" you get for killing enemies, and then trade them for levels of skills (i.e. a stronger force push) you unlock new crystals for your lightsaber, new force powers and some more stuff wich is awesome.
- The Wii controls are really natural, there are a lot of force powers and Wii controls make it really easy and enjoyable to use them.

And for the cons:

- Camera movement is widely mentioned in this reviews but it gets fixed if you increase the camera speed option in the menu of the game.
- The third-person disadvantage is there, truly if you're on a room filled withj storm troopers it gets difficult to use force powers accurately. Still the AI of the game helps you a bit there, so whenever you throw something it hits the nearest enemy, and stuff like that.
- True, if you die there's not a lot of consequences, still, this game is for fun, not for repeating the whole level if the boss kills you. Besides, there is a consequence, your force points diminish and it takes you more time to aquire more points so u can buy extra levels for your powers. And in the bosses they regain energy, so if you die they recover about 30% of their strength.
-Bad point that the games saves a lot in the check points but if you turn off and on the wii, you have to start from the beginning, but well chapters are not that long.


In general it's not a perfect game, so it does not get a 5 star grade, but still is a lot of fun to play it for like an hour from time to time and maybe on some weekend afternoon.