What I’ve been playing this month: The Force Unleashed
Now I was hoping to get one of these up a month, but time is proving to be a rare commodity for me lately. Finally getting a foot on the property ladder and finding the first rung in dire need of some TLC is the main culprit - and that’s not any kind of moan by the way, just my lame attempt at an excuse.
I discovered the Mark Hamill-era films pretty late in life. I was too young to get swept up inside the Star Wars maelstrom, and when I was older I had somehow dissuaded myself from watching the films. For me, when a large number of people tell me ‘I should/need/have to’ try something, I find myself avoiding whatever it is I’m being asked to experience. Which is stupid, and self-interested, seeing as I’m fortunate to be in a position where I get to give my opinion on things to people on a daily basis.
If I am ever asked which my favourite film in the series is I sheepishly spout Return Of The Jedi, and this isn’t to strike any kind of debate. It’s for a number of reasons that I don’t really have time to go into here, but one of them is relevant to this review. I like the fact that Luke is dressed in black - he looks like a cross between a ninja and a futuristic Zorro. Luke’s also leveled up, he’s a Jedi, and by the end of the picture you know he’s going to prove it.
The Force Unleashed isn’t a great game. It has flaws. The way your character gets stuck on a piece of imaginery scenery is rare but extremely annoying when it happens. The game’s also too short (about 7 hours), the testing overuse of QTEs grates, the Force grab is sometimes horribly inaccurate, and the game’s levels can sometimes be confusing and frustrating endeavours - especially on the earlier stages, which are just too dark - full of cyclic-feeling scenery.
The first stage is a prologue. You’re slotted into the wheezing armour of Vader himself, fully powered and making easy work of obstructions, Wookies and Stormtroopers. Without wanting to spoil anything about the story, Vader finds Starkiller (the Secret Apprentice) and thus begins the real saga, with you playing the role of Vader’s apprentice with your powers suitably capped.
This is ultimately the problem with The Force Unleashed, it’s a slow burn. If I had to plot the thing on a review experience graph it would start off average, dip dramatically during the second and third stages of the game and then slowly but continually climb as its story develops and your powers increase. When I first started playing the game I stopped when I reached the third, Jet Force Gemini-looking, stage - a level decorated with giant mushrooms and acid-spewing vegetation. I stopped because I grew annoyed, frustrated and bemused at how ugly everything looked, and how infuriating the level design was proving (fighting to reach the top of a stage, only to fall to your doom because your character fell from a ledge because he was stuck inside an attack combo was one of the games more testing faults). After a week or two though I went back to it. The story took a turn for the better, trickles of fan-service finally decided to show up and my character had powered-up to a satisfying level. I was finally having fun taking on droves of Stormtrooper and AT-ATs. And finally my character started to feel a little like Luke looked in Return Of The Jedi. (Incidentally, when you reach the last stage of the game Starkiller’s costume switches to a similar dark getup.)
The Force Unleashed is by no stretch an amazing game, but it does contain some amazing moments. If you’ve bought it, started it, and find yourself quickly starting to despise it, just try and persevere with it. It does get better. That’s all I’m saying.
October 16th, 2008 at 1:16 am
Totally agree about the targeting… I was getting so freaking annoying at first… but you get used to it. I like the fact that you can choose which powers and skills you want to develop - meaning a replay with experiences. Nice review!