Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a very ambitious title for about all major consoles and handhelds a like. I recently finished the PS2 version of the game (got my hands on it before next gen releases). And after sitting down with this game for awhile I think I am ready to give you my full opinionated thoughts.

Before I begin, I would like to say that the PS2 version is much different from the Next gen versions(360 and PS3). One, the graphics are obviously not nearly as good lol. Two, the PS2 version has 5 additional levels not seen on any other version. Two, controls are really different. Three, The apprentice holds his lightsaber like a normal jedi would, not backwards.

This one is NOT your next gen version I repeat! It is a completely different game, so please don't take this review in kind with the next gen versions.

Story

Well most people know that you will play this game as Darth Vadar's secret apprentice. This game's story takes place between Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith and Episode 4: A New Hope. It aims to fill the gap in the 20 something years in between then.

The game starts with the Empire attacking the Wookie planet (Not going to butcher the spelling because I don't know how to spell it). They are attacking still trying to hunt down the remaining Jedi. From the get go you will be playing as Darth Vader (BAD ASS!). You will get adjusted to the controls and such with him, then plow through wookies like nobodies business! Then you will encounter a Rouge Jedi who well...Vader has no problem taking down, after defeating him, Vader senses a much stronger power than the Jedi on planet and sure enough...who is it?!?! You guessed it, a child who happens to rob Vader of his saber with the power of the force. Vader then see's the childs potential and chooses to spare his life and make him his apprentice.

The game didn't dig to deep on the training and such of how Vader trained him, it just kind of shows him grown up in a second. Which was a real let down! It could have had a montage or something! After Vader pretty much knighting him a dark knight of the sith, he tells the Apprentice, that no one can know of his exsistance, especially not the emperor! He trained him all these years so that he and Vader could over throw the emperor.

But as the game goes on, Vader will send you on a lot of test before you are ready! And I mean A LOT! Then some turn of events have you outcast and left for dead, then you are on your own for the apprentice to discover his destiney.

In short, the story was pretty good, It really did nothing essential to the overall plot throughout the game, but...after seeing the ending...I wondered. Was this ever supposed to be even a gap between the main story, or more of a alternate universe, you know like a What if type of situation. I was left satisfied with it, but really wasn't expecting what I got, that is all I can say without ruining anything for you.

Gameplay

This is the real meat of the game in my opinion! I should not that this game uses a slightly enhanced version of the Havok 2.0 physics engine, in which the next gen use 3 different physic engines.

From the get go of the game you feel the power of the force unlike any game before! You have the basic single button force powers to use such as your force push,Lighting,choke,jump,Lightsaber throw,and repel. It is all made very simple to pull off, and feels really natural! You can also hold enemies in the air and while in air move the joystick to in any direction and release and send the foe flying! It is pretty satisfying with some of the stuff you can do with it.

You have a force meter at the top of the screen (and a health bar) and every time you use the force a little will deplete, some cost more than others, but it is very forgiving, because it will regenerate very fast but just not using any force powers for awhile.

As you get kills you get points to level up your force powers making them stronger, and what I really liked about this was, when you leveled up one of your powers, you REALLY felt the effect! and with more than 20 different powers to play around with in the game, it is cool to experiment with them all to find the powers that best suit your play style.

A good example is this, I like to use the force push ability like a mad man, so I leveled up the force push as fast as I could, then there are other combo's you can boost with it, such as force push and then lighting will send a big force push then followed by a HUGE explosion of lighting stunning and killing about everyone in it's path!

How you auto lock onto some stuff is pretty sloppy, you may be meaning to pick up a case and throw it at somebody and end up picking up the person them self. It is really kind of a minor nit pick, but it can be very annoying throughout some of the tougher boss battles.

The game has a targeting system, but I think it was complete garbage! There will be so many times you are locked onto a boss or something and you will be running around trying to keep some distance and the camera doesn't help you very much, you will find yourself running into walls that you cannot even see or running in place when you are actually running into a random object on the floor! Take my advise, don't use targeting!

The Lightsaber combat in the game is actually one of the weakest parts of this game, it mostly just consist of smashing the square button over and over, occasionally putting a force push or a lighting in the mix. It is kind of a shame because when you think star wars, you think epic lightsaber battles, but with my experience with the game, it is all about using the force to your advantage and this leaves the lightsaber as more of a way to fend off the little guys than a actual tool of destruction. It really acted more in a passive way for me, in that I could facet and crystal in it to increase my force powers. You can also change it's color and it's hilt with the various color crystals and hilts you find throughout the game. It is more just for cosmetic reasons though.

One thing I really kind of had a love hate thing for in this game is it's button context sequences in boss battles and such. I like them because they add that extra level of cinematic appeal to the game that you cannot do simply with the force powers. It is straight out of god of war but with the star wars feel! Hit the button at the right time and see the apprentice take a really cool and really over the top action to it.

As much as I love it, I have gotten kind of bored of seeing my action/adventure game use this formula half-to-death now! Also, all major boss battles and even sub-bosses require that you kill them with it, if you mess up in midst of the animation, you fail and the boss recovers a portion of their health back and you have to beat them down some more and wait for the context portion again and hope you pass it lol, it also adds more of a little challenge because it is always random! So don't go thinking you know the combo each time, because you will fail. It is nice to see some of the animations like seeing the apprentice smash a AT-ST into a little ball and throw it, and some of the Jedi boss battles achieve a cool sense of over the top action that none of the films could even achieve!

The menu system in the game is really simple and any average moron could figure it out at first glance. So don't worry noobs. It has very light RPG elements to the game, but they are welcome and actual are where most of the fun of the game comes from!

As you complete some levels you will unlock new outfits for the apprentice to wear, some cooler than others but they have no over all effect on the gameplay whats so ever! But....personally...I like wearing the Dark Sith Lord Robes, You look like a total badass and everybody looks cool with a long flowing cape! Even better when you see yourself wearing it in the in-game cut scenes!

Presentation

The game as a lot of setting you would come to expect from a star wars game! You will visit a lot of planets on your journey and never feel like your not in the star wars universe you have come to know and love.

The graphics and actually very good for the PS2! Some of the actual in game visuals look better than some of the cut scenes! Most of the story unfolds with the in-game cut scenes and it very sharp, I did see some minor graphical glitches on my playthrough but nothing very major. Overall...this is some of the finest graphics the PS2 has had, and might as well be, as it is in it's dying age now. (Opinion) The game also supports progressive scan for 480p output, making it look even better. It also supports widescreen for folks you happen to have widescreen tv's! THIS IS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE NEXT GEN THOUGH

In the sound department, you will be happy to hear that it is very stellar! All the classic star wars music, from the opening of the game till the end, it is pure nostalgia! The sound effects all sounds pretty damn good! You can hear every crackle in the the force lighting and every swing of the lightsaber! I personally love the sound of explosions in this game, the never get old, or it could be the sound of all the people dying after I exploded them, not sure, have to get back with you on that one.

The voice work in the game is VERY GOOD! One of the games stronger points, although the one who really steals the show is the guy who voiced Vader, it is spot on! It really doesn't have many characters from the main story that you would know so you can't go into it expecting to hear Samual L. Jackson (Thank god for that!).

As you play the game, you will be given quest the whole game..all consist of Go Here, Kill This Person. That is it, and between all them you can upgrade force powers,change outfits,customize your lightsaber and view some extra's. Then when you are ready to go on the mission, select it from your nav viewer, simple and INCREDIBLY LINEAR! Which is a real disappointment! Seeing as how recent star wars games have had branching story lines, good or evil if you will.

One of my major complaints about a portion of the game is, the extra levels are actually tacked on! You don't even feel a need to do them, because you are given no rhyme or reason to do so, other than Vader Demands it! and it isn't even rewarding doing so. I also will say that I got sick of going to the Jedi Temple over and over to kill another Sith Lord! It just felt stupid after about the 5th time!


Bringing down a Star Destroyer is a pretty cool part of the game and is all done with the in-game engine!

Difficulty & Replay Value

There is only one difficulty setting in the game and it is pretty balanced, but due to some of the amazing force powers in the game, it will feel a bit to easy, but it is a good type of easy, because you will feel like a god sometimes. After a little while though the baddies will get stronger and your older tactics won't work quite as well.

The game is very forgiving when you die. You loose a small amount of force point and start back at a checkpoint. So this is very nice for casual players alike, and don't get mad vets, you will still die often, especially in the later levels.

The boss battles in the game are most of the time, one-on-one duels with another Jedi. They are not your basic, just go up and attack and kill either. They can use the force and they will to their advantage! It is pretty fun, and pretty frustrating at the same time! Most of the time it will involve using the environment to deal damage to the boss and then enjoy the over the top context sensitive sequence. It stays like this through all the game and it doesn't get old. Some of the boss fights are harder than others, you will notice some of the earlier fights seem harder than they do later on, but that comes down to you being a total jedi powerhouse by the end of the game!

You can complete this game in actually only about 7-8 hours! Which is really a let down, and after you beat it, there is really nothing else to do but go through it again with all your force powers you got on your play through from the get go. So it really has little to none replay value, unless you are like me and just love to mess with the physics!


Overall

7.7 out of 10

It is a good game at least rent if you haven't upgraded to a next gen console. It is fun,and very satisfying...While it last! But with no other difficulty levels to play on and no reason to really play through again, it is very hard to recommend a purchase of the game. But for PS2 owners, this could be the ultimate rental this year!