Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has hit the stands with a purple lightsaber drawn and humming, and the dark side flowing through it. The Force Unleashed is an action game, played from a third person perspective (where the player can see his character. The game follows a story that fills in the gaps between the popular Star Wars movies, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – the one where Anakin Skywalker becomes the evil Darth Vader – and Episode IV: A New Hope – the one we normally just call “Star Wars.” At the end of Episode III, the Jedi are being hunted and slain and, as we learn from Episode IV, they are eventually wiped out (or believed to be).
At the beginning of the game, players actually portray Darth Vader in all his glory. His mission is to find a powerful Jedi hiding on the planet Kashyyyk, which is where Wookies like Chewbacca come from. Using the Force to fling them around and his saber to snuff out their furry vine swinging lives, Vader finds this Jedi, as well as a small boy. Sci Fi’s father of the year, Lord Vader, snatches the boy and teaches him to be a Sith (Dark Jedi) and to hate the Emperor. The boy, young Galen Marek, takes the name “Starkiller,” apprentice to Darth Vader. Here, the player takes over and guides him on his quest to kill Jedi (and other Star Wars aliens and characters).
The combat focuses heavily on the mighty lightsaber. It can deflect blaster fire, strike down enemies, and destroy obstacles. Force powers let you fling it like a lethal Frisbee and you can use your anger and hate to summon lightning shields, grab and fling enemies over cliffs, into rocks, at each other. Force Lightning can fry enemies, stun them, and even blast TIE Fighters in midair. Force Push flings everything away from you. All these powers are upgradeable and can/should be used in combat.
The Wii version is different from other versions of the game. It features the same missions as the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, but the levels differ in terms of layout and sometimes even enemies. The Wii version has some new bosses and, being a Wii game, it uses gestures and movement rather than button presses, which makes the Wii version more visceral. The Force powers, their effects, and the saber, seem more in the player's control. The Wii also offers a lightsaber dueling mode that requires another human player.
The ESRB has rated Star Wars: The Force Unleashed “T” with a note for “Violence.” The violence refers to the near-constant combat, and the normally friendly Star Wars universe falling to your saber. You have to kill Wookies, the pig-like Ugnauts, droids and several good Jedi on your quest but you also fight the empire and the forces of darkness by the time it’s over. The game could be said to be about redemption – about becoming a good guy – but the game leaves that ultimate decision to the player.
