More than a decade later, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is still a benchmark in storytelling
The success of Star Wars doesn’t just come from its cinematic source material though. It’s the canny positioning of this franchise and its ability to evolve into other forms of media that have helped it emerge as a pop culture phenomenon. You look at the video game side of the equation, and this was a brand that was a recipe for success when handled correctly. Which explains the deliciousness of the amazing Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
Second Opinion - Xbox 360 by Nick "I have a bad feeling about this" de Bruyne There are two things I need to state before I give you my final impression of this title.... Secondly, I was fully aware of the negative hype and low review scores that this game was receiving before sitting down to play it for myself.... As a Star Wars fan I was already skeptical about this title, "just another licensed letdown" I thought as I had already tried the demo and wasn't overly impressed.... About three hours hours into the game I had to take a moment and ask myself what in the hell all the critics were on about, because this is one hell of a game.... You will also go back to planets that you have already visited and although they are not the same levels as before, they make use of the same backdrops and themes. This is a bit of a shame because the rest of the package has a wonderful amount of polish and even though their were bugs, they aren't nearly as game-breaking as many critics would have you believe.... My initial concerns of repetitive gameplay washed away as the level-up system had me progressing and powering up my Apprentice throughout the game, always adding better and more powerful ways of disposing of anything that happened to get in my way.... The addition of various unlockable combos can be a little intimidating at first, but once you have them dialed and have a good grasp of your force powers you will find yourself creating new and wonderful ways to teach Stormtroopers that they were created for no other reason than to feel the full extent of your wrath. All in all The Force Unleashed had me donning a massive grin for most of the campaign as I mowed through copious amounts of lesser-beings with my awe-inspiring powers.... Don't think that it's a walk in the park though, I played through on the second difficulty setting (of four) and found it to be a good challenge throughout. A nice surprise at the end of the game was the ability to play through the game again with your uber-apprentice, complete with all of his powers, unlocked costumes and lightsaber upgrades. The real shocker for me at the end of the day is that I went into this review as a skeptic, I mean, all of the hype said that the game was a big disappointment. Tell me then, why is it that I had already started playing through the campaign a second time before I could tear myself away to write this review? Final Score: 8.5/10 [ A great story combined with action-packed gameplay make up a game that I can easily recommend to anyone who is looking for a fun and interesting single player experience. If you are a big Star Wars fan then it's a no-brainer and if you aren't you should still take a look.
