Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

As one of the millions of Star Wars junkies throughout the world today, I often have wondered what the storyline of the Star Wars saga was like in between movies III and IV. The Force Unleashed allows us to find out exactly what happened, beginning with the final removal of the Jedi race and the true story behind the creation of the Rebel Alliance.

Playing as Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice, you get your first true opportunity to put the power of the Force into your hands, and for me, it felt pretty good. The controls were pretty simple to learn and even some of the more advanced combination moves were simple with a little practice. Getting the opportunity to play half the game as a Sith, then the other half as a Jedi allows for you to see the Star Wars world in its full perspective. The most exciting part is the final set of scenes, where you must choose Starkiller's fate...Jedi or Sith?

As accompanied with just about everything Star Wars is an array of great graphics and excellent music. Just what you would expect in a great Star Wars game.

For those of you who are big on getting achievements, there are about 25-30 that you can get with the first run-through of the game. The add-on DLC also gives the chance to earn up to 9 more new achievements, making for 59 all together. Good for players who are all about the achievements.

All around, this game gets an 8 out of 10. My only down spot is the camera angles, which can make for difficult fighting when the camera gets stuck against a wall or a rock. Outside of that, a great game. When this game was $55-60, I would have said "rental game", but now that this game is down to about $20, I would say this is an "own" game now for anyone who loves the Star Wars saga.

LSB1222's FINAL REVIEW (ALL RATINGS OUT OF 10):

Gameplay: 7
Music: 10
Storyline: 8
Game Difficulty (1=Too Easy, 10=Too Hard): 5
Achievements Difficulty (1=Too Hard/Long, 10=Easy/Quick): 7
Replay Value (1=Low, 10=High): 5
Rent or Own?: Own

But it's overall a good game.

I would advise you not to cheat because it disables your ability to save, which is sad for all cheaters.

Pros:
Nice graphics, fun levels (mostly), use of buttons for sweet finishers, very customizable, from your costume and lightsaber to your force powers and combos.

Cons:
levels can be VERY frustrating, objectives are vague, combos can be repetitive, almost everything is explosive for some reason, environment could be more destructible (is really only destructible in first level), and it needs some more force powers. (Like maybe you could assign force powers to buttons, just an idea.)

I would say that this game really isn't worth buying. I would just rent it. It's a pretty decent game, but it gets tedious and you don't really feel motivated to complete the next objective.

This is my first review of a game so give me some credit if you think this review is no good (I'm new at it). When I first got this game I was very pleased, the combat in this game is very nice and the boss fights can be hard (which I say is a good thing). At times the force grip ability can be not as respondant as you want it to be but is stilll good. But as you go on later in the game you will become more frustrated on why you can't kill the big storm troopers. This game gets very frustrating. You'll be doing part's over and over again wondering why you can't finish that part. If you have problems with throwing down controllers, you will be doing that alot. So if your that kind of person and your xbox + controllers are in bad shape, I wouldn't rent this for the sake of your Xbox. Otherwise it is a good rent. Hope you like it. Just as I have (till I got very frustrated).
p.s.= I was doing hard mode.

No! Not the rock! The droid, target the droid. Oh, I don't have any force power left. Another dead Sith apprentice. Yea, I get to watch the stupid cut scene again since I can't skip it... No! Not the rock! Arrgh!!!

This game could have been awesome. Unfortunately, it has one fatal flaw and it is fatal for all wanna-be Sith. The game wants to target anything except what matters. This amounts to hours of frustration rather than entertainment.

Thank you again Gamefly for preventing me from wasting money on an unplayable game which got undeserved high marks in most reviews

This game has everything in it that I hate. Buggy third person camera? Check. Platform jumping to fall to your death? Check. Endless enemies that appear from no where even after you clear the area? Check. Awkward targeting? Check. Cliche timed button presses for "boss" battles? You bet. The only redeeming quality of this game is that it's visually appealing. If you want to look at star wars, rent the movie, if you want a good game play experience, buy a different game.

If you are a Star Wars fan you simply have to play this game in order to experience the storyline that expands on the Star Wars universe. I found myself pumping my fists (yes I realize how lame that sounds) as I finished this game not only because I didn't expect to beat the last boss, but mainly because the story was just simply awesome. The game is fun, challenging and the use of the force is what all Star Wars fans have dreamed about for years.

Play this game.

This game could've been much better if only Lucasarts could've figured out what it wanted to actually accomplish.

Why is this game on the Wii and PS2? They spend all this time telling us how awesome the new technology (which isn't new, but more on that later) is, and then develop the game for a last-gen system and a system that's last-gen with slightly higher clock speeds? The practical result here is twofold. First, the initial design the game is built up from is done with the less powerful systems in mind. This is what gets us the bland, un-exciting environments and level design mentioned by the critics. Second, all of this new technology doesn't even matter. Using it to aid in the creation of a living, breathing environment simply isn't possible on the weaker systems, so we're left with maps designed for the weaker systems with this stuff thrown in here and there as an afterthought.

The big huge technologies aren't even close to new. Havok physics has been around for years, and is currently giving way to the more advanced Ageia model. Half-Life 2 did a materials system, called "DMM" here, literally years ago where every object behaved and broke like it would in reality. There is absolutely nothing new about these things. The graphics are terrible compared to many other current games, they are simply not impressive. Compare Starkiller here to Starkiller in Soul Calibur 4 or the game to other high profile titles.

I'll leave off with this quote from the game's producer courtesy of Kotaku regarding the lack of a PC version that should sum up the intelligence in use when design decisions are made at Lucasarts:

"[If we made the game for high-end PCs], someone with a low-end PC would have a watered down experience, they would have to turn all the settings down and it wouldn't be the same game. On the other hand if we made that game for as many people as possible then it's not taking advantage of what those $4,000 systems can do."

What.

Most of the reviews here call the game, "Frustrating, but good."

That's a bold lie.

If the game irks you consistently, what could make it so good? Keep in mind, any redeeming qualities must also overcome the poor level design, the choppy gameplay, the lack of variety, the low quality cut scenes, and the general lack of effort of any type from the designers. So, what could overcome all these things?

It's a Star Wars game! If you're a giant fan, you'll enjoy the game. If, however, you're like me and think that the movies are overrated, you will NOT enjoy this game. It's not even worth a rent; just ignore this game. I thoroughly enjoyed Knights of the Old Republic. Even though it was in the Star Wars worlds, the game was made to appeal to gamers in general. The Force Unleashed is made to appeal to people who blindly buy everything with the Star Wars name slapped on it, regardless of quality. It is a fantastic concept - Who doesn't want to run around using wildly wielding "the force" and destroying EVERYTHING in their path? - but the execution is so poor that I probably won't even finish the game. It's a mess, and it saddens me that people enjoy this.

A game that has not received the greatest reviews but i would have to say this game is amazing! it isn't very long but with an array of customizable options from your light saber to combos and costumes a lot by the which are secret. aside from all of that the graphics are amazing the gameplay is fluent and nothing is more satisfying than punting a jawa LOL! the storytelling is what makes the game worth buying if you are a star wars fan and a guaranteed rental. This game is definitely worth playing, after you have completed the game it is definitely worth another play through to maybe try the harder difficulties or maybe get that last achievement! i definitely recommend this game to anyone who is looking for an all around great game with story and really good gameplay mechanics

Okay this really is not a review this is just something to help people decide if this game really is for them. This game is much like the very popular God of War series. Like nearly identical. It has the sick finishing moves, epic bosses, and instead of magic it has the force. So if you like God of War, you will really like this game. And if you like this game, you might wanna check out God of War.

First off before i rented this i wasn't a big fan of star wars never seen all the movies , but always understood the concept. When i got this game and started playing it , its amazing t the story is so entertaining and amazing i caught myself wanting more story mode thats how great it was , the battles are awesome you feel like you watching a movie its very responsive, specially when you beat the boss you start feeling like are the best Jedi ever , this game is rated 7.4 by the community i got no idea why, this is by far the best star wars game i have ever play cant wait foe the sequel , i give this game a 10

In the first level you are teased with forthcoming force powers as you play as Vader stomping through the Wookie village and it is every bit as awesome as you want it to be. After that you play as the apprentice and the fun magically drains away as you fight with the tedium of only so-so controls over your own abilities and endless generic baddies to off. It basically makes you wish you were playing the first level again. If you do it right and abuse the force push ability, you can squeeze 50 points out of the first level... after that you wait for the mail to send you a game that is fun.

Like many of you, I had high expectations for this game. It featured a brand new story that would help tie up some loose ends between episodes three and four. The team at Lucasarts was working with a new physics and A.I. engine to help create the most realistic and cutting edge action experience in a Star Wars game. Well all that went down the pooper after spending time with this game. First off the game looks good and it's fun to mess around with the new physics and see helpless storm troopers and droids flail around helpless, but after about an hour with this game many frustrations rear their ugly swamp rat heads. The camera seems to be your greatest enemy always facing everywhere, but the target attacking you or the target you wish to attack. Second why oh why can everyone block my lightsaber, this thing is able to cut through blast doors and and impale foes like nothing, yet a piece of metal blocks it? Second the target lock is terrible when fighting multiple enemies since it locks onto one target and you can no long grab anything but that one target. When fighting a single jedi the target lock is fine, but three or more foes forget it. The game is also cheap instead of relying on smart A.I. the developers took the easy route and just threw a crapton of enemies at you at one time. And with a shoddy camera system hits from off screen are the main cause of a cheap death. Bottom line the game is an ok rental but don't waste your money on this game and keep wishing for Battlefront 3.

Mike out.

I am so glad I rented this game instead of buying it! IMO it had potential but was nearly unplayable!

I loved the achievements and thought that the story was amazing. The first couple of levels are hard enough to the point where you aren't surprised when you get to some of the other bosses. There are no real hidden achievements which is nice, everything is fairly straight forward. Another great thing is there are now 3 more downloads where you can get about 20 more characters, another level and 200 or so more achievement points.

This game is great for start wars fans, good story line but the whole game is way too glitchy, the controls are terrible, my biggest complaint is the "DEFAULT TEXT" glitch, I got that glitch half-way through the game, what it does is you no longer can keep track of how many holocrons you have on each level and how many force points you have, and it also nullifies the optional objectives, meaning you cannot get those achievements. how can you release a game and let that happen? did they have 5 year olds testing this game? overall the graphics are not that bad but I found that if you jump in different areas you can end up in a different area because of all the glitches, RENT this game, DO NOT BUY! you can probably finish it in 6 hours too.

I have read many reviews on this game but i found that many of them were quite incorrect in comparison to my experience. I played it to think that i would be all powerful. I found that the enemies were almost an equal to me on the normal default difficulty as well as most of the bosses simply being hyped up regular guys. The camera was normally playing against me as making throwing objects nearly impossible. The story was the most redeeming thing about the game nearly perfect and really giving insight for during that time period.
I give the game play a 4 and controls a 5 but the graphics and story line a 10. A 5 overall since the storyline could simply be found on the internet without having to play the sluggish game.

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who was disappointed in this game.

Short review: If you are a Star Wars fan, RENT the game, enjoy the visuals, story, audio, acting, but be patient with the frustrating controls.

I really really wanted to like this game. I was sad when they delayed the game from the July release, but I'd rather wait for a better product. Too bad this product still needed more time. The game froze on me twice, and I remember a couple other glitches too.

The biggest problem with the game is the gameplay, it's clunky controls. You'll never really feel like the master of the force because you'll be fighting the camera and never really gripe the right object.

I don't like how the boss bottles had a pre-determined fight combo like God of War. Why not let us choose how to take down a boss?

Half of the levels I just ran through because I was so bored at fighting the enemies. It's pretty sad that many of your enemies take multiple swipes with a LIGHT SABER! or have FORCE REPELLENT?

Story is actually pretty decent and brings in old and new characters very well. Ties III and IV together nicely with some special surprises. The game is about 6-10 hours of play (the best part of the game was ruined by bad controls and can take up to an 1.5 hours itself). Still I would at least take the time to play this game if you are a Star Wars nerd.

Hopefully some of the old arcade gamers will understand my title.

If you like a game that you just mash buttons quickly in a specific order, then this is for you.

If you were hoping for a game like K.O.T.O.R., then you'll be sad as this is nothing more than a kill all the enemies and finish the level with a boss fight.

Graphics are pretty.

Camera
- you constantly have to flip it around to see the enemies hitting you.
- throwing things takes a lot of practice if throwing for distance

Controls...standard stuff (X,X,X,A...LT,X...XXXXXXX- XXX as fast as you can)

Difficulty...I don't know how many levels there are, but I think I am getting thru it quickly even at the Max difficulty that I can choose (why companies lock the MAX MAX difficulty I will never know. I'm not likely to play this again).

Darth Vader's voice...not a very good James Earl Jones impersonator.

Storyline....is there one? Haven't seen much of one other than "go kill this person."

This game is really fun and really long. It takes about 10 hours to beat and you can upgrade weapons and get new skills or combos. If you want some fun then this is the game for you.

I definatley regret putting this game in my queue. The graphics are a little above par, and thats about all it has going for it. For anyone thinking about playing this game just make sure you dont find your self in a corner facing any more than one enemy, once you get hit they will just keep you down until you dead, no way to retaliate.

This game started out pretty good, playing as darth vader taking on wookies and a jedi, but then you switch and play a dark side palidin. The gameplay got old pretty fast. In about an hour or so I reached a level I couldn't get past after 10 or more tries, so I gave up and sent it back. There is no "god mode" cheat so if you can't beat this level it's not worth playing. It was kind of fun to see the Star Wars story from an Imperial prespective but once that novilty wears off it's just another hack'n'slash sword game (except your sword is made of light).

This game will leave you saying wow the whole time. This is how the FORCE should be used. From the first level all the way through you will be amazed by the details/ graphics and task that away you.I got some cheat codes for ya'll to help you out. Here ya go.

-------CHEATS-------

Play as General Rahm Kota
Enter "MANDALORE" as a code to unlock General Rahm Kota.

Kento's robes
Enter "WOOKIEE" as a code to unlock Kento's robes.

Sith robes
Enter "HOLOCRON" as a code to unlock the Sith robes.

Ceremonial Jedi robes
Enter "DANTOOINE" as a code to unlock the Ceremonial Jedi robes.

Sith Stalker armor
Enter "KORRIBAN" as a code to unlock the Sith Stalker armor.

New combo
Enter "MARAJADE" as a code.

Amplified damage
Enter "LIGHTSABER" as a code.

Maxium Force powers
Enter "KATARN" as a code.

I was psyched about this game for awhile so when I joined gamefly it was the first game I chose to rent....the first few levels were amazing...then I noticed a crucial bug.....at probably the most inopportune times, I would fall through the map, everything was all mirrored and you couldn't make out anything at all...the only resort is reloading which doesn't really seem like a huge hassle but the fact they happened at random basically means you could have not saved sometime back and then you would have to go ALL the way back to play through again.

Pros: Great physics, Interesting story, fun combat

Cons: Vague objectives, falling through maps at random.

It's definitely not worth $60 unless you are a serious fan boy of Star Wars, but if your curious, might as well try it.

(note I was using the Xbox 360 version of the game, sooo the bugs may or may not be present on different consoles)