There's definitely something to be said for a franchise that's been alive for over thirty years. In 1977, Star Wars was born, a movie that would define the path of many film directors and fans alike. Even though the series' biggest fan base consists of thirty and forty-somethings, the younglings of the generations that followed were introduced to the popular films and followed suit. Today, with no more Star Wars movies to be made, their fandom continues to thrive with special edition film releases, memorabilia, toys, and of course, video games.

The Force Unleashed is the latest offering in the multitude of games sporting the Star Wars trademark. While gameplay is definitely among the utmost concerns in video games, Star Wars fans are equally concerned with storylines and how they tie into the movies. Players can surely expect such a tie-in with familiar faces along the way in a journey that took place a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

The game's story takes place during the undiscovered time between episodes 3 and 4 of the film series. Those who sat through episode 3, the latest of the six films, know that Palpatine, portrayed as the Emperor in the original trilogy, had devised a plan to destroy the remainder of the Jedi order in an attempt to take over the galaxy. In The Force Unleashed, we see the execution of this plan by none other than Palpatine's own apprentice Anakin Skywalker, otherwise known as Darth Vader. [Cue deep breathing sounds….]

Storyline

As the game begins, players take control of Vader on the planet Kashyyk, a.k.a. the Wookie planet, as he attempts to seek out and destroy a Jedi Separatist given refuge by the Wookie population. Before going further, it should be stressed that the game's focus is on evil verses good instead of the other way around. While the events that take place in this first sequence of the game may seem foreign and even cruel to some players, those whose secret desires include killing Chewbacca will feel right at home as the Wookie slaughter commences in full force.

After making short work of the big fuzz balls, Vader's Jedi mark emerges from his hideout and a battle sequence begins, allowing players to test out the various force-inspired attacks offered in the game. When the skirmish comes to a close, Vader encounters the young son of the defeated Jedi who displays an impressive presence of the force. Bewildered at this child's abilities, Darth recruits the young boy who will later serve as his secret apprentice, dubbed Starkiller.

Once the story advances to the game's "present day" setting, Starkiller becomes the playable character. While in possession of a number of different force powers, the apprentice's abilities are far outmatched by those displayed by Vader in the opening sequence. However, this serves as a starting point for the apprentice as he enhances his force power and gains new abilities while embarking on missions given to him by Lord Vader, each of which will aid in ridding the empire of the remaining members of the Jedi order. While acting in secret, Starkiller is seen as a foreign aggressor, hence the rebel resistance throughout each mission. The story in The Force Unleashed is engaging to say the least. Coupled with the terrific voice acing Lucas Arts' games are renowned for, this new branch of the Star Wars saga is indeed one fans should check out.

Gameplay

The gameplay in The Force Unleashed is best described as glorified hack-n-slash with a focus on combat using on a variety of Star Wars' signature force powers in addition to wielding the classic lightsaber. The game can be played be played on three difficulty settings initially, with an additional level of difficulty that can be unlocked by completing the campaign. Whichever setting you choose, the level of intensity in your force powers remains the same when the game begins. This suggests an immediate need to upgrade your powers. Thankfully, the game incorporates a screen in the options menu that allows you to upgrade your powers to new levels of intensity. During the game, players will gain force points and collect glowing spheres that allow the purchase of these enhancements. Using this same system, players can unlock new lightsaber combos as well as attributes to make your saber increasingly lethal.

Force powers in the game are what separate The Force Unleashed from other similar action games. They include force push, force lightning, force repulse, and force grip. The force push attack causes a burst of energy to thrust forward, knocking your attackers backward, allowing you to get the jump on them with your lightsaber. This is equally effective when used to knock enemies off raised platforms, sealing their fate as they plummet into the abyss below. Force lightning stuns enemies with a powerful jolt of electricity while force repulse acts as a smart bomb, killing all enemies within a certain radius of your lightsaber. Lastly, the force grip allows players to levitate objects as well as enemies, which can then function as projectile weapons.

Of all the force powers you have at your disposal, the force grip attack is largely the most enjoyable as it allows for a degree of creativity during battle. For instance, players can pick up a nearby machine part and toss it into a horde of advancing rebel forces, causing an explosion that will send them flying into the air. On the other hand, one might choose to pick up a Stormtrooper, bang his head on the ceiling a couple of times, and then toss him into the next galaxy. Enemies grabbed with the force grip do not go quietly. In fact, many will latch onto a nearby object in an attempt to keep from being lifted. Enemies will also grab onto their nearby allies, allowing you to have some fun with both of them. And this is indeed fun... for a while.

Use the Force

While most force powers are initialized by pressing a single button on the controller, the force grip is activated using a partnership between the right trigger (RT) button on the 360 controller (L2 on the Sixaxis) and both analog sticks. As you progress through each level of the game, active objects or enemies are marked in blue. Once you've got your sights on what you wish to pick up, you pull the right trigger causing that object or enemy to be immediately suspended above the ground. At this point, the right analog stick is used to raise and lower your grip's intensity, and the left analog stick can be used to move your grip forward and backward. Once players have this scheme down, the symphony of destruction begins by letting go of the trigger while the object is in motion to throw it in the direction it's moving.

Force powers may also be combined with one another during combat. For instance, while suspending an enemy with the force grip, sending a jolt of force lightening his way doubles the damage, and by extension, the player's pleasure. Force powers are also used as elements of lightsaber attack combos. For example, players may choose to deal a quick one-two with the saber, followed by a quick force push to finish them off.

In addition to dealing with your attackers, force powers allow you to manipulate the environment to solve the game's puzzles. In order to advance in certain areas, the force push might be used to open doors, while the force grip can be used to extend catwalks. The situation may also call for players to electrocute an object for throwing, which takes advantage of multiple powers at once. Players will also use power combos to defeat the game's bosses. However, strategic power usage quickly turns to strategic button mashing as no boss goes down without a tedious mini-game sequence.

With all these objects flying about in the game, one would expect some impressive physics. Fortunately, the game meets and often exceeds those expectations with gusto. Trees fall, walls crumble, and objects bounce around as you would expect in "real" life. Even so, the physics are exaggerated to a great degree. For instance, enemies thrown using the force grip will often sail through the air with no hope of returning to solid ground. This, of course, adds to the pleasure principal rather than subtracts from it. Knowing this, the developers incorporated an action camera that, when activated, follows enemies along their aerial paths to doomsday. Overall, the physics work really well in the game and can make for some great fun indeed.

The environments in The Force Unleashed are beautiful and are reminiscent of those one would expect to see in the Star Wars movies. Outdoor settings are cleverly crafted, often with multiple tiers in which to engage the enemy. Indoor environments are also laid out nicely with plenty of signature Star Wars eye-candy in every area. Environments in the game are also destructible and take damage on a scale that matches the current battle. To escalate the experience even further, Lucas Arts adds an enticing musical score composed by Mark Griskey, whose video game accolades include music for Knights of the Old Republic 2. These tunes, along with the original themes from John Williams, make The Force Unleashed a truly authentic Star Wars experience.

A Disturbance in the Force

With all The Force Unleashed has going for it, there are some notable inconsistencies that hinder the overall experience with the game. First, we'll address the enemy AI. While your foes can be challenging with their own ranged attacks, there's almost no variance in the ability to take them down. They aren't necessarily pushovers, but players can pretty much wipe any of them out using a single lightsaber combo throughout the entire game. This brings about to the question as to whether or not the force powers are necessary to defeat them. The answer is a resounding no, but without them the game would simply be boring.

Speaking of boring, there's nothing like being taken out of the action to participate in button mashing mini-games. No, this is not really an inconsistency; rather, it is a poor design choice that could really stand to disappear in video games altogether. While we're on the subject of disappearances, it should be noted that, for a game that's screaming for cooperative play, neither the PS3 nor the 360 versions contain a multiplayer component

As for the level design, it works for the most part. Still, there is not a lot of variance in the game's missions. Players will travel from point A to point B then flip a switch or perform some similar action that will allow them to proceed to point C, all the while taking out wave after wave of enemy forces. If you're imagining this can get boring, you're correct. Even the use of your force powers becomes dull not long into the game, thus dissipating the desire to upgrade them.

As mentioned previously, the game incorporates an auto-targeting system that highlights objects that can be picked up. While this does help, objects along your path are so numerous that targeting the wrong object or enemy happens all too often. This auto-targeting also directs your lightsaber attacks and can be quite frustrating when trying to eliminate an attacker, only to swing at a nearby barrel. These issues, coupled with the frequent slow down periods and audio that cuts in and out at times points to an unpolished final product.

As far as the contrast between the two consoles is concerned, there were no dramatic differences worth pointing out. It all comes down to which one you own or prefer (if you own both). The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions both look great, yet suffer from the same issues mentioned above. However, the increased tightness of the analog sticks on the 360 controller did provide for better control over the auto-targeting issue, as well as the accuracy when throwing objects with the force grip. However, if you're not pondering over which console to buy the game for, or you're not an Xbox fanboy spamming the PlayStation forums, this is a trivial concern.

Conclusion

The Force Unleashed, though not without its issues, is a fun game to play. I can't really say that it lived up to the hype surrounding its release, but it does include a very interesting story that Star Wars fans will eat up. In a sea of games with lackluster stories to drive them, Unleashed stands out among the crowd with likable characters and great voice acting. The gameplay, however, is not nearly as enthralling.

Using the various force powers is enjoyable, but the experience becomes stale all too soon as combat grows more and more repetitive. While most players will complete the game in a mere 7 or 8 hours, the thought of playing it for much longer is utterly yawn inducing. Even so, the game is not void of fun by any means. If nothing else, the game's popcorn movie quality will entertain but may only serve as a stepping-stone to a more enjoyable gaming experience elsewhere.

• Beautiful environments
  
• Great story and voice acting
  
• Unmatched musical score
  
• Enjoyable force powers
  
• Playing as Darth Vader

• Repetitive missions
  
• Frustrating auto-targeting system
  
• Tiresome mini-games
  
• Unvaried AI
  
• No co-op or multiplayer

Lucas Arts' quest for greatness with The Force Unleashed only makes it halfway there with an intriguing story hindered by repetitive gameplay. While Star Wars fans will relish its tie-in to the movie series, others will regard it as just another solid action game with pretty cutscenes.