Star Wars: Force Unleashed has been hyped up something fierce over the last year. Impressive physics engine, great AI, destructible environments — it has it all. Plus you play as Vader's apprentice which means you've got all kinds of deliciously evil force powers. The game had so much going for it and it came so close to living up to the hype, so close.
Force Unleashed takes place between Episode 3 and Episode 4 when Vader is going around hunting down the last of the Jedi. The plot starts out simple: hunt down Jedi. But from there it evolves into something epic. This isn't some stand-alone story that really doesn't matter and would be better left untold (I'm looking at you, Clone Wars), no the plot is one of the strongest parts of the game and enough to make you put up with the shortfalls.
I think the issues I had with the game could be summed up with "it lacked polish." It really feels like the game needed to stay in development for two or three more months and needed (a lot) more play-testing. The physics engine sometimes backfires (things getting suck in walls, specifically things you needed) and the controls seemed to not always respond as I expected them to (block felt very sluggish, to such a degree I gave up on using it). Not to mention the Star Destroyer battle which is a massively poor-designed battle. Kiera can attest to the swear-fests that this game caused, it got messy.
However if you're willing to look pass the glitches the game is actually very enjoyable. Nothing tops playing a Sith-in-training running around and killing everyone in sight. The combos you can pull off are a lot of fun, and towards the end your force powers actually feel powerful (in the past Star Wars games force powers have frequently felt…neutered). Mind you, it takes a lot of work to look pass the glitches, but if you can you're in for a great ride. Certainly one of the best Star Wars games in years.
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