Fall of the Jedi
For all of you Star Wars fans out there, here's a new tale from the epic adventure finally worth telling. You won't need to know much about the newer Star Wars prequel trilogy to enjoy this tale that has more connection with the earlier, more satisfying Star Wars films. The premise is simple: Darth Vader has a new apprentice, one that has been kept hidden from the Emperor, who is helping the Empire wipe out the remaining Jedi. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed answers many of the questions fans have been asking, like how Vader managed to kill off all the Jedi and if the Dark Lord of Sith ever had a pupil. Naturally, you play the role of the apprentice Starkiller, who finds out that his destiny with the Jedi and the Rebel Alliance is more connected than his Master would like. If you've read the comic book, don't worry - the game has elements not in the book. Aside from the storyline though, what would enthrall fans is the game's ability to control the Force, the special ability that is the crux of Star Wars. From Push to Repel to Lightning, the developers have greatly expanded upon the traditional notion of what a wielder of the Force can accomplish. The Force abilities here put those of previous Star Wars games like Jedi Knight to shame. Imagine being able to pick up any object with the Force and toss it at your enemies, or using the Force to split huge trees asunder and crack open hills to send timber and stones falling onto your hapless enemies below. Stormtroopers and other soldiers are more cannon fodder as you trek through the Star Wars universe trying to fulfill your Master's wishes. From the beginning, Starkiller is a full-fledged Sith and it takes him only a few levels to master new abilities like Force Lightning and Repel. Players are then required to string together combo attacks to score points which can be used to increase your abilities. As in role-playing games, you can choose if you want to learn more Force skills or increase the powers of the one you currently have, crafting Starkiller into the super-soldier of your choice. Enemies respawn as well, so you can effectively backtrack and kill more goons to raise your score. You will need all those skills as this game is not easy. Aside from the useless stormtroopers, the other enemies are formidable in that they will regroup and retaliate. However, the battle is hampered by poor, almost non-existent camera controls. Once cornered, there are areas where you cannot shift the camera to see what's going on. In boss battles, for instance, the game automatically pulls back the camera to give a full view of the battlefield but still, no camera controls are given. So imagine my surprise when I brought down trees during my fight with a Jedi, only to have the battle obscured by a tree trunk itself. While the graphics are rich, with each planet looking distinct, fans may not enjoy the audio. The new soundtrack sounds similar to John Williams' original score and the classic sounds of light sabres igniting and lasers going off are spot on. My issue is with the voice acting - hearing someone other than James Earl Jones as Vader just doesn't cut it, even if the game does.
