This high-powered, intense Star Wars experience is a good game, first and foremost. Is it as good as it could have been, should have been, or as the hype made gamers think it would be? Not really. While I'm generally dissapointed by the final product, there's still much about this game that calls for redemption. If you've been thinking about trying the game out (possibly in preparation for the second installment) but are bummed by some of the negative reviews the game has recieved, take a look at my review to see if this game may in fact be up your alley - and trust me, besides the 7.25 I've awarded it, it may in fact be the droids you're looking for.

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AT A GLANCE:

WHAT IT IS: A thirdperson action game that puts you in the role of a Sith warrior with the craziest force and lightsaber skills ever seen in the Star Wars franchise

WHAT YOU'LL LIKE: The ease of using your powers, the intriguing (and official) story, and the cool Euphoria & realistic physics systems

WHAT YOU WON'T LIKE: Cheap enemy invulnerabilities,repeated environments, the abundance of quicktime events, and that stupid Star Destroyer sequence

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THE SETUP:

The Force Unleashed's story has been made official canon, so many might be wondering how the tale is...it's alright. You play as Darth Vader's apprentice, who is found by former-Annakin on Kashykkk. Vader just killed his father, so naturally, he'd steal the kid and train him in the ways of the dark side. Fastfoward several years, and this Apprentice, known as Starkiller is a walking tank of destruction. His force powers are like none ever seen in the Star Wars universe. His mission is to hunt down the last of the Jedi and kill them for Vader. While the story has some important twists (though all slightly predictable), the characters never really develop enough to be endearing or memorable. I also don't appreciate the love angle that seems tacked on between Starkiller and his pilot, Juno Eclipse. My favorite characters are ex-Jedi General Kota and Proxy, the training droid who has been programmed to try to kill Starkiller when the time is right, which is quite hilarious, since he's constantly talking to Starkiller about how he's eventually going to off him. However, even these characters don't show enough distinct personalities to make them really stand out in the Star Wars universe. As a whole, the story is about trust, deception, and the power of the Force, and all of this works pretty well, where things culminate nicely in the climactic (though inevitably tragic) ending.

GAMEPLAY:

The gameplay is where the game really shines though, at least in some areas. An elegant control scheme allows the Force powers to flow from Starkiller smoothly and effectively. All of your attacks and abilities are highly satisfying, and can be combined in many creative ways for some appropriately awesome deaths. Imagine picking up a Stormtrooper, and easily spinning him all around in the air while he screams in fear. Then imagine shooting bolts of electricity at him, then throwing your lightsaber through his chest, and then smacking him into a wall. And this isn't even a very creative example. You could easily electrify a red-lined container, and throw it into an enemy as a bomb. You can even electrify your lightsaber for some awesome close-combat combo moves. Strangely, the most satisfying aspect is the simple pleasure of flinging Jawas, Stormtroopers, and Ugnauts every which way on the fly. Of course, most objects in the environments can be picked up and thrown, so there's always something to fling around. When you defeat enemies, you collect health, so you're always encouraged to take out the smaller guys first in a situation where, say, your being attacked by a Rancor or AT-ST.

So, as you can imagine, the first level is AMAZING. In this prologue stage, you play as Darth Vader (with every force power and more available) as you fight through Kashykkk. You feel like an unstoppable force, and you smile as every enemy who dares challenges you just seems foolish to not understand the endless powers Vader holds. Needless to say, force choking Wookies and then flinging them aside is very entertaining. The next few levels are also fun, as you nearly only face enemies that can be easily disposed of. Unfortunately, though necessary, the developers had to put some factors in place to actually make the game challenging. As you go farther through the game, you'll start facing more and more enemies that are unaffected by certain powers of yours.

Even though this makes the game a challenge, you suddenly don't feel like this human wrecking ball of force powers, as you will start jumping and dashing all over the place to dodge certain enemies while trying to figure out which of your powers is effective. It just doesn't feel right when you barrel through a hord of Stormtroopers, and suddenly one of them has a shield that blocks against electricity, Force Grip, and Force Push. At one point in the game you can pull a Star Destroyer from the sky, but you can't even pick up an AT-ST. Bosses also have annoying in-vulnerabilities to certain powers, so there are many frustrating instances where you die a lot because you can't figure out exactly which powers or strategies deal reasonable damage. This happens during regular enemy encounters at later levels as well. Couple this with the fact that you'll sometimes lock on to the wrong enemies, and the game is sometimes very frustrating. Like "AHHHH! These shielded stormtroopers keep shooting me and when I finally get up, this AT-ST shoots me down again, and then I try to fling the stormtroopers but it won't let me because it keeps thinking I want to lock onto the AT-ST, which can't be thrown anyways!" and plenty of scenarios like that. Another problem I found is that enemies disappear VERY soon after they die, which is very annoying, since it could have lead to great opportunities. Why couldn't they allow us to pick up a dead Rancor body and throw it around, at least?

DISTURBANCES IN THE FORCE:

The game is also inconsistent when it comes to variety. There is a very nice selection of enemies, but there aren't THAT many planets you go to, and you even go back to some of them twice. The early planets, like Kashykkk and Raxus Prime are cool, but they overstay there welcome the second time you go there. I'm glad Felucia, Cloud City, and Raxus Prime are very creative environments, but I kept hoping I could go somewhere like Hoth, Mustafar, Endor, or Tatooine, but instead you simply return to planets you've already been to. Luckily, thanks to an RPG-lite upgrade system, combos and force powers are plentiful, and get better as you progress (though the enemies often keep you from truly going crazy with all of your powers at once when you finally have a great range of abilities.)

Despite being frustrating, boss battles are still creative and oftentimes fun. When you get in there and find an opportunity to slash away at a boss, its one of the most satisfying moments of gameplay. They also offer some of the most memorable moments, like an early one where the boss completely detaches your battleground (an observation tower) from the rest of the structure. That said, some moments in the game that could have been awesome turn out not to be. Sometimes this is because the finishing moves of EVERY BOSS is a quick button press sequence, which feels anticlimactic at times, and yet again, lacks variety because a lot of the time its the same freaking button presses. What really disappointed me though was the Star Destroyer scene, where you pull it out of space and into the ground. You must stop pulling often in order to quickly destory a bunch of Tie Fighters before the Star Destroyer returns to its voyage. Frustration ensues. Other bonuses include hidden light saber crystals and costumes, and achievements that are sometimes thankfully easy to obtain (and if you beat the game on the medium Sith Warrior difficulty, you'll get 175 points right there). There is also concept art and other things like that, which Star Wars fans might enjoy.

Much like the variety, I found the graphics to be a mixed bag. The Havok and Euphoria engines are the crowning acheivement. Foliage and materials will move around in a lifelike way, and glass shattering is eerily realistic. Wood and Metal will also realistically twist and bend when you force grip or force push it (in some situations.) Also, enemies will try to hold on the the environments when you pick them up, much like in Grand Theft Auto 4. For me, the crowning acheivement of the game is how awesome it is to be able to pick up an enemy and shake him around, while he squirms around, trying to break free. You can turn them upside down or smack them into walls, and they act as I imagine they would in real life.  However, the graphics are also very glitchy in many instances, with no thanks to the sometimes spastic camera. Some of the characters's facial animations in the cutscenes look very ugly, especially when their mouths move. When everything comes together, however, its a decent-looking game for sure.

IN CONCLUSION:

In the end, the game itself is a mixed bag. Graphics are sometimes good, sometimes questionable. The variety is sometimes good, sometimes questionable. The gameplay is sometimes satisfying, sometimes frustrating. The story has some highs, but other lows. It all adds up to a game that's undeniably enjoyable, but falls short of its potential. It short length and sometimes repetitive waves of enemies may keep me from recommending it as a purchase to anyone but the biggest Star Wars fans, but the superbly satisfying powers at your fingertips allows me to recommend the game to any action-fan looking for a solid game to rent.